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Direct Action is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot

when describing anarchist tactics….

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

ways anarchists put our values of autonomy,

self-organization and mutual aid into practice.

So… what is it exactly?

Well, a simple definition would be to say that

a direct action is a political action

aimed at achieving a specific goal or objective,

and which is carried out directly by an individual

or group of people, without appealing

to a higher authority for legitimacy.

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

everything from banner drops, to prison breaks.

And it doesn’t necessarily tell us much

about the politics of those carrying out the action itself

Direct actions are tactics–

meaning that they are a specific type of action that

can be used to implement a wide variety of strategies.

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

carry out, or to participate in a direct action,

the concept itself holds a special importance

for anarchists and other anti-authoritarian radicals.

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

direct actions can offer an escape from the endless

cycle of representational politics, which

assumes its highest form in the state.

The German philosopher Max Weber famously defined

the state as a monopoly on the legitimate

use of physical force.

In other words, state violence, whether dispensed

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

is a manifestation of legitimate force, and

a harsh reminder of the state’s role

as the ultimate mediator of social conflict.

This mandate includes everything from

interpersonal disputes that end up settled in the courts,

or by someone calling the cops…

all the way up to the broader conflicts that spring

from systemic inequality and the structural

imbalances inherent to capitalism, colonialism,

white supremacy, ableism and hetero-patriarchy.

In its purest form, direct action does not

aim to persuade those in power, but seeks to foster

and assert the power of those

carrying out the action themselves.

When people carry out a direct action,

they are rejecting the state’s monopoly

on decision-making, and asserting their own autonomy

while providing an example for others to follow.

To take just one example, rather than petitioning

a politician to vote against the construction of a pipeline

or appealing to state-controlled regulatory bodies,

those who favour a direct action approach

often find it more effective and empowering

to go out and block the pipeline themselves… directly.

Direct action can also be used to set up

networks of mutual aid.

Fifty years ago, the Black Panthers were faced

with the reality of widespread poverty and lack of

service provision in their communities.

Rather than appealing to the government, or

to the conscience of White America,

the Panthers set to work organizing

their own health clinics and breakfast programs

for hungry school children.

These programs were part of a broader strategy

of building community power, and were identified by

FBI Director J Edgar Hoover as a primary

threat to national security – by which he meant

a threat to the legitimacy of the state, and

the white supremacist power structure that upholds it.

Because they transgress the official channels of

politics, and often the law itself,

direct action campaigns are inevitably met

with a whole toolbox of tactics aimed at bringing

conflicts back under state control.

These can range from state and corporate-funded

non-profits infiltrating and co-opting grassroots

movements in order to force a change in tactics

or leadership, all the way up to extreme repression,

such as mass incarceration and targeted assasinations

carried out by state and paramilitary forces.

Although as a concept, direct action has probably

existed for as long as there have been hierarchies

to rebel against, the term itself dates back

to the early workers movement, where it was

used to describe militant practices such as

industrial sabotage and wildcat strikes.

By physically blocking production, and collectively

defending themselves from repression,

workers were able to force concessions

from their capitalist masters.

The widespread use of these tactics eventually led to

the legalization of trade unions and a whole host of

concessions aimed at bringing the more radical

sections of the workers movement

back under state control.

One of the most significant heydays of direct action

in modern history took place in 1970s Italy.

Faced with a housing crisis provoked

by capitalist restructuring of the economy,

thousands of migrants from the country’s south

squatted apartment blocks, and physically defended

families from eviction.

When the government attempted to hike transit fares

and energy costs, tens of thousands of people refused

to pay the increased rates, in collective actions

known as auto-reductions.

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

and rigidly patriarchal country, in which both abortion

and divorce were illegal.

Within this context, a fearless women's liberation

movement organized an underground network of clinics,

with doctors and nurses providing hundreds of

volunteers, with necessary skills

to perform clean and safe abortions.

This direct action approach to reproductive health was

complimented by massive and regular demonstrations

calling for the legalization of abortion,

which were ultimately successful.

In our current age of increasing polarization,

uncertainty and insecurity, direct action offers a way for

our movements to build and assert our collective power,

both to defend our communities,

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