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1 " Meaningful alliances aren't imposed/ they are consented on. The self-proclaimed allies have no intention to abolish the entitlement that compelled them to impose their relationship on those they claim to ally with.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
― Indigenous Action Media
2 " Ally" here is more clearly defined as the act of making personal projects out of other folks' oppression. These are lifestyle allies, who act like passively participating or simply using the right terminology is support. When sh*t goes down, they are the first to bail. They don't stick around to take responsibility for their behavior. When confronted, they often blame others, and attempt to dismiss or delegitimize concerns.Accomplices aren't afraid to engage in uncomfortable, unsettling, and/or challenging debates or discussion.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
3 " Resignation of agency is a by-product of the allyship establishment. At first the dynamic may not seem problematic. After all, why would it be an issue with those who benefit from systems of oppression to reject or distance themselves from those benefits and behaviors (like entitlement, etc.) that accompany them? In the worst cases, "allies" themselves act paralyzed, believing it's their duty as a "good ally." There is a difference between acting for others, with others, and for one's own interests. Be explicit.You wouldn't find an accomplice resigning their agency or capabilities as an act of "support." They would find creative ways to weaponize their privilege (or more clearly, their rewards of being part of an oppressor class) as an expression of social war. Otherwise, we end up with a bunch of anticiv/primitivist appropriators or anarchy-hipsters, when saboteurs would be preferred.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
4 " Allyship is the corruption of radical spirit and imagination; it's the dead end of decolonization. The ally establishment co-opts decolonization as a banner to fly at its unending anti-oppression gala. What is not understood is that decolonization is a threat to the very existence of settlers "allies." No matter how liberated you are, if you are still occupying indigenous lands, you are still a colonizer.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
5 " The work of an accomplice in anticolonial struggle is to attack colonial structures and ideas.The starting point is to articulate your relationship to indigenous peoples whose lands you are occupying. This is beyond acknowledgement or recognition. This can be particularly challenging for "nonfederally recognized" indigenous people as they are invisiblized by the state and the invaders occupying their homelands.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
6 " Accomplices listen with respect for the range of cultural practices and dynamics that exist within various indigenous communities.Accomplices aren't motivated by personal guilt or shame; they may have their own agenda, but they are explicit.Accomplices are realized through mutual consent and build trust. They don't just have our backs; they are at our side, or in their own spaces confronting and unsettling colonialism. As accomplices, we are compelled to become accountable and responsible to each other; that is the nature of trust.Accomplices Not Allies: Abolishing the Ally Industrial Complex. Taking Sides. "
