Recently, violent leftists in Portland brutally attacked a Bernie Sanders supporter because he was carrying an American flag — a “fascist symbol,” according to these attackers who arrogate to themselves the label “anti-fascist.” The incident made for viral video and national news. Sadly, it did not become famous because it was an aberration, but only because the irony of Left-on-Left violence made it so. Rather, it was just the latest escalation of left-wing extremists’ attack on free speech.
Antifa is well known for violent protest. It is the centerpiece of their “no-platforming” philosophy, whereby speech they label as “fascist” and “hate speech” (i.e., anything they disagree with) is denied a hearing through various methods of intimidation or physical punishment. In an earlier CNN interview, an organizer stated: “We go to cause conflict, to shut them down where they are.”
