Recipes for Disaster: an anarchist cookbook

It's essential to challenge fascism by opposing our own liberating alternatives to it. Fascism appeals to people who are justifiably pissed ofFat our fucked up society; rather than taking on the complex roots of our society's problems?capitalism, patriarchy, hierarchy?they swallow the simplistic and scapegoating solutions that fascists offer. In a sense, anarchists and fascists are competing for the same constituency; both struggle to undermine the current social order, and propose ideas about how new communities should be forged. This suggests that fascism can only be defeated once and for all by successful anarchist organizing; we need to sway people by demonstrating the merits of mutual aid, non-hierarchical relationships, solidarity between cultures, and grassroots direct action.

There are times, however, when words are not enough, and you must act or risk being silenced forever.

Antifascist action is dangerous work. Not only do you have to deal with the usual police repression, you need to watch out for fascist attacks?on the street, at your home, and in your community.

How do you and your friends do this.> Arm yourselves. Watch your backs. Train for self-defense. Plan for emergencies and set up a crisis alert network to summon your comrades. Establish bail and medical funds. Take this senously. Lives may depend on it.

Basic security measures are a must. Don't use your real names when engaging in work like this. Keep your phone number unlisted. Use post office boxes. Be carefld about letting your personal information get out. Keep a low profile online. Use aliases, encryption, and throwaway email accounts. Check out the backgrounds of people who are interested in joining your group. Arrange to have security present whenever you have public meetings or events. Know what your response will be if fascists show up or if they attack.

Security

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Militant antifascism means occasionally engaging in quasi-militaristic activities. If you're not prepared to think that way, you may want to choose another project. Sometimes you'll have no choice but to deal vrith the fascists. This doesn't mean violence is always the answer, nor that we should adopt a gang mentality of us against them. Realistically, however, martial preparation is necessary for this type of activity.

Investigation

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Fascism's popularity varies depending on location and political climate. At the risk of over-generalizing, it can be said that fascists are generally in a situation in which they know they are unpopular, so they try to keep their activities on the down-low. Just because you don't have Nazis marching down your street vvdth swastika flags doesn't mean you don't have a fascist infestation in your city. They're out there, anonymously leaflet-ing, throwing up fascist graffiti, running mailorder distributions, recruiting one-on-one, infiltrating other groups, laying plans.

Keep records. Whenever fascists are in the news, collect as much information as possible. Look up names, phone numbers, and addresses. Use reverse directories and online search engines. If Nazis get busted, obtain the public copies of their arrest reports. Monitor their websites and message boards. Create fake email accounts, so as to pose as fellow Nazis and interact with them online. Subscribe to their magazines. Note rumors about where they hang out; go there and check them out. When they hold events, call them up and get the inside scoop. Monitor these events. Get license plates and vehicle models. Take close-up pictures, link names to faces. Send infiltrators to their meetings. If you spot a Nazi on the street, follow him?sometimes it's better to collect information than to take immediate action. Share information with other trusted antifascists. Find out where fascists work, live, go to school. Note their relationships?who hangs with who, who takes leadership roles, who's likely to be a police informant, who's likely to bust out a gun and start shooting. Gather as much intelligence on them as possible.

Set up an info-line so that people can call, mail, or email in information on fascists and their activities. Post stickers or fliers about the line in areas where Nazis hang out, along with "unwanted" posters featuring photographs of the actual Nazis. You'll be surprised at the response, but don't trust everything sent in?verify all information first. This outreach might also put you in touch with folks who live near fascists, and with other potential allies.

Antifascist work is not something to charge into carelessly. If you don't have a plan, somebody is likely to get hurt.