Bash the Fash

In memory of Charlottesville and the murder of Heather Heyer this time last year, and the upcoming Unite the Right #2 this year, here are 2 great documentaries on the rise of fascism in Amerika and the fierce resistance to it, since the election of Trump.

 

Attacking someone for an opinion, even a disgusting one like nazism, is still wrong.

 

I <3 Antifa

Their thuggish brutality and overt bigotry drive peaceful, sensible people from socialist causes every day.

 

Indeed. It's not about having an unpopular or somehow dangerous perceived opinion that makes it smart and righteous to attack or bash. It's how people or a group goes about acting on such an opinion.

 

Are you sure? They tend to get their arses whooped from the boneheads quite regularly.

 

In all seriousness (which your post doesn't really tries or deserves but just in case): what kind of socialist causes are you thinking of here? Because sensible people acknowledge the use of socialist causes in western society. Only stupid uniformed people think in absolute forms of socialism vs. capitalism or a socialist cause or effort. We've been over this several times in other threads and you seemed to acknowledge it in the end. But then you can't help yourself apparently and try your same old shit again.

Your supposed conviction that sensible people get driven away from socialist causes by a group like Antifa is really arguable. Most likely wishful thinking or just another silly bait attempt. Sensible constructive people often are not even busy with Antifa in any way. People like you are.

 

Antifa has proven themselves time and time again, that they are not interested in debate and discussion. Their message is loud and clear: deplatform and silence people they disagree with, threaten their events with violence, carry out acts terrorism against average folks they disagree with. Meanwhile left wing politicians and media shine these people under a good light.

Most people are not like this. And when they see the blatant hypocrisy and the true acts of fascism coming from those who claim to be antifascist, they will walk away.

I used to be one of Antifa's most outspoken critics. But then I realized they are their own worst enemy.

 

Yeah.. are you sure you're reacting to my post? That reaction is not really about what i said is it. Except maybe this line:

Which is just a similar claim you already hinted at and my post was already reacting to.
My post was about your assertion that antifa drives sensible people away from socialist causes and that that's why you love them so much. But most sensible people are not that busy with Antifa (you are though). Certainly not in a way you are insinuating. Namely that these sensible people are/were inclined to dig socialist causes but are driven away from that by groups like Antifa.

You may be confusing things. They will walk away from groups like Antifa and distance themselves from real leftwing fascism. Not socialist causes.

 

Not surprising that a thread about a young woman murdered by a neo nazi has been hijacked and twisted around to be about the group who didnt murder anyone

 

How so? Opinions can reflect evil and do a lot of harm. The person holding them may be redeemable, and we should really attack the opinion but love the sinner (i.e., hope (s)he repents. But people need to take responsibility for their opinions as well as their actions.

 

At some point we might bring up the pathetic turnout for Unite The Right 2--fewer than two dozen white righters, badly outnumbered by hundreds of counter-demonstrators, and they went home early because of the rain. One might think that if such a ballyhooed event attracted so few people, an organizer with any sense would have called it off at the outset, and claimed fake news. Most of the Stormer types distrust Jason Kessler, the organizer, and each other. Richard (Hail Trump!) Spencer, who joined him in organizing last year's event, likewise, seems to be a has been, if he ever was anything--the Vanilla Ice of the AltRight. Such dweebs.

 

I'm talking about physically attacking or harrassing someone. Bash away at a person's ideas, but if you so much as touch him physically, I'll defend his right to say it.

 

Pretty much if you want to inflict harm, you're a shit **** and there's a lot of shit cunts on this site and in the world. There are varying degrees of the shit ****, but really, they're all still shit cunts.

 

Me, too.

 

Yes! All the work anti-fascists and anti-racists have been doing the last couple years has paid off with the complete destruction of the fascist street movement in the US, as Okiefreak pointed out above: The DC Unite the Right was a complete failure for the fascists.

And for anyone who is wondering why a fascist street movement can't go unapposed or why the spreading of ideas (and actions) promoting murder and genocide is wrong (and dozens of other misconceptions of anti-fascism), should immediately check out this podcast: CrimethInc. : #58: Not Your Grandparents’ Antifascism : Reflections from the front lines, refuting corporate media, and where to go from here

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^“Only, 30 Unite the Right demonstrators showed up for the rally.”^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


And with good reason, many of the white supremacist marchers from last year were recognized by their employers and were summarily fired from their jobs.

 

Flash the Gash

 

The thing is, most peaceful people on the center-right want nothing to do with Nazis and white power brutes, and do whatever they can to distance themselves from these assholes. Whereas the left (for the most part) has not yet disavowed the violently bigoted gangs that come from their side of the spectrum. I like that Bernie Sanders at least has spoken out against Antifa, whereas the rest of the corporate left does what they can to empower these hooligans.

 

I haven't seen "most people on the right" distancing themselves from the neo-Nazis, neo-Confedrates, or AltRight. When did that happen? I think "the left" has done at least as much distancing from Antifa as your "center-right" has from the Alt right. The Prez certainly didn't do much distancing when he said that there were some fine people marching In Charlottesville. His later comments in response to a public outcry were half-hearted and ambiguous. As AltRight Unite the Right organizer Richard Spencer noted trump never denounced the AltRight. Richard Spencer: 'Trump has never denounced the Alt-Right' However some prominent Democrat political leaders have denounced Antifa. You mentioned Bernie. Nancy Pelosi has also denounced Antifa in no uncertain terms.Nancy Pelosi denounces leftist Antifa, calls for prosecution Four major liberal media outlets have denounced Antifa: MSNBC, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and New York Magazine. Four Major Liberal Outlets Denounce Antifa "The left" is not an organized group with a common mind that goes around embracing or distancing themselves from anything. It's an amorphous aggregation of individuals who are lumped together as an expression in political discussions. Same goes for your "center-right". I wouldn't expect either of them to be taking positions on anything, because they don't exist as organized entities in the real world. But many mainstream actors who are usually thought of as "left" seem to be pretty united in opposition to Antifa. The left seems pretty united in opposition to antifa

Nor is Antifa the equivalent of the racist right in terms of scale of violence. As has been mentioned by another poster, it was a Nazi sympathizer— not an antifa activist—who murder ed a woman in Charlottesville. Right-wing extremists committed nearly three-quarters of the 372 politically motivated murders recorded in the United States between 2007 and 2016. Left-wing extremists committed less than 2 percent.

I think Asmodean is spot on. Most normal people don't think much about Antifa because they have nothing to do with it. You bring it up., because it functions as a bogeyman in your propaganda. This has become a Fox news talking point, like the War on Christmas, and true to form, you've simply picked it up and broadcast it here. When will Fox denounce the Alt Right.? Did it denounce the Unite the Right rally? And there is no evidence at all that anyone espousing positions associated with "the left", which I take it would include liberals and social democrats, is walking away from the left because of Antifa, although they may be turned off by Antifa. Your argument makes no sense, and has no evidence to support it.

 

Here are some report-backs from the heartfelt demonstrations against fascist organizing on the anniversary of Unite the Right and the murder of Heather Heyer. Anti-fascists and anti-racists completely destroyed the violent and murderous fascist street movement which grew to catastrophic size until they started getting opposed and defeated in the streets, now they're nothing. I wonder how many people would be dead if the liberals and centerists had their way?

CrimethInc. : The Hotwire #32: August 15, 2018 : Summer in Review—Antifascists in Charlottesville & DC—2018 Prison Strike

This Is America #25: Setting the Record Straight on Cville - It's Going Down

CrimethInc. : "Last Year They Came with Torches—This Year They Come with Badges" : A Report from Charlottesville, August 11, 2018

Perspectives on the August 12th Anti-Fascist Mobilization in DC - It's Going Down