HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

Expanded First Exposure Training

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TODAY’S TEAM

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

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AGENDA

PART 1

Authoritarianism, Repression, & Political Violence - Our Landscape

PART 2

Making Violence & Repression Backfire

PART 3

Applying Backfire Strategies

PART 4

Wrap-Up and Next Steps

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

How do you help yourself feel safer?

How do you help your communities feel safer?

How do you help your world feel safer?

• IN PAIRS: Now a safety question….

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

• This initiative uplifts the power of strategic nonviolent action.
• We acknowledge the chronic burden that maintaining nonviolent discipline has had on the most at-risk and marginalized communities throughout our history.
• This is why we center voices and support leadership from communities directly and historically targeted by political violence.
• Everyone has a role in making political violence backfire, and not everyone’s role will be the same.
• We model process where everyone feels like they can be involved.

This initiative is co-designed by a collaborative of multigenerational, multi-racial community organizers and movement leaders.

GROUP AGREEMENTS FOR THIS SESSION

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

• Speak from your own experience and community
• Be present, have your video on if possible
• Center voices who have been most targeted by political violence
• Move up, move back (self-awareness to manage participation)
• Let discomfort lead to inquiry and explore tensions with grace
• Differentiate between intent and impact
• Recognize everyone’s humanity
• Take care of each other, take care of yourself
• Engage in confidentiality: Stories stay, lessons leave

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TODAY, WE’RE ASKING YOU TO:

WHY WE’RE HERE

• Build understanding of the contours of political violence and repression, especially in our own contexts

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• Awaken imagination about how we might assertively respond in the face of threats or acts of political violence and repression�
• Explore concepts that can help us identify and undermine political violence and repression
• Practice tools and approaches you can use at home right now or in a moment of crisis
• Connect with others who are also working to interrupt political violence and repression�
• Celebrate the ways our communities have creatively resisted political violence and repression

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Political violence is threatening to hurt or hurting another person or group of people for political reasons.

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Repression is the use of pressure or force against an individual or group in order to control or subdue the individual or group.

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Sources: Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence Guide and ICNC Glossary of Civil Resistance

WHAT IS POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION?

These political reasons can include trying to: �������

• Achieve a political goal
• Assert political power over another group, and/or
• Communicate a political message to an outside audience

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WHY DO PEOPLE ENGAGE IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION?

AND THIS IS ALL PART OF THE AUTHORITARIAN PLAYBOOK…

Deploy Military Domestically

Federal Law Enforcement Overreach

Direct Investigations Against Critics

Give License to Lawbreaking

The Autocrat Won’t Leave

Regulatory Retaliation

From The Authoritarian Playbook

Brazil 2022

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With active support from then President Bolsonaro, supporters storm Congress and the Supreme Court as part of an attempted coup.

USA 2021

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With active support from then President Trump, supporters storm Congress to prevent the certification of the 2020 elections.

Photos: (Left) TV BrasilGov, Ataque bolsonarista ao Congresso Nacional do Brasil.png via commons.wikimedia.org - Creative Commons Attribution 3.0; (Right) Tyler Merbler, 2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC09254-2 (50820534063) (retouched).jpg via commons.wikimedia.org Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Tunisia 2021

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Tunisian President Saied suspended the Tunisian Parliament and with the help of Tunisia’s military appointed a new government with expanded presidential powers.

USA 2020

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The Trump administration directed National Guard troops to clear protestors from Lafayette Park for a photo op in front of St. John’s Church.

Photos: (Left) European Commission (Nicolas Fauqué), P061342-132325.jpg via commons.wikimedia.org - CC Attribution 4.0; (Right) Rosa Pineda, George Floyd protests in Washington DC. H St. Lafayette Square on 30 May 2020 - RP1 3245.jpg via commons.wikimedia.org - CC Attribution-Share Alike 4.0

“Viktor Orbán’s grip on Hungary’s courts threatens rule of law, warns judge”

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• Headline from an August 2022 article in The Guardian

“Trump calls for impeachment of judge who tried to halt deportations”

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• Headline from a March 2025 article in Politico

Photos: (Left) European People's Party, Viktor Orbán (13581867193).jpg via commons.wikimedia.org - CC Attribution 2.0; (Right) Gage Skidmore, Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg via commons.wikimedia.org - CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

Division

Distraction

Fear

Silence

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THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

WHO IS MOST TARGETED BY POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION?

• Black communities
• LGBTQIA+ people
• Immigrants and refugees
• Women
• Activists in the news
• Local elections workers
• Local elected officials
• State lawmakers

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HIJACK

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INTIMIDATE AND BRIBE

HOW POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION WORKS

WHAT MAKES REPRESSION SUCCESSFUL?

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

the injustice

the target or victim

what happened in their favor

official channels to give a false sense of due process

people to support their tactics

From: Brian Martin, Backfire Manual: Tactics Against Injustice, Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2012.

The environment of political violence and repression threatens to drive us into our corners, sit on our hands, and wait to be rescued. �It fosters helplessness and undermines our sense of agency.

We are here to reclaim our power and agency and imagine what we can do together!

…BUT WE CAN GO ON OFFENSE!

WHAT IS NONVIOLENT ACTION OR PEOPLE POWER?

Waging struggle for political, economic, or social objectives without the use or threat of violence. It can include protest, sit-ins, strikes, boycotts, civil disobedience, and constructive interventions.

Adapted from: Merriman, Hardy and Nicola Barrach-Yousefi, Glossary of Civil Resistance, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. 2021.

WHY NONVIOLENT ACTION?

• Mass participation: Nonviolent tactics can engage a broad range of participants
• Attracts public support: Maintaining nonviolent discipline in the face of violence can draw greater public support
• Efficacy: Research has shown that mass nonviolent struggles are twice as effective as armed struggles at achieving their goals

A NOTE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY

This training is not meant to advise individuals and groups experiencing violence on how they should or should not be protecting themselves and defending their communities.

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While we do not address community self-defense in this training, there are a number of other organizations, including Vision Change Win and the Detroit Safety Team, you can contact to receive this training.

THE SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCHES

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SELMA, AL | 1965

THE SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCHES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

On March 7th, 1965, hundreds of people began to march peacefully in Selma, but the work leading up to that day began well before. For years, groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had been holding lunch counter sit-ins and Freedom Rides to advocate for equal rights for Black Americans.

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In anticipation of the violence they would encounter, they held nonviolent action workshops, during which they simulated the harassment they might face from supporters of segregation. They practiced responding to antagonization and violence with nonviolent discipline, song, and prayer. Organizers ensured photographers would be at the marches to capture evidence of any violence and injustice carried out against them.

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SELMA, AL | 1965

THE SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCHES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

On the day the march began, facing imminent violence from state troopers in Selma, organizers knew that the images of peaceful marchers being tear gassed and beaten by state troopers would reveal the grave injustices they had been suffering to the world.

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Footage of the brutality they endured on “Bloody Sunday” was shown on national TV and in newspapers across the country. The images of Black people who had just left Sunday services being battered by white state troopers also pushed back on assumptions that the demonstrators were an angry and unruly mob.

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And photos capturing the diversity of people who supported the movement by marching helped to re-frame the narrative that only Black Americans were participating in the Civil Rights movement. As organizers predicted, exposing these abuses led to widespread outrage that they were able to redirect into action.

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SELMA, AL | 1965

THE SELMA TO MONTGOMERY MARCHES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Leaders in the movement sprang to action. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called on religious leaders across the country to join them in their “peaceful, nonviolent march for freedom.” On March 9th, 2,000 people, marched to the Edmund Pettus Bridge where they knelt in prayer. And on March 21, they marched from Selma to Montgomery with the protection of federalized Alabama National Guardsmen and FBI agents.

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The strategic efforts and actions of Civil Rights supporters at Selma are incredible examples of how a nonviolent movement can make violence perpetrated against it “backfire” and even leverage it to strengthen and advance its goals.

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The power of these nonviolent strategies live on today, as activists and advocates around the world continue to use these tactics to make violence “backfire.”

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SELMA, AL | 1965

REFLECTIONS FROM SELMA

MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

From: Brian Martin, Backfire Manual: Tactics Against Injustice, Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2012.

5 PRINCIPLES

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The goal of the “backfire” model is to make sure that when any kind of political violence takes place, perpetrators face high costs for their actions.

When their actions are counterproductive for them, �their actions can be said to backfire.

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION BACKFIRE

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REDIRECT

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RESIST

5 PRINCIPLES

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Expose the injustice

Validate the target

Interpret the event as an injustice

Mobilize support to not rely on official channels

Resist intimidation and bribes

MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

In order for injustice to backfire, it must be revealed.

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MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

Counter devaluation by humanizing (redeeming) those who have been abused; this helps build support for targets so we can build power together

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MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

Counter violent actors’ attempts to reinterpret incidents of injustice by reframing them as unjust.

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MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

When perpetrators try to divert action into official channels, redirect public outrage toward mobilization.

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MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

BACKFIRE

5 PRINCIPLES

Resist threats and attempts to reward silence about injustice, turning these into catalysts for more backfire.

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MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION

BACKFIRE

RESPONDING TO TACTICS OF SUCCESSFUL REPRESSION

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

From: Brian Martin, Backfire Manual: Tactics Against Injustice, Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2012.

MAKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND REPRESSION BACKFIRE

BREAK

[#] min

Come back at

[time]

MAKING PV AND REPRESSION BACKFIRE CASE STUDIES

Select 1-2 case studies here to review with participants based on your workshop needs

Insert 1-2 case studies here to review with participants based on your workshop needs

APPLYING BACKFIRE STRATEGIES

Select 1 group exercise here for participants to practice applying the backfire approach to their work using strategic planning, nonviolent action, and narrative tools

Insert 1 group exercise here to facilitate with participants based on your workshop needs

BACKFIRE APPLICATION: How did that go?

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Meeting our Moment

What would this look like in your context?

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SO…WHAT’S NEXT?

HOW CAN WE HELP?

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HARNESSING OUR POWER TO END POLITICAL VIOLENCE

• 5R’s guide and specific examples of backfire around the world

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• Digital security risk assessment and assistance

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• Trainings on backfire and related skills like strategic planning, narrative/storytelling, constructive dialogue, and nonviolent action

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• 1:1 coaching

www.endpoliticalviolence.org

Messages from allies around the world

"As we look back since January in disbelief of how fast democracy has crumbled/caved into despair, we your allies fighting our struggles across Africa are reminded that it didn't start this year. This is a story that has taken many turns and twists and for those who've been around longer, could be a cycle. We have been here before and that should be assurance that there are brighter days ahead.

This is yet another opportunity for everyone to re-imagine a world for everyone, without war and prejudice, rather where the laws of nature apply. There can be nowhere better to learn from than nature.

We choose hope because only those that find the inner hope and belief will keep at it. These are difficult days to be hopeful but we must find it. Because only then are we going to organize and mobilize better, wiser like never before. We must find light in the chaos of this moment to build the bridges of a new narrative. One that is not about "othering" but convergence in divergence. America's influence is unquestionable, as seen in this moment, so the more reason why you must organize within and without. Aluta Continua!!"

-An ally from Kenya

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“Dear all American friends, first and foremost YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Please know this and hold it close to your hearts, because beyond the hard truths of this moment, there are millions of people around the world who have felt like you, and who like you too have stood up against authoritarian tyrants and their oppression. It is true that this is a time where everything feels shocking and overwhelming, but just as we have resisted abroad, your determination and resistance is keeping hope alive.

I’m from Nicaragua, and I have lived through repression and exile, through the painful passing of time and even the temptation of finding refuge in passive stability. But me and all Nicaraguans continue to stand up, in exile and internally, refusing to let our hopes for democracy and a prosperous inclusive future die not only in our country but the world.

Tyrants fall, look at Syria, look at history, and yes it is complicated and messy, but it is a historical fact. This is a global fight for global democracy. We need to stay strong, connected and close to each other. Beyond the US border, you have allies who are rooting for you and ready to offer the support you need. So count on us and know you are not alone.”

-An ally from Nicaragua

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"I have dedicated my professional journey to advancing the lives of women and children that come from my own experience growing up as an underprivileged refugee and a member of a minority group that has always struggled for resources and opportunities to move a little bit. Today, the world feels even more in turmoil to me, as the rights of vulnerable groups are stripped away and speaking out on their behalf can cost one’s life.

Yet, I still believe that in the face of repression, resistance is an act of hope. Seeing the women and girls of Afghanistan—my homeland—push back against anti-women policies of the Taliban, whether through protests in the streets or quiet defiance in their private spaces, fills me with determination. Witnessing Afghans in exile knocking on every possible door to demand change for their country reminds me that every step we take in nonviolent resistance echoes across borders, reaching those of us who fight in silenced spaces.

I see people around the world refusing to stay silent in the face of injustice. Their courage fuels ours, just as our resilience strengthens theirs. My final message is this: we must stand together against injustice to build a world that we—and future generations—deserve, one rooted in love, respect, and dignity.”

-An ally from Afghanistan

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What are your next steps?

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