What exactly is ANTIFA?
It is an acronym for ‘Anti-Fascist’,
and the group’s aim is to eliminate fascism in the United States. CNN claims
this group’s roots can be traced to Nazi Germany as part of the opposition
movement against Hitler and, if you follow current events, you know that ANTIFA
associates President Trump with Adolph Hitler. For the life of me, though, I
don’t see that connection.
At all. Not even close.
CNN is right in one aspect;
ANTIFA does have at least one connection to pre-WW II Nazi Germany, though it
isn’t one they intended. If you follow history, you know who the Brownshirts
were: Adolph Hitler’s Sturmabteilung,
or SA, whose methods of violence and intimidation greatly aided the Nazi despot’s
rise to power. They were a paramilitary group that marched in parades in
support of Hitler, protected Nazi party meetings and violently attacked anyone
who opposed him. They were the first Stormtroopers.
Gee, that sounds pretty
familiar, doesn’t it?
I can see more similarity
between ANTIFA and the SA than I can between Hitler and President Trump. All I
have to do is watch coverage of any event in which a Conservative group
assembles and there they are, dressed in whatever black clothing they may
possess with bandanas around their faces. Lately, this alleged ‘peaceful’ ANTIFA
group has been filmed wearing an assortment of protective headgear, ranging
from motorcycle helmets to baseball helmets. I’ve watched them chase down and assault people whom these
ANTIFA members believed to be Trump supporters and beat them to the ground. I’ve
watched them spray peacefully-gathered supporters of Trump with pepper spray
and throw bottles filled with urine at them. They oppose anyone with a
Conservative point of view to the extent that they will make a college or
public venue too dangerous for a speech by anyone who is even remotely
connected with conservatism.
Yet they endorse free
speech, right? Free, that is, as long as the speaker is in line with ANTIFA’s
skewed view of American politics and perceived injustices in our social
landscape.
America’s neo-Nazis and
white supremacists and their violence and hatred cannot be tolerated; neither
can we tolerate ANTIFA’s actions.
Both ends of the spectrum are more alike than
they know.
