How do Anarcho-communists feel about self defense?

Question

I've searched through the questions and can't find it having been asked elsewhere, so I'm asking it. How do Anarcho-communists feel about the use of violence to prevent some form of violence, be it physical beatings or sexual violence being perpetrated against ones self?

Comments

That might be a difficult one to get an answer to from a contemporary "anarchist communist". When I identified as an anarchist communist, I hardly agreed with the general consensus. But the practice that time was often built on top of Anti-Racist Action and its ethos. The practice I was exposed to was to beat up people they thought would be violent or even snitch on them, as a group. For sexual violence, since most were women, I imagine they could've thought something up to respond to that.

In formal practice, there has been activist courts called, public letters written, all sorts of things to justify any action that seemed like the handling of an internal problem. For things outside of this, typically no one calls anyone out on it. They just tend to be alienated, then move on to other things.

I didn't write this as an answer since my anarchist communist experiences are outdated.

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why are you asking specifically about anarcho-communists?

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A number of reasons really, the first of which is that it is a form of Anarchism that I feel I could probably most identify with(it seems to me the most practical and potentially successful) although I've some concerns and gaps in my understanding of it, that I would like to fill. One of the concerns is that of self defense and ideas about how one can be in control of ones own body.

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k - well just to be clear, i don't know of anyone here who identifies as an anarcho-communist (although there are certainly people here who could be). so, good luck? :)

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This doesn't answer your question, but I strongly advise to make up your own mind about self-defense and violence. Use what you associate with only as a source for ideas and don't try to fit in. Also don't try not to fit in. You will find out what kind of person you want to be just fine.

Answer 1

I am an anarcho-communist so I will answer this question for my own beliefs regarding self defense. However I am not speaking for any other anarcho-communists. I believe that self-defense is, unquestionably, justifiable. In fact, I think one could argue that it is even essential in a successful anarchist movement to physically resist the government in self defense.

Answer 2

Well again, as anarcho communist99 said, I am an Anarcho communist and can only answer in my own opinion. I believe in the three chance rule, you ask someone peacefully twice to stop as they are doing if they become excessively aggressive and threatening then self defence is permitted. However I am a general pacifist (for most things but not everything) and even in terms of revolution I believe in just civil disobedience and non compliance but if the state is being aggressive toward you I say scrap the rule of three and go for straight self-defence as I do not consider the state in the same regard as individuals.