Anarchism has ancient roots, with the word itself stemming from the ancient Greek anarchos, or “without rulers,” but it fully bloomed as a political philosophy in Europe and the United States during the 19th century. At the time, Communist thinker Karl Marx’s writings had become popular, and people were searching for alternatives to the capitalist system. The Paris Commune — a brief period in 1871 when Paris was controlled by anarchists and communists — helped spread the message of anarchism further, and inspired more young radicals to take up the cause, sometimes to violent effect when they embraced the philosophy of “propaganda by the deed.” By the early 20th century, anarchism had spread throughout the world, but government repression often made it difficult for anarchists to organize and achieve their goals. Classic anarchist traditions include mutualism, which is situated at the nexus of individual and collectivist thought; anarcho-communism, which favors community ownership of the means of production, and the abolishment of the state and capitalism; anarcho-syndicalism, which views unions, the working class, and the labor movement as potential forces for revolutionary change; and individualism, which has similarities with libertarianism, and emphasizes individual freedom above all. What we’re seeing today in United States of America is exactly that –the violent anarchists and outlaws who have hijacked the mostly peaceful Black Lives Matter protest movement and created mobs of mostly young white rioters who are intent on ripping out the hearts of some of our biggest cities. Whether it’s in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle or Portland, the anarchists have been given free reign by leftwing Democrat mayors and governors to burn, destroy, occupy and terrorize at will for two months. For months the people in charge and the national media have been telling us with one voice that we all have to stand together and defeat the virus. But when it comes to fighting anarchy and violence in the streets, many of those same people in Washington and in states like Oregon refuse to stand up, do the right thing and defend their citizens from violence and destruction. In fact, many left-wing Democrat “leaders” make excuses for the anarchists, pretending they are just peaceful protesters or blaming the police for starting, fanning or prolonging the violence. There is no vaccine for anarchy. It takes strong and responsible leaders and the legal use of police force to stop it. Let’s do it.
Story by Candice Mahood.