Antifa is not an organization; nobody belongs to it, there are no membership rolls. So you cannot prove you do not belong to it.
If you have shown up to a protest, if you have been in a picture showing you were near a protest, if you have offered first aid at a political demonstration or shown up as clergy support or carried a sign or made a Facebook post or LIKED a post saying you’re against fascism, you could be accused of being a “member of Antifa,” and you can’t prove it’s not true.
If this measure to declare “Antifa” “domestic terrorists” passes, that means you and I can be arrested and prosecuted as “domestic terrorists.” No, really, you too.
We passed a bunch of laws and rulings back in 2002 or so declaring that accused terrorists don’t get due process, and can be held indefinitely without trial, tortured, and so on.
The Trump administration also just declared that they’re opening up the death penalty for federal crimes, like terrorism, for the first time in years.
We have a whole bunch of new for-profit detention camps for holding people in indefinitely without trial, where people are dying right now from nightmarish conditions.
ICE is running around right now, without badges or uniforms or warrants, disappearing people–including US citizens–and locking them up, and fully half their agents belong to a Facebook group where they shared racist jokes, bragged about the violence they’d done to the subhuman animals they’re locking up, and talked about how they wanted to assault and rape political figures they don’t like.
This is a license to lock up and execute political dissenters and community organizers without due process and the pieces have all been put in place to use it.
No, I think Trump is thinking of listing Antifa as a terrorist organisation. Probably not a good idea even though there are some real assholes in it.
There are probably some, perhaps even the majority who think their goal is to be anti fascist, which there is nothing wrong with that sentiment at all. I support all forms of peaceful protests.
Not the violent stuff though and responsible cities with responsible police contain Antifa to an extent they don’t hurt other people or themselves.
Step 1) Create an organization with the purpose to violently attack people seen as opponents
Step 2) Name it “Anti Fascist”
Step 3) “We’re Anti Fascists, ergo anyone against us is a fascist!!1 cHeCkM8 mAh DuDe”
The so-called “Border Resistance” exercise involves a “militancy training tour that will converge on a 10-day siege in El Paso, TX,” according to a tweet Monday from reporter Andy Ngo.
The promotional image shows border enforcement officers being killed & government property fire bombed. Organizers are asking for “white comrades to pay for others.”
Despite the group’s use of intimidation and violence, Antifa enjoys some level of support among certain progressives and even portrayed positively (at least partially) by some in the media. For example, former Vice President Joe Biden launched his presidential campaign by praising Antifa. CNN host Chris Cuomo suggested that they fight for “a good cause” and shouldn’t be judged like other political factions that try to circumvent the democratic process through raucous protest.
If by that you mean, “Are people dressing in black, wearing masks to conceal their identity and violently attacking people they disagree with politically,” then yes, the sky is falling.
