It has come to the point at which the liberal tendencies within the anarchist movement in the United States have to be reckoned with by anarchist revolutionaries.
When Trump was elected in 2016, there came an influx of attention to anarchism, particularly through the corporate media fascination with antifascism. Rather than viewing corporate media as an enemy, certain anarchists delighted in the newfound attention. Ever since, they have pursued a strategy of drawing media attention to themselves by watering down anarchist ideas to make them appealing to a liberal audience. This means de-emphasizing the militancy of anarchism and instead equating anarchism with “direct democracy.” From this viewpoint, anarchism is nothing more than the radical extreme of liberalism. This approach is dangerous because it plays into the counterinsurgent strategy of the state, allowing supposedly radical ideas to be co-opted by democratic socialist politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As revolutionary anarchists in the US, our primary enemy is the white supremacist state, whose ideology of liberal democracy is in many ways indistinguishable from fascism. The US has slaughtered millions around the world in the name of democracy. Anarchists have fought throughout history for a revolution that would completely destroy the state and capitalism. Any attempt to secure reforms within the current system is, ultimately, destructive to the revolutionary goals of anarchism. Reforms only strengthen the position of the counterinsurgent.
Revolutionary anarchists in the United States are reaching a point at which militancy will have to intensify to support those targeted by the state, and to attack the foundation of American white supremacy. We also need to make anarchist ideas as clear and appealing as possible, not by diluting the message into reformism, but making it clear that we are fighting for freedom. This means attacking and destroying the prisons that enslave millions and police who routinely murder black people throughout the country. Anarchists should be firm in rejecting any attempts to turn anarchism into something that corporate media would find unthreatening.
The recent martyrdoms of Tekoser Piling (Lorenzo Orsetti) and Mikhail Zhlobitsky provide examples for the seriousness with which anarchist revolutionaries should view this moment historically. Anarchists are once again putting their lives on the line to attack the forces of nation-states and fascists around the world.
Rather than shying away from militancy, we should seriously reflect on how we can escalate our tactics. Taking inspiration from the courage of anarchist martyrs, we can make it clear that anarchism is a threat to liberal and conservative politicians alike and that anarchists can and will strike at the heart of American democracy until the last prison burns.
– Anonymous Contribution
via amwenglish.com
