Get your Kleenex ready- this one got me. This is a protest song. There has been a lot on the news about Antifa. The majority of what has been said, looking at YOU Kristi Noem, is quite simply lies. Let’s break it down.
Antifa is a more of an ideology than an organization. There is no leader of Antifa. There are individuals who identify as Antifa, or claim to. The usual crime attributed to Antifa tends to be rioting or looting at protests as opposed to shootings or bombings. In fact, law enforcement assessments have concluded that the vast majority of looting and violence during protests was actually perpetrated by general criminals and opportunists, not ideologically motivated individuals. Despite what people like Donald Trump, Stephen Miller and the aforementioned Noem have claimed there is no evidence of an organized Antifa effort. Furthermore, investigations have also revealed instances where white supremacists posed as Antifa members online to try to incite violence. Antifa=Anti Fascist. We quite literally fought the Second World War against fascism. I have two grandfathers and a step grandfather who all served in the US Navy on the side of freedom and democracy. I can’t imagine what they would say to seeing this country, that they gave so much to descending into a pit of fascist bullshit.
What are fascists you might ask? It’s an epithet that is having quite a moment these days, a term getting tossed around a lot. Fascism is a political movement which includes: ultra nationalism, an authoritarian and far-right regime usually with a dictator, and the forcible suppression of opposition. It includes the belief in a national hierarchy and the individual is expected to sacrifice their needs to the State’s. Fascism glorifies the military and violence. Often fascism includes a racial component so that there are “others” to harass, denigrate and attack. It is opposed to socialism, the freedom of speech and the press, and to democracy. One tactic to maintain control of the populace is the identification and suppression of enemies inside and outside the state (basically Us vs. Them). The cult of the leader (sound familiar?) is a defining piece of a fascist state. The leader cannot be criticized and any disagreement is viewed as treason. Rational debate and intellectual discourse are supplanted by violent actions- think shoot first and ask questions later (if ever). The father of the fascist movement was Benito Mussolini. He created the ideology and established the Italian Fascist Party in 1919.
I can remember growing up that quite often the bad guys in the movies were fascists, usually Nazis. The heroes in these same stories were fighting the fascists, or put simply Antifa. The OG Antifa actually. I am for freedom of speech, religion and the press. I am for everyone having their fair share and talking about issues rather than invading our own cities. I am about inclusion, equity, and diversity. I am for tolerance and reasonable debate. I understand that unless you are from one of the actual Native American nations, we are all immigrants.
I am Antifa.
Love is stronger than fear.
