January 2000
The original Luddites formed in Regency era England to protest the automation of the textile industry, primarily through the use of Jacquard looms. Their technique of protest has been called "collective bargaining by riot." In other words, they destroyed the machines that threatened their livelihoods. Some groups branched out and pulled up railroad tracks and destroyed other machines that were taking the place of semi-skilled labor. The group was organized under an apparently fictional leader named Ned Ludd, sometimes referred to as General Ludd or King Ludd. The Luddites were wiped out in 1816 when the English Parliament sent 12,000 troops to stop the rioting. The leaders were executed or transported to Australia.
The term Luddite has come to refer to anyone who is anti-technology. Groups claiming to be Luddites or Neo-Luddites crop up from time to time.