For several years we have warned that Antifa cells were moving from mass movement protest tactics to small cell violent direct action, including firebombing police cars, pregnancy resource centers, and Tesla dealerships, and now attempted murder of police.
These warnings aligned with the historic practice of the New Left communist urban guerrillas from which Antifa is a direct linear descendant, as we proved in testimony submitted to the U.S. Senate.
This was also the conclusion of the German ministry of interior as early as 2020, which my colleague @JMichaelWaller was first to report, making available in English translation intelligence reports on the growing threat of Antifa violence. centerforsecuritypolicy.org/germany-sees-l…
We’ve provided this information to hundreds of local, and state agencies as part of our law enforcement program. Antifa remains our most requested briefing subject because, officers tell us they just can’t get the info anywhere else. centerforsecuritypolicy.org/policy-law-enf…
We have also consulted with state legislators on anti-terror and anti-rioting legislation which has passed in multiple states, and which directly counter and criminalize Antifa tactics. centerforsecuritypolicy.org/center-for-sec…
Warning has been provided, and off the shelf and easily customizable legislative solutions are available. Now action has to be taken.
I recently finished “Thou Shalt Kill” by Professor Anna Geifman on terrorism in the Russian Revolution, and I think it has some notable observations for us today. Here’s a thread on some thoughts: 🧵
The period most think of as “The Russian Revolution” (meaning February Revolution) was preceded by an extensive period of destabilizing violent Left Wing terrorism.
Violence was most extensive on the periphery of the empire and in many places it was difficult to distinguish between terrorism and sheer banditry, but attacks also took place in the urban areas.
This is a tremendously important deal. Some folks might be tempted to frustration because they don’t know these groups by name or may ask why these cells are being individually labeled instead of a broad designation.
.@StateDept had to get this right, and proceed in an unimpeachable way, in a situation where the government has literally never done any serious intelligence collection on Antifa, ever.
This gets our foot in the door to start collections on Antifa internationally and opens up the larger Antifa network to secondary sanctions, aimed at the groups that provide material support and bind the various action cells together.
Some of the groups organizing resistance to the Trump deportation effort including the Los Angeles Riots, have direct ties to foreign communist networks and the supporters of Cold War guerrillas that launched the concept of “sanctuary” for illegal aliens. My latest:
As @HawleyMO looks to track down the financial networks behind those organizing anti-ICE riots, I note that the ideological and historical connections are perhaps even more revealing. Consider the background behind CHIRLA, whose founder was buried under a communist guerrilla flag
Or Union Del Barrio, which openly advertises its commitment to revolution and its participation in a front group for the autonomous insurgents of the EZLN in Mexico, and links to the Cuban led “Alba Movement” that helped organize illegal migrant caravans.
.@securefreedom emphasized early on, terrorism is about achieving a desired end state. In large part, U.S. strategy for dealing with Jihad was to surrender to the jihadist’s desired end state while spending billions in blood and treasure to kill the jihadists fighting for it.
It’s trite because everyone says it, but war (and terrorism) is the continuation of politics. The problem over the past 2+ decades is U.S. war aims became solely about process, not end-state. So if you kill to impose sharia we don’t like your process. But if you vote for the sharia-mandated constitution we drafted for your country, that’s stellar!
This view has infected Americans to a wide degree. We’re now largely okay with people conspiring to impose sharia, or wage communist revolution, as long as it’s done “democratically.” You elected an Islamist Muslim Brotherhood mayor? How quaint. Your city council is 90% Maoist? Charming!
With due respect to Elon, this represents a mistake everyone is making in the USAID conversation. The left does not seize power to make money. The left expropriates money and resources to recruit, indoctrinate, train and reward cadres.
The $ is not what is important to the left. What is important is the people and organization that money helps buy. The left knows that people X organization= Power. Money can sometimes buy those things, but not always.
This incorrect analysis has everyone thinking that the tail is wagging the dog. The view that USAID is directing a hydra of non-profit fronts to wage color revolution on behalf of some clever plan of the USG has things completely reversed.
This attack on the White House had a very specific purpose. It blew up any hope of Trump utilizing the insurrection act to get the riots under control in blue states where governors were refusing to act.
Trump hit blue governors hard on getting the riots under control using the NG, but they were resistant. After the attack on the WH and the clearing of the park, pressure was brought to bear on DoD until they publicly began leaking that they would not support use of the insurrection act to end the multi-city riots.
So riots continued. I often get asked “what is the purpose of the violence and chaos?” You have to look at the totality of the circumstances and see the how the media and political allies of the Antifa types utilize the opening created by violence to achieve a political outcome.