Antifa Communists at Berkeley...again

jeffbr said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

jeffbr said:

Go Beavers said:

jeffbr said:

Go Beavers said:

jeffbr said:

Go Beavers said:

jeffbr said:

Looks like those smelly antifa kids have cancelled the Rose Parade in Portland due to their threats of violence. Sounds fascist to me.

I didn't read that there were threats of violence. Also, the two protest groups aren't calling themselves antifa. So is antifa the new label for any left leaning group?

Any left leaning group? Nope. But the two groups involved in this? Yup. The Direct Action Network is certainly antifa, they are an anti-fascist group. They are the shit stirrers from the anti-WTO days, those black hoodie wearing anarchists. They definitely qualify as antifa, and have shown very little restraint when it comes to violence and vandalism. The other group is Oregon Students Empowered, also an anti-fascist group. So yes, antifa.

Having had contact with black hooded Oregonians in the wto days, I'm curious how you connect them to the direct action network?

http://www.socsci.uci.edu/~polletta/Articles and Book Chapters_files/This_is_what_demo_looks_like.pdf
http://flag.blackened.net/global/aaconvergence.htm
https://www.indypendent.org/2011/12/05/seattle-wto-shutdown-’99-occupy-organizing-win-12-years-later
https://books.google.com/books?id=-SUdDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA284&lpg=PA284&dq=direct+action+network+WTO&source=bl&ots=zGHkcwp6vl&sig=qLTMKNkz5gwvjieYlBB1T0SZgYo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiClvDilMXTAhUQyGMKHaGEAGsQ6AEIVzAH#v=onepage&q=direct action network WTO&f=false
http://archive.seattleweekly.com/2000-08-02/news/the-new-movement/
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/purple-america/the-battle-for-reality
etc...
etc...
etc...

Thanks for the links. After reading them, they're reinforcing my position, though. Nowhere was DAN claiming window smashers as part of their organization. Just because an opportunist sees an opportunity, does not mean they're an extension of the group.

Fair enough. But when DAN is involved in something, you can surely count on those window smashers to be there with them, whether they are part of the group, invited to join in, or just "happen" to be there. My point is that if DAN is protesting, accompanying violence or vandalism is anticipated by me, by the media and by law enforcement. If DAN has a problem with that perception (which may be wildly inaccurate, but is the perception nonetheless), then DAN should actually speak out against it, and police their own demonstrations. I believe they're complicit. Perhaps it was unfair of me to say that the window smashers and violent assholes are officially part of DAN, but I don't think it is unfair to say that I expect violence and vandalism at DAN events.

I will point out that early on, right after WTO, there was a bit of a backlash against the Eugene douchebags by the DAN folks, but that seemed to fall on deaf ears, and ultimately amounted to very little, since they continue to show up. I expect some of them to be back in Seattle on Monday for the annual Seattle May Day shit show.

You mean like Trump at his rallies?

Yup. And Trump is now being sued for inciting this behavior, which I fully support (the suit, not the behavior).

unsung said:

mickeyrat said:

riley540 said:

Antifa is a group that targets events that host people they disagree with. They show up, masked, and ready to fight. I've seen them in person a couple times. They should be treated as terorists and arrested for instigating violence. And Berkeley should be ashamed for not allowing free speech on campus.  

doesnt any college have an obligation  to safety as well as promotion of free speech? given what happened with milo's speech isnt it prudent to try and avoid something similar? to move an event to a more safety secure environment isnt prohibiting free speech.

opting not to attend because the venue wishes all involved to be safe and secure in their persons shows she was hoping to become some kind of martyr or to push this false narrative that free speech of the right is under atrack by institutions.

rgambs said:

mickeyrat said:

riley540 said:

Antifa is a group that targets events that host people they disagree with. They show up, masked, and ready to fight. I've seen them in person a couple times. They should be treated as terorists and arrested for instigating violence. And Berkeley should be ashamed for not allowing free speech on campus.  

doesnt any college have an obligation  to safety as well as promotion of free speech? given what happened with milo's speech isnt it prudent to try and avoid something similar? to move an event to a more safety secure environment isnt prohibiting free speech.

opting not to attend because the venue wishes all involved to be safe and secure in their persons shows she was hoping to become some kind of martyr or to push this false narrative that free speech of the right is under atrack by institutions.

Which is exactly why the Republican students are inviting the most controversial characters they can.  Milo and Ann are not legitimate conservative voices who can add to an adult discussion, they are celebrity shit stirrers that seek to create controversy.