Antifa

This is a back-blip from May Day. I had many photos to process, and the following day was Sue’s birthday, so I’m only just now catching up with myself.

I have written before about my respect and appreciation for many of the idealistic young people who are often described (and sometimes describe themselves) as “Antifa” or antifascists. I love this young man’s warmly expressive eyes. I know him and have spoken with him often, and perhaps that has something to do with the warmth in his eyes in this photograph, though I think the tree detritus on his cap is an accident. I believe most of the young people who wear masks to protect themselves from being “doxxed” (identified) by extreme right-wingers are equally warm toward those who oppose hate groups.  Most (not all) call themselves anarchists. Most (not all) are young and feel betrayed by our corrupt governments. Most (not all) are anti-capitalist. They give me hope. I am grateful to them for their courage.

Teen Vogue (the irony is not wasted on me) posted in 2017 a really fine interview with Mark Bray, who has written a book on Antifa. I appreciate Bray’s perspective and wisdom. I also completely agree with his answer to the last question in the interview: 

What can people do in their own lives to stop fascism?

Fascists and white supremacists want to make their racist opinions seem like common sense. They want to push back the generations of progress made by feminist and anti-racist movements to make racism and sexism great again. In order to resist that, it’s important for people to not simply look away when their friends or co-workers try to intimidate immigrants or people of color or make bigoted comments, because that kind of fabric of everyday interactions is part of this larger struggle of whether or not we think racism, sexism, transphobia, etc., are okay. In that sense, we all have a role to play in the everyday anti-fascism of not allowing Trump and the alt-right to roll back generations of social progress. That’s something everyone can do, no matter who they are, simply by taking a stand in their everyday life.