Radicals Claim That American Liberals Cling to the Past, and to Privilege, to Avoid Facing Reality
Radicals Claim That American Liberals Cling to the Past, and to Privilege, to Avoid Facing the Reality of Creeping Fascism
To the "antifa" movement, cowardly liberals are a big problem in fighting Donald Trump and the white nationalist right.
By Matthew Sheffield / Salon March 10, 2017
Since the election of Donald Trump, liberals and leftists have been discussing how to best respond to American conservatisms transformation from a shopworn, Cold War, anti-government philosophy into something else.
To the anarchists and socialists who consider themselves part of the global antifa movement (an abbreviation for anti-fascist), the transition currently taking place on the right is all too familiar. The rise of the alt-right and white nationalism within the U.S. is something the mainstream left doesnt take seriously enough, they say, even as many Democrats compare Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.
If it is actually true that the civic nationalism of Trump and his top strategist Steve Bannon are helping to lay the groundwork for a more radical right intentionally or otherwise then their self-described opponents on the left need to do more than wear safety pins and post Facebook denunciations of the president they didnt vote for.
For the antifas, understanding that white nationalists are deadly serious about instigating a racial holy war is the key to countering them.
During the rise of the Nazi regime in Germany, while anarchists and communists were literally fighting the fascists in the streets, the liberals and social democrats attempted to debate the Nazis point for point in the halls of power, the anonymous activist continued. This did nothing, and also normalized the positions of the Nazis and also made them into legitimate positions.
Liberalism [has] proven itself unable to prevent the rise of fascism over and over again, the activists said. By the time liberals are comfortable with cracking down on fascism, its almost always too late. Antifa wants to make sure that no roots can take hold; that every attempt to organize and recruit for the fascist agenda is physically confronted and shut down.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/radicals-claim-american-liberals-cling-past-and-privilege-avoid-facing-reality