File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_1999/anarchy-list.9912, message 238


From: David McKnight <D.J.Mcknight-AT-liverpool.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: A POLL.....
Date: Mon, 6 Dec 1999 16:09:32 +0000 (GMT)


For those of you who have'nt seen the following leaflet you 
may find it helpful in making your 'decision':

This is the text that was handed out the day before N£0 in 
Seattle:

THINK FOR YOURSELF - RECLAIM YOUR MIND!

The day of action in Seattle on november 30 has brought 
together 1000's of people from all over the world - people 
with their own experience and strategies of struggle and 
resistance. Each of us has suffered differing levels and 
forms of oppression; each of us has fought back in slightly 
different ways. We have a tremendous amount to learn from 
one another.
Why then rely on a small group of paid, professionalised 
activists to tell us how to fight or rather how not to 
fight! Pitting the 'non-violent' against the 'violent' is a 
concept that divides and rules from the inside - it is a 
symptom of the disease. Pacifism is not 'right'; neither is 
'violence' wrong. It is a question of what is appropriate 
and the measure of that is not whether we get beaten up 
worse or locked up longer. It is hard to create a 
revolution sitting down, and chanting "love-a-cop" is 
probavly not an effective tactic for shutting down the WTO.
Why confine ourselves to the limited tactics of passive 
resistance and abstention from property damage ? We should 
use tactics which will further our struggle and help us 
realise our goals - without fetishising either pacifism or 
violence.
We must not go into action, or in-action, on November 30 
with a preconceived set of ideas about how we must behave. 
Rather we should be flexible, spontaneous and free to seize 
opportunities as they arise.
"I am a direct activist and I do not prefix the term 
direct action with the description non-violent. Does this 
mean that I embrace violence? Give me a break. The State 
has nucleas weapons, armies, guns, tanks, police, courts, 
cellls, prisons, bosses, landlords, banks, corporations and 
the mass media on it's side. But no-one puts "violent" in 
front of the word " government" everytime they use it. yet 
it is expected of me - as omeone who struggles for change - 
to present myself in the first instance as a non-threat. In 
disgust at this hypocrisy, I refuse"

Remember:
The ends justify the means
Don't get caught! 

On Sun, 5 Dec 1999 21:39:43 -0800 (PST) C <bm755-AT-scn.org> 
wrote:

> No-WTO
> 
> 
> In response to this poll, I would like to instead reply that this tactic
> of "dialogue" is a subtle effort to pin two sides of the left
> against each other on what is an important forum. Please make this poll
> ineffective and do not reply.
> 
> On Sat, 4 Dec 1999, gumby cascadia wrote:
> 
> > No-WTO
> > 
> > I'd like to take a poll on this here listserve........
> > 
> > ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF "PROPERTY DESTRUCTION" AS A VIABLE TACTIC, please 
> > answer YEA!
> > 
> > ALL THOSE WHO THINK PROPERTY DESTRUCTION IS VIOLENT AND NON-PRODUCTIVE
> > please answer NAY!
> > 
> > If you have "mitigating circumstances" or comments (brief), please include 
> > them, also.
> > 
> > Please direct your responses to me personally so as not to clog this 
> > listserve. I will post the results on the list, soon.
> > 
> > Thanks,
> > Gumby
> > 
> > ______________________________________________________
> > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
> > 
> > 
> > ______________________________________________________________________
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> >
> 
> 
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----------------------
dewimc-AT-liverpool.ac.uk

   

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