Hey, comrades, burger here. As someone who has a lot of interest in advocating for socialism in my area in the near future (starting with just some close friends but hoping to expand it), how does one go about avoiding police and agent provocateurs? When I talk about advocacy I am referring to actual work, such as running for elected posts, knocking door to door, doing volunteer work within the community, etc – no LARPing, no Soviet flags, ushankas or edgy activities.
Certain types of infiltrators are easy to spot, such as those who push you into illegal activities (let's build a bomb / sell drugs / wage people's war with no mass support, etc), but what worries me more is the more covert agents. What are their tactics? Do they literally have people versed in socialist terminology who walk in pretending to be socialists or do they pose as newbies and seek to join that way? Any guides on this stuff?
Can't speak to how it is at the US, but my two experiences have been:
1) Guy at a student protest/occupation. This one was pretty easy to spot, given he was wearing shiny black police boots and was five years older than anyone else there. Pretty rowdy, but because sting operations are nominally illegal at the UK, couldn't break any laws, so asked him to buy some 17yo kid booze, and he fucked off.
2) Branch organiser of Trotskyist group. Never got arrested at protests, yet kept taking the lead at organising them. Also owned a van despite not having any source of income that anyone could point to, which was as a big tell. Actually quite a nice bloke, but it got ridiculous watching riot police kettle all the party members around him while he walked off whistling. Surprised he got the funding to do it frankly, given the branch imploded down to about 5 members from 100 after six months.
Thomas Morales
What do you mean, walked off whistling? Like he walk through a line of cops while they pushed everyone else away? That's pretty funny.
William Thomas
The only way to truly know is the n test
Daniel Cruz
Please tell me more wise sir.
Oliver Johnson
My experience with infiltrators is, they usually try to get "too close" to other activists to an uncomfortable degree, like they lovebomb you and try to get you to dish on the group's secrets and stuff like that.
Chase Davis
tell them to say the n word if they love it they are cops
Tyler Davis
I see…but tbh I would also be suspicious of someone who's never said and would get irrationally mad at you for even asking that (unless they're black lmao)
Camden Cook
They cannot be avoided. Their effects can be mitigated, the infiltrators dealt with but the threat of infiltration can never be removed. Discipline is key though, the party should never become a social club.
DEATH TO SPIES Or you could just exclude them, misinform them or throw em out
