10 Facts About Direct action

Aim of direct action is to either obstruct another political agent or political organization from performing some practice to which the activists object or to solve perceived problems that traditional societal institutions are not addressing to the satisfaction of the direct action participants.

Nonviolent direct action has historically been an assertive regular feature of the tactics employed by social movements, including Mahatma Gandhi's Indian Independence Movement and the Civil Rights Movement.

Direct action is used by anarchists due to a rejection of party politics and refusal to work within hierarchical bureaucratic institutions.

Direct action tactics have been around for as long as conflicts have existed but it is not known when the term first appeared.

Examples of nonviolent direct action include sit-ins, tree sitting, strikes, workplace occupations, street blockades, hacktivism, counter-economics and tax resistance.

Direct action's basics include "realisable goals, nonviolent protests, targeted campaigns, and remaining true to your values".

Violent direct action is any direct action which utilizes physical injurious force against persons or, occasionally, property.

Examples of violent direct action include: rioting, lynching, terrorism, political assassination, freeing political prisoners, interfering with police actions, and armed insurrection.

Some activist groups such as Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front use direct action which includes property destruction, arson and sabotage.

Direct action involving property destruction becomes classified as "violent" when it crosses the "threshold of violence" from basic property crime over into the category of terrorism.