Kerby Anderson

Now that the violent left-wing group Antifa is getting needed attention in the media, we face a labeling problem. Some conservative commentators have called them a domestic terrorist group. We now know from an article that appeared in Politico that the Obama administration through the Department of Homeland Security concluded that Antifa engaged in “domestic terrorist violence.” Jonah Goldberg rightly explains that we should not call this group of street thugs a terrorist group. They are violent, but they aren’t terrorists. He laments that defenders of Antifa say that it is a group of activists who are simply anti-fascists “and that fighting fascism is some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card for lawlessness.” It is not. Even if you granted such an outrageous proposition, you would still have to point to the fact that Antifa reserves the right to attack anyone whether they are fascist or not. That includes conservative campus speakers, defenders of free speech, and even Republicans. The mayor of Berkeley canceled “Free Speech Week” for fear or violence. Politicians in Portland canceled their annual Rose Parade because Antifa threatened violence because the Multnomah County Republican Party was scheduled to march in the parade. Rachel Alexander describes the beating Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson received from Antifa. He was slapped on the head and had “someone gash him with something in his ribs.” Joey was dragged backwards by his shirt, hit on the head with a flagpole, and blasted with bear spray and pepper spray. He and his friend (Tiny) retreated over barriers while bottles were being thrown at them. They finally made it to the Alameda Country police line. “No arrests are made. Except for Joey and Tiny, who are cuffed.” Antifa may not be a terrorist organization, but it is a violent gang.