Apaches (subculture)

This article is about violent criminals. For the Parisian artist group, see Les Apaches.
Le Petit Journal: Apaches battle Paris Police 14 August 1904
Title page of Le Petit Journal (20 October 1907): "The Apache is the sore of Paris. More than 30,000 prowlers against 8,000 city policemen."

Les Apaches (French: [a.paʃ]) was a Parisian Belle Époque violent criminal underworld subculture of early 20th-century hooligans, night muggers, street gangs and other criminals.[1] After news of their notoriety spread over Europe, the term was used to describe violent street crime in other countries as well; for example, "Russian apaches".[1]

  1. ^ a b Philipp Blom, The Vertigo Years: Europe, 1900–1914, 2008, ISBN 0786726709, p. 372