The Illegitimacy of violence, the violence of illegitimacy

The following is an excellent text written by Crimethinc on the dynamics of legitimacy and violence in social movements. While most writings on the subject tend to focus on the historical or strategic necessity for violence and self-defence, this piece takes a slightly different tack, choosing instead to focus on the ways that proponents of Nonviolence position themselves with regards to questions of legitimacy, and how this functions to isolate and expose to State repression more radical, revolutionary, or "proletarian" elements.