SPIDER & THE FLY The False Allure of Communism
Portland Protests: Day 50, Portland Untitled 1.74.1 (50148960596).jpg, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Untitled_1.74.1_(50148960596).jpg ANTIFA AND ITS PROPAGANDA
By Martin Scott Catino, Ph.D.
August 2020
Far more than the smoke of burning buildings and police cars is rising in American cities in the aftermath of ANTIFA's riots. ANTIFA is waging a well-contrived propaganda campaign used as a smokescreen to cover its major activities and objectives which include gaining the psychological, operational, and political space it craves to sequentially weaken and violently overthrow the United States Government. As a self-professed anarchist-communist organization often disguised as ordinary social or political advocacy groups, ANTIFA functions as the national hub and web of violent and radical anarchists,[1] and readily links with or directly influences similar organizations, groups, and personality types.
Therefore, a major operation by the Federal government to destroy or degrade ANTIFA's ability to organize and operate would significantly degrade left-wing political violence in the United States while lessening the opportunities and outlets it creates for other violent extremists and criminal actors. However, these self-professed revolutionaries and their sympathizers in politics and the private sector will not easily be deterred. ANTIFA draws organizational strength from its lessons learned globally, two centuries of radical doctrines, and sophisticated street tactics--including propaganda techniques—calibrated in the current urban unrest occurring in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.[2] University professors and other educators, mainstream media, policy groups, and left-wing politicians further strengthen the organization by justifying and amplifying ANTIFA's propaganda, making it even more deceptive and dangerous.
In addition to its radical and covert nature, this decentralized anarchist movement possesses a dynamic organizational learning culture that drives its leaders and associates to effectively adapt its major activities which simultaneously threaten American institutions like universities, the media, city councils, and the judiciary while exploiting them for political gain.[3] These adaptive and lethal tactics rapidly disseminate among ANTIFA and other anti-government extremists through social media, trainings, and practice, and thereby increase their operational effectiveness as well as further threatening public safety by attracting violent imitators and criminal opportunists--as well as creating cultures of urban violence.
Huntsville Alabama Police Department Identifies Specialized Roles of ANTIFA and their Associates, https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/videos/huntsville-city-council-special-session-june-18-2020/
Do not be misled regarding the danger posed by ANTIFA's occupied zones, political engagements, "direct action," black bloc formations, disruption tactics, and "community building." These operations pose an immediate danger to key leaders and local communities and create recruits and expanded networks mobilized for even more capable and lethal operations in the future. Given their cover, adaptability, and disinformation, many of these young and apparently inexperienced associates of ANTIFA have successfully eluded identification, investigation, arrest, and prosecution, and thus pose a persistent and growing threat to public safety.
Therefore every dedicated American should understand ANTIFA's violent nature, destructive objectives, and propaganda used to conceal these characteristics. Here are a few of the major disinformation messages disseminated by anarchists and the mainstream media.
"ANTIFA IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION BUT A MOVEMENT WITH NO SINGLE IDEOLOGY—AND YOU CAN'T DEFEAT A MOVEMENT." Although some minor diversity of radical ideology exists among anarchist-communists, the ANTIFA movement is united on the objective of the violent overthrow of the United States Government and the destruction of American values, culture, institutions, and systems.[4] ANTIFA is an organized movement but a decentralized one creating and mobilizing vast networks of domestic and international groups to achieve their malign objectives while organizing, spreading, and leading nationwide political violence. Relying not on professional, hierarchical, and foreign training or indoctrination like the Communist groups of the Cold War era, ANTIFA cements its internal unity by building its groups and networks from friendship, social, workplace, and even sports associations, and thus creates a bottom-up and horizontally linked organization. These organizations spread, interact, and connect through social media propaganda, radical educators, and mobilized street action and other events, which serve as much as recruitment and networking activities as violent confrontations and actions.
However, these networked groups can be defeated or degraded like others of the same kind (Earth Liberation Front, Animal Liberation Front, etc.) through local and state political leadership committed to public safety; rigorous law enforcement; community support; and responsible journalism and public discussion.[5] Public safety measures including no mask laws, curfews, prohibitions against weapons and unlawful assembly, laws against teaching the making or use of explosive devices, and anti-riot laws have proven highly effective against ANTIFA or their types.
Federal government law enforcement support is likewise important for the defeat, degradation, and diminishing of ANTIFA's destructive capabilities. Most importantly, the Federal government must designate ANTIFA as a terrorist group and subsequently commit the full resources of the state to prosecute ANTIFA's activities just like Al Qaeda or ISIS.
"ANTIFA'S MISSION IS TO FIGHT FASCISTS, WHITE SUPREMICISTS, AND INJUSTICE-- NOT ORDINARY AMERICANS." ANTIFA uses popular targets and issues to cover and soften appearances of its malicious aims of overthrowing the United States Government. ANTIFA considers all supporters of President Donald Trump to be Fascists and White Supremacists.[6] These misguided anarchist youths and their more mature adherents also consider liberal Democrats to be enemies of the people. Therefore the slogan of "anti-fascist" used by ANTIFA creates a false legitimacy, appearance of a limited scope of operations rather than its real objective of the overthrow of the United States, and diversion from its many acts of violence against ordinary Americans which it claims to support.
"THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANTIFA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE CURRENT CIVIL UNREST AND RIOTS—SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE." The overwhelming and nationwide evidence of ANTIFA's terrorism is found in their destructive actions, their doctrinal and social media statements, Federal, state, and local law enforcement reports and testimonies across the country, and many diverse and widespread public witnesses to the violence. Riots, threats, sophisticated strategies, interstate deployments, staging for riots, black bloc formations including specialized roles, advanced crowd manipulation tactics, and make-shift street weaponry commonly occur and indicate ANTIFA's political warfare scarring America's urban and suburban landscapes.[7]
These activities mirror their past operations in places like Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Berkeley, Boston, San Francisco, and many other locations and likewise mirror ANTIFA's doctrinal and social media statements advocating destruction and urban insurgency. The evidence demonstrates the well planned and sophisticated work of anarchists and not spontaneous, amateur, or legitimate protesters.
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However, ANTIFA routinely covers the names and associations of its operators in order to vehemently deny direct links.[8] Furthermore these terrorists use the presence of right-wing extremists and their false flag operations (mimicking ANTIFA) to cover the vast and disproportionate numbers of ANTIFA's violent actions. Pretending terrorist groups have open or confessed affiliations, ANTIFA chides law enforcement statements, court records, and government operations that fail to immediately identify ANTIFA elements that remain cleverly hidden—the tactic is as deceitful as it is deadly as it allows the organization to continue its terrorist activities.
The United States has achieved a record of freedoms, prosperity, and global influence unprecedented in world history. The throngs of people around the world seeking to enter the United States legally—and even illegally—indicate the radical perception of America as an oppressive, racist, and unjust society is not only false but also opportunistic. Rather than a Communist system which historically built walls and barbed-wire fences with armed guards to imprison and even kill its fleeing citizens, the United States has created a free and open system where the vast majority of Americans continue to embrace peaceful paths and seek reform through the ballot--not the bullet. Strong religious and civil liberties, patriotic citizenship, prosperous and dedicated families, secure local communities and property rights, free market economies, and well-administered local, state, and Federal government united under the Constitution have long proven to be the foundation and path to personal freedom and prosperity.
ANTIFA's propaganda is clearly disingenuous and designed to gain raw power evident in the occupied zones it creates where violence, theft, mobs, thugs, warlords, and crime reign. Every concerned American should understand and assert America's patriotic and proven values with renewed resolve while resisting every attempt of ANTIFA and its anti-government extremists from imposing their criminal system on a free and dedicated citizenry. Contact your local, state, and Federal politicians, write your local newspapers, and organize discussions on both American foundational principles and anti-Communist measures so all Americans now and in the future can enjoy the liberties that made America great.
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Dr. Scott Catino is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and member of the Anti-Communist Action Team (ACAT).He is an author, educator, scholar, and advocate for American Founding Principles.He served in the United States, Bahrain, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the UAE in various research, supervisory, and advising posts for the United States Government or private security programs. His research on civil unrest, terrorism, and insurgency has involved field studies around the world as well as numerous publications in scholarly and industry journals.
[2] For instance, see anarchist website https://crimethinc.com/ .
[3] Sarah Jaffe, "Trump Interruption A Conversation with Legba Carrefour." The Baffler.com. January 19, 2017. https://thebaffler.com/latest/interviews-for-resistance-carrefour .
[4] "Voting vs. Direct Action," Crimethinc.com. https://cloudfront.crimethinc.com/assets/zines/voting-vs-direct-action/voting-vs-direct-action_screen_two_page_view.pdf . ANTIFA doctrinal pamphlets like this one frequently state the objectives of the elimination of the state, democracy, and capitalism. More importantly, these documents urge the operational and tactical actions for achieving these objectives.
[5] Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Operation Backfire Searching for Two Final Fugitives." FBI.gov. December 6, 2015, https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland/news/stories/operation-backfire .
[6] There is some minor debate among anarchists on whether the Trump administration is more Fascist or White Supremacist in political orientation, but the movement remains united on the aim of overthrowing it. See "Does Trump Represent Fascism or White Supremacy? Crimethinc.com. https://crimethinc.com/2016/12/13/feature-does-trump-represent-fascism-or-white-supremacy .
[7] "Affinity Groups Essential Building Blocks of Anarchist Organization,"
https://crimethinc.com/zines/how-to-form-an-affinity-group .
[8] A relevant quote from ANTIFA literature notes: "An affinity group could be a sewing circle or a bicycle maintenance collective; it could come together for the purpose of providing a meal at an occupation or forcing a multinational corporation out of business through a carefully orchestrated program of sabotage. Affinity groups have planted and defended community gardens, built and occupied and burned down buildings, organized neighborhood childcare programs and wildcat strikes; individual affinity groups routinely initiate revolutions in the visual arts and popular music. Your favorite band was an affinity group. An affinity group invented the airplane. Another one maintains this website." "Affinity Groups Essential Building Blocks of Anarchist Organization,"
https://crimethinc.com/zines/how-to-form-an-affinity-group .
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