Editing Affinity group (section)

==Political affinity groups==

Affinity groups engaged in political activism date to 19th century [[Spain]]. It was a favourite way of organization by [[Anarchism in Spain|Spanish anarchists]] (''grupos de afinidad''), and had their base in the [[tertulias]] or in the local groups.<ref>{{Cite web|title=rantcollective.net|url=http://ww12.rantcollective.net/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519032829/http://www.rantcollective.net/article.php?id=33|archive-date=May 19, 2006|website=ww12.rantcollective.net}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2025|reason=Cited source is the dead website of an obscure activist collective.}}

Politically oriented affinity groups in the United States gained public attention during the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The term was first used by [[Ben Morea]] and the group [[Black Mask (NYC)|Black Mask]]. Later, [[Peace movement|anti-war]] activists on college campuses organized around their hobbies or backgrounds -- [[religion|religious]], [[gender]], [[ethnic group]], etc. They became popular in the 1970s in the [[anti-nuclear]] movement in the [[United States]] and [[Europe]]. The 30,000 person occupation and blockade of the Ruhr nuclear power station in Germany in 1969 was organized on the Affinity group model.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Starhawk.org : Affinity groups|url=http://www.starhawk.org/activism/trainer-resources/affinitygroups.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060828113336/http://www.starhawk.org/activism/trainer-resources/affinitygroups.html|archive-date=August 28, 2006}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2025|reason=Cited source is a self-published post on an activist's personal website.}}<ref>[http://www.uproot.info/affinity.html Uproot : Affinity groups]</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2025|reason=Cited source is a self-published post on an obscure old website.}} Today, the structure is used by many different activists: [[animal rights]], [[environmentalism|environmental]], [[anti-war]], and [[anti-globalization]], to name some examples.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

The 1999 [[WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity|protests in Seattle]] which shut down the [[WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999]] included coordinated organization by many clusters of Affinity groups.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aidc.org.za/?q=book%2Fview%2F136 |title=Seattle prepares for battle - Trade before freedom |access-date=2021-04-01 |archive-date=2020-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025105132/http://aidc.org.za/?q=book%2Fview%2F136 |url-status=dead }}</ref>