Infighting Kills Revolutions
“How can it be that a community built around...chosen family so often ends up being cruel and unforgiving to its own? It is a question that is becoming especially important...as fascism and climate crisis loom over us, if queer communities cannot find a way to come together in unity and solidarity, then we likely will not survive.” - Kai Cheng Thom
“The more we can promote independence and splits among revolutionary organizations the weaker they’ll be, easier to penetrate, easier to defeat.” - Philip Agee, Inside the Company: CIA Diary
Why are you a leftist?
Are you a leftist because you hate the system or Because you care about your neighbors?
Some leftists are quick to turn away and shun people who have an ideology that is even 0.001% different from theirs. However, there also have been moments where people turn a blind eye to abusers in their community because the abuser has “Always been a key part of our movement” or “Has good politics otherwise.” Well, I say no more!
Our enemy is the state
Not someone new to reading theory
Our enemy is fascism
Not the brainwashed liberal masses
Our enemy is the rich
Not the neighbor who cant afford to replace their tesla
In order to prevent infighting without allowing bad actors in our spaces, we must look at people's intentions and their Growth as a person over time. If you forever exile someone who did not realize their actions were harmful, you only alienate them from leftism before they have a chance to learn.
Things to Keep in mind
There is a difference between not knowing something and ignorance.
Teaching > Judgement
Leftist ideals are rooted in care for your neighbor and comrade, they are not rooted in purity testing or elitism
People have the capacity to change for the better, and should be encouraged to do so.
We must not confuse our soon-to-be-ally with our enemy
Use the chart below to determine if an action is harmful enough to ban someone from leftist spaces.
A flow chart that helps leftists determine if an offense is bad enough to ban a person from a space.
If you are interested in sharing a conflict & accountability flow chart, make sure to check out our zine on the topic. Visit our “forming collectives” section of our media library
