Ok, enough of this bullshit. I'm fed up. The argument that Antifa are fascists has to be one of the most goddamned ridiculous I've ever heard.
Let's compare them to one of the most widely-accepted yardsticks for a fascist movement - Umberto Eco's 14 points.
Let's compare them to one of the most widely-accepted yardsticks for a fascist movement - Umberto Eco's 14 points.
You can find Eco's full 14 points here. I'm going to compare each point to both the Nazis and Antifa as movements. openculture.com/2016/11/umbert…
1. The cult of tradition.
The Nazis - Worshiped & venerated German history & a prehistoric Aryan tradition. Valued families.
Antifa - Honestly couldn't give a fuck most of the time, often challenge tradition within context of other activism.
Nazis 1, Antifa 0
The Nazis - Worshiped & venerated German history & a prehistoric Aryan tradition. Valued families.
Antifa - Honestly couldn't give a fuck most of the time, often challenge tradition within context of other activism.
Nazis 1, Antifa 0
2. The rejection of modernism.
The Nazis - Considered jazz, art and other media 'degenerate', saw Judaism as creating a rotten modern culture.
Antifa - Arguably constantly push progressive causes and multiculturalism, via their activism.
Nazis 2, Antifa 0
The Nazis - Considered jazz, art and other media 'degenerate', saw Judaism as creating a rotten modern culture.
Antifa - Arguably constantly push progressive causes and multiculturalism, via their activism.
Nazis 2, Antifa 0
3. The cult of action for action’s sake.
The Nazis - Saw a great value in actions to get them into the spotlight, via marches, rallies, charitable drives.
Antifa - Yeah, okay, Antifa love direct action.
Nazis 3, Antifa 1
The Nazis - Saw a great value in actions to get them into the spotlight, via marches, rallies, charitable drives.
Antifa - Yeah, okay, Antifa love direct action.
Nazis 3, Antifa 1
4. Disagreement is treason
The Nazis - Beat, killed dissenters in their street-fighting days, imprisoned them in Dachau as early as 1933.
Antifa - Get two Antifa in a room and there'll be a raging argument. Try it.
Nazis 4, Antifa 1
The Nazis - Beat, killed dissenters in their street-fighting days, imprisoned them in Dachau as early as 1933.
Antifa - Get two Antifa in a room and there'll be a raging argument. Try it.
Nazis 4, Antifa 1
5. Fear of difference.
The Nazis - Hated Jews, Communists, Roma, Sinti, Homosexuals, the Unemployed...
Antifa - Accepts and often comprises Jews, Communists, Roma, Sinti, Homosexuals, unemployed... and much more!
Nazis 5, Antifa 1
The Nazis - Hated Jews, Communists, Roma, Sinti, Homosexuals, the Unemployed...
Antifa - Accepts and often comprises Jews, Communists, Roma, Sinti, Homosexuals, unemployed... and much more!
Nazis 5, Antifa 1
6. Appeal to social frustration.
The Nazis - Leveraged the anger of the German people at their defeat and treatment by the Allied powers to come to power.
Antifa - Just hate fascists. That's all. They know what they can do.
Nazis 6, Antifa 1
The Nazis - Leveraged the anger of the German people at their defeat and treatment by the Allied powers to come to power.
Antifa - Just hate fascists. That's all. They know what they can do.
Nazis 6, Antifa 1
7. The obsession with a plot.
The Nazis - Saw the world as ruled by a cabal of evil Jewish bankers AND Bolsheviks, determined to humiliate Germany.
Antifa - Don't much care, just want Nazis out of their neighbourhoods, towns, cities.
Nazis 7, Antifa 1
The Nazis - Saw the world as ruled by a cabal of evil Jewish bankers AND Bolsheviks, determined to humiliate Germany.
Antifa - Don't much care, just want Nazis out of their neighbourhoods, towns, cities.
Nazis 7, Antifa 1
8. The enemy is both strong and weak.
The Nazis - They considered Jews both an inferior race & simultaneously controlling the world, dominating Europe.
Antifa - Yeah, okay, Antifa take the piss out of Nazis while seeing them as a threat, you can have that.
Nazis 8, Antifa 2
The Nazis - They considered Jews both an inferior race & simultaneously controlling the world, dominating Europe.
Antifa - Yeah, okay, Antifa take the piss out of Nazis while seeing them as a threat, you can have that.
Nazis 8, Antifa 2
9. Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy.
The Nazis - Told Germans that if they didn't turn against the Jews, they were complicit in their imaginary schemes.
Antifa - Yes, Antifa tend to think that if you let Nazis be, you're complicit in their growth.
Nazis 9, Antifa 3
The Nazis - Told Germans that if they didn't turn against the Jews, they were complicit in their imaginary schemes.
Antifa - Yes, Antifa tend to think that if you let Nazis be, you're complicit in their growth.
Nazis 9, Antifa 3
10. Contempt for the weak
The Nazis - Euthanised the disabled as part of Aktion T4, saw them as burdens. Imprisoned the mentally ill in concentration camps.
Antifa - Stand up for the differently-abled, those struggling with mental health difficulties.
Nazis 10, Antifa 3
The Nazis - Euthanised the disabled as part of Aktion T4, saw them as burdens. Imprisoned the mentally ill in concentration camps.
Antifa - Stand up for the differently-abled, those struggling with mental health difficulties.
Nazis 10, Antifa 3
11. Everybody is educated to become a hero.
The Nazis - Individuals are singled out, venerated - see figures like Horst Wessel.
Antifa - Collective action is the norm, heroes rarely if ever emerge.
Nazis 11, Antifa 3
The Nazis - Individuals are singled out, venerated - see figures like Horst Wessel.
Antifa - Collective action is the norm, heroes rarely if ever emerge.
Nazis 11, Antifa 3
12. Machismo and weaponry.
The Nazis - Worshipped the male form, promoted masculine sports & pursuits through Pimpf & Hitler Jugend, tapped into German weapons culture.
Antifa - Comprise women, don't venerate weapons as an integral part of what they do.
Nazis 12, Antifa 3
The Nazis - Worshipped the male form, promoted masculine sports & pursuits through Pimpf & Hitler Jugend, tapped into German weapons culture.
Antifa - Comprise women, don't venerate weapons as an integral part of what they do.
Nazis 12, Antifa 3
13. Selective populism.
The Nazis - Claimed to represent the German people, continuously featured their representation in media.
Antifa - Wear bandanas heaps, often try not to be identified by security services. Trade on the name, not who they are.
Nazis 13, Antifa 3
The Nazis - Claimed to represent the German people, continuously featured their representation in media.
Antifa - Wear bandanas heaps, often try not to be identified by security services. Trade on the name, not who they are.
Nazis 13, Antifa 3
14. Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak.
The Nazis - Introduced their own vocabulary, phrases into the language - plenty of euphemisms, see 'relocation East'.
Antifa - Ok, often insist on politically correct or gender-neutral language. You can also have this one.
Nazis 14, Antifa 4
The Nazis - Introduced their own vocabulary, phrases into the language - plenty of euphemisms, see 'relocation East'.
Antifa - Ok, often insist on politically correct or gender-neutral language. You can also have this one.
Nazis 14, Antifa 4
I'm mostly going to let the numbers speak for themselves. Both Antifa and Nazism were and are ideological movements, so there are going to be some similarities, but Nazism meets Eco's definition of what fascism in ways that Antifa can't even begin to touch.
Yes, Antifa may seem uncouth. Yes, they sometimes use violence. Sure, sometimes they drown out other voices. They're not here to bring balance to the Force though, dickheads - they're here to get rid of modern-day fascists!
So don't be a fucking idiot. Antifa are nothing like Nazis. Pull your head in. Behave. FIN.
PS. If you're condemning Antifa, while doing fuck all to challenge Far Right movements, you aid the Far Right. Ergo, get fucked.
PPS. Republish, reinterpret, remix - do whatever you want to this. It's for everyone.
