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Black Liberation Army | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Eldridge Cleaver |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Split from | Black Panther Party |
| Political orientation | Marxism-Leninism Black Nationalism |
The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground Marxist-Leninist, Black Nationalist organization established by former Panthers who sided with Eldridge Cleaver during his split with Huey P Newton and Bobby Seal over the issue of dealing with COINTELPRO. Cleaver was a strong supporter of launching a guerilla war in the United States while Huey preferred building community support programs and operating within America's legal framework. The Black Liberation Army, in cooperation with Weather Underground, waged war against the United States and conducted a number of prison breaks, bank robberies, killing of police officers and even hijacked planes. Most notable of their actions was breaking Assata Shakur out of prison.