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What are your opinions on building, let's say, left wing 'militias'? (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 10 hours ago by SlayGuevara@lemmygrad.ml to c/comradeship@lemmygrad.ml

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I used to be a football hooligan in what now seems like a previous life and I hope it comes as no surprise that the vast majority of the ultras sections are hunting grounds for right wing movements seeking out young (mostly) men who are willing to form what are essentially militias.

Apart from this several right wing groups throughout Europe and the US have their own militias who do martial arts and combat training.

This, of course, seems all very LARP-y until it doesn't and they come to protests better equipped to fight.

For the time I have been active in political organizing not once have I seen the same effort coming from a left wing party and honestly it seems rather naive. I don't think you should advertise stuff like that out in the open because that would make you an easy target for bad press and it will probably scare people away anyway.

But still. Should left wing organisations offer martial arts or other self defense courses? Should we be 'above that'? And what if shit does hit the fan?

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[–] Commiejones@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Leftists should be doing combat training if they have the knack but I don't think it is as important to a socialist revolution as it is to a fascist one.

Fascists use intimidation and violence to enforce their ideology. They exclude and persecute minorities but they are sure to communicate that if an individual isn't supportive they can be targeted too. The only way to prove yourself a good fascist is to do inhuman acts to minorities or anti-fascists. Violence is the only path of upward mobility for most fascists.

Leftists use community and organization to build government after the masses overthrow the capitalists. The left does need people that are capable of violence but the primary concern is agitation. Why do martial arts training for an hour if you can make a crowd of ten people angry at capitalists instead?

Tactics is definitely something that leftists should study. If you can agitate and direct people to victory they will respect you and that respect can turn into support for the party easily. (I should read more Mao.)