Red Falcons

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Red Falcons was the name of various socialist or communist youth organizations, popular in Europe especially between the first and second world wars, but still in existence today. The first such group was founded in the early 20th century by Anton Afritsch, a socialist educator from Austria, under the name "Rote Falkon."

Right wing observers accused some of these groups of acting as "private armies" taking orders from Moscow, but this may have been either paranoia or fear-mongering.

The origin of the name is unclear; one possible explanation is that the Falcon is a bird of prey with no imperial links (the eagle was the symbol of the German empire, adopted later by the Nazis.) It is red to symbolise socialism.