The Sydney Twelve were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) arrested on 23 September 1916 in Sydney and charged with treason under the Treason Felony Act (1848). The Twelve were: John Hamilton, Peter Larkin, Joseph Fagin, William Teen, Donald Grant, Benjamin King, Thomas Glynn, Donald McPherson, Thomas Moore, Charles Reeve, William Beattie and Bob Besant. It was widely believed, in the Australian labour movement, that the men were framed for their strong anti-war views and their opposition to conscription during the First World War. Former Labor Prime Minister (and later Nationalist) Billy Hughes forced the Unlawful Associations Act (1916) through Federal Parliament in five days during December 1916, then had the IWW declared an unlawful association.
