We're All Antifa (Allegedly)

The Trump Regime can’t define it. That’s the point.

For years, concerns trolls loved to write me and say something along these lines: I agree with you about white supremacists and neo-nazis, but what about antifa? Aren’t they just as bad?

My response is always the same: Please explain to me what antifa is. You’ll be shocked to learn that, as of yet, no one has given me a good answer. Most of the attempts at an explanation don’t make sense.

As a reminder, antifa isn’t an organization. There’s no headquarters, not even a PO box. Antifa is short for anti-fascist. It’s a global decentralized movement and philosophy. Activists and organizers who identify with Antifa work to stop the spread of fascism and the harm fascists bring to communities. For those sincerely looking to learn about antifa, I highly recommend the book To Catch a Fascist by reporter Christopher Mathias.

Anti-fascists don’t exist without fascists. As Clint Watts, a former US intelligence officer who has trained law enforcement, likes to point out, “I always like to remind people when they hear antifa, that means anti-fascist, which is in response to another. So if you have antifa, then you have ‘fa’ — or as in fascist, which comes down to white supremacy.”

The lack of a central organization and means to defend itself as a movement has made anti-fascist activists an easy target for the Trump Regime and MAGA. The first Trump administration liked to blame everything on antifa. Starting with the hate rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that anti-fascist researchers and activists had repeatedly tried to warn city officials about beforehand. But over the course of Trump’s term antifa would be blamed for everything from Black Lives Matter protests to forest fires. Much like “woke”, it became a catch-all term that didn’t mean much of anything other than something Trump and MAGA wanted to brand as the enemy.

This time around, the Trump Regime has declared that antifa is a domestic terror organization via executive order. (All while pardoning those responsible for January 6, many of whom were actively involved in domestic terror organizations.) The order directs “all relevant executive departments and agencies shall utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any illegal operations…including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations.”

Since, again, there’s no antifa organization, it’s easy to dismiss Trump’s executive order as meaningless. But under his direction, federal agencies are running with it. This week, federal prosecutors in Minnesota charged 15 anti-ICE protestors with having ties to alleged antifa groups. One of those charged is an employee of the state of Minnesota. But as Ken Klipperstein pointed out in his newsletter, at the press conference announcing the indictment, prosecutors couldn’t answer basic questions about what antifa is, who they are, and if they’ve caused any harm.

Meanwhile, anti-ICE protestors in Texas were handed down sentences of more than 50 years, for a slew of criminal charges around a July 4 protest at an ICE detention center. Significantly more than the toughest convictions of the January 6 insurrectionists. Prosecutors alleged (with no real evidence) that those charged were domestic terrorists and part of an antifa cell. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the convictions as a victory against antifa.

We’re only as safe as our most vulnerable, and since antifa has no meaning, it can be applied to anyone that the Trump Regime deems an enemy. The DOJ’s track record on prosecuting protestors and branding them as antifa terrorists is decidedly mixed, with multiple cases having already fallen apart, but as the convictions in Texas show, not every judge and jury sees through the Regime’s BS.

As this is happening, antifa seems to be having an “I am Spartacus” moment with people showing up to No Kings protests wearing Grantifa t-shirts, holding up anti-fascist signs, and telling media outlets they are proud to be antifa. Antifa has never been more mainstream, which gives me a chuckle but might frustrate actual antifa activists who tend to be anarchists or, at the very least, would consider themselves much further left than your average No Kings Day participant.

Whether you’re an anarchist, a democratic socialist, a normie moderate Democrat, or even a former Republican who is willing to call out fascism for what it is, the Trump Regime considers us all enemies. And when the regime comes for us, we’ll all be antifa. Solidarity with one another and against the regime is the only way forward.

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Antifa doesn't have a PO box. CARD does.

Well, technically, CARD has an ActBlue link, but you get the idea. If the Trump Regime is going to call all of us antifa anyway, we might as well make it worth their while. Ctrl Alt-Right Delete isn’t just commentary, it’s everything you need to help fight the MAGA Right, free every week, because readers like you fund it. Not owned by billionaires. Not behind a paywall. Just the work.

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ICYMI

• YouTube Doesn’t Wanna Be AM Radio Anymore (Garbage Day)

• Mothering as a Judge in an Era of Death Threats (19th News)

• What Online Platforms Can and Must Do to Help Mitigate Escalating Political Violence (Tech Policy Press)

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Coda

My World Cup fever continues, and I am not ashamed. By day, I’m Team Fed Up, and by night, I’m at Lee Greenwood levels of sports patriotism for Team USA. It’s a weird time to be an American, but I’m rolling with it. And experiencing it all in Seattle continues to be an absolute blast.

Normally, I’d take next weekend off for the holiday weekend, but I’m working on a special post for America’s 250th birthday. Feel free to read it when you’re back online after some well-deserved rest. Take care until then.