Thread by @DavidNeiwert

An unremarked aspect of this fascinating thread is that the non-appearance of antifascists on the scene Jan. 6, played a critical role in the failure of Trump's coup attempt. 1/

https://twitter.com/matt_cam/status/1534926532342427648

Trump had been building the "Antifa/BLM/Violent Left" narrative all year, but he focused on Antifa particularly after he lost the election, and stepped up the vitriol. 2/

It is now apparent that this was part of his scheme to invoke the Insurrection Act amid massive crowd violence. The Jan. 5 timing of the memorandum declaring Antifa a "terrorist organization" was not coincidental. See the resolution's language. /3
globalnews.ca/news/7557777/t…

Trump supporters eagerly prepared for their designated enemies to turn out in force, and shared “sightings” of them in the days leading up to them. This is was from a prominent QAnon supporter on Jan. 2. /4
justsecurity.org/74622/stopthes…

There was just one flaw with all these plans. Antifascists were able to see Trump’s scheme from miles away, and encouraged all their colleagues to avoid the capital city on January 6. /5

On social media, they shared hashtags like #DontTakeTheBait and #January6TrumpTrap that spread the word. /6

So when the mob gathered on the National Mall on January 6 and headed toward the Capitol, they encountered no resistance from any counterprotesters, much to their surprise. /7

Oath Keepers and Proud Boys alike had been warning each other for weeks to prepare for Antifa or BLM violence. Instead, the only resistance they encountered came from Capitol Police. /8

The first key step in Trump’s plan—for Pence to play along and decline to accept the ballots from the key battleground states—fell apart when Pence did his constitutional duty and certified the Electoral College vote in the Senate. 9/

Then, Trump’s plans to use intended violence between his army of “Patriots” and Antifa as the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act vanished back into the mists of their imaginations.

We were very, very lucky. Credit Trump's foils for seeing through him. /10