We Need Political Nonviolence Now More Than Ever
Image by Candice Seplow.
Learn how political nonviolence can rehumanize us to one another and defend democracy in the U.S. and around the world.
After the shooting at former President Trump’s campaign rally, many people rushed to say that “political violence has no place in our democracy.”
Let’s go even further and boldly say: political nonviolence is essential for democracy.
The ties between nonviolence and democracy run deep. We know from the groundbreaking research of Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan that even if a nonviolent movement fails to achieve its primary goals, it often leaves a more democratic society in its wake. On the other hand, violence swiftly destroys democracies, shoving them toward authoritarianism and “politics at the barrel of a gun.”
Political violence has a terrible track record. It has spent centuries delivering and defending injustice, abuse, discrimination and destruction.
So, what should we do instead? Boldly and with vision, we should be building a culture of active nonviolence, including defining and implementing new standards of political nonviolence.
For 11 years, Campaign Nonviolence has been working to mainstream nonviolence and build a culture that implements nonviolent values, solutions, worldview and approaches. We have persevered in this work even as political violence has heightened — because we already know that more violence and continued inaction will not get us out of this mess. We need a profoundly different approach.
If we want to have a politics where every voice feels safe and respected, where each citizen has a right to participate, and where no one will be harmed for their political beliefs, nonviolence needs to be both a state and an individual policy.
Amidst the George Floyd Protests in 2020, Vox editor Ezra Klein wrote an essay, “Imagining the nonviolent state,” asking the thought-provoking question: “What if nonviolence wasn’t an inhuman standard demanded of the powerless, but an ethic upon which we reimagined the state?” He goes on to explore new standards of policing, restorative justice and responding to protest movements.
In a world of political nonviolence, we’d see these kinds of changes:
Nonviolent protesters are allowed to exercise freedom of speech and assembly without fear of police repression.
The use of nonviolent action as a tool for social, political, cultural, and economic power is fully protected for all people.
Police are not allowed to use violent repression against unarmed protesters.
Political events are weapons-free for all participants.
Polling places are protected by peace teams. Every citizen trains in violence de-escalation and anti-harassment skills.
No one makes threats of violence or intimidation over political views.
Political campaigns are legally required to refrain from hate speech, discrimination and violent rhetoric
Debate, discourse, voting and democratic process is held as sacred by all.
Each community trains to defend democracy with nonviolent action, learning how to thwart coups, attempts to steal elections and unjust policies that undermine fair participation in the political process.
What can you do to make this vision a reality?
Start talking about political nonviolence and the specific ways we uphold it. Reach out to public officials, policy makers, police and activist groups with these ideas.
Work with groups like Meta Peace Teams, DC Peace Team and Joy To the Polls on election safety and keeping the polls safe for all voters.
Engage with your fellow citizens about this by fact-checking, fostering civic discourse and working to build understanding rather than fear and division. Join efforts like Braver Angels that help people rehumanize one another in times of extreme polarization.
Learn how nonviolent action defends democracy. Check out how Choose Democracy and Hold The Line protected the 2020 elections, and consider how these strategies can be adapted to help us now.
The long-term work of building a culture of active nonviolence can start right here in addressing the political violence that is threatening our country. The United States is not alone in dealing with these issues. Around the world, many nations are grappling with authoritarianism, extreme politics, politically motivated violence and increased repression of protests.
We need political nonviolence more than ever. It’s a vision of democracy worth striving for.
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