From the movie Gandhi (1982). — See the raid on the Dharasana Salt Works.

When Santa Claus and elves tried to deliver a piece of coal to the Prime Minister of Canada last December, the tactic they used was the nonviolent raid. In a nonviolent raid, committed and well-trained actionists attempt to enter a protected facility to seize it, or to carry out some legitimate task consistent with their goals. 

The nonviolent raiders are seen advancing. They seek to enter the facility. But fences, barricades or police lines are there to block them. They proceed nonetheless. Most often than not, they are stopped through some form of repression, with arrests usually. But they still win.

Properly set up, the nonviolent raid provides a perfect dilemma to the authorities. For one, it’s a tactic that can’t be ignored. If the authorities don’t repress the raid, the activists can enter and win their goal. And if the authorities suppress the raid, the activists can still win: the repression attracts attention, delegitimizes the authorities, and builds movement credibility. 

The nonviolent raid was first used in the 1930’s as a civil disobedience tactic by the Home Rule movement in India (see it re-enacted here). It was the first high-profile action in the history of the movement to be led by a woman, a gender innovation for which Gandhi was criticized.

The nonviolent raid is designed to weaken the opponent by forcing it to repress a group of principled people acting on behalf of a widely supported objective. As such, the tactic is most effective when the announced goal of the action supports a well understood and supported aim, be it abolition of the British salt tax in India, or the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The impact of the tactic is also dependent on the symbolic value of the chosen location, be it salt-making facilities in India, or the Prime Minister’s home in Canada.

The nonviolent raid belongs to a special class of nonviolent tactics.  Whereas most nonviolent action is of the protest/persuasion type (demonstrations, vigils, etc.), or involve some form of noncooperation (boycott, strike, etc.), the raid belongs to a third class all its own. It is nonviolent intervention. 

By nature, the raid is highly visible, potentially disruptive, and a real challenge to assumptions about property control, and possibly even ownership. As such, well designed intervention tactics used in the right context generate greater power, which can conversely attract more repression. In the gearbox of nonviolent action, intervention tactics are the overdrive.

The nonviolent raid is also an interesting tactic because of its premonitory quality : it embodies new reality in the making. By raiding a facility or symbol of power, the actionists are both stating and creating the future they want. The salt belongs to the Indian people. The home of the Prime Minister of Canada can be invaded for breach of the international consensus on climate change.

Be the change you want to see, said Gandhi.  

The nonviolent raid is a tactic that can allow our movements to embody the future we want. A future where NGO’s can inspect state facilities to verify compliance with resolutions, covenants and treaties against weapons of mass destruction, torture, or unjust and unusual punishment. A future where citizens are capable of arresting war criminals and human rights offenders to end impunity. A future where the people themselves can enforce International Law.

That future in the making I’ll explore in an upcoming post, when I look at some past examples and potential uses of the nonviolent raid as intervention tactic.

— Philippe Duhamel, interTatica.org

For more on how to organize a nonviolent raid, see this tactical notebook.