Antifa’s name sounds like something out of Orwell’s
1984 Ministry of Truth. It means “anti-fascist” but they actually behave like–and clearly are–fascists themselves. The name Antifa apparently came from post-war Germany in 1946, created to combat lingering Nazism. The name was subsequently picked up when Trump was elected.
This outfit is only the latest manifestation of various left-wing, anti-capitalist groups going back to the early 1900s. Leaning toward communism, they justify their efforts these days as fighting “white nationalism,” or more vaguely the alt-right or “white supremists”. In reality they are a left-wing terrorist organization that has absorbed the anarchists. They are also the culmination of the Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movements.
The first direct-action groups got started in the UK. The ALF (Animal Liberation Front) was a violent group supposedly defending the rights of animals. In the US, this secretive, loosely-organized group became the ELF or Earth Liberation Front. They committed a number of violent crimes like burning down a ski lodge, some condos in CA and a plant research lab in Wisconsin where a young student was killed. The FBI got called in and they eventually arrested a bunch of them and the rest went deep underground.
The Anarchist Federation came into prominence in the UK in 1960 and later started protesting the WTO, who promoted free trade through the Multilateral Trading System. The left, unions, communists and environmentalists opposed “globalization”, essentially free trade, and started violent protests. The anarchists started traveling all over Europe to wherever their meetings were being held.
In the fall of 1999 the WTO meeting was scheduled for Seattle and a massive protest got organized. In addition to the usual suspects in objecting to “globalization”, unions, environmentalists and the Black Block (anarchists) formed into the DAN, or Direct Action Network, a confederation of anti-corporate, anti-authoritarian and anarchist groups. They had a detailed plan on what they were going to do and the police were totally reactive, outnumbered and overwhelmed. They blocked the intersections and the hotels where the delegates were staying, preventing them from getting to the meeting. They rampaged through downtown damaging business, starting fires and overturning cop cars. Governor Locke called in the National Guard to quell the riot. Only 24 of the protestors were charged and the liberal prosecutor turned them all loose.
These direct action organizations are the overt manifestation of the attitude now pervasive on college campuses where speakers of conservative leanings are routinely shouted down by self- absorbed, ignorant, pampered snowflakes. Free speech? If you disagree with them, you have no right to voice your opinion. First Amendment? Furgetaboutit!
The Antifa low-life get a pass from the left wing media because they are deemed to be fighting white nationalism. The truth is, they violently oppose conservatives. It no longer matters to them if you simply have a different point of view, they want to beat the shit out of you, if necessary, to silence you.
The anarchists now have a safe place to hide with covered faces and to wreak havoc with impunity. The liberal press and local governments give them a pass.
The battle at Berkley, black dressed and masked Antifa protesters raged through town in protest of conservative Milo Yiannopoulos. OK, Milo is a bit over the top, but these days if you don’t like a speaker’s point of view, you make it impossible for him to speak. No more of the “let’s have a debate”. Nope. You won’t be allowed to even open your mouth or you will be drowned out. The radical students call this “deplatforming”; shouting down to battle “fascism and Nazism.” University administrators are so spineless (and probably agree with the students anyway) that they do nothing. The cost to the university for security cost a million dollars and many times that for the damage to local business and property.
The latest violent outrage by these cowards happened recently in Portland, a city that is not new to Antifa protests.
Andy Ngo, a reporter for the Quillette online newspaper that focuses on science, technology, culture and politics, was filming a protest by Antifa in downtown Portland. Andy is Asian, gay, and maybe weighs 130 lbs with his pockets full of sand. He is also a conservative, and for that, the Antifa bullies decided to beat the shit out of him and steal his camera equipment. The police stood by and watched him get pummeled and did nothing to help the guy. He wound up in the hospital with bleeding on the brain.
The Portland police chief says the Mayor Ted Wheeler had told them to stand down. Considering the other stuff that goes on in this town, I tend to believe the chief.
These guys are getting out of hand and need to be stopped.
With faces covered and dressed from head to toe in black, it’s difficult to identify them, and now they are taking to wearing helmets, carrying shields and armed with heavy sticks. They are itching to bust some heads and break something.
There are federal laws that give police grounds to arrest them. 18 USC 241 allows for the arrest for “anyone depriving anyone of their rights on the highway or premises”. Further, 42 USC 1985 (3) allows for the arrest of anyone wearing a mask or disguise while committing the violation. That one was put in to combat the Ku Klux Klan wearing their masks.
The 18 USC 241 does not require an overt act and is always a felony violation. A felon loses his right to vote and to own or carry a firearm. You cannot go to Canada and travel outside the US is difficult but not impossible. Serious shit and one of these round ups should cool the passion of the Antifa crowd.
The next one of these outrages gets started, the police, en masse, should swoop in and round them all up. They might need the National Guard to do the job or call in the police from every surrounding community. They’d probably have to drive them into a box canyon in the city to corner all of them and pull them out one at a time to arrest and haul away. Probably have to use tear gas and fire hoses to keep them from breaking out. Photographed and finger printed and locked up until their hearing might sober them up a little.
You couldn’t count on the mayors of west coast cities to do this. These are federal crimes and should be stopped by the feds and prosecuted in federal court. Enough is enough.