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SWP condemn direct action as 'elitism'

Jules | 18.11.2002 13:48

Lindsey German, chair of the Stop the War Coalition and leading Socialist Workers Party member, accused people involved in non-violent direct action of 'elitism' in a major article in this month's issue of the SWP's Socialist Review.

While discussing the success of the recent 400,000 strong march in central London, German counterposed big marches to non-violent direct action:

"When we talk about direct action and civil disobedience we mean mass direct action which can involve large numbers of trade unionists, students and peace campaigners. If small groups of people want to go off and do their own thing, or spend time training in non violent direct action techniques, that is fine, but they should not try to impose this elitism on the rest of us."

A recent anti-war demonstration in Brighton was attacked by police with batons and pepper spray. Without the non-violent direct action training undertaken by those involved, including local SWP members, the demonstration would have been ended by the police.

NVDA is used by hundreds of groups across the United States as a part of the masive anti-war movement. NVDA training played a major part in the success of the action against the World Trade Organisation in Seattle in 1999.

German counterposes her support for "mass direct action" to the "elitism" of training for direct action. This allows her, and the SWP in general, to claim they are supporting direct action in an abstract way while condemning it in reality - appearing radical to young people wanting to take action against the war while steering the movement away from any form of protest that goes beyond traditional marches.

Tactics, including illegal actions, unacceptable to the middle class Labour Party members that the SWP hopes to win to its party are condemned. While condemning direct action as elitist, the SWP voted for the government in the majority of seats in the last general election.

Clearly the SWP plays a major role in organising anti-war activity in Britain. Any support is welcome in this broad movement, including that of groups like the SWP who vote for the government.

In the coming months anti-war activists will have to decide whether to let the SWP's prejudices against illegal and direct activity restrict opposition to this war to legal, and in themselves ineffective, marches and demonstrations - or whether to welcome, build, train for and organise a wide range of protests against the coming invasion of the middle east and all the horrors it will unlease.

Jules
- Homepage: http://www.swp.org.uk/SR/268/SR3.HTM

Comments

Display the following 23 comments

  1. No leaders — uno
  2. Infighting... — Matt
  3. this is dishonest — ben from oxford
  4. We must include many forms of activity! — Yps
  5. could i point out to ben from oxford — completely made up name!
  6. could i point out to ben from oxford — completely made up name!
  7. DA as compliment to mass actions — ZNet subscriber
  8. Tictacs — uno
  9. Spreading divisions in the antiwar movement — Duppy Conqueror
  10. Eh? — Uno
  11. Read German's article — Mutley
  12. Read the postings — bitching anarchist
  13. uno you freak — ben
  14. Read carefully: there is no vitriol there — Harry Potter
  15. Accusations of elitist — Uno
  16. Freaky — Uno
  17. lighten up and do summat — jmayler
  18. jmayler is Einstein in disguise... — dumbo
  19. SWP=No Thanks! — Victor
  20. Only illegal direct action can stop this war! — Harlequin
  21. uno... — ben
  22. SWP — Grr
  23. good one! — most amused