The critics of Antifa have failed the most elementary test of both politics and morality: drawing a clear line between those who are carrying out great crimes (in this case with the backing of the state4) and those who are opposing those crimes. This has to be a bright dividing line in any movement that has any hope of stopping the monster. To quote a statement on the Refuse Fascism website:
Don't allow the ruling forces, or any other force, to divide us or pit us against each other. Don't fall for "divide and conquer" schemes and divisive actions, reject and rise above petty disputes and sectarian squabbles--reach out BROADLY to UNITE ALL WHO CAN BE UNITED, from different perspectives and viewpoints, around the great unifying objective of driving out, through massive, sustained political mobilization, this regime which has already done such great harm and which poses a grave threat to humanity.
In fact, to answer Noam Chomsky, it is precisely the "divide and conquer" devices of isolating sections of the resistance to fascism, to conciliating in its repression, that are a "gift to the right!" Let's get right down to it here. The people who joined in, or allowed themselves to be used, in the attacks this past week are taking Martin Niemà ¶ller's famous verse 5--starting with "first they came for the communists, but I was not a communist so I did nothing, then they came for the Jews, etc."--and making it even worse: "then they came for the Antifa, and I joined in the attack." Wake the hell up! Don't do this!
Point Number Four: It is, in fact, not enough to just stand up against Trump's minions in the streets and develop networks of solidarity. There must be a major political movement, drawing in everyone from Antifa to Indivisible to democrats, liberals, and disaffected and disgusted Republicans, going into the streets in a determined way, night after night and day after day, refusing to be "turned around."
It is time now for everyone who is sickened by this nightmare of a regime, no matter what your project today or your vision for tomorrow, to come together for what might well be one of our last best chances to END THIS NIGHTMARE. It is time to get organized. It is time to be part of November 4, to throw in, to give your all to it to drive out the Trump/Pence fascist regime.
Humanity--today and in the future--is counting on us.
1. The following has appeared at www.revcom.us:
What IS Fascism?
Fascism is the exercise of blatant dictatorship by the bourgeois (capitalist-imperialist) class, ruling through reliance on open terror and violence, trampling on what are supposed to be civil and legal rights, wielding the power of the state, and mobilizing organized groups of fanatical thugs, to commit atrocities against masses of people, particularly groups of people identified as "enemies," "undesirables," or "dangers to society."
At the same time--and this can be seen through studying the examples of Nazi Germany and Italy under Mussolini--while it will likely move quickly to enforce certain repressive measures in consolidating its rule, a fascist regime is also likely to implement its program overall through a series of stages and even attempt at different points to reassure the people, or certain groups among the people, that they will escape the horrors--if they quietly go along and do not protest or resist while others are being terrorized and targeted for repression, deportation, "conversion," prison, or execution. [back]
2. "How (Not) to Challenge Racist Violence," CommonDreams.org, August 21, 2017. [back]
3. Carl Dix has recounted how the fascists in Charlottesville came up to him, and others, and said "We have an oven for you." [back]
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