Here you will find Disruptions sorted by the sites, places, and spaces in which they occur.
All
Alternative Spaces
Infrastructure/Data
Institutions
The ‘Natural World’
The Home
The Workplace
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All
Pre-Modern
1700-1830s
1840-1945
1946-1989
1990-2010
2011-Present
Human Rights and Refugee Protest against Immigration Detention: Refugees’ Struggle for Recognition as Human by Lucy Fiske (2016)
The fact of protest was a rejection of a powerless state, a way for detained refugees to experience their own agency and, with it, restoration of some of the “essential characteristics of human life” and a means to use t…100 Years of Land Struggle – Mike Gouldhawke (2020)
This document is a timeline of Native American resistance in pursuit of land and self-determination between the years of 1921-2020.Excerpts from a Native Women’s Liberation Front Newsletter (1970)
These excerpts come from a Native Women’s Liberation Front newsletter published in 1970. Four different cases of direct action land struggles waged by various Native American groups are described, including the occupat…From Protest to Resistance (1968)
Published by leftist journalist Ulrike Meinhof, “From Protest to Resistance” aims to inspire protestors to take up more forceful resistance against the right and the state.Running Feet and Roaring Chainsaws in the Mattole – Doctor Zaus (2001)
A member of the Mattole Forest Defenders described the group’s actions against logging plans to cut down the remaining Northern California coastal old-growth Douglas fir trees. Blockade structures were built, trees we…What’s Really Happening at Gustafsen Lake and Why (1995)
This piece describes the conflict between sundancers of the Shuswap First Nation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) during August and September of 1995. Members of the Shuswap Nation were engaging in their annu…If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front by Marshall Curry (2011)
The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is the collective name for a group of individual cells that use ecotage to stop the destruction of the environemnt. This documentary tells the story of one of the activists, Daniel G McGo…We Are at the White House: No Compromises, No Excuses Biden – Sunrise Movement (2021)
A statement by the Sunrise Movement describing the 500 individuals of the organization who occupied every entrance of the White House and the homes of two important senators in 2021, staging a sit-in to demand the Biden…Andreas Baader: Letter to the Press (1972)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany. One of t…Indiana University Students for a Democratic Society: Collection of Newsletters (1965)
During the 1960s, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) as a national organization had chapters at over 300 universities. The organization lasted unitl 1969, until it ultimately split due to disagreements within regard…The Woman Identified Woman
The Radicalesbians identified lesbianism as the result of a woman acting on natural impulses to deviate from society and instead pursue a more liberated form of existence. Lesbianism is the product of rage. Most importan…Building Resistance & Self-Reliance in Detroit
The Black Panther Party organized a self-run, community-based institution to mitigate the devastating impacts of Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” where healthcare services previously provided to Black families became n…Press Release – Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine (2024)
This is a press release from the Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine’s Twitter page. In the document, the organization demands their voices be heard, likens their quest for liberation to that of the Civil Rights…Scouting Manual For Activists – The Ruckus Society (2016)
A basic overview of scouting techniques including cover stories, useful equipment, and what to look out for when planning everything from a blockade to a banner drop.People’s Blockade of S.F. Bay
This piece was an anonymous call to action to impose a people’s blockade on the Oakland Army Terminal and the naval facilities at the port of Oakland-San Francisco. This was in response to President Nixon’s blockadin…Temporary Autonomous Zone – Hakim Bey (1985)
Anarchist text by Hakim Bey about creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control. From Pirate Utopias to Nomadic Bands, Poetic Terrorism to Ontological Anarchy, Hakim Bey draws on history and philosoph…We Are Still Here (2009)
This is a communique from the occupation of a business administration building at San Francisco State University in the fall of 2009. Occupiers were protesting budget cuts and fee increases. In this communique, students…Communiques from the Earth Liberation Front (1997-2002)
The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) is the collective name for a group of individual cells that use ecotage to try to stop the destruction of the environemnt. This list of commniqes is compiled by former ELF spokesperson Le…Resignation Statement by Leslie James Pickering (June/July 2002)
Pickering’s own thoughts and opinions pertaining to his resignation as the spokesperson for the ELFPoor White Women (1970)
In this 1970 essay, author Roxanne Dunbar includes an intersectional analysis of the oppression of women, focusing on both gendered and class-based issues. Drawing on her own experience growing up in a poor farming commu…Angela Davis – Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex (2000)
In this document, Angela Davis analyzes the Prison Industrial Complex, specifically the privatization of and profits from prisons, the ways that it is portrayed to citizens, and how it reinforces racism in the United Sta…Luddites Protest (1812)
During the Industrial Revolution in England, textile workers protested against the rise of machinery that took their jobs and reduced their wages. The factory heads and upper class started to push workers out and as a re…The Ally – Vietnam War Newspaper 1968
Update from the Treetops – (2009)
The article, written by an unnamed farmer participating in the occupation, describes the “tree-village” that has formed in a Humboldt County, California forest. The logging company Green Diamond has permits to destro…Lesbians in Revolt (1972)
In 1972, author Charlotte Bunch articulated lesbianism was a political choice that fundamentally threatened male supremacy by challenging the idea that men were crucial to the existence of women. In her essay “Lesbians i…Miss America Protest Songs
The 1968 protest against the Miss America Pageant utilized many disruption tactics, the most well-known of which was a “Freedom Trash Can” used for burning items that the protestors deemed as oppressive to women. Another…Are Prisons Obsolete? Angela Davis (2003)
In 2003, Angela Davis published “Are Prisons Obsolete?”. Barely over 100 pages, the book is broken into six chapters, arguing for the abolition of prisons. The first chapter outlines the differences between prison reform…Letter Protesting Marcos’ Visit – Philippine Solidarity Network and Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship (1982)
This document is a letter from the Philippine Solidarity Network and Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship requesting support for opposing the state visit of the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos. The le…The Railroaders’ Next Step – Trade Union Educational League (1921)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workers’…The Written Resistance #2 – Students for Justice In Palestine (2024)
This is the second edition of the newsletter written by a compilation of individual authors and published by the National Students for Justice in Palestine. Smiling as an act of resistance, Palestinian educational instit…People Don’t Get Radicalized Fighting Other People’s Battles (Redstockings, 1968)
This magazine was published by the Redstockings, a radical feminist group, as part of their Action Series. The series of writings in it contain intersectional analysis of the New Left Movement, and the issues that that i…Communique 1 From The Weather Underground (1970)
This communication from the Weather Underground was published on May 21,1970 and declares war on the United States of America.Earth First! Direct Action Manual (2015)
Tree-sits, ground blockades, scouting, tunneling, evading, and monkey-wrenching: the most up to date and complete Earth First! manual on defending the planet.Extinction Rebellion (2018-now)
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralized global protest group dedicated to raising awareness for biodiviersity loss and climate change, as well as persuading governments to enact policies that respond justly to the g…We decided to call our magazine Adbusters by Adbusters (2020)
Created in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz, the Adbusters magazine was created as an act of rebellion against consumer culture. Rather than allowing media to be a reflection of daily life, the creators of this magazi…Occupy Oakland: The Port Shutdown – Jack Gerson (2012)
Gerson discusses the transition of Occupy Movement from occupation of Public Squares to Port Blockades and the disruption of global commodity circulation.NAPA Demonstrates at St. Mary’s – Network Against Psychiatric Assault (1975)
This is a call to action by the Network Against Psychiatric Assault, to join them in their direct actions against the psychiatric treatment program at St. Mary’s McAuley Neuropsychiatric Institute in San Francisco. In…How to Destroy a Cell Phone Tower – Warrior Up (2020)
Ingredients: 2-3 comrades, Entry tools (Boltcroppers, Wiresnips, etc) Gloves, Mask, Clean Clothes, Hat, Cap or Hood (for DNA traces) Fuel (500ml, White Spirit or Kerosene), Fuel (100ml of Benzine/Petrol), Firelighters,…One Big Union – Industrial Workers of the World (2000)
This document, written in 2000 by the Industrial Workers of the World, outlines the organization of workers and the working class. It includes a brief historical discussion, advantages of one union and organization, unio…A Call to Bucknell Faculty, Staff, and Students – Bucknell Students for Justice in Palestine (2024)
This is a statement made by the Students for Justice in Palestine at Bucknell University (BUSJP), located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. The group set forth four demands for the university including disclosing the identitie…POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English (2006)
“Bombarded by relentless advertising in a growing culture of junk, one man-activist/artist Ron English-dares to hijack corporate advertising, challenging us to change the sham of reality…Ron takes traditional advertisi…Manifest of “Occupy Museums” (n.d.)
This is a declaration by the activist group Occupy Museums, stating the direct actions they have taken to expose a cultural system of inequality and exploitation within the American and International art world. Inspired…The Politics of Housework (1970)
Written by Pat Mainardi in 1970, this essay is an analysis of the conversations that commonly arise between women and men, as women try to illuminate the political nature of their social statuses. Specifically, Mainardi…Port Huron Statement (1962)
The Port Huron Statement was published in 1962 at a United Workers Retreat in Port Huron, Michigan. It was the first time Students for a Democratic Society gathered from across the nation, and became the group’s manifest…An Eyewitness Account by a Libertarian Communist (1968)
This document is a firsthand account of the events that occurred in Paris, France during the May 1968 time of unrest. The anonymous author describes the various strikes, occupations, and other actions taken by workers an…Don’t Move, Occupy! (2013)
Mehmet Döşemeci analyzes global uprisings of 2011 and the occupation of public space in order to outline a theory of social arrest.Workers! Students! – Jeunesse Communiste Révolutionnaire (1968)
Jeunesse Communiste Révolutionnaire, a French Trotskyist organization, wrote this piece, describing the transition from a student revolt into a general strike of workers contesting capitalist society during the May 1968…The Political Invention of the Feminist Strike – L. Cavallero & V. Gago (2021)
Luci Cavallero and Verónica Gago discuss the March 8th feminist strike in Argentina in both global and historical context. They argue that the strike disrupts multiple domains of patriarchal society – weaving together j…Statement by Al-Fateh to the United Nations General Assembly (1968)
In October 1968, Al-Fateh delivered a statement at the 23rd session of the General Assembly of the UN. In this statement, Al-Fateh compared the Palestinian resistance movement to those against German occupation during WW…President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Letter to the Chairman of the Town of Lac du Flambeau – John Johnson Sr. (2023)
This letter, written in December of 2023 by the President of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, John Johnson Sr., to the Chairman of the Town of Lac du Flambeau, Matt Gaulke, communicated that th…Covert Sex Discrimination Against Women as Medical Patients (1972)
In this speech originally given to the American Psychological Association, activist Carol Downer described her analysis of the medical field in the United States, and the way that male dominance within the field effectiv…Young Lords High School Revolt
In this document, Richie Perez from the Young Lords Party calls upon his Black and Puerto Rican community members to continue to fight for the “return of the educational system to the people.” Perez defines the common en…Sabotage – I.W.W. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1911)
In which the rebel girl describes various forms of sabotage including limiting the over-supply of workers through contraception.You Don’t Have to Fuck People Over to Survive (1980)
In this book originally published in 1980, graphic artist and author Seth Tobocman attacks the politics of the Reagan Era, which led up to the Tompkins Square Riots and the formation of ACT-UP. Tobocman’s art is bold and…Yomango
Yomango literally means to steal, or to shoplift. This cultural jamming movement emerged from the Mango brand, a popular clothing company. They were vehemently anti – consumerism, utilizing a tactic of shoplifting and di…Communique in Support of Port Workers in Northwest – Occupy Oakland (2011)
This is a communique published by Occupy Oakland in solidarity with Longshore workers in Longview, Washington. Occupy Oakland strongly condemns the actions taken by Export Grain Terminal (EGT), as the company has engaged…The Written Resistance #1 – National Students for Justice in Palestine (2024)
This is the first edition of the newsletter written by a compilation of individual authors and published by the National Students for Justice in Palestine. The right to resist, a history of the Israeli-Palestinian confli…Newsletter by the Free Speech Movement (November 2, 1964)
The Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a student protest which took place during the 1964–65 academic year at the University of California, Berkeley. Students protested the ban of on-campus political activities and asserte…The Urban Guerilla Concept (1971)
Between 1970 and 1998, the Anti-Fascist, Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Imperialism, Communist leftist militia The Red Army Faction was labeled as a terrorist organization in first West Germany, and then unified Germany.”The Urba…Direct Action! 101: A Primer – El Lobo Solo (n.d.)
This undated, pseudonymous piece describes how Earth First! employs direct action methods such as civil disobedience and social arrest against those harming the earth. The article teaches how to effectively carry out dem…Organize the Unorganized – Trade Union Educational League (1926)
The Trade Union Educational League was founded in late 1920. It was supported by the Communist Party USA and a majority of members were also members of the Communist Party USA. Its goal was to build a union and workersâ…CAM Mapuche Statement (2023)
In a direct statement from CAM, they held a general meeting to discuss their organization’s updated goals and even there, they faced resistance from the Chilean government. They resisted against them successfully enough…Newsletter by the Free Speech Movement (October 20, 1964)
The Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a student protest which took place during the 1964–65 academic year at the University of California, Berkeley. Students protested the ban of on-campus political activities and asserte…The Young Lords Party: 13-Point Program and Platform
In a 13-Point Program and Platform, the Young Lords Party declared their fight for self-determination for Puerto Ricans inside and outside the United States.For the Kimberley: A Glimpse of Recent Resistance (2011)
This article provides dated updates of the tactics of resistance used by activists against the construction of a gas plant and port at James Price Point in the Kimberley region of West Australia. The planned project woul…Tecumseh Calls for Pan-Indian Resistance (1810)
In this document, Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief and warrior, details a message of both resistance and spirituality. He writes to a community larger than just the Shawnee, calling on all the “red men” to unite and to recl…Declaration of Rebellion – Extinction Rebellion UK (n.d.)
Extinction Rebellion UK published a statement detailing their rebellion against the government, and declaring the nullification of the bonds of the social contract as a result of the government’s failure to directly ad…Dalit Panthers Manifesto (1973)
As the quote below indicates, the Dalit Panthers were a group shaped after some of the ideologies of the Black Panthers. Dalits are know as untouchables and they are at the very bottom of the caste system. They were resi…ActUP Activists Lock Al Gore Out of Office
On August 23, 1997, Five activists were arrested after locking down the Old Executive Office Building to deny Al Gore access to proceed with his U.S.-South Africa deal on pharmaceutical access.Canopy Action Network Newsletter (2001)
An excerpt from a Canopy Action Network newsletter provided a strategic analysis of the disruptive tactic of tree sitting. The history of this action was discussed in detail, including a description of the development of…The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron (1971)
The revolution will be no re-run, brothers The revolution will be liveThe People’s Detox (Film) – Jenna Bliss (2018)
n November 1970, Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx was collectively occupied by local heroin addicts, revolutionary health organizations, the Young Lords, and the Black Panther Party. In her 2018 film The People’s D…10 Steps for Setting Up a Blockade – (2018)
First off, understand that you CAN do this. For the last 18 months groups as small as 8 have been disrupting and occupying pipeline construction sites all over Turtle Island. It takes even fewer than that to accomplish m…A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority (1967) by RESIST
This document was written by the group RESIST, which was a collective group formed in response to the growing unrest in the US surrounding the Vietnam War. It was disseminated by Marcus Raskin, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Willia…Resistance #3 by ELF (2000)
The publication Resistance featured the ELF three times. This first feature tells the story of Craig Rosebraugh at his Grand Jury hearing in Spring of 2000.Call to Action – National Students for Justice in Palestine (2024)
This was a call to action posted on the social media accounts of the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) on April 19, 2024. In the document, the National SJP criticizes the decision of the universities to ch…White House Sit-In Flyer – Students for a Democratic Society (1965)
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the US during the 1960s that sought to establish a New Left focused on civil rights, peace, and universal economic security. In 1965…Introduction to Earth Liberation Front by Leslie James Pickering
Pickering’s own thoughts and opinions pertaining to this compilationNuclear Waste Shipment Meets Massive Resistance in Germany – Skyler Simmons (2006)
An article, found in the January-February 2007 issue of the Earth First! Journal, details the diversity of tactics French and German farmers, students, environmental activists, and anarchists, among others took in Novemb…In Defense of Self Defense (1967)
The Black Panther Party was founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, and originally was called The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. It was a militant, leftist group in support of Black Liberation. Huey P. Newtown, o…Letter from the Strike Committee – Lawrence, Massachusetts (1912)
This letter is from the striking textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912. It is written to the president of the American Woolen Co. William M. Wood. The letter explains that workers can no longer bear the wor…Katuah Earth First! Cashes in Willamette’s Chips – John Johnson and Rich Spencer (1999)
This article describes the tactics used by activists of Katuah Earth First! And EarthCulture to stop the continued chipping of native forests in the Southeast. Activists targeted the Willamette Industries’ Broad River…The Social General Strike – Stephan Naft (1905)
The social general strike will completely interrupt production in the whole country, stop communication and consumption for the ruling classes long enough to totally disorganize the capitalistic societyExtinction Rebellion Occupation of Insurance Firms – Extinction Rebellion (2024)
This is a news article by Extinction Rebellion (XR) detailing the occupation of the offices of five major insurers within the City of London by various XR protesters. Activists occupied the lobbies of the firms and calle…Mitsubishi Stumped! – NYC Earth First! (1998)
This piece describes the direct actions taken by NYC Earth First! and Wetlands Rainforest Action Group activists at the Mitsubishi International office building. The activists entered the building with multiple 600-pound…Five Centuries of Resistance in Argentina – Kendra Fehrer and Brad Will (2004)
This piece describes the direct action tactics used by the Ava Guaraní indigenous peoples of Argentina and their allies against Tabacal Sugar, a subsidiary of the Seaboard Corporation. Tabacal Sugar owns the ancestral l…Statement of Indigenous Youth Standing in Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en (2020)
On February 6, 2020, Indigenous youth in Canada began their occupation of the ceremonial gates and steps to the B.C. Legislative Assembly in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation, who were resisting an encroachment…Black Power by Stokely Carmichael (1966)
Carmichael expands on black power in his speech to Berkeley students in 1966. SNCC and the Black power movement tried to create new standards of legitimacy by shifting away from white supremacy and trying to base legitim…Sabotage – Emile Pouget (1908)
A pestiferous epidemic, becoming to the body social of capitalism more dangerous and incurable than cancer and syphilis are to the human bodyWe Won This Round: The Cancún WTO Ministerial Summit – Lesley Adams (2003)
This piece was written by an activist at the 2003 ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization in Cancún. Over 10,000 protesters from around the world took action throughout the summit, occupying a building, c…Declaration of the Occupation of New York City (2011)
During the aftermath of the Great Recession, between September 17 and November 15, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement occurred in opposition to economic inequality, corporate greed, money in politics, and big finance.…Occupy Wall Street – Students (2011)
This document declares the occupation of student, university spaces during Occupy Wall Street.An Excerpt From an Interview With Earl Livermore About the Indians of All Tribes (Ioat) Occupation of Alcatraz – 1970
This is a transcript of an interview with Earl Livermore, a leader of the American Indian Movement. He describes the thought behind occupying Alcatraz, the organization of various committees, schools, medical centers, an…Treesitter’s Journal Entry (2000)
A journal entry written by an anonymous treesitter discusses issues of privilege and oppression, and how these issues relate to direct action campaigns to protect the forests.Joint Statement by Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups on the Situation in Palestine (2024)
In this piece, Palestine Solidarity Groups at Harvard University take a stand against the violence committed against Palestinians and call on the Harvard community to take action. This is a part of a string of pro-Palest…AIDS Activism- “By Any Means Necessary”
Kirk Mason urges his AIDS negative and positive community members to refuse the governments death sentence to LGBTQ+ folks living with AIDS.The Great Berkeley Rent Strike – Berkeley Tenants Union (1969)
The Berkeley Tenants Union was established in 1969 and sought to organize low-income tenants to join in protest against rent increases, eviction, and poor housing conditions. This document is a flyer produced in 1969 by…Workers, Students! – Paris (May 1968)
This document, written during the events in Paris during May 1968, calls for students and workers to continue the resistance, continue the occupations, and keep their power.We Hold the Rock – Indians of All Tribes (1969)
This document was produced by the same group that wrote the Alcatraz Proclamation. In this piece, the occupiers demanded ownership of Alcatraz Island in the name of the Indians of All Tribes. They described the many inju…Stanford “Reorientation Guide” (2009)
Published in 2009 by student activists, this Stanford University “Reorientation Guide” did an in depth analysis of the history of Standford Unviersity in relation to racism, sexism, and capitalism.On Freedom For Women
This publication by Robin Morgan captures the sentiment of the Women’s Liberation Movement following the Miss America Pageant Protest. Like many others attest to as well, Morgan speaks of an awak
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