Peter Gelderloos
Encyclopedia
Peter Gelderloos is an American anarchist author known for his 2005 book, How Nonviolence Protects the State.
Gelderloos was arrested in 2001 while attending a protest at the Georgia
-based Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
(formerly known as School of the Americas), a controversial school that trains Central
and South America
n soldiers and police. He was sentenced in 2002 to six months in prison.
In How Nonviolence Protects the State Gelderloos sets out to "[debunk] the notion that non-violent activism
is the only acceptable and effective method of struggle." The resulting work has been frequently compared to Ward Churchill
's Pacifism as Pathology.
In May 2007, Gelderloos was arrested in Spain
and charged with public disorder
and illegal demonstration during a squatters' protest. He faced between three and six years of imprisonment. Police accused Gelderloos of playing a leadership role within the protest - a claim which he calls "fairly absurd." His family contended that it would not be possible for him to receive a fair trial in Spain, citing a judge's assertion that "the United States would put him in Guantanamo for what he had done." After international pressure, the charges were reduced. In March 2009, the charges were found to be without merit, and Gelderloos and his codefendant were acquitted.
In 2010 Gelderloos published Anarchy Works, answering some of the most common questions about anarchism, and To Get to the Other Side, a travel narrative focused on the anarchist movements in Europe
.
Gelderloos was arrested in 2001 while attending a protest at the Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
-based Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation , formerly the United States Army School of the Americas is a United States Department of Defense educational and training facility at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia in the United States...
(formerly known as School of the Americas), a controversial school that trains Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n soldiers and police. He was sentenced in 2002 to six months in prison.
In How Nonviolence Protects the State Gelderloos sets out to "[debunk] the notion that non-violent activism
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
is the only acceptable and effective method of struggle." The resulting work has been frequently compared to Ward Churchill
Ward Churchill
Ward LeRoy Churchill is an author and political activist. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder from 1990 to 2007. The primary focus of his work is on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government...
's Pacifism as Pathology.
In May 2007, Gelderloos was arrested in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and charged with public disorder
Disorderly conduct
Disorderly conduct is a criminal charge in most jurisdictions in the United States. Typically, disorderly conduct makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such...
and illegal demonstration during a squatters' protest. He faced between three and six years of imprisonment. Police accused Gelderloos of playing a leadership role within the protest - a claim which he calls "fairly absurd." His family contended that it would not be possible for him to receive a fair trial in Spain, citing a judge's assertion that "the United States would put him in Guantanamo for what he had done." After international pressure, the charges were reduced. In March 2009, the charges were found to be without merit, and Gelderloos and his codefendant were acquitted.
In 2010 Gelderloos published Anarchy Works, answering some of the most common questions about anarchism, and To Get to the Other Side, a travel narrative focused on the anarchist movements in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
See also
- Anarchism and violenceAnarchism and violenceAnarchism and violence have become closely connected in popular thought, in part because of a concept of "propaganda of the deed". Propaganda of the deed, or attentát, was espoused by a number of leading anarchists in the late nineteenth century, and was associated with a number of incidents of...
- Issues in anarchism: Ends and means
Further reading
- Gelderloos, Peter. Insurrection v.s. Organization: Reflections from Greece on a Pointless Schism. Infoshop.orgInfoshop.org- History :Infoshop was founded in January 1995 as the Mid-Atlantic Infoshop by Chuck Munson. Having previously co-founded an online archive of anarchist texts, the Spunk Library, in 1992, Munson established Infoshop as a general resource on anarchism, moving to the domain name Infoshop.org in 1998...
(April 2007) - Gelderloos, Peter. My Arrest in Spain: The Easy Road from Tourism to Terrorism. CounterPunchCounterpunchCounterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
(May 2007). - Gelderloos, Peter. Arms and the Movement. Utne Reader (June 2007).
- Gelderloos, Peter. A Critical History of Harrisonburg Food Not Bombs
- Gelderloos, Peter. More Wood for the Fire: Capitalist Solutions for Global Warming