Antifa finally facing consequences, but ready for a new fight
Expect Antifa to use the left’s growing anxiety over a “red wave” during the midterm elections
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Antifa thugs and radical activists who participated in last year’s "mostly peaceful protests" are finally facing steep jail sentences for their destructive criminal behavior.
Too bad so few in the media are noticing. The lack of attention allows Antifa to regroup for the next big fight. And it’s coming sooner than you realize.
ANTIFA ACTIVIST RECEIVED PROBATION AFTER ATTACKING GOP SENATOR'S OFFICE WITH AN AXE
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Antifa activists, dressed in black bloc, set small fires in an intersection by Frost Park in Tacoma, Wash. before their destructive march. (@JasonRantz/Twitter)
The FBI arrested Justin Christopher Moore earlier this month for allegedly bringing 12 Molotov cocktails to an Antifa and Black Lives Matter protest-turned-riot outside the Seattle Police Officers Guild offices on Labor Day 2020. He’s been charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Activists threw explosives and rocks at cops and sprayed them with bear spray. Nevertheless, Seattle media whitewashed the riot as merely a "protest." Anyone who covered it at the time, as I did for my Seattle-based talk radio show, knew it was a planned assault. It’s why the mob brought so many weapons.
PORTLAND, OR - JUNE 04: Police clash with demonstrators as they try to clear 'Antifa' members and anti-Trump protesters from the area during a protest on June 4, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. Police used tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber bullets to clear the crowd. A protest dubbed "Trump Free Speech" by organizers was met by a large contingent of counter-demonstrators who viewed the protest as a promotion of racism. The demonstrations come in the wake of the recent violent attack on the city's MAX train line when Ricky Best, 53, and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, were stabbed to death and Micah Fletcher,21, was severely injured after they tried to protect two teenage girls, one of whom was wearing a hijab, from being harassed with racial taunts by suspect Jeremy Christian. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
During the raid on Moore’s home, officers recovered a four-pound bag of potassium nitrate, consumer fireworks, Goex FFFFg black powder, and a 50-pack of Diamond Deluxe matchbooks. In addition to the materials that could be used to make explosives, authorities found gas masks, sling-shots, bolt cutters, and climbing harnesses. Tools for peaceful get togethers to further democracy, no doubt.
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Meanwhile, Alissa Azar was indicted for felony rioting, which included the use of tear gas/mace, for her alleged role in a violent counter rally to a right-wing Proud Boys demonstration just outside of Portland. As usual, Antifa came for a fight. And they allegedly had the help of a faux journalist.
According to reports, Azar was recorded pepper-spraying a woman at the rally while a man shouted repeatedly encouraging her to, "Mace the female!"
Antifa protesters carrying shields and wearing helmets marched through New York City in January 2021. (AM New York)
Those familiar with Portland Antifa battles likely know Azar. While she claims to be an independent journalist, her coverage typically involves supporting radicals. At an Antifa march in Tacoma, Washington last year, she helped put the targets on the backs of media members like me who are embedded in marches to expose what really goes on. After not-so-cryptic tweets to her followers, our lives are put in danger.
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There have been more arrests and charges in the Pacific Northwest, including the son of a former Democrat lawmaker who allegedly planned a sophisticated attack against police at an Antifa riot. But these cases are generally treated by local media outlets as traditional crime stories—if at all. The reports seldom connect the crimes to bigger picture issues around the Antifa threat. It’s a disservice to the community and the country.
Antifa members and counter protesters gather during a rightwing No-To-Marxism rally on August 27, 2017 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Berkeley, California. / AFP PHOTO / Amy Osborne (Photo credit should read AMY OSBORNE/AFP/Getty Images)
While Democrats like Rep. Jerry Nadler claimed Antifa was a right-wing invention, these extremists actually attacked our police and vandalized our buildings. Without meaningful coverage, lies like Nadler’s persist.
To this day, there are some Seattle and Portland residents who claim the riots were invented by FOX News. It makes you wonder whether or not Californians realize the most significant indictment took place this month in San Diego.
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FILE - In this May 8. 2019 file photo, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., moves ahead with a vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after last-minute negotiations stalled with the Justice Department over access to the full, unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The House Judiciary Committee is launching a wide-ranging probe of Attorney General William Barr and the Justice Department, demanding briefings, documents and interviews with 15 officials about whether there has been improper political interference in federal law enforcement. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A group of suspects was charged with conspiracy to commit a riot. It’s perhaps the first time this charge has been used against Antifa.
According to a criminal complaint, 11 Antifa members from both San Diego and Los Angeles organized an assault on a January pro-Trump rally. They showed up with pepper spray, small flag poles, and other weapons. Much of the violence was caught on video, including an Antifa thug pepper spraying a man and his dog.
So, what took so long for the indictments? Many of the charges come a year after the alleged assaults took place.
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For starters, Antifa radicals cover-up their identity via "black bloc." They often wear identical masks and do-it-yourself gear to cover up much of their bodies. It’s difficult to decipher a person’s gender or race, which in turn hinders investigations.
Investigators often rely on videos of the "direct action" posted online. Ironically, it’s sometimes video from Antifa social media accounts themselves that end up providing the evidence necessary to identify suspects.
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But even when the identity is known, there are local prosecutors like Mike Schmidt in Portland or Dan Satterberg in Seattle who are sympathetic to the Antifa cause or simply refuse to prosecute most crimes. U.S. Attorneys have to step in.
Antifa creates chaos, but its membership is relatively small. But it remains a serious threat. Antifa’s impact comes from exploiting mass movements, like BLM, to further their police and prison abolitionist goals or to replace capitalism with a socialist system. They’re now regrouping.
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Expect Antifa to use the left’s growing anxiety over a "red wave" during the midterm elections. And with high profile Supreme Court cases to be decided—from abortion to an inevitable decision on COVID vaccine mandates—know that Antifa members are waiting for the next mass movement. And know they will use any rally they can to violently express themselves.