ANTIFA – The Anti-Fascist Fascists-Part I

The Antifa movement.

The group dates back to the 1930s when members fought against European fascists, but despite the name of the movement it embraces fascistic tactics as evident during recent actions by the group. Antifa can trace its roots back to Nazi Germany. Although they opposed the Sturmabteilung (SA), or Nazi storm troopers, like the SA they also used violence to intimidate political opponents and break up their meetings and rallies. It could be argued that the ideological distance between Antifa and the now-defunct National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, abbreviated as NSDAP) or Nazi Party, is essentially nonexistent. But who is Antifa today? What does Antifa stand for and what are their overall philosophies?

Antifa is short for anti-fascists. It is a blanket representation for a comprehensive faction of individuals whose political principles lie to the far left of the political spectrum, however, though they do not correspond with the political principles or philosophies of Democratic Party, some members do financially and politically support them.

Members of Antifa claim to stand against what they view as authoritarian, homophobic and racist systems yet, like the Nazis before, their preferred activities include but not limited to threatening non-supporters with violence, especially independent journalists, declaring police officers should be fired, physically harmed and, when necessary, outright killed. Their all-black uniform clothing and ski masks are worn to obscure their outward appearance and to hide their faces from law enforcement, it is also an intimidation tactic, which allows members to move through a protest as one uniformed group as the assault opposing groups, mostly conservatives. Antifa members generally agree that the best way to combat ideas they find odious is not through speech or debate but by direct action and physical confrontation.