ACAB is an acronym that stands for "All Cops Are Bastards" (also known as "All Coppers Are Bastards"). It originated from the working-class movement in the United Kingdom and has been in use since at least the 1920s. The abbreviated form "ACAB" appeared in the 1940s, primarily among striking workers. It gained wider recognition and use in the 1970s, notably appearing as a headline in the Daily Mirror newspaper. The phrase has historically been associated with anti- police sentiment and has been popularized in punk, skinhead, and football fan subcultures. It is often seen in graffiti, tattoos (sometimes one letter per finger), and other forms of protest expression. The numerical representation "1312" — where each number corresponds to the letter's order in the alphabet (1=A, 3=C, 1=A, 2=B) — is commonly used as a coded form of the slogan, especially where the direct term may be banned. While ACAB is considered a hate symbol by some due to its blanket condemnation of police, others use it to express opposition to systemic issues in policing and law enforcement. It is frequently linked to anti-authoritarian movements and has recently re- emerged in protests against police brutality. The term's use is controversial and context-dependent, emphasizing opposition to police as an institution rather than targeting individual officers alone. It has a complex history tied to various social movements and subcultures across the world. In sum, ACAB is a politically charged slogan symbolizing distrust and hostility toward police forces, often used as a shorthand for systemic critique of law enforcement practices.