what is ANTIFA

[brettdale]

On twitter "Berkeley protests" are trending, and there a lot of posts about a protest group
called ANTIFA, that people are labelling terrorists.

One video has an asian american man, wearing a white surgical mask, he seems to be acting peacefully,
but gets arrested for not taking off his mask.

What are the protests actually about?

[NurseJackie]

1. Anti Fascism? Anti First Amendment? Anti Fettuccine Alfredo?

I'd never heard of them either.

I had to look it up on Google... here's what I found:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ANTIFA&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Antifa may refer to: Anti-fascism, the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa

[sweetloukillbot]

5. That's it - they're basically there to punch Nazis

I think it's less general mayhem than the Black Bloc protesters, and more akin to soccer hooligans - specifically looking to fight alt-Right assholes.

[maxsolomon]

11. they are there to RESIST rightists.

not fight them. they have a militant stance and are ready to defend themselves. their main foes are neo-Nazi skins. like fucking Stormfront.

FFS, just go ask some of them. here's one that got shot protesting Yiannoppoulis: https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/26/headlines/seattle_2_charged_in_shooting_of_antifa_protester_at_milo_yiannopoulos_speech

Antifa are your allies.

[radius777]

16. Exactly, the Antifa movement started (iirc) in Europe

to resist the various alt-right/fascist/neonazi movements that began there awhile before ours.

Although Antifa tends to be associated with the anarchist-left, it really is not an ideological movement, aside from opposition to fascist intimidation and thuggery.

I'm pretty sure that with the rise of the alt-right in this country we're going to see a corresponding rise in Antifa.

[Jim Beard]

21. To answer one question in the header, "One video has an asian american man, wearing a white

surgical mask, he seems to be acting peacefully,but gets arrested for not taking off his mask."

I saw this tactic used before at a demonstration I was in several years ago. Most likely the person the cops are arresting for doing nothing is a cop, one of their own. It gives a chilling effect to those around who knew the guy was doing nothing but the cops arrest him anyway.

[Lint Head]

2. Anti Frankie Avalon?

[Sculpin Beauregard]

3. the whole Berkeley thing is histrionic.

It's finance students vs. Film studies students, lol

[Blue Meany]

4. I think they are mostly anarchists, who are the protesters you

see who are typically wearing masks or gas masks, dressed in black, sometimes wearing helmets and protective gear, who are more ready to receive and engage in violence than others in protests--in my experience.

[juxtaposed]

6. Anti Fascist, They hate nazis, skinheads, any racist group, any nationalist. They will not

stand idly by if they hear any of the above groups are meeting.

They are a good group in my opinion

[ck4829]

22. +1. The 2016 "election" showed us the mistake of giving these scumbags any platform.

[Henry Krinkle]

7. A bunch of shit stirring thugs and cowards that hide behind masks and hoodies.

Their preferred method of protesting consists of sucker punching people from behind
then running off, ganging up on individuals when they outnumber them 3-1, throwing
M-80's, bricks and bottles into crowds, etc.

They tend to get easily frightened and apprehensive when there's any chance that their identity's
will be known, hence the masks. What frightens them even more, is the 1'st amendment and free
speech.

It's only a matter of time before they can bite off more than they can chew... well actually, they
already have, but they're too stupid to realize it and eventually it's going to come back and bite
them in the ass big time.

[juxtaposed]

8. You seem to know a lot about ANTIFA and all negative?? Everything you have posted lately has

been against ANTIFA but, backing the alt-right free speak. Your history speaks for it self..
Are you here to mix it up or what?

[maxsolomon]

10. Is that you, Mark Hokoana?

please continue with your no doubt well-informed opinions based on actual experience with Antifa.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. I have been to to two protests since Chump was (s)elected.

I prefer em non-violent.

[maxsolomon]

30. I'm sure the dude that elizabeth hokoana shot prefers non-violence as well

violence was visited on Antifa, not vice-versa.

and: you've been to 2 protests since 2000? wow.

[JHB]

9. Anti-fascists who thought that used too many characters on Twitter?

[the1observant]

12. ANTIFA is supposed to be...

ANTIFA is supposed to be 'Anti-Fascists Activists', but they sort of evolved into haters against Republicans / Conservatives / or anybody appearing to support Republicans / Conservatives with those lame 'Make America Great Again' hats (yes, I think those are dumb too, but it's just a stupid hat).

I think they started out good, but went totally bad when they began threatening to stab people, calling anybody a fascist who doesn't agree with their views, and basically hate the corporate sector of America and any regulation that supports Corporate America.

In fact, it's their organization and those behaving like them which have turned me away from the Democratic Party. It's also caused me to question any liberal views I might have, although I still have a few I just can't let go.

So now ANTIFA is just a Political Terrorist Group looking for a Civil War. We can arrange it, if that's what they really want. Not a problem.

So, what is ANTIFA? ... They're basically lunatics begging for a bullet to take them out of their misery. I would prefer to send them to a psychiatrist, but my humanitarianism is running pretty low these days as my patience has already ran out. Mr. Nice Guy has left the building!

[womanofthehills]

14. Antifa "went totally bad" - give me a break!!

You are "questioning your liberal views" because Antifa is choosing to fight fascism. Personally, I think fascism needs to be fought. The last thing we should do right now is to be sweet to the fascists.

[NutmegYankee]

18. LOL! A non-affiliated anarchist group made you turn away from the Democratic Party.

[ck4829]

19. Isn't it weird how antifa protests makes people question their "liberal views", but...

you don't see Trump supporters questioning their views after a fellow Trump supporter shoots up a mosque or a bar? (And a coffee shop yesterday)

Why do you suppose that is?

[ck4829]

29. So no takers?

This is something I genuinely wonder about, just seems a little strange, right?

[PaintedSkies]

24. Wut?

In fact, it's their organization and those behaving like them which have turned me away from the Democratic Party. It's also caused me to question any liberal views I might have, although I still have a few I just can't let go.

I'm not a Democrat, I'm an independent but I also know that ANTIFA has NOTHING to do with Democrats. Absolutely zero. They are anarchists of the far left and I'm quite unsure why you would equate them with Democrats. There is no relation there at all.

[womanofthehills]

13. Antifa - Twitter and Facebook

https://twitter.com/nycantifa?lang=en

https://twitter.com/phillyantifa?lang=en

Berkeley Antifa https://www.facebook.com/berkeleyantifa/

[romanic]

15. A lot of things.

Soros stooged. Right-wing agents. Trust-fund anarchists. "Anti-Fascists" fascists. Losers in black. I could go on and on.

[maxsolomon]

31. You seem to have a lot of personal experience with them.

since you could go on and on, please tell us more about how they're stooges of George Soros, fellow liberal.

[romanic]

32. George Soros is no liberal.

[Lee-Lee]

17. It's many of the same folks who show up as "Black Bloc" protestors out for violence

A mixture of far left leaning anarchists and communist activists who show up prepared for violence and to destroy.

They typically all wear black with masks on or on hand as a way to confuse police, with a favorite tactic to be for one to engage in an act of violence or destruction and then quickly drop back into the crowd of others wearing black where they then all move fast and in a confusing way so police cannot track the one individual they are after.

Most ANTIFA types are your hard core communists who preach for revolution or the hard core anarcho-communists who believe in some sort of combination of anarchy and communism or socialism where somehow there is no government but there is communism or socialism. I'm still not sure how that is supposed to work.

But for the most part it's nothing new. It's the same people who always shown up in all black and masks at protests and endge them toward violence or outright start it, just with new twitter accounts and since the election a bit more active and aggressive.

[ck4829]

20. Better than PROFA

AKA the Dylann Roof and Adam Lanza Wannabes that is the Alt Right.

[PaintedSkies]

25. Rock chuckers at WTO conferences.

[yodermon]

26. Sounds like agents provacateurs to me. n/t

[HoneyBadger]

27. The protests are about inciting revolution

http://www.wral.com/florida-man-pleads-guilty-to-inauguration-day-rioting/16671129/

The tactics are questionable

[Qutzupalotl]

28. While I agree with their name, their tactics are deplorable.

I mean, sure, who doesn't hate fascists?

Antifa and the alt-right are too quick to resort to violence and destruction. Now we have afull-on melee in the streets of Berkeley. Antifa tars our movement of peaceful protest and turns the public against us, so FUCK them!

[AmandaRuth]

33. i am not really sure, but yesterday, a friend sent me this text from the marches in Seattle

"Word on the street is that antifa and protrump smoked a joint together and now everyone is super chilled out. Bless this stupid fuckin city"

[CupcakeQueen]

34. Antifa are honestly just people who are willing to get the job done.

There are talkers and there are doers. They are doers. Take aim at their tactics, they've opened themselves up to it, but they are doers.