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Direct Action is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot

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when describing anarchist tactics….

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and rightly so, since it’s one of the main

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ways anarchists put our values of autonomy,

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self-organization and mutual aid into practice.

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So… what is it exactly?

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Well, a simple definition would be to say that

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a direct action is a political action

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aimed at achieving a specific goal or objective,

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and which is carried out directly by an individual

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or group of people, without appealing

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to a higher authority for legitimacy.

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Now, this broad definition covers a huge
range of activities…

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everything from banner drops, to prison breaks.

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And it doesn’t necessarily tell us much

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about the politics of those carrying out the action itself

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Direct actions are tactics–

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meaning that they are a specific type of action that

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can be used to implement a wide variety of strategies.

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While you don’t have to be an anarchist in order to

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carry out, or to participate in a direct action,

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the concept itself holds a special importance

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for anarchists and other anti-authoritarian radicals.

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And that’s because well-timed and well-executed

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direct actions can offer an escape from the endless

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cycle of representational politics, which

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assumes its highest form in the state.

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The German philosopher Max Weber famously defined

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the state as a monopoly on the legitimate

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use of physical force.

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In other words, state violence, whether dispensed

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by a politician’s pen, a judge’s gavel, or a cop’s baton,

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is a manifestation of legitimate force, and

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a harsh reminder of the state’s role

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as the ultimate mediator of social conflict.

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This mandate includes everything from

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interpersonal disputes that end up settled in the courts,

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or by someone calling the cops…

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all the way up to the broader conflicts that spring

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from systemic inequality and the structural

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imbalances inherent to capitalism, colonialism,

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white supremacy, ableism and hetero-patriarchy.

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In its purest form, direct action does not

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aim to persuade those in power, but seeks to foster

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and assert the power of those

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carrying out the action themselves.

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When people carry out a direct action,

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they are rejecting the state’s monopoly

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on decision-making, and asserting their own autonomy

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while providing an example for others to follow.

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To take just one example, rather than petitioning

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a politician to vote against the construction of a pipeline

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or appealing to state-controlled regulatory bodies,

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those who favour a direct action approach

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often find it more effective and empowering

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to go out and block the pipeline themselves… directly.

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Direct action can also be used to set up

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networks of mutual aid.

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Fifty years ago, the Black Panthers were faced

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with the reality of widespread poverty and lack of

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service provision in their communities.

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Rather than appealing to the government, or

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to the conscience of White America,

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the Panthers set to work organizing

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their own health clinics and breakfast programs

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for hungry school children.

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These programs were part of a broader strategy

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of building community power, and were identified by

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FBI Director J Edgar Hoover as a primary

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threat to national security – by which he meant

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a threat to the legitimacy of the state, and

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the white supremacist power structure that upholds it.

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Because they transgress the official channels of

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politics, and often the law itself,

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direct action campaigns are inevitably met

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with a whole toolbox of tactics aimed at bringing

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conflicts back under state control.

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These can range from state and corporate-funded

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non-profits infiltrating and co-opting grassroots

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movements in order to force a change in tactics

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or leadership, all the way up to extreme repression,

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such as mass incarceration and targeted assasinations

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carried out by state and paramilitary forces.

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Although as a concept, direct action has probably

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existed for as long as there have been hierarchies

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to rebel against, the term itself dates back

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to the early workers movement, where it was

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used to describe militant practices such as

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industrial sabotage and wildcat strikes.

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By physically blocking production, and collectively

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defending themselves from repression,

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workers were able to force concessions

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from their capitalist masters.

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The widespread use of these tactics eventually led to

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the legalization of trade unions and a whole host of

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concessions aimed at bringing the more radical

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sections of the workers movement

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back under state control.

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One of the most significant heydays of direct action

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in modern history took place in 1970s Italy.

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Faced with a housing crisis provoked

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by capitalist restructuring of the economy,

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thousands of migrants from the country’s south

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squatted apartment blocks, and physically defended

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families from eviction.

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When the government attempted to hike transit fares

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and energy costs, tens of thousands of people refused

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to pay the increased rates, in collective actions

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known as auto-reductions.

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Italy was, at that time, a deeply religious, conservative

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and rigidly patriarchal country, in which both abortion

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and divorce were illegal.

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Within this context, a fearless women's liberation

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movement organized an underground network of clinics,

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with doctors and nurses providing hundreds of

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volunteers, with necessary skills

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to perform clean and safe abortions.

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This direct action approach to reproductive health was

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complimented by massive and regular demonstrations

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calling for the legalization of abortion,

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which were ultimately successful.

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In our current age of increasing polarization,

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uncertainty and insecurity, direct action offers a way for

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our movements to build and assert our collective power,

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both to defend our communities,

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and to fight for the world we want to live in.