Symbionese Liberation Army

Symbionese Liberation Army
Participant in the Black Power movement
SLA seven-headed Naga symbol
Active	1973–75
Ideology	Anti-Racism Communism Feminism New Left
Leaders	Donald DeFreeze, aka "General Field Marshal Cinque" (Died in police shootout May 17, 1974 aged 30) William Harris, aka "General Teko" (captured in 1975)
Headquarters	San Francisco and Los Angeles
Area of operations	California, United States
Strength	No more than 22
Battles and wars	November 6, 1973: Murder of Oakland school superintendent Marcus Foster February 4, 1974: kidnapping of Patty Hearst April 15, 1974 Hibernia bank robbery May 16, 1974: Mel's Sporting Goods shot up May 17, 1974: SLA Shootout April 21, 1975: Crocker National Bank robbery

Donald DeFreeze, aka "General Field Marshal Cinque"
(Died in police shootout May 17, 1974 aged 30)

The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was an American self-styled left-wing revolutionary organization active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a vanguard army. The group committed bank robberies, two murders, and other acts of violence.

The SLA became internationally notorious for the kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst, abducting the 19-year-old from Berkeley, California. Interest increased when Hearst, in audiotaped messages delivered to (and broadcast by) regional news media, announced that she had joined the SLA. Hearst later said that members of the terrorist group threatened to kill her, held her in close confinement, and sexually assaulted and brainwashed her.

In his manifesto "Symbionese Liberation Army Declaration of Revolutionary War & the Symbionese Program", Donald DeFreeze wrote, "The name 'symbionese' is taken from the word symbiosis and we define its meaning as a body of dissimilar bodies and organisms living in deep and loving harmony and partnership in the best interest of all within the body."

This political symbiosis DeFreeze describes means the unity of all left wing struggles, feminist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and others. DeFreeze wanted all races, genders, and ages to fight together in a left wing united front, and to live together peacefully.

DeFreeze was the SLA's only black member. His seven-headed SLA cobra symbol was based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa, with each head representing a principle. The Swahili words for these seven principles are: Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).

The appearance of the symbol of the seven-headed cobra on SLA propaganda indicates that it was copied from the ancient Sri Lankan and Indian seven-headed nāga; carved stones depicting a seven-headed cobra are commonly found near the sluices of the ancient irrigation tanks in Sri Lanka and are believed to have been placed there as guardians of the water. The particular graphic of the seven-headed cobra used by the SLA may have been copied from an illustration in The Lost Continent of Mu by James Churchward.