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Origins of Antifa
Antifa is a portmanteau of anti-fascism. It can be traced back to the rise of fascism itself in Italy and Germany during the early twentieth century. The most notable sect was Antifaschistiche Aktion, a German group which arose in opposition to Hitler’s political movement which was itself quickly gaining traction in Europe. This group was formed between Communists and Social Democratic workers in 1932. Its symbol, two waving black flags, has been used since the movement's inception.
This makeshift alliance formed the last political barrier to Hitler’s rise in Germany. As we all know, they failed and the Third Reich came into power. Hitler’s ruthless crackdown on socialists/communists dissipated any chance of public opposition, but resistance against the Nazis continued in underground cells throughout the war.
Immediately following WW2, many Antifa members reemerged and began the process of dismantling the Nazi political machine, fighting fascistic loyalists in the process. However, even at this time the Antifas were not a singular unified group. The division between communists and social democrats remained, and there was no governing body for the movement. Antifa was largely separated into autonomous sections which varied both in membership and influence depending on where they were located.
Despite the efforts of German Antifas to rebuild their thoroughly devastated nation, they faced the overwhelming dividing power of Western Europe/America and the USSR. Efforts to prosecute former Nazis were stopped by the Allies, who sought to forgive and reintegrate these people into German society. In the Soviet-controlled East Germany, a section of Antifa was hailed as victors by the Communist party, but their role in history was remodeled by the Soviets in order to create a nationalist origin story; effectively turning the movement into a propaganda piece.
Still, Antifa had proven itself to be a reactionary coalition at its core, formed as a last line of defense by conflicting parties to stand against a common enemy. It was never a unified, permanent political movement with an active and long-term agenda. It was created for one purpose: to fight fascism, no matter the cost.
Modern Antifa
In modern times, Antifa has largely been seen fighting against sexism, white supremacy, and Nazi revival groups. Again, they functioned as a reactionary movement that shadowed their opposition’s localized groups with small cells of their own. Contemporary Antifa groups have derived not from their pre-war predecessors, but by West Germany’s squatter scene and autonomist movement during the 1980s.
A unification of anti-fascism was seen in the Antifaschistische Aktion/Bundesweite Organisation (Antifascist Action/Nationwide Organization), which successfully pushed back against German neo-Nazis. This group ceased to operate as a whole after an anti-Nazi congress in 2001.
American Antifa
In the United States, anti-fascism also rose during the 1980s in the form of the Anti-Racist Action Network. This group was largely known for countering the presence of Nazi skinheads in the developing Punk Rock music scene.
The re-emergence of anti-fascist groups in recent years can be loosely traced back to the events of the infamous Charlottesville attack in 2017. To summarize, one of the largest public demonstrations of white supremacists was met with counter-demonstrations. Tensions came to a head when a Nazi-sympathizer, James Alex Fields Jr., drove his car into a crowd of counter-demonstrators resulting in one death and nineteen injuries.
Following President Trump's meandering assertion of blame on both sides at Charlottesville, Mark Bray published Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook. Obviously divisive, the book has received both praise and hate, but is largely regarded as well written.
Criticized Tactics
Although criticized for their use of physical violence, antifascists have justified these actions by claiming that the horrific events of the Holocaust and other instances of racially/ethnically motivated violence have already broken the dam. In other words, they believe fascists struck first and are not afraid to do it again, so it must be equally countered. In the United States alone, white supremacists have an ongoing history of using violence to send terroristic messages. However, the use of violence remains the largest argument to condemn the Antifa movement.
Additionally, Antifa’s diverse range of groups and ideologies would actually work to its detriment, as the lack of political unity would result in little traction to combat fascism on the larger political scale, something that other left-oriented factions would criticize them for.
Scapegoating/Misinformation
There are now large misconceptions on what Antifa actually is.
There has been wild speculation about Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and other so-called “Marxist” or “Anarchist” groups, which have essentially become a boogeyman of the far-right. George Soros, the centerpiece of many conspiracy theories, has been accused of owning Antifa itself. However, although Soros is a benefactor of several liberal causes, this claim is not true.
Since the nationwide eruption of protests and riots following the death of George Floyd, President Trump and many right-wing pundits have placed a large portion of the blame on “Antifa-led anarchists.” Deemed a “Terrorist Organization” by the president, many in the public have been led to believe that Antifa is a consolidated group with a singular agenda: to uproot the United States and its values.
