Schedule an IN-PERSON Resistance Meeting

Authoritarians abhor independent civic organizations

One of the basic forms of resistance against authoritarianism is to find a group of like-minded people and meet IN PERSON to talk about your concerns, build trust relationships, and plan acts of service, mutual aid, and resistance.

You don't have to have a specific agenda to call a meeting. Simply spending time together builds social capital. When the time comes to mobilize to support a local charity, attend a rally, staff a phone bank, or mobilize for a cause, the social capital built by the group can be put to good use.

When you meet in person, you'll find members of your group may have connections to resources or access to people in positions of authority. They may bring opportunities to support local charities that are meaningful to them. Many people feel powerless to take action alone, but feel empowered when they are part of a group.

The Nazis and the Stalinists understood the power of civic organizations. The Nazi regime implemented the policy of "Gleichschaltung" whereby party officials infiltrated trade unions, sports associations, and hobbiest groups to squelch subversive conversations and activities and promote the Nazification of these groups. The Soviets deployed the concept of "partiinost" or "partification" where approved party members took leadership roles in civic organizations. KGB agents infiltrated clubs, and even recreational gatherings were considered suspect if they weren't explicitly aligned with Party goals.

Assembling to speak against the regime became illegal in Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union. Currently, in the United States, it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. As long as there is a threat of tyranny, exercising that right is an act of resistance. Gathering to meet with like-minded individuals may sound trivial at first, but it is very powerful once you begin to bring people together.

Pick a place, schedule a time, and invite your friends to a gathering. It’s that simple.

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Liking, sharing, or commenting on this post IS an act of resistance. Corridor Rabbit is meant to serve as a casual guide for how to start and grow an informal resistance group. It is not authoritative; it is a live journal documenting our efforts. It is a call to action. It's an invitation to connect and share what you are doing to resist authoritarianism. Read more about the goals of Corridor Rabbit. Before you subscribe to this Substack, understand that your email address is added to a subscriber list. We will never share the list, but there is always the possibility that it could be hacked or seized. As a best practice, we will not use the specific names of people in resistance groups, and we will not use this forum to talk about specific plans of action. We design our illustrations with the help of AI.