Making Political Violence Backfire

We hope everyone is staying safe out there. It’s been great to see all of the energy in the photos and videos from the events of this past weekend. And at the same time our hearts go out to the families and friends of Representative Melissa Hortman as well as
State Senator John Hoffman, his wife, their families, and friends.

Sadly we were reminded that we (as a nation) have to grapple with political violence and the threats of it. Last year the Horizons Project and the 22nd Century Inititative created the Harnessing our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE-PV) curriculum which is as relevant today as it was last year. Below are key findings and things you can do!

• Political violence is part of the authoritarian playbook - authoritarians seek to leverage the fear, distraction, and division to strip away rights and further consolidate power. Political violence, repression, and the cruelty of autocrats are intertwined.

• Political violence isn't only about the individual perpetrator. There are people - from politicians to pundits - who seek to benefit politically and financially from political violence. The purpose of political violence is to divide, distract, and silence us while our rights are taken away and a small group of people line their pockets.

• Political violence has a playbook:

  • Cover it up: Hide the unjust actions, deny they ever happened, and prevent word from spreading about them.

  • Devalue the target: Try to lower the social standing of the target.

  • Reinterpret: Attempt to downplay the amount of damage caused by the injustice, portray the injustice as unavoidable or for a greater good, and/or deflect blame to others.

  • Use official channels: Set up inquiries and investigations that move slowly, limit public visibility or input, rely on technical rules, and provide only the appearance of justice.

  • Threats and rewards: Threaten people who may speak out against injustice, and reward people for remaining silent.

• Across history and geography, communities that have been targeted by political violence have successfully made political violence backfire by taking courageous, collective, strategic nonviolent action to impose political, social, and economic costs on those that seek to benefit, while growing support for movements for dignity, justice, and freedom.

• Backfire is a way to reclaim agency and build solidarity by countering the political violence playbook at every turn:

  • In the face of cover up, expose injustice

  • Humanize and redeem targets - including victims, family members, and community members, as well as others most often targeted by political violence (including Black people, LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, women, local lawmakers, protesters)

  • Counter mis- and disinformation - this is tricky in a situation like this, where misinfo is rampant and conspiracy theories start to spin across the social media landscape, so remember that slow is smooth and smooth is fast, and only share info you know to be true.

  • Look for openings to lift up shared values and call for collective action, whether to pressure official inquiries or counter authoritarian creep. This is also tricky because people in Minneapolis (and elsewhere) are understandably scared of being in collective space, so look for ways to show solidarity in ways that people will know they are safe, including lifting up images from actions in other places across the country today.

You can learn more in our Guide, share our 1-pager, and request a training.

In solidarity