Nandor.net.nz - Nandor Tanczos MP. NVDA Guide

Non Violent Direct Action Guide

This is a basic guide to planning a Non Violent Direct Action Campaign for activist groups. It is based on the thought and writing of many different activists. Feedback will be gratefully accepted by Nandor. The guide will grow.

Non Violence

Some people make a distinction between non-violence and nonviolence. The first approach defines violence and then seeks to avoid it, the second sees nonviolence as something that exists in its own right. Nonviolence is characterised by:

non-harm, as defined by Ghandi's concept of 'ahimsa'
not causing mental or physical suffering
recognition that conflict is natural and can be dealt with in positive and nonviolent ways
valueing the opponent as a human being even while opposing their behaviour and views
non harm to ourselves, meaning non-hierarchical organisation, open decision making as far as possible
good interpersonal support. How we live day to day, not just how we campaign.

Direct Action

A direct action is usually defined as one that realises the end desired, as far as this lies within your power. It is different from actions which are aimed at influencing third parties e.g. publicity stunts. Not that you should only use direct actions in your campaign - indirect actions such as raising public awareness are very important - but direct actions have a vital advantage.

They cannot be ignored. They force your opponent to recognise you and respond.

General Points on Strategy

Take the initiative away from your opponent - set the agenda.
Identify specific goals to campaign for, that are relevant to people's lives
Build up the wider movement through cooperation, communication and choosing complementary roles
Everyone in the organisation has a place. Help them find it.

The 6 Aspects of a NVDA Campaign

Each one is an on-going process throughout the campaign.

1. Investigation

Devote 90% of your energy to investigation. You cannot run a campaign if you are not well informed, and information will make the difference between a good campaign and a lousy one. You can find out anything if you want to, it is just a question of how much time you are prepared to invest. The most difficult thing is knowing what to ask, and how to know a gem when you find it.

Some things to investigate include;

who are the stakeholders?
How do they benefit from the status quo?
How is the status quo maintained?
What are the problems with the status quo for different sections of society?
What is the bigger picture?
What kind of information would really embarrass the opponent and boost our support?

Even more important;

Who are our allies?
What groups have an interest in change?
Who can we call on for support in the form of money, information, design skills for our literature, contacts, strategic advice etc.

Remember, your group represents many people who are too busy to devote regular time but are quite happy to do one-off favours.

2. Negotiation

It is important to try the 'proper channels' first, in order to save yourself time if they work and to be able to say that you have tried them if you are forced into more militant action.

Negotiation also achieves other objectives:

it is much harder for opponents to slander or brutalise people they meet in the flesh
fear and over-reaction can be minimised by informing opponents of your general plans
psychological advantage can be gained by setting out a framework of increasingly militant actions

Negotiation at a later stage of the campaign may also occur to break a deadlock, to allow time to regroup during an action or to allow opponents to save face and concede. Negotiations may result in compromise on minor points in order to secure an advantage, but never on points of principle.

3. Education

Keep your supporters informed or they will lose interest. Also, the public must be kept informed because a campaign can only truly succeed if it has the support of the public. Media cannot be relied on for this, although they can be used to highlight issues. Street visibility can be accomplished through graffiti (keep slogans fresh and humorous / interesting. Avoid domestic property and nice buildings. Use clever graffiti to brighten up ugly places. Cover all major city routes.). Stickers, chalking pavements, posters and banners also raise public profile. Lastly, good street theatre is fun and attention grabbing.

In using the media, be aware of deadlines. Usually before 10 - 11am to catch afternoon papers, before 5pm for morning ones. TV news 2-3 hours before the news is screened. If media is present at an action think about how it looks e.g. don't stand in front of banners, don't use yellow on banners as it doesn't show in b&w photos. Make sure your message is clear regardless of how it is reported.

Cultivate journalists. Note which ones write sympathetic articles. Drop off press releases to them by hand so that you get to meet them. Be friendly, journalists can be a useful source of information about your opponents as well as about how to maximise your success rate with media hits. The best press releases are action oriented, pre-empt opponents releases or contain official leaks or secrets.

The most effective public education, however, is face to face. Getting out there with literature and talking to people is incredibly effective, and brings home the message in a way a sound bite on TV never will. Turning members of the public into supporters who go and talk about it to their friends and rellies is the goal.

Good literature is vital for this. Most political leaflets look boring and read boring. Make the information concise and easy to find. Bullet points are great. Also, get a professional to design them. Many, many people in the design world are happy to give an hour or two to design a leaflet as a one-off bit of practical support. They just need to be asked. It costs as much to print a crap leaflet as a good one.

4. Preparing for an action

Plan your move. You need to clarify your goals and your targets and identify an achievable and powerful direct action. Avoid the expected. Avoid the stereotypical 'protest' action that has been done a hundred times and is easy to control. Avoid acting on a stage set by your opponent. Take the initiative. A good action is one that either they cannot see coming, or if you chose to inform your opponents of your general plans, one that is impossible to stop.

Clarify each person's acceptable level of risk without machoism. Make sure each person is in a role that relates to their risk level. Train for those roles. Role play situations so that people know how to respond. Think through all contingencies and clarify that people know how to deal with them. Make sure people understand legal issues, have a legal phone line in case of arrest. Make sure everyone knows what to do in the face of violence. Build trust in the group, a sense of community is the best antidote to fear.

Plan your logistics - the practical issues like transport, equipment needed, communication lines, food, shelter, where to group and regroup. Set up support structures in case of arrest or violence.

If planning an open event, educate the public about what you are doing and why. Public preparation for mass civil disobedience is itself a powerful pressure on opponents. During the Save Aramoana Campaign a letter was sent to the consortium involved explaining the actions being planned along with photos of training. It was being discussed in the media. The logistical planning for an action had been completed when the first consortium partner withdrew in 1981.

If planning large events, make sure a core group is well prepared for all contingencies, is spread through the crowd and able to direct people if problems occur. Wearing identifying gear means people will respond to them, but also makes them vulnerable to being picked out for arrest. In mass actions people look for direction when under pressure. If you don't supply it, the opponent will.

5. Doing an action

Your action may have a number of secondary goals;

to test your opponents strength and will
to publicise the campaign
to initiate other actions by supporting groups.

Whatever the goal, it must be seen as part of the overall campaign. It is not an end in itself and must not take away support from other aspects of the campaign. Militant action is always a trade-off. It will alienate some while drawing support from others. Discretion is needed to weigh up the usefulness of a particular action.

6. The on-going campaign

The time after an action can be an anti-climax. Plan for this in advance - keep your goals clear and work towards them by keeping the preceding stages going. Plan how to deal with temporary setbacks or victories. Also look after the activists.

Avoid burn-out by

Delegating tasks and responsibilities. This can be difficult if key people have maintained the organisation over time but is vital to keep them sane and attract new people.
Identifying small victories along the way to the greater goal. Celebrate them.
Maintain good social support structures

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