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Based on ethnographic research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council this article defines the nature of the British direct action movement, interpreting its protests in terms of the strategic rationales given by its activists. The breadth of the movement's targets distinguishes it from pressure groups and makes it harder to apply conventional notions of success and failure to its actions. Most activists are young and, in previous generations, most had moved on to less demanding forms of action after a decade. Direct action groups are typically involved in a range of practical community projects as well as protest and are much less isolated from ties with other groups than is often thought. Direct action protest has become more frequent and the intensity of intra-movement divisions has reduced. Although more provocative than other forms of protest, direct action has come to be an important means of voicing concerns largely excluded from the political mainstream, with evidence of significant public support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]