From the Autonomy Alliance:
The members of Autonomy Alliance recommend and applaud diversity in tactics as long as those involved are well informed in their decisions. Though successfully staging actions requires tactical diversity, we recognize that disagreements will inevitably arise among the various groups in our social movements. We affirm and encourage the right to air grievances within these groups. However, outside intervention in matters of tactical disagreement, especially by the police, is something that must be avoided. Bringing in an oppressive and violent tool to “punish” revolutionaries with varying tactics is fundamentally flawed, and should be discouraged. The less we depend on the police–and those who would resort to calling them over tactical differences–the better.
Strong personal bonds are key to a working, successful social movement. Our solidarity is our foundation: we rely on each other for support, and through this are able to fully express ourselves both politically and individually. Handling disputes through violent intervention of the police only serves to sever these personal ties, and does nothing but breed mistrust and discontent internally. On the other hand, expressing disagreements with another protester thoughtfully and intelligently further strengthens our commitment to that person and the movement as a whole. We cannot build a better world by attacking each other with the violent tools we seek to overthrow.
Our solidarity is evident through mutually respecting our differences. We have to offer space for each other’s voices in our marches, while forcing our movement to strike each blow together in solidarity against Wall Street and its talking heads in political offices. All along, though, we must stand by our principles of not inviting or provoking police against our allies in struggle.
In Autonomy & Solidarity,
Autonomy Alliance
My agreement with the principles behind ” diversity of tactics” aside, i would argue that tactical diversity is also the most effective means of countering the ever increasing blanket of repression unleashed by the failing capitalist system. Movements of mass resistance/revolution have historically drawn much of their strength from the greater flexibility with which they could respond to events in contrast to a bureaucratic state apparatus. In addition embracing a diversity of tactics also opens the door to the widest possible mass support as differing social strata have widely divergent forms of realizing emancipatory practices according to their varying experiences , perceptions and needs…