Skip to main content
Willem Van Spronsen: intentional death of an anarchist
Far from being impulsive or incoherent, the anarchist’s extreme political beliefs are sadly consistent with extreme times, writes ALEXANDER NORTON
Willem Van Spronsen by Miles Ellingham

ONE THING is for certain — William Van Spronsen, the 69-year-old with a life-long hatred of fascism, expected to die.

His plan appears to have been to burn as many buses as possible in the car park across the road from Northwest Detention Centre in Tacoma, which are used to take detained migrants to the airport for deportation.

Although extremely risky in a country where you can be shot by police during a routine traffic stop, torching vehicles with incendiary devices is not obviously a kamikaze mission.

Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Anti-racism protesters demonstrate in Birmingham. Picture da
Features / 10 August 2024
10 August 2024
DIANE ABBOTT MP warns that recent far-right riots are part of a long-term trend — the labour movement must now unite in defending vulnerable communities and confronting the root causes of extremism
‘The rise of Italy’s far-right is a grim indication of t
Features / 11 April 2023
11 April 2023
Speaking to the star’s Alexander Norton, DAVID BRODER introduces his new book that shows how the direct descendants of Mussolini’s fascist regime have come to power — and what it means for the rest of the world
day x 2003
Features / 24 July 2020
24 July 2020
As a new cold war gathers momentum, we must remember the last great anti-war movement — the hope, anguish and most of all the rage, writes ALEXANDER NORTON
Connolly Youth Movement conference 2020
Features / 4 March 2020
4 March 2020
The Morning Star’s Alexander Norton spoke to the Connolly Youth Movement's ALEX HOMITS as he began his third term as General Secretary of the communist youth organisation, following the conclusion of its Ard Fheis (congress)
Similar stories
PAST AND PRESENT: Jimmy Carter (right) and Donald Trump
Features / 6 January 2025
6 January 2025
With a struggling economy, the US is facing a hard choice between ‘guns or butter.’ MEDEA BENJAMIN and NICHOLAS JS DAVIES see the signs that the incoming president will opt for the former
A group of people thought to be migrants, including young ch
Features / 9 November 2024
9 November 2024
RAVISHAAN RAHEL MUTHIAH condemns Labour’s £75m border security plan as deaths in Channel reach record highs, arguing that instead, Britain should reopen safe, legal routes for migrants
Nicaraguan citizens wave from a bus after being released fro
Features / 27 September 2024
27 September 2024
Washington’s wild claims about migration from and via Nicaragua are evidence-free and a convenient addition to US criticisms of the Sandinista government, argues JOHN PERRY
demo
Features / 24 July 2024
24 July 2024
Amnesty International alleges that senior Peruvian officials either planned or deliberately failed to stop the violent crackdown on anti-coup protests which killed more than 50 people and injured thousands, writes PABLO MERIGUET