Certain social movements or revolutionary groups defend their ideas through powerful and forceful actions. They are intended to attract the attention of public opinion. This type of strategy is known by a label, direct action.
A way to spread ideals
Any idea can be defended through the word. Thus, in a parliament, in a discussion forum or in a communication medium, all kinds of visions about social reality are disseminated. For some this approach is valid, but it is insufficient. For this reason, it is necessary to adopt a much more resounding strategy, otherwise everything remains in words that normally do not achieve the desired objective.
Some examples of direct action could be the following: organizing a fast to express a specific claim, holding a collective sit-in against interests considered illegitimate, carrying out a series of coordinated protest actions in different places, long human chains, non- violence campaigns , etc.
Naturally, all direct action should be organized carefully and the same time, to succeed must be collected by the mass media . On the other hand, these types of actions are directed against something or someone considered as an enemy that must be defeated or unmasked. Sometimes direct actions have a violent ingredient, but this concept should not be confused with the use of violence.
Direct action and the anarchist movement
The anarchism is a doctrine policy advocated the emancipation of the human being and the abolition of the State or any other form of authority . However, throughout history some anarchist groups have defended their ideals based on direct action of a violent nature. For example, attacks on authority, terrorist actions and other strategies associated with some form of violence.
From the ideological approach of these groups, it is affirmed that everything that is good for the revolution is a moral action or, in other words, that the end justifies the means.
Regardless of the relationship of anarchism with direct actions of a violent nature, most anarchist groups defend the usefulness of direct action as a mechanism to resolve conflicts. Imagine that an employer forces his workers to perform their functions in a regrettable and inhumane way. According to the anarchist perspective, in this type of situation one can act in two ways:
1) report the facts to a court or
2) promote direct action against the exploiting employer (for example, occupying his company so that he cannot continue with his abuses).
According to the anarchist tradition , the second option is the best.