OWS. UC Davis. Tactics.

A walk in the park: just like spraying weeds to this cop

There has been some discussion in the OWS movement especially in the Oakland area about tactics, specifically violence or non-violence. We have suggested in previous blogs that the movement should always explain that it is for non violent change but that history shows that when the ruling class in society - the 1% - is faced with such change they resort to violence to put down the movement and in this situation the movement has no choice but to defend itself. The responsibility for any violence therefore lies with the ruling class and their state apparatus.

The importance of this approach is best understood if we are clear on what our goals are. We are involved in the struggle for the consciousness of the working class, for the conscious support of the majority of the working class in the struggle to end capitalism and transform society. The 1% understands this clearly. They try and portray any movement for change which threatens their rule as violent, sinister to the working class and on and on. Specifically they try and portray it as something that threatens the lives and security of the majority. This is why in the highly censored mass media they control, whenever acts of vandalism or what they call violence are carried out by even a tiny minority of participants in the movement they focus on it as they have with the Occupy Wall Street Movement.

Look at the recent events at UC Davis where the cops in the most blatant and thuggish manner pepper sprayed the peaceful students who were sitting down. This has had a big affect on the mass consciousness, on the consciousness of the working class throughout the country and the world. It has increased dramatically the support for the OWS movement, the 99% movement. The 1% has had to suspend cops, apologize and the Chancellor of UC Davis is under pressure to resign. The reason they are into this full retreat and apologize mode is because the attack on the students has dramatically undermined their base of support for attacking the OWS movement. In other words it has dramatically increased support for the OWS movement.  Mass consciousness has changed and with it the base of support and influence of the OWS movement among a wider layer of workers has taken place.

Look at this from a different point of view. If instead of the students sitting down in protest peacefully and being attacked one of the groups that believes in attacking the cops and smashing windows had been at the center of this action the result would have been entirely different. The 1%’s mass media and state would have been able to portray the event as violent protesters attacking the poor cops who were only trying to protect people who were going about their peaceful business. To put it bluntly the approach of the groups who make a principle of violence and attacking cops and smashing windows would in this situation have been very damaging to the movement.

Having said this it would also be wrong to make a principle out of non-violence. The movement has to protect itself at times and at times it has to do so with all its resources. And this can mean violence. If this is the situation every effort should be made to reach out to the majority and explain that we do not want this violence but it is forced on us and we are defending ourselves and the movement. It is the cops and the 1%’s state apparatus that is initiating the violence, the same state that has two million people incarcerated, more than any other country and almost 50% of them from one ethnic group. The issue of violence is a tactical question, not a question of principle. It is a question of how to best win the consciousness of the working class, the majority in society. It is a question of how best to build a movement that can end the system.

This position may seem naive when we see how the cops and the state have been so militarized in the past decade----especially since 9/11. Also we have the gigantic military forces and the weaponry and nuclear weaponry. However the very opposite is the case. How is capitalism to be ended unless we end the capitalist state?  How can we make the 1% pay if we don’t accept in our own minds that this means ridding ourselves of the structures that perpetuate their dictatorship over the 99%?

While confronting the 1%’ state apparatus we also have to seek to make those who make up this apparatus think. A German ruler once said that if his troops started to think he would not last a day. Some Iraq veterans are on the OWS demonstrations. Cops are losing their homes to foreclosures also. And do not think that nuclear weapons could not be used in the future. The only way to prevent this and to break the 1%’s state is to build a movement so powerful and with such clear and class based demands that can win over at least sections of the ranks and even some officers of that state to the side of ending the system. The struggle against the 1% and their system is complicated and cannot be reduced to one of making the tactic of violence a principle at all times no more than it can be reduced to making the tactic of going on the offensive a principle for all times.

So congratulations and thank you to the students of UC Davis. We owe you a debt of gratitude.  And the OWS movement must not forget Bradley Manning and increase our efforts to campaign for his release and the dropping of all charges.