Antifa (United States)

This article is about the U.S. political movement. For other organizations with similar names in other languages, see Antifa.

Antifa
Preceded by	Anti-Racist Action
Headquarters	none (autonomous branches throughout the United States)
Ideology	Antifascism Anarcho-communism Anarcho-syndicalism
Political position	Far-left
Colors	Black, red
Politics of United States Political parties Elections

Antifa is a far-left militant political movement of autonomous, self-described anti-fascist groups in the United States. The term is loosely used to refer to anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobia, as well as anarchist and anti-capitalist groups. Unlike the traditional left, the over-riding aim of self-described Antifa groups is to oppose fascism. These groups are usually anti-government and anti-capitalist, and their methodologies are often perceived as more closely aligned with anarchists than the mainstream left.

According to The Economist, the "word Antifa has its roots in Anti-Fascist Action, a name taken up by European political movements in the 1930s" and which was revived in the 1990s, particularly in Germany. Peter Beinart writes that "In the late ’80s, left-wing punk fans in the United States began following suit, though they initially called their groups Anti-Racist Action, on the theory that Americans would be more familiar with fighting racism than fascism." Antifa groups are known for militant protest tactics, including property damage and, sometimes, physical violence, although the vast majority of activities undertaken by Antifa groups are nonviolent. Antifa focuses more on fighting far-right ideology than encouraging pro-left policy.

History

The origins of the American Antifa movement are "unknown", but the tradition is believed to extend back a century in Europe, notably the Antifaschistische Aktion formed in 1930s Germany. Anti-fascists were also involved in battles against Benito Mussolini’s Blackshirts, Adolf Hitler’s Brownshirts and Francisco Franco’s nationalist army. Outside of Europe, anti-fascist tactics were used as a model for anti-Japanese resistance in occupied-China during World War II.

Groups forming in the United States "initially called their groups Anti-Racist Action Network, on the theory that Americans would be more familiar with fighting racism than fascism." In Minneapolis, Minnesota a group called the Baldies in 1987 formed a group with the intent to fight neo-Nazi groups.

Antifa groups either form loose support networks, such as NYC Antifa, or operate independently.

Activity

Damage to a limo during the Donald Trump inauguration in Washington, D.C. on 20 January, 2017.

Antifa is composed of autonomous groups, not a formal organization. Activists typically organize protests via social media and through websites and list-serves. According to Salon.com it is an organizing strategy, not a group of people, and is commonly associated with a willingness to engage in a show of force. Antifa groups have most notably protested the 2016 election of Donald Trump. During the inauguration celebrations mask-wearing black bloc protestors "rage[d] across the area just outside" of the security perimeter, "smashing windows and burning cars."

According to Peter Beinart, Antifa activists "combat white supremacism not by trying to change government policy but through direct action. They try to publicly identify white supremacists and get them fired from their jobs and evicted from their apartments," in addition to "disrupt(ing) white-supremacist rallies, including by force."

In June 2017 Antifa was linked to anarchist extremism by the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Street violence

Antifa protesters participated in the 2017 Berkeley protests where they gained mainstream media attention, "throwing Molotov cocktails and smashing windows." Later, two Antifa groups threatened to disrupt the 2017 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade after hearing that the Multnomah County Republican Party would participate. The parade organizers received an anonymous email, saying, "You have seen how much power we have downtown and that the police cannot stop us from shutting down roads so please consider your decision wisely". The email also said that 200 people would "rush into the parade" and "drag and push" those marching with the Republican Party. The two groups denied having anything to do with the email. The parade ended up being canceled by the organizers due to safety concerns.

Antifa counter protestors at the the far-right 2017 Unite the Right rally In Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017 "certainly used clubs and dyed liquids against the white supremacists." Journalist Adele Stan interviewed an Antifa protester at the rally who said that the sticks carried by Antifa protesters are a justifiable countermeasure to the fact that "the right has a goon squad." Some Antifa participants at the Charlottesville rally chanted that counter-protesters should "punch a Nazi in the mouth."

Approaches

The nature and activities of Antifa have caused some debate among anarchists; the prominent anarcho-communist website It’s Going Down published a critique of Antifa in November 2016 originally from Lucha No Feik, entitled On Antifa: Some Critical Notes. The article criticised Antifa for essentially being a reactive, rather than a proactive force. The article argues that Antifa are too hyper-focused on micro Neo-Nazi groups or single figures such as President Donald Trump, instead of "analyzing the structural nature of our racist society." It's Going Down stated that the Antifa's ideological position was "but a few steps removed from the Liberal position that we should just all get along." It also pointed out that Antifa did not protest against the administration of President Barack Obama. This elicited a response from three active participants in the movement with What do US Antifascists Actually Believe?, where they stated, "Mobilizing large radical movements against neoliberal (or populist) capitalism is not the focus of anti-fascism; this is the work of the anarchist and anti-capitalist movements as a whole."

According to National Public Radio, "People who speak for the Antifa movement acknowledge they sometimes carry clubs and sticks," and their "approach is confrontational." CNN describes Antifa as "known for causing damage to property during protests." Scott Crow, described by CNN as "a longtime Antifa organizer," argues that destroying property is not a form of violence.

According to Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University, San Bernardino, Antifa activists participate in violent actions because "they believe that elites are controlling the government and the media. So they need to make a statement head-on against the people who they regard as racist." According to Antifa organizer Crow, Antifa is based on the idea of direct action, "The idea in Antifa is that we go where they (right-wingers) go. That hate speech is not free speech. That if you are endangering people with what you say and the actions that are behind them, then you do not have the right to do that. And so we go to cause conflict, to shut them down where they are, because we don't believe that Nazis or fascists of any stripe should have a mouthpiece."

Anarchist Extremists Listing

On June 12, 2017, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security described Antifa as anarchist extremists. In a report on its website, the state's Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness details how Anifa violently engages with white supremacist groups across the country:

See also

• Anti-racism
• Liberation theology
• Sanctuary movement
• Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
• Post-WWII Anti-fascism

Further reading

• The Black Bloc Papers: An Anthology of Primary Texts From The North American Anarchist Black Bloc 1988–2005, by Xavier Massot & David Van Deusen of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective (NEFAC-VT), Breaking Glass Press, 2010.