Session VIII: Nonviolence Training Exercises for Street Actions
SESSION VIII
NONVIOLENCE TRAINING EXERCISES FOR STREET ACTIONS
PURPOSE OF THIS SESSION: (1) To provide further ideas on how to keep a nonviolent spirit throughout the resistance; (2) To give participants further experience with “Quick Decision-Making” and “Hassle Lines” exercises in preparation for street actions.
MATERIALS NEEDED: (1) Flipchart stand; (2) Pad of newsprint; (3) Magic markers; (4) Copies of the “Nonviolent Discipline” for the group.
ESTIMATED TIME: Two and a half to three hours; depending on number of exercises used and amount of discussion about each.
INTRODUCTION: ADVANTAGES OF NONVIOLENCE (Trainer’s talk – 2 minutes)
1. In Session VII, we used two nonviolence training exercises, “Quick Decision-making” and “Hassle Lines,” to help you think creatively and act nonviolently in the difficult or hostile situations you may confront during coup.
2. In Session VIII, we will use these same exercises, applying them to “street actions” that might be used in the struggle against a coup.
3. Before we begin these exercises, let’s say a few words about nonviolence.
4. Back in Session III, we discussed some of the advantages of using nonviolent struggle to resist coups. We noted that:
a. Nonviolence can throw troops off balance. They are not meeting the violence they have been trained to deal with. They do not feel threatened and do not see comrades being killed around them. They may find it hard to justify using violence against people who are not harming them and who are willing to suffer for their convictions.
b. Outreach to troops with an attitude of active goodwill can cause troops to question what they are doing and to doubt the coup plotters’ propaganda.
c. We gave examples of how this approach can cause troops to mutiny, defect, and either refuse to follow orders, or follow orders half-heartedly.
d. If we can cause such dissention among the coup’s armed supporters, then we will have reduced the power of the coup drastically.
5. At the same time, it must be recognized that it is hard to be nonviolent in the face of violence. Violence inspires fear. How can we overcome or deal with this fear?
OVERCOMING FEAR #1 (Trainer’s talk – 2 minutes)
1. Those plotting the coup:
a. Want to eliminate all resistance and consolidate their power.
b. Will use violence to inspire fear in those who might oppose them. May use arrests, imprisonment, beatings, shootings, torture, assassinations, and so on.
2. If potential resisters give in out of fear, then the coup is likely to win.
4. The violent measures in themselves, however, are not decisive unless they inspire submissiveness. They will not work unless they make people cooperate with the new regime.
5. If people refuse to cooperate in spite of the repression and in spite of fear, then the plot cannot win.
OVERCOMING FEAR #2 (Trainer and group discussion – 5 to 10 minutes)
1. Trainer to group
a. All of us have been in situations at some time in our lives when we need to do something, but were afraid to do it.
b. What have you done in your own life to try to overcome fear in such situations? Or try to do what is right in spite of your fear?
2. Trainer writes group’s reactions on newsprint.
3. Trainer adds other thoughts, if group has not mentioned them:
a. The definition of “courage” is not to act without fear” but rather” to go ahead in spite of one’s fear.” We do not need to be free of fear to act courageously or with determination.
b. Remember the stakes, what we are fighting for.
c. Support one another. Be willing to admit that you are afraid and to ask for support from others.
d. If religious, pray. “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:5)
NOTE TO TRAINERS
At this point, you might recount some historical examples that illustrate how; if the resisters refuse to be intimidated into submission or passivity, the repression may fail. For example: (1) The early Christian church, which overcame the Roman Empire in spite of being thrown to lions, etc.; (2) Polish Solidarity’s ten year resistance to communism in the 1980’s; (3) the People’s Revolution in the Philippines in 1986, which over threw the Marcos dictatorship, in spite of repression; (4) Prague, 1989; (5) Leipsing, 1989; (6) Vilnius, 1991; (7) Moscow, 1991.
OTHERS WAYS TO REINFORCE NONVIOLENT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR IN RESISTANCE: NONVIOLENT DISCIPLINE (Trainer’s talk – 10 minutes)
1. Fear may make people reticent to resist; anger may tempt resisters to respond with their own violence.
2. What are some other ways that we can encourage the resistance to stay nonviolent in spite of the inevitable emotions of fear and anger that resisters will feel?
3. A written “nonviolent discipline”
a. Used in nonviolent movement throughout history.
b. Suggest you give it to participants before an action starts. Could be printed ahead of time to hand out in social institutions and at all points of resistance.
c. The resistance might organize ceremonies in which people could read the discipline and pledge to follow it.
d. The text that follows is for illustration only. You can write your own wording appropriate to your situation.
NONVIOLENT DISCIPLINE
We pledge to resist the coup with all out strength and to refuse to cooperate with it.
We will endeavor to show goodwill to all opponents and refrain from any violence against them.
We will not bring or use any weapons except our hearts and minds. We will use no violence. We will refuse to return assaults of the opponent.
Whenever possible, we will protect opponents from attack.
Our attitudes conveyed through words, symbols and actions will be one of the friendliness and respect toward all people we meet, including police and armed forces.
We will follow the directions of out designated leaders. In the event of serious disagreement, we agree to remove ourselves from the action.
4. Have the group read over the discipline. Any questions? Any suggestions for re-wording?
OTHER WAYS TO REINFORCE NONVIOLENT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR IN TE RESISTANCE: “MARSHALLS” (Trainer’s talk – 1 minute)
1. Trainer explains that specifically-trained “marshals” are often used to help keep a nonviolent spirit during actions. They usually have an identifying symbol, such as an armband.
2. If, for example, the action is a march, the “marshals” would be spaced all along the march. If violence occurs during the march, they step in and use nonviolent means to resolve the conflict.
3. We will illustrate the role of marshals in some of the exercises that follow.
BREAK (Stand up and stretch – 5 minutes)
IMPORTANCE OF NONVIOLENT STREET ACTIONS (Trainer’s talk – 2 minutes)
1. Nonviolent anti-coup campaigns have often involved actions in which masses of people have taken to the streets for marches, rallies, human barricades, etc.
a. The thousands of people who stood between the tanks and Boris Yeltsin’s “White House” in August 1991 played a vital role in foiling the attempted coup.
b. Such actions are a vivid way of demonstrating that the population does not support the coup.
c. They are particularly effective in combination with the nonviolent non-cooperation in society’s sectors and institutions that we described in Sessions V and VI.
2. In this session, we will again use “Quick Decision-making exercises” and “Hassle Lines” to give a realistic feel for the dynamics of street actions that might be taken to resist an attempted coup.
NOTE TO TRAINERS
The set up for those two exercises is the same as for those in Session VII. For “Quick Decision-making,” use the same instructions that we used in Session VII. For “Hassle Lines,” use same instructions as in Session VII.
You goal as trainer is to help the group find creative nonviolent solutions to the problems that the exercises pose. For example, in QDM exercise (2a. below “Rain”) you could point out the need to have supplies of plastic sheeting to use for quick rain cover and the need to make signs and banners from waterproof material. QDM (2b) points out the need to have a medical team to support any large march.
QUICK DECISION MAKING EXERCISE (Trainer and group – 1 hour)
1. Trainer instructions to group (see Session VII)
2. Problems to pose in this exercise
a. You are a group of “marshals” who have been specially trained to keep order and a nonviolent spirit in a large street rally that has been called to show defiance of an attempted coup. Ten thousand people have gathered in a public square. It is a cold day. Leaders of the resistance have begun to address the crowd. Just at this moment, it begins to pour down a drenching rain. What will you do?
b. You are the same group of “marshals” and are positioned along the lines of a large protest march through the center of the city. It is a hot day. Suddenly, at the front of the line, one of the marchers faints from the heat. At the same time, at the back of the line, a marcher and a passerby get in an argument and they start a scuffle. What will you do?
c. You are a group of leaders of the nonviolent resistance. You understand that a tank unit supporting the coup is entering the city and plans to position itself in front of the main government building where the legitimate government is located. How will you respond?
d. You are part of a human barricade and are trying to talk to soldiers ordered to hold an important public building. A nervous soldier fired into the crowd and injuries one of the demonstrators. What will you do?
e. You are part of a human barricade. A tank commander defects with his tank and crew. He offers to turn his tank around and fire at the tanks supporting the coup. What will you do?
HASSLE LINES (Trainer and group – 1 hour)
1. Trainer instructions to group (see Session VII)
2. Situations to pose for the Hassle Lines.
a. Line A is a group forming a human barricade to prevent tanks from approaching a building where the legitimate government is at work. Line B is a new person who comes to the group, carrying a large knapsack. He explains that it is filled with Molotov cocktails. He feels that violence is the only courageous way to resist. He plans to start throwing these fire bombs at the tanks if they do not leave in five minutes.
b. Line B is a human barricade group standing between a government building and troops supporting the coup. Line A is a person who comes up to the barricade and begins telling people that he knows where they can get lots of guns and ammunition to defend themselves.
c. Line A is marshals with the same human barricade group. Line B is an army commander supporting the coup. He comes up to the marshals and says that they must order the barricade to disperse. If the crowd does not disperse, he will be forced to have his troops advance through the crowd and disperse it himself.
CLOSING DISCUSSION (Trainer and group – 30 minutes)
Have everyone sit together and ask, “What did we learn from these exercises?” Write down any new points on the newsprint.
