The Frightening Specter That Is Antifa

The great scourge of the 20th century was a philosophy that argued morality is subjective and subject to change, rather than objective and steadfast. Moral relativism, as it has come to be known, appeared in the twin terrors: fascism and communism. It provided the impetus for Stalin’s gulags, and Hitler’s holocaust, and now it rears its ugly head once again. No organization in the West better personifies this moral deformity than the so called Anti-Fascists, or Antifa.

Antifa is known for “protesting” (ie rioting) at various events they deem fascist. One infamous example is the street brawl that has since been dubbed The Battle of Berkeley. The Battle of Berkeley occurred when right-wing groups composed of Trump supporters and alt-righters gathered to listen to Lauren Southern speak. They were promised police protection, and were forced to disarm any weapons. Subsequently, a horde of Antifa descended upon them like cockroaches. Unlike the Trump supporters, these cockroaches were well armed; they carried m80s, glass bottles, huge rocks, sticks, and bear mace. Eventually it was announced that the police were ordered to stand down, so the Trump supporters were left entirely defenseless because of the aforementioned disarnment. They fought back, and Berkeley became a mosh pit of violence. Such is the state of political discourse!

I’m not suggesting that all of the Trump supporters were innocent — and much less the alt righters (whom I loath). Some of them were actively seeking a brawl, and anyone who exceeded self defense should be roundly condemned. But the Antifa were clearly the aggressors at Berkeley: they attacked peacefully gathering people who weren’t even armed. And it wasn’t the first time — in February, they rioted during an event that featured Milo Yiannopoulos.

Senseless violence like The Battle of Berkeley seems positively insane to anyone of good moral character. But the Anti-Fascist doesn’t understand why we should we feel sorry for anyone who is a fascist. I emphasized is because it’s important to realize that Antifa does not view their victims as individuals, but as a collective — they are not people; they are fascists, nothing more.

The idea that people should be viewed as part of a collective rather than an individual is the hallmark of moral relativism. It’s why the communists defined their enemies as bourgeois, and the Nazis defined their enemies as Jews. Because when people are no longer individuals, they do not need to be treated justly. Instead, they can be judged solely based off the group that they identify with, or the group that Antifa deems them a member of. Of course, when Antifa defines what group you belong to, no one is safe, which is why the vast majority of Antifa’s victims aren’t fascists at all — they are everyday Americans who happen to disagree with Antifa’s culture of censorship.

In his book Modern Times, Paul Johnson recounts how

“Trotsky remained a moral relativist of the most dangerous kind right to the end. ‘Problems of revolutionary morality’, he [Trotsky] wrote … ‘are fused with the problems of revolutionary strategy and tactics.’ There were no such things as moral criteria; only criteria of political efficacy. He said it was right to murder the Tsar’s children, as he had done, because it was politically useful and those who carried it out represented the proletariat.”

Antifa borrowed from Trotsky’s reasoning to justify their own heinous acts. They also believe that traditional morality is a fable, or at the very least, of little relevance when compared to the importance of their cause. They also claim to represent an oppressed class. And they also believe that violence is commendable, so long as it is politically useful.

So Antifa does three things to justify their actions. First, they treat people as collectives rather than individuals. Next, they define who is a fascist. Finally, they declare that their cause is above all moral constraints. That’s a dangerous combination which allows them to rationalize just about any action. In other words, it allows them to relativize morality.

Fear the Anti-Fascist: he’s the monster you read about in history class.