EditorialProviding re s ource s to s tre ng-

th e n and de e pe n our unde rs tan- ding of nonviole nce , nonvio- le nt s trate gie s , and nonviole nt cam paigning is one of th e m a- in aim s of th e Nonviole nce Pro- gram m e . W ith th is Brok e n Rifle w e give you a tas te of w h at you w ill find in th e H andbook for Nonviole nt Action th at w ill s oon be publis h e d by W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational. Th e h andbook h as tools on h ow to de ve lop nonviole nt cam paigns and act- ions , w ith various re s ource s and s torie s on inte rnational e x- pe rie nce s of nonviole nt ac- tion. Since training plays an im portant role for s ucce s s ful actions , th e h andbook include s e xe rcis e s for h e lping a group th rough various le arning proce - s s e s .

Th e h andbook h igh ligh ts th e im portance of actions as part of longe r te rm nonviole nt cam pai- gns . As Joanne Sh e e h an s ays in h e r article on de ve loping s tra- te gic nonviole nt cam paigns “A cam paign is m ore th an proje cts s trung toge th e r, or doing th e s a- m e th ing ove r and ove r. A cam - paign is not s im ply a m atte r of ide ntifying a proble m and us ing a tactic to addre s s it – s uch as “a le afle ting cam paign” or a “cam paign of civil dis obe die n- ce ”. Th e pow e r of a nonviole nt cam paign com e s in th e cre ative com bination of tactics ; th e s tra- te gic th ink ing and com m itm e nt of th e participants ”.

Th e h andbook w ill h ave tw o ve rs ions : one printe d, th at w e h ope to m ak e as acce s s ible as pos s ible and a w e b – ve rs ion th at w e h ope you w ill h e lp us update . You can alre ady find th e draft ve rs ion at h ttp://w ri-irg.org/w ik i/inde x.ph p/Nonviole nce _ H andbook .

H ope fully both Th e Brok e n Rifle and th e H andbook for Non-viole nt Action w ill be re s ource s us e d by th e W RI ne tw ork and th e broade r nonviole nt m ove - m e nt. And w ill contribute to m ak e nonviole nce play a m ajor role in th e s truggle for s ocial ch ange .

Javie r Gárate

Th e Brok e n RifleTh e Brok e n Rifle is th e ne w s -

le tte r of W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rna-tional, and is publis h e d in Eng- lis h , Spanis h , Fre nch and Ge r-m an. Th is is is s ue 75, Se p- te m be r 2007.Th is is s ue of Th e Brok e n Rifle w as produce d by Javie r Gárate . Spe cial th ank s go to H ow ard Clark , Joanne Sh e e h an, th e Kore a Solidarity for Cons cie ntious Obje ction and Yvonne Kas s im . If you w ant e xtra copie s of th is is s ue of Th e Brok e n Rifle , ple as e contact th e W RI office , or dow nload it from our w e bs ite .

W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational,5 Cale donian Road,London N1 9 DX, Britainte l + 44-20-7278 4040fax + 44-20-7278 0444info@ w ri-irg.orgh ttp://w ri-irg.org/pubs /br75-e n.h tm

No 75, Se pte m be r 2007

Look at th e h is tory of your country and you w ill find e pis ode s of nonviole nt action – de - m ons trations , s trik e s , boycotts or oth e r form s of popular non-coope ration. Th e caus e s w ill vary – for th e righ ts of w ork e rs and pe as ants , fre e dom for s lave s , th e righ t to vote for w om e n or pe ople w ith out prope rty, for racial e q uality, for ge nde r e q uality, for fre e dom from occupa- tion – in s h ort e ncom pas s ing a range of form s of injus tice and dom ination. H ow e ve r, it w as not until th e tw e ntie th ce ntury – and in parti- cular th e cam paigns of Gandh i in South Africa and India – th at m ove m e nts dis cus s e d nonvio- le nt action as a cons cious s trate gy for s ocial trans form ation. Gandh i w as convince d th at nonviole nce h ad a particular pow e r – both in its e ffe ct on th e pe ople w h o took an action, and on th os e at w h om th e action w as dire cte d. H e s aw th at s ocial s olidarity can ove rcom e e fforts to dom inate , e xploit or oth e rw is e oppre s s a population. It is not jus t e nough to oppos e an antagonis t, blam ing th e m for e ve ryth ing, but als o pe ople h ave to look at th e ir ow n re s pons ibilitie s and th e ir ow n be h aviour – fre e dom and jus tice are not jus t to be de m ande d but to be practis e d, and to be th e bas is on w h ich a m ove m e nt cons tructs its e lf.

Mos t participants in th e cam paigns initiate d by Gandh i s h are d only s om e of h is principle s – th e y w e re pre pare d to us e nonviole nce to fre e India from Britis h colonialis m , but fe w h ad Gandh i's utte r com m itm e nt to nonviole nce as a w ay of life , and inde e d m os t conve ntional political le ade rs gave only s ym bolic im portance to th e cons tructive program m e . Th is patte rn h as fre q ue ntly be e n re pe ate d, nonviole nt action be ing e ffe ctive w h e n us e d by broad m ove m e nts , w h e re m os t participants acce pt nonviole nce in practical te rm s as th e appro- priate s trate gy for th e ir s ituation but only a m inority e xpre s s a ph ilos oph ical com m itm e nt.

Th e s tyle of nonviole nce varie s a lot accor- ding to conte xt. Since th e te rm 'pe ople pow e r' w as coine d w h e n th e Marcos re gim e in th e Ph ilippine s w as brough t dow n in 19 86, and e s pe cially s ince th e dow nfall of Milos e vic in

Se rbia in 2000, s om e obs e rve rs h ave talk e d of an "action te m plate " – m e aning popular nonviole nt action ove rth row ing a corrupt and auth oritarian re gim e atte m pting to w in e le ctions by fraud. Of cours e , th e re are s im ilaritie s be tw e e n th e dow nfall of Milos e vic and 'pe ople pow e r' e pis ode s e ls e w h e re . Inde e d, s om e of th e Se rbs w h o us e d nonviole nce s o cre ative ly agains t Milos e vic h ave now be com e involve d in training th e s e oth e r m ove m e nts . H ow e ve r, in e ach s ituation, th e m ove m e nts h ave to m ak e th e ir ow n analys is of w h at is appropriate and w h at w ill w ork .

Many pe ople are s ce ptical about th e pow e r of nonviole nce agains t e ntre nch e d and brutal re gim e s . In s uch s ituations any re s is tance is lik e ly to be difficult. Nonviole nce doe s not offe r a 'q uick fix' in th e s e s ituations – and ne ith e r doe s arm e d s truggle . Som e ide alis tic m ove - m e nts h ave turne d to arm e d s truggle only to find th e m s e lve s incre as ingly s e parate d from th e population, de pe nding on e xtortion and k idnapping to m aintain th e m s e lve s , and in s h ort de ge ne rating into arm e d bands . Nonvio- le nce aim s to w ork diffe re ntly. By e xpanding th e s ocial s pace s th at a m ove m e nt can occu- py, and by giving voice to w h at th e re gim e re q uire s s h ould not be s aid, it can s e t proce - s s e s of fundam e ntal ch ange in m otion. Nonvio-le nt action in th e face of torture , 'dis appe a- rance s ' and de ath s q uads in various parts of Latin Am e rica in th e 19 70s and 19 80s aim e d to re build a s ocial s olidarity th at could ove rcom e fe ar.

Be caus e pacifis ts re fus e to re s ort to orga- nis e d viole nce , w e ne e d to inve s t our cre ative e ne rgy in trying to de ve lop nonviole nt alte r- native s . Th e re fore , pacifis ts h ave a h is tory of playing a vital innovatory role in s ocial m ove - m e nts by de ve loping nonviole nt m e th ods of action, both at th e le ve l of tactics and in form s of organis ing. For ins tance , th e firs t US 'fre e - dom ride s ' agains t racial s e gre gation in th e 19 40s w e re a pacifis t initiative , as w as th e Britis h nonviole nt dire ct action agains t nucle ar w e apons in th e 19 50s . Th e cre ative us e of nonviole nce of th e s e groups ope ne d s pace s

for a m uch m ore w ide s pre ad us e of nonvio- le nce by th e m as s m ove m e nts th at follow e d.

Late r cam e th e introduction of nonviole nce training, initially pre paring pe ople for th e k ind of viole nce th at th e y m igh t m e e t in nonviole nt prote s ts . Subs e q ue ntly nonviole nce training h as playe d an e s s e ntial role in prom oting m ore participatory form s of m ove m e nt organis ation. Gandh i and Martin Luth e r K ing be cam e s uch tow e ring figure s w ith in th e ir ow n m ove m e nts th at s om e pe ople h ave th e im pre s s ion th at s ucce s s ful nonviole nce de pe nds on 'ch aris m atic' le ade rs h ip. For us in W RI, h ow e ve r, nonviole nt action s h ould be s e e n as a s ource of s ocial e m pow e rm e nt – s tre ngth e ning th e capacitie s of all participants w ith out de pe nding on s upe rh um an le ade rs . Th e re fore w e h ave advocate d m ore participatory form s of de cis ion-m ak ing, prom ote d th e adoption of form s of organis ation bas e d on pe ople grouping into 'affinity groups ', and e xpande d nonviole nce training to include tools for th e participatory as s e s s m e nt and de ve lopm e nt of s trate gy.

W e argue th at th e s pe cific s tre ngth s of nonviole nt s trate gie s are dam age d by any re s ort to viole nce . Th e s e include s tre ngth s am ong th e m ove m e nt – in fos te ring trus t and s olidarity am ong participants in an action, in putting th e m in touch w ith s ource s of th e ir ow n pow e r to act in a s ituation. Th e s e s tre ngth s als o include th e re lations h ip of a m ove m e nt tow ards its antagonis ts – in inh ibiting th e ir viole nce or at le as t e ns uring th at viole nt re pre s s ion w ill back fire politically agains t th e m , and in unde rm ining th e 'pillars of pow e r' of an oppre s s ive ins titution by not tre ating its e m ploye e s as inanim ate tools but rath e r trying to cre ate pos s ibilitie s for th e m to re th ink th e ir alle giance s . And finally th e s e s tre ngth s include th e q uality of com m unication w ith bys tande rs or 'outs ide rs ' – pe ople not ye t conce rne d about th e is s ue or not ye t active about it, pe ople w h o can be pote ntial allie s .

H ow ard Clark Ch air of W RI

Ch oos ing Nonviole nt Action

From le ft to righ t: W RI activis ts in W as h ington on 15 May 2006, nonviole nce training in Ch ile in 2004, Sm as h EDO action in Brigh ton in 2005.Ph otos : W RI arch ive s

2 Th e Brok e n Rifle No 75, Se pte m be r 2007Nonviole nce

Training Exe rcis e sW ars vs Nonviole nce

(30 m in)10/10 Strate gie s – Th is e xe rcis e h e lps pe ople le arn about th e rich h is tory of nonvio- le nt cam paigns , ge tting a be tte r unde rs tanding of cam paigns , tactics and m ove m e nts . Bre ak into s m all groups of 5–6. One pe rs on in e ach group ne e ds to lis t num be rs 1 to 10 on a pie ce of pape r. Groups are “com pe - ting” w ith one anoth e r to s e e w h o can do th e tas k in th e fas - te s t tim e , as oppos e d to our us ual coope rative s tyle . Each group is to lis t 10 w ars as q uick - ly as pos s ible , rais ing th e ir h ands w h e n th e y are done . Facilitator s h ould note th e tim e . Th e n as k th e m to lis t 10 nonvio-le nt cam paigns , and again rai- s e th e ir h ands w h e n done . Note h ow it tak e s longe r to com e up w ith th e cam paigns th e n th e w ars (w h ich w e w ill not talk about h e re ). Starting w ith th e “w inning” group, w rite th e ir lis t of nonviole nt cam paigns on a w all ch art. As k oth e r groups to add to th e lis t. (Th e re w ill probably be a m ix of m ove - m e nts , tactics , cam paigns , e tc. Lis t th e m all and th e n us e th e lis t to e xplain th e diffe re nce s s o pe ople le arn about s trate gic proce s s e s and h ow e ffe ctive s trate gie s de ve lop. For e xam - ple , th e lis t m ay include “civil righ ts ” ( m ove m e nt), “Nas h ville ” (a cam paign) and “s it-ins ” (a tactic). Us e th e lis t, and th e participants as m uch as pos s i- ble , to de s cribe com pone nts of cam paigns , ide ntify tactics , and de s cribe w h at m ak e s a m ove - m e nt. Us e a w e ll k now n cam - paign as a cas e s tudy to le arn about s trate gic de ve lopm e nt of nonviole nt cam paigns . Tim e : Tak e s 10 m inute s for s e t up, s m all group e xe rcis e and to lis t on w all ch art. Dis cus s ion tim e can be 20 m inute s , alth ough could be longe r or s h orte r de - pe nding on available tim e . 30 m inute s total w ork s w e ll.

Pillars of Pow e r

Draw an ups ide dow n triangle , w ith pillars h olding it up. W rite th e nam e of th e proble m in th e triangle (i.e . “w ar”) and as k th e group to de s cribe th e ins titu- tions th at s upport th e proble m (i.e . th e m ilitary, corporations , gove rnm e nt policie s , s upport of th e population, corporate m e - dia, e tc.). Ide ntify th e unde rly- ing principle s th at h old up th e s ys te m (i.e . racis m , s e xis m , gre e d, lie s , e tc). De s cribe th os e ins titutions . A ne xt s te p can be to draw anoth e r s e t of pillars , th is tim e putting one of th e ins - titutions ins ide th e triangle , and de s cribing w h at h olds th at up. Ch oos e th e ins titution th at your organiz ation w ould m os t lik e ly w ork to k nock dow n.

A cam paign is a conne cte d s e rie s of activi- tie s and actions done ove r a pe riod of tim e to ach ie ve s pe cific, s tate d goals . Cam paigns are s tarte d by a group of pe ople w ith a com m on unde rs tanding and vis ion, w h o ide ntify th e goals and be gin th e proce s s of re s e arch , e du- cation and training th at s tre ngth e ns and incre a- s e s th e num be r of participants w h o e ngage in th e activitie s and action.

De m ons trations alone do not e nd a particu- lar w ar or corre ct a de e p s e ate d injus tice . Fa- ce d w ith th e h orrors of th e w orld, it’s e as y to do th e nonviole nt e q uivale nt of las h ing out – jum ping into action or activity w ith out s te pping back or look ing ah e ad. Too ofte n groups go dire ctly from re cogniz ing a proble m to pick ing a tactic. Or w e s uffe r from th e “paralys is of analys is ”, e ducating ours e lve s and oth e rs , but ne ve r ge tting in to action, and th e re fore ne ve r re ach ing our goals . Th e pow e r of a nonviole nt cam paign com e s in th e cre ative com bination of tactics , th e s trate gic th ink ing and com m it- m e nt of th e participants .

W h at m ak e s a Cam paign Nonviole nt?W h e th e r a cle ar com m itm e nt to nonvio-

le nce is pre s e nt or abs e nt, m os t of th e bas ic s te ps in cam paigns are th e s am e . To be s tra- te gic, all cam paign organiz e rs ne e d to re - s e arch and colle ct inform ation, tak e part in e ducation and training program m e s , de ve lop a s trate gy th at include s m ultiple tactics to re ach th e ir goal. W h at, th e n, is uniq ue about a “non- viole nt cam paign”? It's ce rtainly m ore th an s im - ply not be ing viole nt.

Many organiz ations , cam paigns and le a- de rs in nonviole nt m ove m e nts , h ave s tate - m e nts of th e ir nonviole nt principle s to e xplain th e ir pe rs pe ctive . W RI's State m e nt of Princi- ple s de s cribe s w h at w e m e an w h e n w e s ay w e e m brace nonviole nce :

“Nonviole nce can com bine active re s is - tance , including civil dis obe die nce , w ith dialo- gue ; it can com bine non-coope ration – w ith - draw al of s upport from a s ys te m of oppre s s ion – w ith cons tructive w ork to build alte rnative s . As a w ay of e ngaging in conflict, s om e tim e s nonviole nce atte m pts to bring re conciliation w ith it: s tre ngth e ning th e s ocial fabric, e m po- w e ring th os e at th e bottom of s ocie ty, and including pe ople from diffe re nt s ide s in s e e - k ing a s olution. Eve n w h e n s uch aim s cannot im m e diate ly be ach ie ve d, our nonviole nce h olds us firm in our de te rm ination not to de s - troy oth e r pe ople .”

W h ile w riting about nonviole nt cam paigns for th e W RI H andbook for Nonviole nt Action, I found a varie ty of de s criptions of nonviole nt cam paigns , us ually a m ixture of nonviole nt principle s w ith com m on s trate gie s . Th e follo- w ing lis t is m e ant to ide ntify s pe cific principle s th at are uniq ue in a nonviole nt cam paign. W h ile s om e of th e s e m ay be found in cam p- aigns th at do not ide ntify as be ing nonviole nt, th e com bination of th e s e principle s is w h at m ak e s a cam paign nonviole nt.

Principle s of Nonviole nt ActionW e ack now le dge th e value of e ach pe r-

s on. Th is is fundam e ntal, re cogniz ing th e dignity and h um anity of one s e lf and oth e rs . W e re fus e to m is tre at our oppone nt as an e ne m y.

W e re cogniz e th at w e all h ave part of th e truth ; no one h as all of it. No one is all “righ t” or all “w rong”. Our cam paign inform ation ga- th e ring,e ducation and actions s h ould re fle ct th is .

Our actions are ope n to anyone – no re s trictions of ge nde r, age , ability, e tc. W e ne e d to be care ful th at w e are truly ope n to th e

full participation of all and th at w e do not m irror th e dis crim ination found in s ocie ty.

W e acce pt s uffe ring but caus e none to oth e rs . Acce pting s uffe ring is a principle bas e d on th e value of e ach pe rs on, and a s trate gy th at draw s atte ntion to our com m it- m e nt and our caus e . W e w ill not viole ntly figh t back if attack e d. W e re cogniz e jail m ay be a cons e q ue nce of our actions ; filling th e jails m ay be a s trate gy.

Our m e ans (be h aviors , actions ) are cons is te nt w ith our e nds (of affirm ing life , oppos ing oppre s s ion and s e e k jus tice , valuing e ve ry pe rs on). Our s trate gy m us t be bas e d on th is principle , w e cannot jus tify a “victory” obtaine d th rough viole nt, coe rcive , or de ce it- ful m e th ods .

Be lie ving in th e trans form ative pow e r of nonviole nce , w e pre fe r conve rs ion rath e r th an coe rcion. W e w ork for w in-w in rath e r th an w in-loos e s olutions . Th e com bination of re s pe ct for our oppone nts ' h um an righ ts and obje ction to th e ir violating our righ ts can m ak e th e m m ove .

Our actions e m ph as iz e ope nne s s to prom ote com m unication and de m ocratic proce s s e s . W e w ork for proce s s e s th at e x- pre s s “pow e r w ith ” not “pow e r ove r” oth e rs . Th e e m pow e rm e nt of all involve d in th e cam p- aign is im portant. W e prom ote de m ocratic s tructure s (inte rnal and e xte rnal) to m axim iz e s e lf-de te rm ination.

W e m aintain dis cipline to agre e upon guide line s and pre paration be fore tak ing action. Going back to th e Code of Dis cipline laid dow n by Gandh i in th e 19 30's , m any cam paigns h ave de ve lope d “nonviole nce guide line s ” w h ich all participants are as k e d to agre e to. To e ns ure th e s e are follow e d, partici- pants m ay be e ncourage d to participate in nonviole nce training or orie ntation for an action.

“Nonviole nce guide line s ” are not th e s am e as nonviole nt principle s . Th e y are agre e m e nts on h ow participants in an action w ill be h ave . Th e y m ay be s tate d in ve ry practical te rm s (“W e w ill not carry any w e apons .”) or m ay be w ritte n in m ore ph ilos oph ical te rm s (“W e w ill gath e r toge th e r in a m anne r th at re fle cts th e w orld w e ch oos e to cre ate .”)

In any nonviole nt cam paign th e re w ill be pe ople w ith varie d le ve ls of com m itm e nt to nonviole nce . Nonviole nce guide line s m ak e it cle ar w h at is e xpe cte d and s e ts a nonviole nt s pirit for th e action. In th e m ids t of an action, it is e as y for th e crow d's tone to m ove in th e dire ction of ve rbal abus e and e ve n viole nce .

Infiltrators m ay atte m pt to dis cre dit th e group by urging pe ople to act viole ntly. Nonviole nt agre e m e nts , and nonviole nce training, can m ak e it pos s ible for a large num be r of pe ople to participate in a cam paign nonviole ntly, e ve n if th e y h ave little e xpe rie nce in th is are a. No m atte r h ow com m itte d th e organiz e rs are to th e principle s of nonviole nt action, and h ow w e ll th e cam paign s trate gy is organis e d, it is crucial th at th e participants in th e de m ons - trations and civil dis obe die nce actions can re fle ct th e principle s of nonviole nce for it to be an e ffe ctive nonviole nt cam paign.

A nonviole nt cam paign tak e s pe ople th rough proce s s e s of e m pow e rm e nt. It s h ould be pe rs onally e m pow e ring — pe ople dis co- ve ring and e xe rcis ing th e ir ow n pow e r agains t oppre s s ion, e xclus ion, and viole nce , and for participation, pe ace and h um an righ ts . Groups w ork ing on a cam paign de ve lop a colle ctive pow e r, le arning h ow to be organis e rs and be com e political s trate gis ts in th e proce s s . Multiple cam paigns can m ove us tow ards s ocial e m pow e rm e nt th at le ads to th e s ocial trans form ation w e are w ork ing for. In our training and planning w e ne e d to cons ide r all as pe cts of th is nonviole nt s ocial e m pow e r- m e nt proce s s : pe rs onal e m pow e rm e nt, co- m m unity pow e r, pe ople pow e r.

Exam ple s of nonviole nce guide line s :

Fas lane 365:h ttp://w w w .fas lane 365.org/fr/dis play_ pre vie w/nonviole nce _ guide line s

Lak e nh e ath Action Group:h ttp://w w w .m oth e re arth .org/lak e nh e ath action/nv.ph p3

Sch ool of th e Am e ricas W atch :h ttp://w w w .s oaw .org/article .ph p?id=109 3

Joanne Sh e e h an

W h at Mak e s A Cam paign Nonviole nt?

W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational at anti-w ar de m ons tration. Ph oto: W RI

Brains torm ing is a group te ch niq ue de s ig- ne d to ge ne rate a large num be r of ide as in a lim ite d am ount of tim e . Mos t of us h ave proba- bly us e d brains torm s in our political w ork to de ve lop de s criptions (i.e . W h at is nonviole n- ce ?) or ans w e r q ue s tion w ith as m any ide as as pos s ible to cons ide r (i.e . W h at tactics w ould h e lp us re ach our goals ?). It is a good tool to us e at m e e tings and nonviole nce trai- ning as it ge ts pe ople e ne rgis e d by th e flow of ans w e rs . It als o h e lps to lis te n to m ore voi- ce s w ith in th e group.

H e re are 4 re com m e ndations for h olding a brains torm ing s e s s ion:

1. Focus on q uantity: Th e as s um ption is th at th e gre ate r th e num be r of ide as ge ne rate d, th e gre ate r th e ch ance of producing a radical and e ffe ctive s olution.

2. No criticis m : It is ofte n e m ph as iz e d th at in group brains torm ing, criticis m s h ould be put 'on h old'. Ins te ad of im m e diate ly s tating w h at m igh t be w rong w ith an ide a, th e participants focus on e xte nding or adding to it, re s e rving criticis m for a late r 'critical s tage ' of th e pro- ce s s . By s us pe nding judge m e nt, one cre ate s a s upportive atm os ph e re w h e re participants fe e l fre e to ge ne rate unus ual ide as .

3. Unus ual ide as are w e lcom e : To ge t a good and long lis t of ide as , unus ual ide as are w e lcom e d. Th e y m ay ope n ne w w ays of th ink ing and provide be tte r s olutions th an re gular ide as . Th e y can be ge ne rate d by look ing from anoth e r pe rs pe ctive or s e tting as ide as s um ptions .

4. Com bine and im prove ide as : Good ide as can be com bine d to form a s ingle ve ry good ide a, as s ugge s te d by th e s logan "1+ 1=3". Th is approach is as s um e d to le ad to be tte r and m ore com ple te ide as th an m e re ly ge ne - rating ne w ide as alone . It is be lie ve d to s tim u- late th e building of ide as by a proce s s of as s o- ciation.

Follow ing th e th e m e on th is Brok e n Rifle w e h e ld an e le ctronic brains torm via W RI's lis t-s e rve s . W e as k e d th e q ue s tion:

“W h y is it im portant th at prote s t groups tak e th e s trate gic ch oice in favour of non- viole nt m e th ods ?"

H e re are th e ans w e rs w e re ce ive d:

Be caus e , irre spe ctive of strate gy it is im portant a principle d ch oice is m ade , particularly w h e n our re s istance is te ste d to th e upm ost. (Gw yn)

Be caus e if th e m e ans are not nonviole nt th e e nds w ill not be (Ch ris)

► Be caus e of re spe ct of life and dignity of e ve ryone including th e oppone nt

► So th at in cas e th e oth e r s ide ch oos e s to re spond viole ntly, th e prote st group h as not give n th e m an e as y le gitim isation to do so, and th e re by s h ow s to th e w ide r public obs e rving w h at is h appe ning w h o is righ t and w h o is w rong.

► Be caus e nonviole nt m e th ods h ave a m uch large r range of pos s ibilitie s and options , and are ofte n just th e be tte r one s . (Ch ristine)

Just be caus e tw o s im ple is s ue s : le gitim acy and e ffe ctive ne s s . Th e le gitim acy is im portant be caus e th e battle fie ld is ins ide a com m unicative am bit, and us ing nonviole nce you are s h ow ing to th e pu- blic opinion your prote st is le gitim ate . Th e e ffe c- tive ne s s of nonviole nce com e s from an analys is of pow e r th at m e ans th at viole nce cre ate s anoth e r pow e r structure th at w ill ne e d som e k ind of future dom ination, if w e don't w ant to be com e th e sam e

th ing as w e are figh ting against w e m ust us e nonviole nce . (Cth uch i)

► Nonviole nce be caus e it h e lps us all w in. Viole nce im pos e s th e w ill of one on anoth e r, le aving one a w inne r and th e oth e r de fe ate d.

► Be caus e viole nce h asn't be e n s h ow n to w ork . H ow m uch m ore re s e arch do w e ne e d? Le t's try a nonviole nt e xpe rim e nt. Ple as e .

► Be caus e viole nce h as cre ate d th e m e s s w e 're in. Se e m s only logical th at nonviole nce is w h at w ill ge t us out. (Denise)

"W e are nonviole nt be caus e an injury to one is an injury to all." (Bayard R ustin quoted)

One of m y fre que ntly us e d argum e nt is th at "w e " could be w rong (talk ing from pe rsonal e xpe rie nce s h e re ) and I w ant to h ave th e option to re ve rs e m y actions . D ifficult if you h ave k ille d som e one . (Jørgen)

M ore pe ople can be involve d, w h ate ve r th e ir age or ph ys ical ability; le s s s e cre cy is ne ce s sary; nonviole nt actions don't caus e as m uch fe ar or alie nation from th ird partie s; m e ans are cons iste nt w ith e nds; nonviole nce is ofte n m ore e ffe ctive ; h e igh te ns th e contrast w ith th e viole nce of th e s yste m /re pre s s ion; re spe cts life . (Vivien)

At le ast, th e re w ill be som e survivors . (Ugur)

Viole nce and le gal prote st are som e tim e s e ffe ctive but fundam e ntally political traps , m ak ing you figh t for your righ ts on th e te rm s of th e pow e rful. Nonviole nt re s istance against pow e r structure s and building th e ne w socie ty w ith constructive w ork are m e th ods th at us e s th e pow e r of th e pe ople and doe s it on our ow n te rm s , w h e re w e are th e stronge st, th e y th e w e ak e st; building le gi- tim acy, coope ration, com m unity and com m u- nication; i.e . th at w h ich cre ate s and m aintains h um an re lations h ips , i.e . socie ty. (Stellan)

W rapping up

W h e n you are pre s e nt w ith a group doing a brains torm ing s e s s ion, w h e n all th e ide as are up on th e w all, as k if th e re is anyth ing up th e re th at pe ople h ave a q ue s tion about, or th at th e y dis agre e w ith . Ope n th is up for dis cu- s s ion. You m ay not ne e d to com e to cons e n- s us on a brains torm ing s e s s ion. (At a training s e s s ion, you are not trying to com e up w ith a de finition to ans w e r “W h at is nonviole nce ?”). Or you m ay w ant to s ort out th e ans w e rs for furth e r dis cus s ion. (Th e brains torm ing gave th e group lots of tactics , now you ne e d to ch oos e th e be s t one s . You can do th at by cre ating a “m atrix”, lis ting th e tactics dow n one s ide / th e goals along th e top, and ch e ck to s e e if th e tactic w ith a pos itive (+ ), a ne gative (-), or ne utral (0) for h e lping to re ach th e goal of th e action.)

Afte r you ge t th e diffe re nt ans w e rs from a brains torm ing, you can organis e th e m into cate gorie s to h e lp you ide ntify s om e of th e m ain is s ue s . For e xam ple in th is brains tor- m ing, w e can s tate th at s om e of th e m ain re as ons w h y to ch oos e nonviole nt m e th ods :

As a principle : If w e w ant a pe ace ful and jus t w orld th e m e ans to re ach it ne e d to be pe ace ful.Effe ctive ne s s : Nonviole nce h as s h ow n to be e ffe ctive in m any cas e s , viole nce h as m ainly le d to m ore viole nce .Re s pe ct for oth e rs : Re s pe ct for life , your oppone nts and your ow n group.Group proce s s : W e lcom e s all voice s and th e ir active participation.Inde pe nde nce : W ork ing in our ow n te rm s ins te ad of w ork ing for s om e one e ls e 's pow e r.

Afte r ide ntifying th e m ain is s ue s you can us e oth e r tools to analys e th e m in m ore de pth , for e xam ple th e Pillars of Pow e r pre s e nte d in th is Brok e n Rifle . W e e ncourage you to us e brains torm ing in your cam paign w ork . In m os t cas e s you w ill ge t us e ful ide a w h ile giving e ve - ryone a ch ance to participate and h ave a good tim e !

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BR75/09 /07/e n-int

Cons e ns us de cis ion m ak ing Organis ing for nonviole nt action is (ofte n) bas e d on affinity groups , autonom ous groups of 5–15 pe rs ons w h e re pe ople trus t e ach oth e r and can re ly on e ach oth e r.Cons e ns us de cis ion m ak ing diffe rs gre atly from m ajority de - cis ion m ak ing. W h ile m ajority de cis ion m ak ing ofte n le ads to a pow e r s truggle be tw e e n tw o diffe re nt s olutions , cons e ns us de cis ion m ak ing aim s to tak e e ve ryone 's conce rns on board, ofte n m odifying a propos e d s o- lution s e ve ral tim e s in th e pro- ce s s . It is ve ry m uch bas e d on lis te ning and re s pe ct, and parti- cipation by e ve ryone .

Cons e ns us le ve lsCons e ns us doe s not ne ce s s ary m e an th at all agre e 100% – w h ile th is m igh t be th e opti-m um , it is in practice ofte n not th e cas e . It is th e re fore im por-tant th at e ve ryone in th e group is aw are of diffe re nt le ve ls of s upport or non-s upport th at can be give n to a ce rtain propos al:Non-s upport: "I don't s e e th e ne e d for th is , but I'll go along w ith it."Standing as ide : "I pe rs onally can't do th is , but I w on't s top oth e rs from doing it." Th e pe r- s on s tanding as ide is not re s - pons ible for th e cons e q ue nce s . Th is s h ould be re corde d in th e m inute s .Ve to/m ajor obje ction: A s ingle ve to/m ajor obje ction block s th e propos al from pas s ing. If you h ave a m ajor obje ction it m e - ans th at you cannot live w ith th e propos al if it pas s e s . It is s o obje ctionable to you/th os e you are re pre s e nting th at you w ill s top th e propos al. A m ajor ob-je ction is n't an "I don't re ally lik e it " or "I lik e d th e oth e r ide a be tte r." It is an "I cannot live w ith th is propos al if it pas s e s , and h e re is w h y?.!". Th e group can e ith e r acce pt th e ve to or dis cus s th e is s ue furth e r and draw up ne w propos als . Th e ve to is a pow e rful tool and s h ould be us e d w ith caution.Agre e to dis agre e : th e group de cide s th at no agre e m e nt can be re ach e d on th is is s ue .

3

Donate to W ar Re s is te rs ' Inte rnational

Th e Brok e n Rifle No 75, Se pte m be r 2007 Nonviole nce

Brains torm ing W h y w e ch oos e nonviole nce ?

Nonviole nce training in Ch ile . Ph oto: Andre as Spe ck

It h as not be e n long s ince th e conce pt of "nonviole nt w ay of s tru-ggle " s tarte d to be us e d in th e Ko- re an s ocial m ove m e nt s ocie ty. Still, m any pe ople in s ocial m ove m e nts h ave a ne gative fe e ling about th is conce pt. Th e y re gard "nonviole nce " as a w e ak , pas s ive and non-re s is tant w ay of s truggle , and th os e pe rce ptions s e e m to h ave com e from th e s om e w h at uniq ue h is tory th at m any Kore ans h ave e xpe rie nce d.

In South Kore a th e re h ad be - e n ove r 30 ye ars of auth oritarian re gim e by th e m ilitary afte r th e Japane s e colonial pe riod and th e Kore an W ar. During th at tim e pe o-ple cam e to h ave inte ns e as pira- tions tow ards libe rty and de m ocra-cy and m any of th e m s tarte d to re s is t agains t th e Kore an gove rn- m e nt. Th e Kore an gove rnm e nt re s ponde d to th e pe ople in a w ay of te rror, m obiliz ing th e ir arm e d force s . Unde r th os e circum s tan- ce s , it w as cons ide re d natural for pe ople to re s is t th e gove rnm e nt in viole nt w ays . Th e y arm e d th e m - s e lve s and calle d th e ir viole nce "re s is tant viole nce ".

Now adays , th e s tate s till fre - q ue ntly us e s viole nce agains t pe ople , e s pe cially th e violation of pe ople ’s h um an righ ts by police at de m ons trations . Many activis ts th ink th at th e re ’s no oth e r w ay e xce pt "viole nt s truggle ", and th at "nonviole nt s truggle " is not an e ffe ctive tactic.

Ne ve rth e le s s , "nonviole nt s truggle " is be ing acce pte d am ong s om e w ork ing groups in Kore a, as "pe ace " and "nonvio- le nce " is . "Nonviole nt w ay of s truggling" h as h ad an influe nce on th e pe ople w h o don’t agre e w ith viole nt re s is tance .

Th e re h as be e n a k ind of nonviole nt w ay of re s is ting s ince 19 80s , s uch as th e s tude nts ’ obje ction to be ing in th e fore front w h e re th e y s h ould aim at th e north , th e s oldie rs and com bat police s proclam ation th at re ve als th e w h ole viole nce th e y h ave e xpe rie nce d in th e pe riod of

m ilitary s e rvice and th e civil obje ction to q ue s tioning by patrolm an.

But th e conce pt of "nonvio- le nce " in th os e conte xts w as rath e r clos e to jus t a m e ans of re s is ting.

In Kore an s ocie ty, cons cie n- tious obje ctors to m andatory m ilitary s e rvice are s aid to be th e firs t s ince re pacifis ts w h o tak e nonviole nce as a ph ilos oph y of life . Cons cie ntious obje ctors h ave advocate d th e righ t to re fus e to unre as onable orde rs from th e s tate , w h e re nationalis m and m ilitaris m is pre vale nt, and th e y h ave appe ale d to th e pe ople ’s good nature , m ak ing th e m con- te m plate th e m ilitary, arm s and th e w ar fundam e ntally. Pe ople w e re de e ply m ove d w h e n th e y s aw cons cie ntious obje ctors w illing go into pris on for 18 m onth s rath e r th an tak e arm s .

Th e y h ave com e to k now th e s ignificance of cons cie ntious obje ctors pe rform ance as th e y w atch continual w ars caus e d by U.S. and Is rae l.

Th e w ork ing group for con- s cie ntious obje ction in Kore a is now focus ing on giving ne ce s s ary as s is tance , s uch as le gal and ps ych ological couns e ling, to th o- s e w h o pre pare to obje ct. It als o focus e s on h aving pe ople be co- m e aw are of th e m e aning of con- s cie ntious obje ction th rough va- rie ty of activitie s s uch as pre s s confe re nce s , forum s , cam paigns and dire ct actions . Th e num be r of cons cie ntious obje ctors in Kore a is s till s m all and th e punis h m e nt COs are give n is e xce s s ive , th e - re fore it is ve ry im portant to s u- pport th e m cons tantly, s o th e y w ill not fe e l is olate d.

Influe nce d by th e m ove m e nt of cons cie ntious obje ction, th e re are m any alte rnative groups now tak ing nonviole nt pacifis m as a principal ph ilos oph y of th e ir s tru- ggle . Th e s e groups play an im - portant part in th e s truggle aga- ins t US bas e e xte ns ion in Pye - ongtae k . Th e y are us ing th e ir cre ative im agination to de ve lop

dive rs e tactics and nonviole nt dire ct action, m ak ing a s trik ing contras t to th e pre vious w ay of s truggle .

Th e s e "ne w " w ork ing groups are curre ntly carrying out th e "m ak ing pe ace ful village " pro- je ct. Th e y are trying to ch ange th e old h ous e , w h e re re s ide nts h ave le ft afte r th e ne gotiation w ith Kore an gove rnm e nt, into a library, cafe and gue s th ous e full of w ork s of art, w ith h e lp from m any artis ts . Th is ye ar, th e re h ave be e n s e ve - ral crack dow ns by th e m ilitary and police . But m any pe ople h ave pe rform e d nonviole nt dire ct actions to prote ct th e village , s uch as m ak ing a barricade w ith no arm s , h aving s its -in on th e e xcavator, and th os e tactics w or- k e d. Eve n th ough m ains tre am m e dia w as not inte re s te d in th os e nonviole nt s truggle s , m any pe o- ple k now w h at h appe ne d in th e Pye oungtae k are a and give s u- pport to th e s truggle agains t th e US bas e e xte ns ion.

Until now , nonviole nce w as not a principal ph ilos oph y in th e Kore an m ove m e nt s ocie ty. W h e n Kang Ch ul-m in, w h o w as in active m ilitary s e rvice , de clare d h is con- s cie ntious obje ction in 2003, th e - re w as a conflict of opinions w h e - th e r th e s it-dow n de m ons tration s h ould go on or not. And th e re w as als o a proble m w h e n m any unive rs ity s tude nts de clare d pre -cons cie ntious obje ction follow ing th e ir group’s com m and. Th os e proble m s re s ulte d be caus e gro- ups th ough t of cons cie ntious ob- je ction as jus t a m atte r of tactics or e ve n an e ve nt, not a dire ct ac- tion in one pe rs on’s ow n life . Now th e re are m ore and m ore pe ople w h o are tak ing up th e nonviole nt w ay in th e anti-US bas e e nlarge - m e nt s truggle .

Kore a Solidarity for Cons cie ntious Obje ction

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Th e Brok e n Rifle No 75, Se pte m be r 2007Nonviole nce

Nonviole nce in South Kore a

Anti flag s w e aring dire ct action. Ph oto: Jungm in