The choice of nonviolent action is sometimes ridiculed, often misunderstood, always in need of explanation. Second in our popularization series on the core dynamics of nonviolent action, we offer a basic definition of nonviolent struggle. We are in the process of putting together a resource that you and anybody will be able to use, to share with others a basic understanding of what non-military means of fighting can offer this world in its thirst for justice and the full enjoyment of comprehensive human rights. You can help this project.

Nobody can argue against the proven benefits of using a diversity of well-chosen tactics to wage successful struggles. The sequencing of multiple creative tactics ranging from protests to legislative pressures, from secondary boycotts to civil disobedience, has been a fundamental feature of countless successful campaigns. A wide variety of tactics lies at the core of the emphasis nonviolent activists have put for decades on knowing a repertoire of at least 198 methods of action, and on clever ways to sequence them.

But dangerous slips of logic have presided over a protest framework known as "Respect for a Diversity of Tactics". I believe the failure of protests such as the one at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul (USA) last September is inherent in the Diversity of Tactics approach.

Photo: Diana Jou

 

On September 1, 2008, several hundred protesters from across mainland USA tried to stop delegates from attending the Republican National Convention at the Xcel Center in the business district of Saint Paul, Minneapolis, where they were going to crown presidential hopeful John McCain.

 

"Crash the Convention" was the order of the day. But politically and number-wise, whose side really got smashed and crushed?

 

Over 800 people arrested. Many more detained and released. House raids in the middle of the night. Eight organizers facing "Conspiracy to Commit Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism", a second degree felony charges. Maximum penalty: seven and a half years in prison. 

 

Deep police infiltration. Pre-emptive searches and seizures. Baton rounds. Concussion and Sponge grenades. Tasers. Pepper spray. Tear gas. 

 

The intense brutality of the crackdown in the Twin Cities was an awful, a hydra monster of gross violations. Outrage and indignation. These are healthy, vital reactions. 

 

But once the emotion subsides, what should be the question?

From the video "We were warriors".

 

From behind the stools, white men start taunting the mixed row of mostly black students who had the audacity to sit there. "He's so dark the whole room is darkened." "Nobody ain't gonna sit beside them dirty niggers." Those on the swiveling seats at the counter answer only with an unshakable look of dignity.  Frustrated, the men from behind start pushing and shoving. Still no response from those on the stools. Then they launch the attack: hurling obscenities, throwing milk shakes and live cigarette buts, grabbing and punching. Lenses capture the scene. The whole world watches in shock.

In the yard behind Christian Peacemaker Teams' headquarters in Chicago, trainees stage a realistic role-playing exercise to prepare for nonviolent accompaniment work in Hebron. Photo cc: delayed gratification.

 

The goal of training in nonviolent conflict is to prepare activists and supporters politically, physically, and psychologically to wage powerful campaigns and actions. Here are nine ways nonviolent action workshops help individuals hone their skills and nurture the courage and resilience they need to withstand the pressures of unarmed struggle.

photo cc: treviño

 

There's an idea out there that anyone can take to the streets and make themselves heard. You just head out and start demonstrating to confront power. It's a beautiful idea.

 

Sooner than later, however, any assertive form of mass mobilization will cross path with agents of authority, be they security guards, police, or military. These forces are armed, and trained.

What is going on in Pakistan?

Admittedly, I don’t know much about the politics of Pakistan, but I thought I had a fairly basic idea of it. I’d read about Bhutto in the news lately, and admired her bravery and the positive example she’s setting for women in the country. I also thought I knew the basics about Musharraf: democratic, more stable, and an ally of the U.S.

Columbus Igboanusi did not come to Slovakia from his native Nigeria to set up an antiracist human rights organization. “I didn't understand racism then. I hadn't experienced it in my country,” he says. That changed the day he was assaulted and badly beaten by racist skinheads.

After hearing his experience was not unique among other African students, he formed an organization of African students against racism. That's when another reality hit him.

photo: cc Anosmia