Antifascist Action

[[File:ANTIFA Memorial Adelsdorf.JPG|thumb|right|165px|''Antifaschistische Aktion'' memorial in Adelsdorf, Germany]]
{{politics}}
{{cquote|I'm gonna tell you fascists<br>You may be surprised<br>The people in this world<br>Are getting organized<br>You're bound to lose<br>You fascists bound to lose|||{{w|Woody Guthrie}} song, ''All You Fascists Bound to Lose''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcKwGS7OSQ "All You Fascists Bound To Lose"]. ''YouTube''.</ref>}}
{{cquote|I should be at home smoking [[weed]] and cleaning my apartment, but these fucking [[Nazi]]s are ruining my goddamn weekend. Goddamn Nazis.|||Sign spotted at an antifascist counter-protest.<ref>[http://i.redd.it/iz03wc9ehym31.jpg Fascist v. Antifascist]</ref>}}

'''Antifascist Action''' ('''Antifa''',{{efn|Can also be all-lowercase, i.e. ''antifa''.}} '''AFA''', or simply '''Anti-Fascism''') is a global movement of [[left-wing]] activist groups that has the primary aim of "smashing [[fascism]]"<ref>Compare: [https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2017/03/23/antifa-a-new-political-resistance/ Antifa: A New Political Resistance?] (2017-03-23): "[...] Antifa groups in the Bay Area and Southern California share the common goal of ‘smashing fascism’ with groups from across the country, such as NYC Antifa."</ref> in all its forms. The claimed "fascism" the collective primarily opposes includes various forms of oppression (especially [[racism]], but also [[sexism]], [[homophobia]], and in recent times, [[Islamophobia]]), along with government corruption, global [[capitalism]], and [[war]].

The contemporary American movement grew out of '''Anti-Racist Action''', which began in the 1980s and confronted the [[Ku Klux Klan]] and neo-Nazi [[skinhead]] groups. In Europe, it grew out of opposition to [[Nazi Party|the original]] [[Mussolini|fascists]] in the 1920s and 1930s.<ref name="Radio4">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/X56rQkDgd0qqB7R68t6t7C/seven-things-you-need-to-know-about-antifa "Seven things you need to know about Antifa"]. ''BBC Radio 4''.</ref><ref name="ConversationStani">Stanislav Vysotsky (June 9, 2020). [https://theconversation.com/what-or-who-is-antifa-140147 " What – or who – is antifa?"]. ''The Conversation''.</ref> While the contemporary, organized (or [[Leaderless resistance|not-so-organized]]) movement tends to be dominated by leftist elements like [[communist]]s, [[anarchist]]s, socialists, and some [[social democrat]]s, throughout history anti-fascist fronts have included liberals, small-R republicans, and even some conservative or nationalist elements who were simply opposed to fascism. This was especially the case in situations where fascists held state power, which to put it politely, pissed some more people off than just commies.

The movement and its local cells (real or imagined) within it have been the subject of many [[hoax]]es,<ref>[https://www.snopes.com/tag/antifa/ Articles tagged "Antifa"], ''Snopes''.</ref><ref>(July 5, 2020). [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53299847 "Gettysburg 'flag-burning hoax' sees armed far-right groups assemble"]. ''BBC News''.</ref> often originating from [[neo-Nazis|about who]] [[White nationalists|you might expect]],<ref name="Gallagher">Erin Gallagher (October 9, 2020). [https://mediamanipulation.org/case-studies/butterfly-attack-origins-fake-antifa-social-media-accounts "The Media Manipulation Casebook: Butterfly Attack: The Origins of Fake Antifa Social Media Accounts"]. The Technology and Social Change Project (Shronstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School).</ref><ref>Ben Collins, Brandy Zadrozny and Emmanuelle Saliba (June 1, 2020). [https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/twitter-takes-down-washington-protest-disinformation-bot-behavior-n1221456 "White nationalist group posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter"]. ''NBC News''.</ref><ref>Graham Kates (June 2, 2020). [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-fake-antifa-acount-white-supremacists-removal/ "Twitter says fake 'Antifa' account was run by white supremacists"]. ''CBS News''.</ref><ref>(September 14, 2017). [https://www.masslive.com/news/2017/09/fake_boston_antifa_group_who_c.html "Fake Boston Antifa group, which claimed credit for anti-racism banner at Red Sox game, is actually run by right wing trolls"]. ''MassLive''.</ref> then gaining currency through [[social media]] or even outlets like [[Fox News]].<ref name="Gallagher"/> Although anti-fascist groups are rarely violent overall, often focusing on arts or fostering inclusive spaces instead of violent confrontations with fascists, some are more militant and violent.<ref name="ConversationStani"/>{{efn|The latter is more common from Antifa in continental Europe.}} Militant groups are part of the black-clothed antifa known as "{{w|black bloc||",}}<ref name="Radio4"/> the typical subject of hoaxes and general [[media]] attention, made easier by their willingness to engage in extreme tactics, and by their decentralized nature (a lesson also faced by [[Anonymous]]).

==History==
Anti-fascist coalitions have generally existed wherever they had reason to. In the 1920s–1930s, broad anti-fascist fronts existed among [[Italian]]s, for instance the {{w|Arditi del Popolo}} (1921-1924) and the {{w|Concentrazione Antifascista Italiana|Concentrazione d'Azione Antifascista}} (Anti-Fascist Action Concentration, 1927-1934).

The name 'Antifascist Action' (''{{w|Antifaschistische Aktion||''}} in German) appeared in [[Germany]] in 1932, and was a moniker used by the German Communist Party (KPD) of the German Weimar Republic. The purpose of AFA was to present a militant alternative to the brutality of the [[Nazi]] Party SA goon-squads against [[communists]] and leftists. The German AFA was short-lived, being shut down by the Nazis in 1933. There was also the {{w|Iron Front}} which opposed both the Nazis and communists.

During [[World War II]] and the run-up to it, a number of groups labeled "anti-fascist" appeared all over the world to oppose fascist governments, for instance the {{w|Anti-Fascist Organisation}} that resisted the Japanese Empire, the {{w|Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee}} in the Soviet Union, or the {{w|Anti-Fascist Committee for a Free Germany}} (a group of former Wehrmacht members).

In the United States, there have been several precedents to AFA, going back to the Americans in the {{wpl|Abraham Lincoln Brigade}} who fought [[Franco]] in the [[Spanish Civil War]]. ''Mother Jones'' has a rather incomplete chronology of "Nazi Punching in America".<ref>[http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/04/timeline-anti-fascists-nazi-punching/ Left Hook: A Brief History of Nazi Punching in America: Forty years of leftists fighting neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and assorted white supremacists] by Wes Enzinna (May/June 2017) ''Mother Jones''.</ref> The roots of modern antifa probably started in Britain in the mid-1970s with {{wpl|Rock Against Racism}} and the [[Socialist Workers Party]]'s {{wpl|Anti-Nazi League}} (later known as {{wpl|Unite Against Fascism}}).

In 1985, an AFA collective began in [[Britain]] which comprised numerous [[anarchist]], [[Leon Trotsky#Trotskyism|Trotskyist]], and other left-wing groups. AFA was active in brawls with [[Neo-Nazi]] organisations such as the [[National Front]] and had numerous violent confrontations, such as an attack on a Neo-Nazi in 1990 which resulted in lengthy [[prison]] sentences for several anti-fascist activists.<ref>Birchall, Sean, Beating The Fascists: The Untold Story of Anti-Fascist Action (London: Freedom Press, 2010) p. 195</ref>

==Present day==
[[File:Antifa 2008 Köln.jpg|thumb|left|165px|Antifa in Köln, Germany (2008)]]
AFA has continued to maintain a presence in Germany, and since the 1990s, collectives have developed in other countries, including [[Sweden]],<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRnaKisibYU Clearly labeled Antifascists in Sweden</ref><ref>[http://antifa.se ''Antifacistisk Aktion'' (website in Swedish)]</ref> [[Denmark]],<ref>[http://www.antifa.dk ''Antifacistisk Aktion'' (website in Danish)]</ref> and [[Australia]].<ref>[https://antifaaustralia.wordpress.com/ ''Antifa Australia'' WordPress blog] as well as that of the [https://antifascistactionsydney.wordpress.com/ Sydney branch]</ref> The Antifa movement also exists in [[Greece]], where its supporters sometimes clash with [[police]] and with [[nationalist]]s.<ref>http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/02/02/greek-riot-police-clash-with-anti-fascists/</ref><ref>http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/09/25/teargas-and-molotov-in-athens-antifa-protest-picts-video/</ref><ref>https://abcamsterdam.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/mkz-greek-antifa-benefit-2/</ref>

Australia's AFA collectives gained strong media exposure in 2015-16 following several rallies conducted in cities across the country by AFA activists, in response to the growth of the far-right white-nationalist [[Reclaim Australia]] and [[United Patriots Front]] movements. During some far-right rallies, as in Bendigo, Antifa activists arrived to confront nationalists, causing violent confrontations and numerous arrests. Antifa or Antifa supporters celebrated their confrontations with nationalists, posting some online.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW6wBYH67rA</ref> Antifa's Sydney collective, Anti Fascist Action Sydney, got into additional violent clashes with nationalists at the now defunct far-right [[Party For Freedom (Australia)|Party For Freedom]]'s 10th anniversary commemorations of the 2005 Cronulla race-riots.<ref>http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cronulla-riots-rally-outnumbered-on-anniversary-20151212-glm0ac.html</ref> In 2018 Antifa activists in Sydney established a community action group in response to the newly-established white-nationalist "Lads Society", the successor-organisation of the United Patriots Front. 

[[File:Antifa group shot.jpeg|thumb|Even [[DAESH|ISIS]] terrorists are afraid of these guys<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/untold-story-syria-antifa-platoon-666159/ The Untold Story of Syria’s Antifa Platoon], ''Rolling Stone''</ref>]]

AFA protesters have a tendency to form a "black bloc", a tactic which involves masked participants dressing in black, largely for protection of identity.<ref>https://melbourneantifascists.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/why-masks/</ref><ref group=note>Which is illegal in several countries with {{wpl|Anti-mask laws}} such as in Germany.</ref> Protesters usually chant and carry banners advocating for the overcoming of the racist far-right.

Despite not being an organisation and having no official leadership or hierarchical structure in place, Antifa gained the distinction of U.S. President [[Donald Trump|Donald "Some Neo-Nazis Are Very Fine People" Trump]] singling it out as a "domestic [[terrorist]]" movement. The [[New Jersey]] Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness,<ref>[https://www.njhomelandsecurity.gov/analysis/anarchist-extremists-antifa Anarchist extremists: Antifa]</ref> as well as the [[Homeland security|DHS]] and the [[FBI]], associate Antifa with "domestic terrorist violence".<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/antifa-domestic-terrorists-us-security-agencies-homeland-security-fbi-a7927881.html Antifa: US security agencies label group 'domestic terrorists', Lucy Pasha-Robinson, 3 September 2017]</ref> In May 2020, during the U.S.-wide protests that took place after the extrajudicial killing in police custody of [[George Floyd]], an African American man, Trump stated in a [[Twitter|tweet]] that the US Government would be "designating Antifa as a terrorist organisation".<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/31/trump-antifa-terrorist-organization-legal-292785 Trump says he's naming antifa a 'Terrorist Organization.' Can he do that?]</ref>

==Criticism==
Criticism of the AFA movement has come mainly from the [[Right-wing|right]] wing.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/noam-chomsky-antifa-major-gift-right-wing-anti-fascist-alt-left-a7906406.html Noam Chomsky: Antifa is a 'major gift to the right', Maya Oppenheim, Tuesday 22 August 2017]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmpqnxpYUqA The Daily Show: Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Antagonists of the Alt-Right]</ref><ref>[https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/08/thinking-strategically-about-free-speech-and-violence Current Affairs: Thinking Strategically About Free Speech And Violence, August 20, 2017]</ref><ref>[https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2017/8/29/16216346/antifa-violence Vox: The case against antifa, German Lopez on August 29, 2017]</ref> Although criticism of modern European Antifascist movements is often based on the violent action they take to advance their position, including carrying illegal weapons to combat opponents and breaking into houses of suspected Neo-Nazis,<ref>http://www.vice.com/video/the-rise-of-swedens-far-left-militants</ref> shootings of [[Golden Dawn]] members,<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-poll-idUSBRE9AF0BX20131116</ref> as well as chasing protestors,<ref>http://video.news.com.au/v/433685/IRELAND-Pegida-Demonstrators-Chased-Through-Dublin-by-Protesters-February-06-PROFANITY</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/10153502393856939 Many condemn violence by Antifascists</ref> violent disturbances with nationalists and police,<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FDyr3jGLRM Projectiles fly in Britain</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2t4O0CDR50 Scuffles in Dover, England</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l5bSl6dxUU</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvbIBg5wGvA Antifascists vs Water Cannons</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iE8rIbz3D0 Riot Police vs Antifa in Frankfurt, Germany</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuKMREabaQg Antifa goes wild in Berlin</ref> plus "patrols" against,<ref>http://insurrectionnewsworldwide.com/2016/02/11/greece-anti-fascist-patrol-in-athens-video/</ref> causing serious injury to,<ref>https://www.facebook.com/Antifaukupdates/photos/pb.646983938751308.-2207520000.1456044139./903384933111206/?type=3&theater</ref><ref>https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/07/portland-man-indicted-in-connection-with-violent-june-29-protest.html</ref> and generally aggressively opposing nationalists.<ref>http://www.theladbible.com/articles/scousers-corner-neo-nazis-at-white-man-march-in-liverpool</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KapgdLhnuaw</ref> 

However, there are legitimate criticisms from other leftists who are somewhat sympathetic to the fight against fascism but are not in the group nor see violence as an acceptable solution to the mission. The main criticism and claim is that when Antifa initiates violence, it is counter-productive because it makes the fascists and racists look like victims — which [[Persecution complex|is what such people are actually counting on]]. Some Antifa Facebook pages advocate and depict violence, destruction, and theft of property against fascists,<ref>https://www.facebook.com/ANTIFA.CZ</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/Antifaukupdates</ref><ref>https://www.facebook.com/AntiFascistActionSydney/photos/pcb.1216716771689670/1216716531689694/?type=3&theater</ref> while others publicly identify fascists from demonstrations, many of whom attempt to conceal their identity.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/NEantifascistsUK/photos/a.776463099116390.1073741828.776459395783427/933787036717328/?type=3&theater</ref> The Swedish Antifascist organization Revolutionary Front accepts violence in its declaration of principles, stating it recognizes all struggle methods and sees peaceful resistance and [[revolution]]ary violence as equal.<ref>https://revfrontorg.wordpress.com/information/</ref> 

Elements of Antifa have at times initiated violence, known as {{wpl|squadism}} in the [[UK]],<ref>{{wpa|Anti-Fascist Action}}</ref> and the decentralized nature of Antifa means that it's difficult to interpret who is Antifa and who has just showed up to start fighting. The groups that Antifa has protested against, however, have a long and brutal history (e.g., [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[KKK]]) associated with their ideologies that continues to this day (e.g., [[Aryan Circle]], [[Operation Red Dog]], [[Anders Behring Breivik]], and [[Varg Vikernes]]). Consequently, it is unsurprising that most Antifa-aligned groups argue that violence is necessary to combat the influence of fascism and believe that purely peaceful methods simply do not work against fascist groups.

However, antifascist activism has also been linked to a reduction of open fascist activity. One notable case is [[Richard Spencer]] canceling university trips because of antifascist opposition.<ref>https://archive.ph/neFjG</ref> Antifascist activism has been linked to a reduction of open Neo-Nazism in the punk scene during the 1980s,<ref>https://archive.ph/oJQW4</ref> and militant Jewish antifascist activism led to decreasing support for [[Oswald Mosley]]'s fascist movement during the 1940s.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csv25d</ref>

===Internal divisions===
[[File:Antifa-Demo.jpg|thumb|right|165px|The anti-Deutsch, pro-Israel wing of Antifa co-opting a slogan by the German [[anti-nuclear]] wing in protest of Iran's program to develop nuclear capabilities]]

Antifascist groups usually agree on very few things and there is no such thing as "national headquarters", and even local groups are often best understood as a coalition of disparate groups allied for a common goal or even a single demonstration that don't see eye to eye on other issues. Groups that are subsumed under the "Antifa" label can be as diverse as unreformed [[Stalin apologetics|Stalinist tankies]], green-leftist ecological activists in the vein of [[Greenpeace]], or hedonistic leftists who consider the former two buzzkills. While conflicts are usually ignored during common demonstrations against fascism or "fascism", they sometimes break out into the open even then. Some specific Antifa groups may only be anarchist or communist, or can include a mixture of individuals with different persuasions across the left. Problems include tactical considerations such as which form(s) of violence — if any — should be considered, as well as ideological differences and the uneasiness of some [[libertarian]] leftists to march next to someone holding a hammer and sickle banner. As per the usual, the stance on [[Israel]] is also a hot button issue, especially if someone brings an Israeli flag or wears a {{wpl|keffiyeh||.}} The oddity comes from a left-wing German anti-nationalist group, the {{wpl|Anti-Germans (political current)|Antideutsch}} (Anti-Germans), which argues that modern leftism is too critical of Israel and thus too [[Antisemitism|antisemitic]], and that Germans did not do enough to renounce their Nazi pasts. This led to some unorthodox and seemingly contradictory positions, such as opposing [[Pan-Arabism]] and [[Iran]] due to their hostility towards Israel, but supporting [[Slobodan Milošević]] and [[Serbia]] during the [[Yugoslav Wars]], which they view as victims of Nazism.

==Conspiracy theories==
A common conspiracy theory in parts of the right is that "the" Antifa is financed or works in the employ of "them": the government, [[Globalisation|globalists]], elites, [[George Soros]], or — even more tellingly — "teh [[International Jewish conspiracy|Jooz]]". The idea that Antifa is supported by any of these entities is preposterous because receiving financial support from these particular entities would be anathema to Antifa's anti-[[capitalist]] politics.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-antifa/2020/09/11/527071ac-f37b-11ea-bc45-e5d48ab44b9f_story.html Five myths about antifa] by Mark Bray (September 11, 2020 at 6:28 a.m. PDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref>  Despite the patent ridiculousness of those claims, various non-right wing people frequently allude to this and "leak" ridiculously fake "evidence" for the government financing "the" Antifa and "ordering" violence or property damage.

Liberal commentator Robert Reich — normally a strident critic of conspiracy theories — has promoted the claim that Antifa are financed by the far right. Urging readers to "Connect these dots," he laid out alleged parallel goals of Antifa at UC Berkeley and ''Breitbart'' news.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/robert-reich-who-sent-thugs-berkeley-552577 Robert Reich, "Who Sent the Thugs to Berkeley?" Newsweek, 2/14/17]</ref> Some on the left, particularly in Berkeley, have criticized him for this.<ref>[http://www.dailycal.org/2017/02/09/robert-reich-publishes-controversial-theory-regarding-yiannopoulos-demonstration/ Aleah Jennings-Newhouse, "Robert Reich publishes controversial theory regarding Yiannopoulos demonstration" The Daily Cal, February 9, 2017]</ref><ref>[http://www.leftvoice.org/Disappointing-Reactions-to-the-Anti-Milo-Berkeley-Antifa-Action Hart Eagleburger and Jack Rusk "Disappointing Reactions to the Anti-Milo Berkeley Antifa Action" Left Voice, February 16, 2017]</ref>

Most interestingly, when people started to realize there was no way to back their ridiculous conspiracy theories, the far right started making their own "Antifas" on the internet<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170910050245/https:/twitter.com/KekistanANTIFA "Kekistan Antifa" Twitter account @KekistanANTIFA as seen on Sep. 10, 2017. Accessed Sep. 18, 2019.]</ref> and raiding antifascist rallies. The most notable example is a group of right wingers who showed up to a protest and unfurled a banner that promoted pedophilia (they must have an interesting relationship with the [[Pizzagate]] pushers) right in front of a cameraman, who immediately forwarded the picture to Mike Cernovich, who they were protesting against. Today, that image is a gospel truth of the right.<ref>[https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/antifa-pedophilia-poster/ "Did Antifa Bring a Pro-Pedophilia Poster to a Rally?"]. ''The Daily Dot''. 31 October 2017. Retrieved on 23 October 2018.</ref><ref>Weill, Kelly (31 October 2017). [https://www.thedailybeast.com/alt-right-frames-protesters-as-pedophiles-with-fake-nambla-sign "Alt-Right Frames Protesters as Pedophiles With Fake NAMBLA Sign"]. ''The Daily Beast''. Retrieved on 23 October 2018</ref><ref>Singal, Jesse. [http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/10/pro-pedophile-columbia-students-rumor.html "This Might Be the Most Insane and Depressing Fake-News Story Yet"]. ''nymag.com''. Retrieved on 23 October 2018.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Andy Ngo]], one of antifa's biggest haters
*[[Black Lives Matter]], a (usually) nonviolent alternative (but [http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40930831 sometimes] supportive of the Antifa movement)
*[[Direct action]]
*[[No platform]]
*[[November 4th Antifa Civil War]]

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgwS_FMZ3nQ The Philosophy of Antifa], [[Philosophy Tube]]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltTOcXgW584 Antifa O P T I C S], Thought Slime
*[https://progressive.org/latest/the-long-history-of-antifa-jaffe-170913/ "The Long History of Antifa"], interview with a historian who studied the movement

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Anarchism]]
[[Category:Civil rights]]
[[Category:Communism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorist scapegoats]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Left-wing activists]]
[[Category:Political activists]]
[[Category:Social justice]]

Categories: Anarchism, Civil rights, Communism, Conspiracy theories, Conspiracy theorist scapegoats, Fascism, Left-wing activists, Political activists, Social justice