More by: Bob

Knowing deep down that nothing short of dramatic and effective direct action will stop the exploitation of animals, a man breaks into a mink farm and frees hundreds of mink. Knowing that the agribusiness corporations are dead set on forcing genetically modified crops onto unsuspecting consumers, a woman sets fire to the office of a university professor who has been doing research for Monsanto, destroying the office and the research. Upset with the constant police harassment of African-American youth, a group organizes to oppose police intimidation, and next time the police harass them—they shoot back. In communes and on college campuses, a group of radicals form an underground group that used targeted bombings to wage war against the U.S. government.

These are just a few examples of the actions that radicals have undertaken over the past thirty years outside of the legally permitted channels of dissent in the United States. While  I don’t want to overemphasize the use of extra-legal forms of political protest in the United States, there has been a consistent wave of underground leftwing political action since the 1960s. In the 1960s and 1970s, the antiwar movement produced a strong underground that produced well-known groups such as the Weather Underground (who gained notoriety for a series of politically targeted bombings). Along with the more visible groups, countless individuals and groups engaged in a wide variety of bombings, arsons, vandalism, and other forms of sabotage. Around the same time, radical groups formed by people of color—such as the Black Liberation Army—were started to defend their communities using a variety of similar tactics. Oftentimes, these people of color led groups were the inspiration for militant actions undertaken by white radicals.

While there was certainly no unified movement that brought these actions together, the militant activity of the 1960s and 1970s continued into the 1980s and 1990s with the development of the radical environmental and animal rights movement. Over the years, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) have undertaken a number of actions aimed at stopping the exploitation of animals and the Earth. These actions have included everything from freeing animals imprisoned in research labs to using arson to destroy developments that threaten native species. For readers of this column, it is worth noting that the vegan straightedge of scene of the 1990s helped to foster this development (see for example an interview with Peter Young who was imprisoned for his role in various animal rights direct actions and who has spoken about the role mid-1990s hardcore played in motivating him to take action). Into the 2000s, even in the wake of the post-9/11 anti-terrorism hysteria, militant extra-legal actions like ELF arsons have continued.

Not surprisingly, the cost for these actions has been quite high. While many people are able to get away with the actions—doing so by undertaking such actions with only their closest friends and comrades and enforcing a strict code of silence about said actions—others have paid a considerable price. Prison sentences have been common and the government has used underground actions to drive a wedge through movements, for example isolating environmental activists who support sabotage from other elements of the movement. Moreover, in the post 9/11 era, the government—pushed as always by the corporations that keep them in power—has sought to define more and more forms of political activity as terrorism. With a renewed vigor the government has taken to prosecuting environmental activists for terrorism (as part of a campaign dubbed the “Green Scare” by critics) and designating a wide range of animal rights activism as terrorism (see the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act).

In practice, this has meant that a surprisingly large number of people have gone to prison in the United States for extra-legal actions. In this so-called bastion of democracy, there are dozens of political prisoners who are being held for a number of different crimes that were undertaken under the broad goal of fighting oppression and exploitation. While it’s hard for me to imagine having the courage to undertake such actions, the individuals who have committed them deserve our support. It’s one thing to sing about violence against animals, systemic racism, and other topics that are common in political punk songs, and another entirely to actually take specific actions aimed at stopping such things. The step between reading and talking about such things to taking any form of action—such as participating in a protest is huge—taking the step to put your life on the line is a whole other level.

For all of us who can’t—for any number of different and valid reasons—undertake such actions, there is a lot we can do to support those who are willing. First and foremost, we should be working to build strong revolutionary movements within this country that challenge oppression and exploitation on a daily basis. The stronger and more visible a movement is—for example the movement to challenge the Vietnam War in the 1960s—the easier it is for others in the movement to undertake more militant actions. Similarly, a strong and visible movement creates a context for militant actions that makes it easier for people to understand such actions. For example, if people are knowledgeable about factory farming, it will be a lot easier for them to understand why animal rights activists would sabotage such an operation. Working towards creating a broad movement can obviously encompass a wide variety of activities from building the radical DIY network to opening anarchist cooperatives to organizing protests.

Next, we should strive to support political prisoners and those currently being targeted by the state. Of course, one great way to support political prisoners is to donate money to their legal funds. This can be done either individually or by holding benefit shows or releasing benefit records. Another is to write to political prisoners. Many prisoners say that letters from those on the outside are what sustains them while in prison. The Denver Anarchist Black Cross has a database of political prisoners and information about their cases, while there is a good set of tips for writing to political prisoners on the Trident Ploughshares website.

Supporting political prisoners is a great way to show solidarity with those who pay for their beliefs and it is a great way to build a stronger movement. Moreover, with the way the Earth is being destroyed and how much worse everything is getting, it’s an important part of building a culture of resistance that can stop the death march of civilization. Without the expectation that they will be supported, fewer people will take the risks associated with becoming involved in radical politics.