A TamER DN ATHORITARIAY 3 VANGUiRD ConuwisT Gowes
3 MWAT You G Do Tnstead
2024
Fonts: Aveni Next Condensed | Brix
INTRO

When we pay attention to the amount of injustice in the world, we find
ourselves wanting to do something about t. And we don't want o do just
anything. We want to partiipate in what can most strategically stop those
injustices. We need to organize togetherto confront what s killing us and
the planet

Ifyou go looking fo others involved in this resistance work, you might
stumble across some organizations that seem to have all the answers.They
say they know exactl howto bring capitalism to ts knees. And they're often
recruiting new members like you to take part in the Revolution.

But when organizations offer easy answers and tell you all you need to do is
stepin line with their orders, it should raise some red flags.

Before we get sweptaway by their revolutionary aesthetics, one:sizefitsal
plans, and lefty lingo, we should talk about authoritarian and vanguard
communist groups.They often search for young, enthusiastic people who
haven't been warned about them yet or don't know the warning signs. All
the major ones we know of have long histories of abuse. As anarchists,we
understand that their embrace of authortarianism is exactly what makes
them so susceptible to being abusiv.

This zine outlines red flags to look out for, provides some history of the most
wellknown authoritarian communist groups' harmful behavior, and offers a
few alternatives to joining them.

We believe that the most strategic way to fight systems of oppression is by
fighting collectively. We don't need to recreate the very power dynamics
we're struggling against to win. But we do need you in the fight
COMMON TACTICS, PATTERNS, AND
TENDENCIES TO WATCH OUT FOR

Here are some red flags to watch out for.You'll probably alo see some of
these in non-profits, advocacy groups, or other top-down organizations that
operate like a business. However, it's the ideological motivation that sets the
vanguard apart and leads to some of their worst harms. W use "vanguard”
to mean aperson o group who deems themselves the necessary leader of
the masses toward “revolution. I you're noticing these red fags,i's best to
stay away and ask others about their experiences with the group.

+ Heavy Emphasis on Recruitment: Vanguardist groups constantly need
new members: to pay dues, volunteer their labor,recruit forthe group,
and replace burnt-out members. Los of effort goes into social media
and marketing, and actions are heavily influenced by how they can serve
asa rectuitmenttool: he flashier the better. Waves of new people and
energy help make a group feel active and relevant, and mask the steady
trickle of people leaving

+ Ambulance-Chasing & Coopting: Seeking energy and rectuts, these.
groups il suddenly appear around “crisi of the moment” events. As
we write this zine, their current target is Palestine solidarity efforts that
have increased n response to Israels ecent escalation of genocide in
Gaza in 2023/2024. Watch for groups who appear at events uninvited
and focus on distributing newspapers and collecting e-mail it signups.
They'll often bring thingslike mass-printed signs with their group's
name and website o a large banner advertising the group they can
prominently display in photos of events to advertse. They may even
hijack open mics and chans

« Front Groups & Front Coalitions: Creating a front group or coaliion is
another way vanguards try tapping into movement energy to re-direct to
their own ends. The fron s dominated by members of the vanguard
without clear connection to the vanguard group, to better allow the
vanguard o hide their politics and ntentions. s purpose i to find
tectuits for the vanguard, and to be a vehicle for the vanguard's atiities
that appears to be separate from them.
« Entryism: Taking over groups or coalitions that are independent of the
vanguard. This is most easily done to groups that are new, that haven't
settled on goals and values,or who haven't witnessed these tactics
before. Frequentl,this is done by abusing and manipulating intemal
deision-making processes,like seizing positions of authorityor having
vanguard members join in large numbers. Instead of reating a brand
newfront group, an existing group i hijacked

* Deceptive & Dishonest Practices: The authoriterian politics of
vanguards generally aren'tliked, so they'l be kept below the surface.
Vanguards publicly laim values that can attractpeople - like police
abolition, supporting labor ights, and horizontal power - while
hypoitically supporting police attacking workers i authoritarian
nation:states they support ke Cub, Ian, or China. How can you value
someone’s consent and autonomy if you le to them?

« Shutting Down Dissent: Member obedience is necessary if a
vanguard's orders are o be obeyed. This sometimes appears as
*Democratc Centralism," often with some kind of central or executive
committee making decisions forthe group. This can also appear in
group social dynamics,where members selfcensor or modify behavior
whenthey dissent from the group's “party line." Historicaly this has
lead to cascade of purges within notable Mandst Leninist, Totskyist
and Maoist organizations.

« Party Lines in General: Vanguardist ideas of discipline and a
“stientifc" evolution that must be followed toa T” require conformity,
obedience, and strct inary thinking. The world is more nuanced than
that, but this nuance isn'tallowed in vanguardist politics

« Centralization: A vanguard needs a power structure they can exert
controlfrom. I it doesn't exist, they may try creating it o place
themselves or their close associates at the center.

+ Redirecting Autonomous Efforts into Spaces They Control:
Autonomous efforts and independent projects can be enticed into
spaces a vanguard controls, often with promises of resources, a plea to
not "duplicate efforts,” or “left unity." The intent s to gain influence over
the project. Like amixture of Entryism and Co-optation.

Hyper-Focus on Bureaucracy: Getting the group stuckin loops of
committee forming, decision-making, writing points of unity,
establishing cadre leadership, etc. Mostlkely during power struggles
and Entryist takeovers. Often causes non-vanguard members to leave in
frustration.

Never-Ending Tasks: Revolutionary change wil require los of effor,
butwithin vanguardistorganizations the pressure to fulfil duties and
demonstrate committment and discipline often lead to members
‘committing most of their time to the vanguard group. This can lead to
relationships outside the group weakening from neglect, becoming
socially dependant on the group, and eventually burning outwithouta
support network o help them leave the group.

Charismatic Leader: Vanguard groups often center around
charismatileader or founder who s elevated to a level of importance.
This can be a leader/founder of the group tsel,or an idealogical
figurehead

Sheltering Abusers: Patrarchal violence is a serious recuring problem
basically everywhere. But vanguardist groups often treat attempts at
accountabilty as an attack on the group and their deology, ora
distraction from *the cause." They become defensive, and in practice
shield abusers while dismissing survivors o abuse:

Taking Credit for Others Work & Actions: Vanguards may take credit
forevents,actions, and work organized by other groups. Thisis
particularly true for things that are lashy or popular, but other things
may be laimed by the vanguard group if it seems ke it will be useful
for recruiting.

Lack of Care for Members and Vulnerable People: The thirst for
attention-grabbing actions can lead to vulnerable people and the
group's members being used as means to an end, resources to be:
exploited. Many “flashy” actions, such as an occupation, require
extensive preparation, consideration, and care to manage various risks
of harm (to the extent that we can). Nothing can be made perfectly safe,
buta vanguard's sloppy approach to actions can put people through
unnecessary harm for what s ultimately a PR stunt.

« Coercive "Self-Criticism": Space for intentional reflection and
evaluation is necessary for anyone trying to have an impact on the
world. However *sefcritcism,* (sometimes called "critand selfcit or
“struggle sessions") can be deployed to coerce group members to
dedicate more time and resources o the group, shut down dissent, and
re-mold members nto more obedient fllowers. Puritanica eforts to
o0t out“bourgeais” sentiments/mentalitylsocial influences are a
serious indicator of manipulation

« Defending and Glorifying Authoritarian Leaders and Governments:
Forideological reasons, vanguards in the “Western world" (our
experience s from the *US*)often uncrtically support authoritarian
governments and leaders in the name of *anti imperialism".In extreme
cases, this ends up being a sort of conservative patriotism. The actual
practices and values of the nation:states they defend don't mater, nly
their geopoliical elation ith the US. This comes from the history of
authoritaranismin left-wing politics, and specifcally the nfluence of a
tendeny called "Marcyst” or “Campist," which encourages uncritially
supporting governments the *US" opposes. The result can be ugly.
During uprisings, they'll allously attack dissidents under a regime the
vanguard supports, calling them CIA spooks and callng their
autonomous revolts “Color Revolutions, - if those same dissidents were
inthe US ironically, the vanguard group would try to recuitment them.

« Expecting Queer People and People of Color to Assimilate:
Vanguards may try to make themselves more acceptable o ‘the
masses" by sidelining the concerns of marginalized people, or pushing
those people to be les visibly "different.*This can sometimes go as far
asthe vanguard adopting conservativ stanceslike transphobia! This
can also be ideologicall driven, with vanguards caiming problems like
racism and sexism are actually just created by capitalism, and fighting
them is a distraction from the more important "class struggle."

« Use of *Left Unity" Rhetoric to Demand Inclusion in Spaces: Some
imagine "Left Unity" as creating a friendly and powerful movement, but
in practice it suppresses diverse opinions and approaches in favor of a
false "unity," frequently giving authoritarians power within movements
they otherwise wouldn't ave. You don't have to sacrfce all your values
and autonomy to work with others on tangible, shared goals.

« Local Organizers Controlled by a Central Committee: For example,a
vanguard's central committee may order organizers o getinvolved ina
particular struggle like Palestine solidarty work. At worst this launches
destructive wave of front groups and entryist takeovers. At best these
organizers honestly id in an effort, only to vanish when the
organization's whims change to a different hot new movement

Thisincomplete collecion of ed flags is gained from experience.
Vanguardist groups may only show a few of them, likely not many of them,
and almost definitely notal of them. These red flags aren't the strict
definition of vanguardist behavior, but a colection of behaviors that coalestce
around vanguardist groups and practices

These practicesare very destructive for the individuals involved, the
communities targeted for recruitment, and grassroots efforts to fight fora
better world. Vanguard groups chun through members, squeeze them for
Iabor and cash, bun them out, distegard their safety and autonomy, and can
even serve as a pipeline into harmful conspiracy thinking or high-contol
groups. They tu people who are enthusiastic about radical social change
into people who are better at taking orders rom leaders, rather than acting
autonomously and cultvating bottom-up power with others. These formerly
passionate organizers'selfdirected revolutionary potential, and their
development as people, is sabotaged as they dedicate countless hoursto
building an organization's membership lst, bank account, and social
presence

WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS?

This 't simply bad habits leamed in an authoritaian society re-asserting
themselves. Vanguardist groups and individuals have an intentional,
ideological committment o authoritarianism. This s a arge part of what
drives these toxic practices, and why such groups will not change.
Political ideologies play a big role inthe world of radical polic, activism,
and revolutionary organizing often called “the left." Vanguardist thinking
generally (though not exclusively) comes from Mandstschools of thoug.
There are some corners of Marxism that move in anti-authoritarian
directions, like anti-state Manists. But today's vanguardist largely inherits
from the ideologies of Leninism, Trotskyism, Stalinism, or Maoism, and may
explicly dentifyas an adherent of one. Generall, these ideologiesare a
considered kinds of Authoritarian Communism, in contrastagainstother
ideologies like Anti-Authoritarian Communism, Socialism, or Anarchism.
These authoritaian ideologies ignore that the methods you use for adical
change influence the radical change that you wind up creating. You make the
path by walking. If you want a liberating society,you need to use means that
areliberating, not ones that depend on subjugation and domination.

Atits core, the vanguardists selfassigned task s to decide whatis
“revolutionary, craft a blueprint for all o society, and seize the power
necessary to impose this blueprint on the world. The word "Vanguard" tself
expresses the idea that this slect ew s the necessary leadler of the
unthinking masses toward "revolution, rather than the *masses"
themselves. They justiy this with ideological concepts ike *democratic
centralism" and *historical materialism." This highiy theoreticl view of
human society and history puts the machinations of the vanguard above the
concerns of individuals and whole societes, reating a ationalization for
harming colossal numbers of people. The underlying power dynamicis
hidden behind a smokescreen of ideological necessity: they daim to know
the only true path to revolution, and to stray from it is to betray the struggle
and lead us al to cerain doom. Thisis great for them and bad for the est of
us,both in theory and practice.

SPECIFIC GROUPS & EXAMPLES

* PSL(Party for Socialism and Liberation) (2004-): Founded as a slit
from the otherwise incredibly similar WWP (Worker's World Party)
(1959-).Ideologically a Manxist Leninist party, they are present in many
larger dities. Wellknown for predatory behavior like swooping into
ralliesforvictims of police violence to recruitfr their group, or
leveraging popular causes to fundraise for themselves. Notoriously
protected and defended a sexual asaulter n their Philadelphia branch,
going as far as involving national leadership to remove members who
criiczed how things were handled, and coordinating harassment of the
assaultvictim. Reports from former members of sexist, bigoted, highly
controlling and physically abusive behavior being protected go back
over a decade across various chapters. Known for entryist practices to
hijack ther groups, collaborating with police, and for significant
involvement inthe anti-war ANSWER coaltion, tslf originaly a WWP
front.Also known for leading unsuspecting marchers ino police kettles
without forewarning or jail support, then using the ensuing arrests to
fundraise.

BAMN (... By Any Means Necessary) (1995-): Primarily active in
California and Michigan with deep historic tes to the Detroitbased
Trotskyist group Revolutionary Workers League (RWL), suggesting it was
originally a front group. Initally focused on defending affirmative action
buthave since expanded their focus. Notorious for targeting young
people of color for recruitment and squeezing as much as they can get
out of them, often thrusting them into risky situations without providing
il support when arrests happen. Known to hijack open mics and events
to recruit, and posture as the only correct and legitimate organization for
whateverissue they are currently focused on, trying to sideline any
existing groups. Uses front groups.

Red Guards (2015-2022): Currently defunct Maoist (specifically
Gonzaloist) group, taking their name from the Red Guards n the
Cultural Revolution in China. Notorious for physicall attacking other
leftist groups and hijacking other projects, such as the anti-gentrification
coalition Defend Boyle Heights in LA Heavily centralized under founder
Jared Roark. Used flashy high-profile actions and militant aesthetic to
attractattention, and recruited using fronts ke study groups, food
distribution, and tenant organizing. Members were subject to
psychological abuse through “struggle sessions" and *self crticism” to
encourage conformity,dedication, and obedience to Jared's conception
of "revolutionary politics* and group decisions. “Dissolved" in 2019 to
actually go underground and later form the group Committee to
Reconstitute the Communist Party of the United States of America (CR:
CPUSA),which would perpetuate similar abuse before tself disbanding.
One of the more extreme examples of vanguardist politcs, many former
members describe themselves as survivrs and the group as a cult
around Jared

Black Hammer (2019-2022): Founded in part by Gazi Kodzo (legal
name Augustus Romain) who had just left their position as Secretary
General of the African People's Socialist Party (APSP). It instantly became:
centrally focused around Gazi who operated the group as a personal grift
with a black nationalist aesthetic, controlling the group and its members
through extreme manipulation and abuse. Heavy social media activity
and viralshockjock stunts (dressing as the Joker, slandering Anne Frank,
announcing an alliance with the Proud Boys) were used to attract
attention, recruits, and donations. Members were kept subservient to
Gazi through psychologically abusive *self-citcism,” ideals of
revolutionary discipline, indoctrination, physical violence, and much
more. After a land purchase in Colorado to establish *Hammer City" fell
through, Gazi turned to "recruiting” houseless people in Atlanta. In
2022, kidnapping call from their rented home and de-facto
headquarters brought a SWAT standoft to their door. Most group
members surtendered to police, but the dead body of member Amonte
T.Ammons was found in the house. Gazi and others were arrested, and
with Gazi still held in jail pre-trial without bond as we write this, the
group has apparently dissolved.

RCP (Revolutionary Communist Party) aka Revcoms (1975-):
Founded as a Maoist organization after a years-long attempted Maoist
hijacking of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. By 1979, Bob Avakian
was chaiman o the Central Committee and national leader. To this day,
the RCP i centrally organized around Avakian, focusing heavily on
evangelizing his particular Communist theories. They organize front
groups and font coalitions such as Refuse Fascism and Rise Up 4
Abortion Rights, taking advantage of moments of crisis to recruit
members and direct grassroots energy into ineffectual actions and
Avakian evangelism.

FRSO (Freedom Road Socialist Organization) (1985.): Formed by the
combination of various remnants of the Maoist leaning New Communist
Movement, the FRSO is yet another ideaogically Mandst Leninist party.
Known to operate front groups focused on various social justice causes,
FRSO members hold leadership positions in the front groups to
maintain controlof s decision making processes and political direction
They use fronts to recruit leaders nto PRS0, and to control the direction
of other groups. When asked directly about FRSO involvemen, they il
likely deny it-sometimes by members who simply are unavare.

« RCA, SR, CPUSA, PCUSA, SEP, IYSSE, YCL, LYC, ISO, SA, SWP, ...: Many
vanguardist organizations aren'tas prolific or abusive as the above
examples. But spend some time searching and there's no end of
Manist, Leninist, Tostyist, and Maoist groupings that share many of
the same practices and red flags. (Revolutionary Communists of
America, Socialist Revolution, Communist Party USA, Party of
Communists USA, Socialist Equality Party, International Youth and
Students for Social Equality, Young Communists Leage, League of Young
Communists, Iternational Socalist Organization, Socialst Alternative,
Socialist Workers Parter, ..

WHAT DO | DO INSTEAD OF JOINING A
VANGUARD GROUP?

Think About Your Beliefs & Values

What do you value? What do you find beautiful? Your values and beliefs
quide your action. They shape the goals you have, and how you ty to achieve
them. Having some idea of thi s a crucial firs step. You don't need to have
everything figured out, and you don't have to pck an ideological abel, but
you should have a basic dea of yourself before you start. This helps direct
you,helps you find others, and helps guard against joining a group in an
impressionable state where you could be taken advantage of.

Activites and groups that align with your values are where you can be most
impactfl, build authentic elationship with others, find some fulfillment,
and grow as person. Groups and actiites that don'talign won't be as
rewarding and can have impacs on the world that are actualy against your
values and the changes you want.

The world is in motion and so are you! Your values don't have to be
permanent! You don't have o figure out every one of your values before you
can do something. You can see how they work out in practice, discover new
beliefs and values from others,see f they make sense, and how they fit or
conflictwith beliefs and values you alreadly have. You may find some things
come and go in importance for you, while other values are important and
longlived.

We can learn from our elders who used to be committed to Manist values
and participated in militantformeations lke the League of Revolutionary
Black Workers, Black Panther Party, and Black Liberation Army. Black radicals
like Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, JoNina Abron-Ervin, Ashanti Alston, Kimathi
Mohammed, Modibo Kadalie, Donald L. Cox, & Kuwasi Balagoon each spent
years throwing down in the struggle before developing values that were at
odds with the top-down theary of change imposed by authoritarians - some
eventually became anarchistslater in e

Never Stop Learning

‘The societies we live in also drive our action. If we want to act against the
injustices we see ke houselessness or transphobia, we need to understand
how our societies produce them. That's radical change: getting to the root of
things!

Thisis often where people turn to political ideologies and schools of
thought: Marxism, Socialism, Feminism, Anarchism, and so on. These can
provide useful, new ways to analyze and think about our world. But beware
of sy, totalzing answers. The world is a complex and chaotic place. No
single poliial theory can capture it all and become the eternal, correctview
ofall human society.Poltical theories also have hstories of impact that we
can study together and learn from so we don'trepeat the same harms and
blindspots.

Learning i best with others! You can enrich each other with your diferent
perspectives and experiences. Our irect experiences are a leastas useful as
abstract political theories.

Building Honest Relationships
Interpersonal relationships and communities are at the root of any group. t's
the substrate the group s built o, its foundation, and what resilient groups
come out of. Sometimes afocus on the formal structures and intermal
processes of a group hides this act leading to neglecting interpersonal
relationships orignoring power dynaics between members.

Don't stress about jumping into a group and *getting active" right away.
Building relationships with others in ways that align with your values il
lead to action. Ths s also how trust i built between people, which is
necessary for almost any action aiming for socal change.

The informal networks of welltended relationships can be very resilient, and
afertile foundation for radical action, change, and lfe. Ofen the
communities and complex webs of relationships that ormal radical groups
throughout history sprang from and relied on get nvisibilized, but they
made these groups possible. History is bigger than powerful organizations
and charismatic laders

Find Existing Groups o Projects

This can be tricky f you're totally new tothisscene, and there's no one way to
dothis. The writer of this zine all got involved in completely different ways.
One way tostart can be by poking around in social spaces. Local radica,
indie, and DIY spaces sometimes have flirs and zines that might tell you
about upcoming events where you can meet people. Ask around and reach
out. Learnto see things that aren't 'leftist* asradical. There are powerful
sotialspaces thataren'tlegible o the state-like auntie networks-that will
always be the backbone of socia lfe. Build elationships on the fringes!

Keep in mind your values.You lkely won't find a perfect i, but you can find
good ones. Using groups to search for people can be helpful, but joining
groups n search of values or belies can be dangerous.

Trust your gut. A group can claim anything in their mission statement,
platform, points of unity,etc, but what really mattersis how they move and
operate i reality. Referencing the lst o red flags from earlier can be helpful,
and this i also where elationship comes in. You can ask people who aren't
inthe group their experiences with them to help snif out warning signs

You may find yourself in a group that, while not expliity vanguardist
themselves, has some vanguardist members o tendencies. You may not see
it right away, or it may be a shift that happens over time. You could try to
push back against thi, but it may be too embedded n a group's culture to
change. ' ok toleave! It may feeldisappointing or sad, buta committment
to revolutionary action and change is not the same s a committment to a
group. Having relationships outside the group you're active with can help
you notfeel rapped.

Start Your Own Project

You might decide that you don't even want to work with an existing group.
Maybe you're seeing a need thatisn't being flled in your area-for example,
maybe the only free meal distrbution happens at your local Catholic hurch
and they make you listen to a Bible story irst. Or maybe you wish existing
work it your poliic better; for example maybe the only immigration
support group frequently works with cops, or the main anti-gentrification
group in your neighborhood has been hijacked by a vanguard group. You
can try something new!

This can be daunting and require a wide vriety of skill, but it can also be as
simple as starting an effort with some friends and learning by doing. It very
smart to work together among the people starting a project to figure out
common values and initial foundation and ditection for the project

Alot of the logistica tasks ofstarting and running projects have been witten
about. I’ worthwhile to do research on existing groups doing similar things,
and determining what practces and organizational structures and methods
match up well with the values and goals that were collectively arrived at for
your project.

B¢ humble! 0dds are you're entering an ecosystern of radical projects that
already has many different skils experiences, and knowledge. Different
kinds of projectsrequireall kinds of different skils and there may often be
people doing the same or similar work that you just don't know about. You
can learn lots of things from other people without having to sacrfce ll your
values; take what aligns and works.
PROTECTING YOU AND YOUR PROJECTS
WITH HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

You have anti-authoritarian values and have started a project. What do
youdo?

Radical groups with a “come one, come all* approach to organizing might
see vanguardists showing up to their meetings and efforts. We've seen
authoritarian communist cliques and reading groups decide to start
collectively integrating themselves into a given project. They can discreetly
build a power block within a group, and we know of many examples of such
members taking control over projects.

Building points of unity and talking explicitly about your grouplproject's
values is an essential way of protecting your group from not just
authoritarian, but lso liberal cooptation. Cllectvely writing out an explicitly
anti-authoritarian point of unity provides an opportunity to discuss why that
value is importantto a group and how it's intertwined with your other values
and goals. This would be a great time to share this zine with your group and
talk about what the group's approach to authoritarians attempting to join the
group could look ke

Ensure that new members are on board with your points of uniy. I your
group has been around for a while, consider having older members rflect
onthese points together with newer members. Being able o explain why
your group is committed to its anti-authoritarianism can be impactful in
newer radicals' own journey of discovering their values.

Saying *no* is an important ski for any organizer to have, both to avoid your
own bumout, but also to keep your group sustainable by preventing
"mission creep.” Being comfortable saying no to someone trying to get
involved in your effort can be dificult. But being prepared to stand up for
your group's values will help keep it o track toward s iberatory goals:

Beware the authoritarian who's comfortable using the language of ant
authoritarianism to advance their position in a group. We've seen them
argue that opposition to their approach or involvement is authoritarian and
isn't consensus based. One counter to this s to point out that protecting your

14
group and it values is your collctive responsibilty.

So should | ever work with authoritarian communists?

It depends on the proximity. The writers of this zine won't intimately organize
vith them because we have seen too many effort go sideways once
authoritarian communists flood the membership. And at the end of the day,
we're ulimately working toward diffrent goals with very diffeent tactic.
But our aim isn't to be purists, and we don't want to silo ourselves into
obscurity.

Alot of movements and mass eforts are composed of leftiss with ll kinds of
poliical affiiations. It very possible to participate in coaltions and broad
organizing efforts ith liberals and authoritarian communists alike without
losing sight o our liberatory values. In fat, we can have a really positive:
impactin those spaces by encouraging anti-authoritarian practices in them.
Helping people who don'tdentify as ant-authoritarians see the practicl
value of supporting a diversityof tactics, not faling into the trap of fllowing
charismaic eaders, making decisions colectively, and forming deep
relationships of trust and mutual care can be really beauiful outcomes of our
involvement.

But above all,we recommend finding a few comrades whose values you fuck
vith deeply 5o you can roll with and learn alongside them. Having these
people n your ife as you confront the hydra of fascism and injustice will
make your efforts more sustainable, dynamic,and help bring us closer to
true liberation.
RESOURCES

General

The Cardinal Rules of Not Getting Cult'd

https/wwntumblcom/timemachineyeah/646587752285077504/my:
hypothesisis-thatin-le- 10 years gen zis

Ideological Intransigence, Democratic Centralism and Cultism: A
Case Study

https/wwwhatnextiournal org.ukiPages/Back Wnext27/Culs paf

How to Form An Afinity Group
https:/fcimethinc com/2017/02/06/how-to-form-an-afnity group-the-
essentialbuilding block of anarchist organization

AStep-by-Step Guide to Direct Action
hitps:/ierimethine.com/2017/03/14/direct acton guide

Means and Ends

https/theanarchistibrary.org/ibrary/anarchistaffinity means and-ends
affinity

Party for Socialism & Liberation (PSL)

Documentation of Corruption, Institutional Bigotry, and High
Control Group (Cult-Like) Behavior n the Party for Socialism and
Liberation
hitps:/ivebarchive.org/iweb/20240130021959/https:/imedium.com/
@jacobsch/documentation-of conuption-institutional bigotry and-high
control group-cultlike behavior in-Gafa 5b072¢
Red Guards

CR-CPUSA Exposé
hitps:/mavistcuhtexposed wordpress.com/cr pusa-exposel

Black Hammer

Ex-Black Hammer members detail Gazi Kodzo's abusive ‘cult’
https//wwnndailydot.com/debug/black hammer gazi-kodzo!

Revolution isn't a game of
follow-the-leader.
- Andrew Sage