BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

'By any means necessary' is a translation of a phrase coined by the French intellectual Jean Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands.
It entered the popular culture through a speech given by Malcolm X in the last year of his life.
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“Any means” is generally considered to leave open all available tactics for the desired ends, including violence. However, the “necessary” qualifier adds a caveat—if violence is not necessary, then presumably, it should not be used.
The name BAMN, or "By Any Means Necessary", was adopted by a radical organization which used intimidation, disruption, and the threat of violence in its unsuccessful attempts to oppose the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. This initiative was nevertheless approved by a substantial majority of that state's voters and became law in 2006, legally ending race preferences ("affirmative action") for admissions to the University of Michigan and terminating their use in contracting and other activities by government agencies in Michigan.

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