o_195qg5dto17o4rbc85q1ge61i84a.pdf

More documents

Recommendations

Info

focused on the question of violence. Anarchists have usually positioned themselves in the resulting debates by distinguishing revolutionary violence from terrorism. The table below gives an indication of where leading anarchists stand. Anarchist positions on violence and terrorism strategies for change 159 Revolution Violence Terrorism Likely/necessary Unnecessary/unjustified Justified Immoral/ineffective Bakunin, Kropotkin, Proudhon, Reclus, Kropotkin, Tolstoy, Malatesta, Reclus, Tolstoy, Woodcock, Malatesta, Goldman, Bookchin, Makhno, Goldman, Clark, Ward Richards, Clark, Woodcock, Richards, Bookchin, Zerzan Ward Zerzan There are significant differences between these positions, even between those anarchists who fall in the same broad group. Debates between anarchists have centred on two particular issues: justification and explanation. Though the arguments are complex, it is possible to delineate some of the main lines of debate through the discussions of the Black Bloc. Anarchist responses to property damage perpetrated by the Black Bloc are both moral and pragmatic. Looking first at the critical case, the moral argument is that violence attracts a certain kind of authoritarian personality. Some writers simply describe members of the Black Bloc as hooligans and delinquents: ‘anarkids’ not anarchists. Their desire to commit violence is an indication of their urge to dominate and oppress. A variant on this theme is that even sincere militants are driven to authoritarianism through violence. Echoing discussions of Makhnovism and guerrillaism, some critics of the Black Bloc argue that property destruction encourages spikies to think in terms of militarization. One militant complains about a proposal to elect certain individuals and affinity groups to ‘tactical facilitation units’ from within the Black Bloc and to give these units ‘command’ positions. The pragmatic case has three parts. First, critics argue that property damage is largely pointless and that whilst ‘there’s something to be said for blowing off steam’, those who engage in property destruction are more interested in dressing up ‘in gas masks and bandanas’ than they are in weighing up its usefulness as a
160 anarchism: a beginner’s guide revolutionary tactic. Second, violence breeds repression. A fluffy analyst of the anti-globalization protests argues that anarchists who commit violence have fallen into a trap. The authorities, she argues, … want to make us out to be terrorists to give them the go ahead to squash our global and strong movement. This is the same propaganda they use to start wars, they frighten people into believing we are evil terrorists. Be careful: our actions could put the whole movement in danger … Cop bashing, however much of a buzz at the time and a great point scorer, doesn’t save the world and is a distraction. It is also the distraction the real terrorists, the government want from us. 75 Third, there is concern that the authorities can exploit the commitment to violence to their own advantage. One worry is that incitements to violence can degenerate into the ‘ranting of the frustrated’ and lead to ‘unnecessary arrests and mistakes’. Another is that groups practising violence are open to infiltration from police. Police forces have for many years used agents provocateurs to entrap unwary anarchists and to involve them in phoney plots which undermine the movement by creating dissent, distrust and suspicion. In the nineteenth century, police engaged in all manner of covert activities – French police even set up their own anarchist newspaper. The fear of infiltration remains strong. Of course, all manner of anarchist groups (particularly since 9/11) attract the attention of the authorities and are open to infiltration, whether or not they support violence. In the course of the McLibel trial, London Greenpeace discovered that at least seven spies were employed by McDonald’s or Special Branch to monitor the group, often attending more meetings than genuine anarchists and sometimes outnumbering them. Yet the possibility that police might infiltrate groups committed to violence carries more serious consequences than infiltration elsewhere since success can result in the movement being saddled with responsibility for the most outrageous atrocities. Critics charge the Black Bloc with leaving anarchism particularly vulnerable to this sort of police attack. Both the moral and the pragmatic critiques have found a ready response. The ‘moral’ defence of violence relies on a relativist argument about anarchist and state violence. Jason McQuinn develops this point. Responding to pacifist critics of the Black Bloc from within the anti-globalization movement, he argues:
Page 2 and 3:
anarchism a beginner’s guide
Page 4 and 5:
anarchism a beginner’s guide ruth
Page 6 and 7:
contents Acknowledgements vii intro
Page 8:
acknowledgements A number of people
Page 11 and 12:
2 anarchism: a beginner’s guide a
Page 13 and 14:
4 anarchism: a beginner’s guide r
Page 15 and 16:
6 anarchism: a beginner’s guide a
Page 17 and 18:
8 anarchism: a beginner’s guide w
Page 19 and 20:
10 anarchism: a beginner’s guide
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
chapter two anarchist rejections of
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
chapter three anarchy We have alway
Page 97 and 98:
Page 99 and 100:
Page 101 and 102:
Page 103 and 104:
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
Page 117 and 118: 108 anarchism: a beginner’s guide
Page 167: 158 anarchism: a beginner’s guide
Page 179 and 180: chapter five concluding remarks Stu
Page 184 and 185: index Page numbers in italic denote
Page 186 and 187: index 177 Farrow, Lynne 119 fascism
Page 188 and 189: index 179 and state 30, 45-6, 50, 5
show all

o_195qg5dto17o4rbc85q1ge61i84a.pdf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?