What is Deep Green Resistance?
Our world is in crisis. Mass extinction, topsoil loss, deforestation, rising seas, ocean acidification, global warming. It’s no exaggeration to say that the dominant culture is killing the planet.
Deep Green Resistance (DGR) is an analysis, a strategy, and an organization — the only organization of its kind.
As an analysis, DGR explains that “the culture of empire”—civilization—is the social structure that is responsible for destroying life on Earth. By recognizing the roots of the problem, we can create a meaningful strategy to address it.
As a strategy, DGR offers a concrete plan for how to stop the destruction through a two-pronged approach: an “aboveground” movement engaging in organizing, nonviolent direct action and resistance, and building of alternative institutions such as food, housing, and medical systems; and an “underground” wing committed to strategically dismantling the institutions killing the world—using non-violent, coordinated dismantling of industrial infrastructure.
As an organization, Deep Green Resistance is committed to the aboveground portion of this strategy.
Our Work
In order for the planet to survive, we must act in its defense. This is why Deep Green Resistance educates and organizes to confront the power structures—patriarchy, capitalism, industrialization, and civilization—largely responsible for the plunder of land and people. Deep Green Resistance focuses on the following:
Education: Community outreach to develop cultures of resistance and educate about the necessity of both an aboveground and an underground that can target the strategic infrastructure of industrialization.
Mutual Aid: Development of alternative institutions for survival and community defense.
Action: Campaigns to save land and species and to stop injustice and the destruction of the planet. We maintain a firewall between our members and any groups or individuals who may be engaged in underground action.
The Deep Green Resistance Book
You can read Deep Green Resistance online for free, purchase the ebook, or buy a physical copy of the book. All proceeds from books purchased through our website go directly to support the organization.
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Statement of Principles
The soil, the air, the water, the climate, and the food we eat are created by complex communities of living creatures. The needs of those living communities are primary; individual and social morality must emerge from a humble relationship with the web of life. Civilization, especially industrial civilization, is fundamentally destructive to life on earth. Our task is to create a life-centered resistance movement that will dismantle industrial civilization by any means necessary. Organized political resistance is the only hope for our planet. Deep Green Resistance works to end abuse at the personal, organizational, and cultural levels. We also strive to eradicate domination and subordination from our private lives and sexual practices. Deep Green Resistance aligns itself with feminists and others who seek to eradicate all social domination and to promote solidarity between oppressed peoples. When civilization ends, the living world will rejoice. We must be biophilic people in order to survive. Those of us who have forgotten how must learn again to live with the land and air and water and creatures around us in communities built on respect and thanksgiving. We welcome this future. Deep Green Resistance is a radical feminist organization. Men as a class are waging a war against women. Rape, battering, incest, prostitution, pornography, poverty, and gynocide are both the main weapons in this war and the conditions that create the sex-class women. Gender is not natural, not a choice, and not a feeling: it is the structure of women’s oppression. Attempts to create more “choices” within the sex-caste system only serve to reinforce the brutal realities of male power. As radicals, we intend to dismantle gender and the entire system of patriarchy which it embodies. The freedom of women cannot be separated from the resistance to the dominant culture as a whole.
Code of Conduct
Organized political resistance is the only hope for our planet. Our task is to create that resistance movement. With this goal in mind, we agree to adhere to the following code of conduct in our organizing groups: Character: DGR is a serious undertaking that requires loyalty, commitment, integrity, and courage. Being in an organization doesn’t mean that everyone will like everyone else. Members are expected to treat everyone with respect and are required to participate in conflict resolution if requested by the Board. Liberty: DGR groups have a zero-tolerance policy for abuse of anyone, human or nonhuman. Physical integrity and emotional safety are basic human rights that DGR is sworn to defend. DGR will banish any members who rape, batter, or abuse any living creature. The psychology of male supremacy, with its violation imperative has to be abandoned personally and dismantled globally. Political Action: DGR groups will only engage in aboveground, nonviolent activities. These can be legal demonstrations as well as civil disobedience. Security: All DGR members are required to abide by principles of security culture and to address breaches directly. Both lax security and paranoia are dangerous to our organization. All non-political illegal activity puts everyone at risk and is inappropriate for members. DGR groups are required to educate new members on security culture.
