Condemn the method, not the message.

Pat Bagley (2017)

Portland, Oregon saw another stand-off this weekend between white supremacist extremists and leftist counter-protests from members of antifa. There was no violence, thankfully. After about 30 minutes of protest, where counter-protesters far outnumbered the fascists, police escorted the right extremist group away. Portland police made only 13 arrests and there were six minor injuries.

Unfortunately, Joe Biggs and his neo-fascist group the "Proud Boys," who organized the weekend event, met their goal. They got the attention and the support from their Supreme Leader, the Mango Mussolini. See Twitler's tweet:

Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an “ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.” Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2019

Of course, true to form, Cheeto Benito was mum on the far-right extremist groups who had planned, organized, and advertised the event, baiting the antifa to show up.


The antifa movement bears some problems, and it is important to acknowledge the movement and condemn the violence that arises from it, for violence is the left's enemy in our fight for justice and freedom. Antifa violence plays into the right's proclivity to false equivalence. Violence from the left is a gift to the right.

Who and what is antifa?

Antifa is short for antifascist (not "anti-First Amendment" as some bozos on FAUX News are calling it). The movement grew during the 1920s in Mussolini's Italy and continued through WWII, when fascist regimes were prevailing in Europe. The movement has never gone away but was quiet for many years, reinvigorated in the 70s and 80s by the punk movement wanting to warn away white supremacist skinheads. In the last two years, of course, antifa has become more visible in the United States now that we have a fascist-tending government. It's important to note that the movement is not an organized group. On the contrary, it's quite anarchist. There is no organization, no leadership, no hierarchy. There are many and various small groups around the country as well as individuals who identify with the movement.

False equivalence #1, illustrated in that dotard's tweet. Antifa is a movement, not an organization. He probably doesn't understand the antifa movement. Or if he does, he is betting that his base does not. A tweet like this only serves to rally his white nationalist friends and rile his racist base. Which groups do have organization, hierarchies, leaders? The hundreds of hate groups throughout the United States comprised of white supremacists. One of the most organized is the Ku Klux Klan.

False equivalence #2. Antifa is not engaged in terrorism. Antifa's willingness to use "physical confrontation" is only toward fascists and their proclivity toward violence. Antifascist individuals use violence, but there has not been one murder arising from the antifa movement. They have a noble mission in destroying racism and hate. We know the real terror threat menacing the country. The greatest terrorist threat in the United States is from white supremacists. That is a fact.


Antifa's mission is the mission of the greater left, and it's a moral mission: to fight against hate, racism, violence against oppressed groups, white supremacy, and fascism. This is a worthy pursuit. The trouble with antifa is that they will do it by any means necessary, including "physical confrontation." That can mean throwing milkshakes or ink at the opposition, or it can mean violence. This type of anarchy is dangerous. Violence is wrong no matter what the message.

Violence also lends victimhood to the extreme right. I'm sure that the "Proud Boys" and their brother groups in Portland were hoping for some kind of violent clash. Their demonstration was simply meant to draw out antifa counter-protesters. A violent end would have given them some justification. Images of violence lend themselves to propaganda from right-wing extremists.

You may remember the Portland protests in November, 2016. A few days after the election, there were peaceful protests that turned violent, with looting and arson. The right grabbed on to this as evidence of their moral superiority. We mustn't let that happen!

Another problem with antifa's violent form of protest is that it is conflated with the more peaceful mainstream counter-protests. All of us peaceful protesters are caught up in the same net as the violent antifa members, in the right's eyes. These perceptions are counter-productive to the lofty goals that the left has: shut down hate and oppression, as well as violence, and work against the fascism and white supremacy to bring equality, freedom, and peace to our land. Violence extinguishes the message of rejecting hate and racism.

Some liberal protesters want to de-stigmatize the word antifa, to extend the identification to be applied to mainstream counter-protesters who also want to smash racism. This is dangerous; it plays into the hands of the right extremists. It's important to keep the term and apply it to the most aggressive and physical. We should distance ourselves from antifa and condemn the violence of the movement.

Violence begets violence. Violence is wrong and must be struck down. We must rebuke the method but not the message. Let our peaceful protests prevail to continue the fight for what is right. Peaceful protest is effective. As we know from history, change can happen through non-violent means.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

You can read more about hate groups from the Southern Poverty Law Center and more about the antifa movement from the Anti-Defamation League. While you are there, throw them a few bucks to carry on the mission of eradicating hate and bringing justice to the oppressed.

#Resist!