Antifa

Antifa is an anti-fascist political movement in the United States. (Other groups have used the same name in Germany and other countries.) The movement is leaderless and comprised by a diverse, broad range of small groups working toward similar objectives. These objectives are achieved through direct action that can be non-violent or violent, with immediate action being favored over efforts aimed at policy reform. Antifa groups are known for their internet activism and militant protests such as the destruction of property and physical altercations. Their primary targets include fascists and racists such as white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and other groups aligning to far-right extremism. The members of Antifa are considered left-leaning in their political beliefs, with some subscribing to far-left ideologies such as anarchism, anti-capitalism, and anti-authoritarianism. The movement does not usually align with the Democratic Party, however.

The Antifa movement has been both praised and criticized for its tactics. It has also been the target of multiple conspiracy theories and discrediting efforts primarily orchestrated by right-wing activist groups. US president Donald Trump repeatedly referred to Antifa as a terrorist organization. The movement was also subject to a number of false flag attacks coordinated via online communities such as 4chan and other alt-right forums.

Background

Anti-fascist movements are a direct response to a political ideology known as fascism, which was established in Italy in the 1920s during the reign of dictator Benito Mussolini. The word fascism derives from the Italian word fascio, which means “bundle.” The term was meant to signify a bundle of people, and the word fascio was used in a number of organization names prior to Mussolini’s appropriation of the term. Mussolini created the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento (Italian Fasces of Combat) in 1919. At his first rally, Mussolini outlined the group’s ideals as being dedicated to “sabotaging the candidacies of the neutralists of all parties by any means necessary.” The fascists considered socialists to be their enemies. Mussolini believed that democracy had failed as a political ideology and considered his ideas to be the solution to a disorganized, powerless state. Fascism emphasized the people’s worship of the nation, claiming that in doing so citizens would rid themselves of class consciousness by putting nation over class.

Fascists organized the murders of thousands of people who identified as socialists between 1919 and 1922. Fascism further devolved into authoritarian leanings once Mussolini became Italy’s prime minister in 1922. He established the National Fascist Party, which believed that any idea that could disrupt national unity needed to be eliminated—violently if necessary. Mussolini even considered violence beneficial to society. Violence was used to suppress ideas or activities seen as a threat to the state. Mussolini also held racist ideas about who exactly should be a part of Italian society. Such ideas would influence the emergence of other oppressive political factions in the years to come, including Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party.

Anti-fascist movements were developed in response to this oppression. Some of the first anti-fascist groups were formed in the wake of World War I as proto-fascist gangs began cropping up in places like Germany and Italy. While in Germany, early Italian anti-fascists went by the name Arditi del Popolo (the People’s Daring Ones), and several factions of anti-fascist groups emerged. One of these early German groups went by Antifaschistische Aktion, from which the modern American Antifa movement derives its name. These early groups persisted through the first half of the twentieth century with the rise of fascism but were often silenced by fascist police and military forces. In Italy, a paramilitary group known as the Blackshirts terrorized anti-fascist groups while a similar group of volunteer soldiers known as the Brownshirts harassed and intimidated anti-fascist and anti-Nazi groups in Germany.

Anti-fascism spread to other parts of Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) as well. One of the earliest and best-known displays of organized Antifa resistance occurred in October 1936 during what became known as the Battle of Cable Street. A large group of anti-fascists in London gathered to protest against a march organized by the British Union of Fascists. Anti-fascist protesters blocked streets and hurled projectiles at more than three thousand fascists as they marched down Cable Street as well as the six thousand police protecting the marchers. Homemade bombs, rocks, full chamber pots, and brickbats were assailed at the fascist marchers, and soon the group was forced to retreat.

Modern anti-fascist activity is often traced back to opposition to white power skinhead infiltration of the punk scenes in England and later in America in the late 1970s and 1980s. It also derives its objectives from anti-neo-Nazi activity that emerged in Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In the United States, left-wing punk fans formed a group known as Anti-Racist Action (ARA) in the 1980s that historians argue inspired the modern Antifa movement in the country. ARA groups traveled with punk bands to protect musicians and fans from harassment by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups and prevent recruitment efforts. The ARA continued to challenge white supremacist groups through the 2000s as its members infiltrated other venues.

One of the first American Antifa groups to identify as such was the Rose City Antifa, formed in 2007 in Portland, Oregon. Antifa activity gained increasing notice among media outlets in the lead-up to the election of President Donald Trump in 2016. Antifa also made headlines for its protests against far-right personalities such as Richard Spencer and Milo Yiannopoulos. Antifa presence was highlighted as various protest events over the next few years, such as the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, and the 2017 Berkeley Protests. Antifa was prominently featured in news coverage of the George Floyd protests that erupted in June 2020. Antifa groups were often blamed for the more aggressive tactics during the protests, such as looting and other violent behavior. A number of journalists criticized this portrayal of the movement, however, noting that the majority of Antifa protesters engaged in non-violent tactics. In 2024, two anti-fascist activists were convicted of conspiracy to riot against supporters of President Donald Trump. They were each sentenced to two years in prison.

Overview

The term Antifa is used to define a wide range of people who harbor left-leaning political beliefs, with some adhering to far-left ideologies. The Antifa movement has no leader or official headquarters, but many groups hold regular meetings to organize action. Due to the broad scale of Antifa groups around the country, it is often difficult to identify a consolidated position among the movement. Its core philosophy is anti-oppression, and Antifa stands against oppressive ideologies such as fascism, racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism as well as systems the movement deems oppressive such as capitalism and police forces. The group supports oppressed populations through a variety of tactics, some of which involve violence against the oppressor.

Antifa activists are often clad in all-black attire, but there is no uniform for Antifa participation. They are often seen wearing masks to hide their identities from police and those they are protesting against. Antifa groups have been known to appear at many high-profile, right-wing events. This has generated controversy and occasional violent backlash. For example, Antifa activists led a counterprotest against hundreds of white nationalists holding a demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. The protests became violent when a man plowed his car through a group of counter protesters.

Antifa has also made headlines for causing property damage during protests. During the Yiannopoulos protests in 2017, black-clad protesters in masks hurled Molotov cocktails at the student union center where Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak. However, most Antifa participants note that violence is normally a last defense against oppression. They often claim that although they do not wish to live in a world where violence is necessary to support change and uphold democracy, they believe that violence has its place in the world in which they live. While right-wing figures such as Trump often called Antifa a domestic terrorist organization, national security experts tended to consider the movement of little threat to the public, especially compared to far-right extremists.

Antifa philosophy is based on the idea of direct action, a type of political act involving the use of physical power to achieve a goal. This is in contrast to tactics such as debates or dialogues that discuss progress and solutions. Antifa groups choose to go where fascism goes in an effort to quash hateful rhetoric and activity. They believe that hate speech is not free speech and therefore the rights of free speech do not apply. If speech is designed to inspire harmful attitudes or actions against others, then Antifa activists believe it is their duty to disrupt these efforts by shutting down events and preventing the spread of such ideas. Protest tactics may vary, but the overall goal remains the same: to subdue fascism and related oppressive systems.

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