Just to be clear they identify as Antifa,Antiracist or Anti-Nazi. I spent a good few years of going down the rabbit hole of mistrust. I knew that some white people fought for Civil Rights and marched. I knew the BLM protests had a lot of white people standing against the police. Yet, almost daily I was reminded how even white people who claimed to be liberal or allies were just “performing.”
Where were these white kids dressed like skater punks that formed a line in front of black protestors to shield them from the white police officers?
I saw video after video of white people shielding black people with their own bodies?
Who were these white people?
I could not find their internet foot print so to speak. These were the white people I was interested in spending time with and conversing with.
I saw remnants of their ideologies permeating the trending hashtags on tiktok. I saw many GenZ kids with what appeared to me to be radicalized views against racism, the government and capitalism.
Yet,after scrolling through their pages I saw many of them only had one or two trending videos addressing the topic. It was in fact a trend that started somewhere else not with these kids themselves.
I remember as most people in the U.S do seeing Charlottesville coverage. A lot was going on in our country at the time. People were very confused and frightened. Who was Trump? Who was MAGA? Who are the guys with the torches?
The media ever so slightly covering their opposition. What was that group called that opposed the neo Nazis again ? Who was showing up at MAGA protests? Who were the people fighting Proud boys? They rarely got an honorable mention in mainstream media coverage. But Trump hated them.
As time wore on I began to suspect based on my ADHD attention span while watching the History channel cover WWII as a teen. That a familiar pattern was emerging and a group as violent as the Proud boys would not allow a peaceful transfer of power. It was common sense and it seemed only a few people saw Jan 6th coming. I suspected this in September. So about 3 months before it took place.
A few more trending tiktoks with a call to action ranting about fascism.
Fascism…yes I have heard that term before but in the U.S? So I googled the definition.
Fascism- a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.
I never heard any news coverage mentioning this threat ? Yet, the definition fits perfectly?
Still I did not connect the dots.
Until finally video after video. “The opposition to the Proud boys calling themselves Antifa….”Followed by a political pundit saying Antifa was violent and burning down cities.
I scroll and see a neo Nazi rally. “Well those criminals Antifa showed up and wouldn’t allow us our free speech!”
A drag show. Masked men standing guard over the entrance. Angry bald headed white men yelling down a group of about twenty statues silently dressed in black guarding the entrance.
Finally it clicked.
Antifa were the good guys!
Antifa was short for Antifascist. All the media coverage and the oh so neutral algorithm’s attempts to obscure their true purpose and message.
Finally I had found them! Their words and dedication to anti fascism, anti white supremacy and anti neo nazism was consistent with what I had seen those many months ago during the BLM protests.
I spent a lot of time thinking white liberals were committed to equality and against white supremacy. Only to find them assassinating the character of Antifa whenever they had the chance.
“But it’s violence and MLK said ……”
What do you think about the violence being aimed at minorities daily by fascists, Neo Nazis, ProudBoys and MAGA?
“……..”
That’s what I thought you don’t see it and you don’t care to and you definitely can’t fight something you don’t see or know exists.
I just want to make it very clear there are white people fighting for justice and equality but the white supremacist establishment does not want you to know who they are and they definitely do not want you to like them.
