Alford Communists Arrested After Clashing With Arms Giant

A protest at the headquarters of Elbit Systems, an Israeli-owned arms manufacturer, ended in arrests for members of a small communist community in Alford, Massachusetts. The action, which organizers aimed to use to highlight corporate ties to the military, resulted in charges of criminal mischief and criminal trespassing. Several residents of the commune were taken into custody, including Paige Belanger, a key figure in the group's daily operations.

The community was founded and bankrolled by James Cox Chambers, known as Fergie, the heir to a multimillion-dollar fortune. Chambers, a member of the wealthy and politically liberal Cox family, provided approximately $250 million in funding to support the group's lifestyle. The commune, which numbered fewer than a dozen people, focused on self-sustaining farm work, political education, and a jujitsu studio that excluded police officers from membership.

Following the arrests, tensions within the group escalated rapidly. Chambers fled to Tunisia, where he remained while covering the legal defense costs for Belanger and other members. Despite his financial support, a significant rift opened between Chambers and the remaining residents. The dispute centered on the strategy behind the Elbit Systems protest and the subsequent fallout, creating a divided community that struggled to maintain its previous cohesion.

The conflict is currently being examined in the documentary All About the Money, directed by Irish filmmaker Sinéad O'Shea. The film intercuts interviews with Belanger and other communards with footage of Chambers in Tunisia. O'Shea's approach avoids taking a definitive side, instead presenting a complex portrait of the group's internal dynamics. The resulting narrative leaves viewers with questions about how the access for the film was secured and what the precise nature of the leadership was.

Chambers is now the subject of an extradition request from Spain to the United States. The legal action cites his alleged support for Hamas. The extradition bid adds a new layer of complexity to his story, moving the conflict from the rural Massachusetts town to international legal channels. Chambers is described in the film as a character marked by a traumatic adolescence, heavy tattoo coverage, and a drive for political authenticity.

The documentary releases this week, offering a look into the inner workings of the Alford commune. It captures the group before and after the Elbit Systems incident, detailing the shift from collaborative farming and study to legal battles and personal grievances. The film serves as a record of a brief but intense period in the life of this specific political experiment.