In April of 2024 a student encampment opposed to the devastation occurring in Palestine was started by students at a so-called Australian university. As part of this encampment, a rally was called to march to a facility present on campus which actively researches and produces weapons of war currently being used on people in Palestine (amongst many other despicable and useless technologies designed for domination culture to persist). This was not the first time a rally had been called to demonstrate at that location. Whilst the rally stopped to yell chants at a building, a spontaneous, unplanned, undiscussed and direct act of property damage occurred. This was enacted by one of the rally attendees, an anarchist and someone dedicated to the idea that individuals and groups can (and should) have material impact on the world and that demonstrating this can be a powerful call to action for witnesses and sympathisers.

Unfortunately the organizers of the rally (Socialist Alternative, hand in hand with others) immediately distanced themselves from the autonomous act, continuing to seek legitimacy from the university by playing to their handbook as opposed to fighting to delegitimise the institution entirely. They did this by discouraging others from supporting or ensuring safety or getaway of the individual at the time, and later by posting a disgraceful communication condemning the act on social media. By cooperating with security and police in the following days, once again asserting their submission to the validity of the property of weapons manufacturers on the stolen lawns of campus, it was made known that if the actionist returned, snitches would out them to the state. The university subsequently collaborated with police by sharing information which led to the arrest of our assailant, an Aboriginal person.

Activist exceptionalism is a problem. There is nothing special or sacred about activism for which people experience financial liability (most often willfully submitting to arrest). It is the writer’s belief that, especially in so-called Australia, most people are not made destitute by fines whilst undertaking activism. In fact the glorification of self-sacrifice and associated social capital which often accompanies mostly relatively privileged people’s decisions to submit to arrest in such ways, are seemingly the most significant metric to look at post arrest. That we don’t extend the same solidarity to all people trying to exist who experience criminalisation and risk incarceration every day is a problem – all prisoners are political prisoners – activist specialisation and self-importance is a problem.

However, for people to be willing to demonstrate financial solidarity with an individual who chose to take an unplanned action in the hope of inspiring further escalation, is a good thing. For people who take risks outside that which the hegemonic NVDA (Non Violent Direct Action) culture allows for to be supported after the fact, teaches us something – that not everyone is going to be a cop, and that in spite of many a leftist being willing to throw people under the bus, there are individuals out there who understand, support and encourage acts of destruction against entities we are supposedly opposed to, and who kill every day. Without particular caveats of acceptability if the tactics chosen are unplanned or directly confront normality’s hegemony.

The charges in question account for $3,928 AUD total, for a fine, court fees, and reparations for damage incurred. The accused is not fighting the charges, as this would be costly and require a moralistic spaff with the state which we should all forgo based on the state’s bad faith and general illegitimacy. Therefore no money will be directed toward legal fees, but rather for this individual’s debt to the state be minimised as much as possible, to enable them to continue with a basic standard of living and the ability to persist with a literature distribution project which they run via personal funds.