According to a Dartmouth history professor, America needs antifa to level out the playing field of free speech.
Mark Bray, author of “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” addressed a standing room only crowd of University of California, Berkeley, students on Monday about the virtues of antifa and its importance to modern society. The former Occupy Wall Street organizer and antifa apologist defended the group’s violent tactics and shamed the media for portraying them as renegades set on destruction.
“Anti-fascism is a very informed historical tradition,” he said, suggesting that the longevity of the movement somehow justifies the violent behavior of its protesters.
According to Bray, antifa demonstrators see violence as a tool to stop the spread of totalitarian and racist ideas, and defend potential victims.
Bray contended that anti-fascists “seek to make free speech more fundamentally fair” by fostering a situation where all individuals “feel comfortable participating equally in the public discourse.” Anti-fascists believe that the “liberal state” is restricted by capitalism.
In other words, by punching “fascists” and destroying property, antifa is helping the victims of fascism speak their mind in a society where the First Amendment is unable to function on its own. Violence is the only solution.
This rationale explains why police had to cancel Milo Yiannopoulos’s appearance on campus last February. Authorities actually called the demonstrations an “organized violent attack.” Yiannopoulos has repeatedly distanced himself from the alt-right, and yet his life would have been threatened by these sorely misguided freedom fighters if he had stuck around to give his speech as planned.
While Bray was unable to clearly define facism during his presentation, he specifically targeted the alt-right, saying that it was “important for Republicans and conservatives to say that [facists] are not welcome.” In doing so, he fails to comprehend that the radical left can be just as fascist in its end goals and tactics. As a history professor, Bray’s ignorance is inexcusable.
Regardless, Bray believes so strongly in the movement that he plans to donate half of the proceeds from his book to an unnamed fund that helps support the legal, medical, and personal expenses of antifa activists.
After all, fighting in the streets and getting arrested all the time can take its toll on your wallet.
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is a freelance journalist in California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
