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Title: Why We Fought in Charlottesville Author: CrimethInc. Date: August 17, 2017 Language: en Topics: Charlottesville, Anti-fascism, letter, analysis, fascism, resistance Source: Retrieved on 23rd April 2021 from https://crimethinc.com/2017/08/17/why-we-fought-in-charlottesville-a-letter-from-an-anti-fascist-on-the-dangers-ahead
I am one of the thousands of people who confronted Nazis and white
supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend. I am a
blue-collar person, with a job, family, and responsibilities. I would
have preferred to do other things with my weekend. However, I had to ask
myself: If these people are allowed to run roughshod over this town,
what will they do next?
“We would have been crushed like cockroaches if it were not for the
anarchists and the antifascists… They saved our lives, actually. We
would have been completely crushed, and I’ll never forget that.”
–Dr. Cornel West
No, I did not behave peacefully when I saw a thousand Nazis occupy a
sizable American city. I fought them with the most persuasive
instruments at hand, the way both my grandfathers did. I was maced,
punched, kicked, and beaten with sticks, but I gave as good as I got,
and usually better. Donald Trump says that “there was violence on both
sides.” Of course there was. I might add that there were not murderers
on both sides—but that’s not really my point.
I would like to ask a different question. What would have happened if
there had not been violence on both sides? What would have happened if
there had only been violence on one side?
On the night of Friday, August 11, 2017, I saw something that I never
thought I would see, and that I hope I never see again: 500 Nazis and
white supremacists marching across the campus of the University of
Virginia while police did nothing, surrounding 30 counter-demonstrators
who were holding hands around a statue of Thomas Jefferson, and beating
them with torches while calling them “nigger” and “boy.” By the end of
the night, it was clear to me that the “Unite the Right” march had been
organized for the express purpose of killing people on Saturday.
Permit me to quote a post from a clergyperson in Charlottesville at
length, because it correctly explains what happened on Saturday morning,
and why. There are countless other narratives like it online.
“A note on the Antifa:
They are the reason Richard Spencer did not speak today. They are the
reason the “Unite the Right” march didn’t happen. They strategically
used violent tactics to incite the Nazis to violence, such that the
governor declared a state of emergency before noon. Before the “Unite
the Right” rally was scheduled to begin.
One could argue this meant Nazis dissipated into the streets faster
making it less safe, but let’s be real: Nazis have been making these
streets less safe for a long time. They would have been out and about
soon enough with or without the antifa.
I was with a group of clergy committed to non-violence today. We did our
part. We bore witness to the pain and hatred in this city. We provided
pastoral care/support as needed, especially during traumatic violent
acts. This was our determined role going into today. Yes, some clergy
risked injury and arrest to stop the Nazis. They formed a blockade at
the entrance, but they were overpowered by the Nazis. The police did not
view us as threatening enough to shut things down, because again, we
were not there to threaten.
The antifa strategically incited enough violence before noon to make the
police declare it illegal to gather in Emancipation Park. Through this
strategic violence they effectively made a previously legally permitted
Nazi rally, illegal.
We may not agree with each others tactics. We may have had different
goals, but if you’re looking to praise people specifically for shutting
down the “Unite the Right” rally, praise/thank the antifa. Not the
clergy and not the police.”
I do not want it to be soon forgotten that American anarchists and
anti-fascists shut down the largest Nazi and white supremacist gathering
on US soil in decades. We accomplished this despite being outnumbered,
underequipped, and literally fighting up a hill—at great personal risk
and at a terrible cost.
What if things had gone differently? What if we had done as the mayor
recommended and stayed away from Emancipation Park, so as not to “feed
into a cycle of violence”? What if the rally had proceeded as planned?
What if Nazis and white supremacists had been able to build momentum
into the night? Based on what I saw Friday and Saturday, there is no
doubt in my mind what would have happened next: they would have
terrorized the city of Charlottesville. They would have left their
leadership a degree of plausible deniability, broken into smaller
groups, and killed and injured any number of people in decentralized
locations throughout the city. It was to be their Kristallnacht, their
burning cross, their triumphant return.
Instead, they had to leave town in disarray in fear of us, the people of
Charlottesville, and the police—in that order. They sent twenty people
to the hospital and murdered Heather Heyer.
It could have been much, much worse.
These are dark and dangerous times. Nazis and white supremacists have
shown that they are ready to kill and able to mobilize in great numbers,
and they have the blessing of the President of the United States. They
are well on their way to solidifying their position as the paramilitary
arm of the Trump administration. These groups hope to be to Trump what
ISIS is to Erdogan and what the Taliban is to the government of
Pakistan: terrorist auxiliaries that provide strategic depth against
enemies of the state.
On the other hand, Nazis and white supremacists discredited themselves
completely in the eyes of millions of American people this weekend, as
did their President by emboldening and defending them. The names and
faces of many of those who participated in the “Unite the Right” rally
are being broadcast on twitter feeds such as “yes, you’re racist,” and
more extensive doxxing is undoubtedly soon to come. It seems a stressful
and rather lonely moment for our opposition.
On the government side, Steve Bannon has lost his job, but he is back at
his old post at Breitbart, preparing to catalyze another wave of
grassroots nationalism. As always, Trump is either on the ropes or on
the verge of pulling off an authoritarian coup. It is time for Americans
of good conscience to resume the offensive, before this match made in
hell has time to regain its footing and to consolidate further.
Donald Trump was elected head of state through the democratic process,
of course, as was Adolf Hitler. He has the support of millions of
people; so did Adolf Hitler. His government is in bed with people who
dream about carrying out a second Holocaust and reinstating slavery,
among other things. We have every right to topple this government if we
can. It would be unfortunate to look back on this moment with regret,
realizing that we missed our chance.
In my opinion, the high-water mark thus far of resistance to the Trump
regime was the wave of airport occupations at the end of January, which
set in motion a course of events that ultimately led to Steve Bannon
being iced out of the foreign policy sphere by the few remaining adults
in Trump’s circle. Unfortunately, they left Bannon the domestic sphere
as his playpen, and the Deep State doesn’t care very much. No one is
coming to save us.
What would it take to rise to this occasion? We would have to mobilize
large crowds nationwide to shut down government infrastructure,
prioritizing everything nearest and dearest to Bannon and his faction.
Something like that might work. I don’t think it’s too late.
Of course, after Charlottesville, all such crowds will be considered
soft targets by fascist murderers. We will have to demonstrate that we
are able to exert deadly force to deter such attacks, as Redneck Revolt
did admirably in Charlottesville.
If Americans of good conscience push hard enough, we may be able to
force Trump to abandon Bannon and Bannonism. We might be able to topple
Trump entirely. But under no circumstances will anyone with any
self-respect ever submit to governance by Nazis. This government and its
fascist allies should think carefully before they choose their next
move.
In the spirit of Robert Grodt, who fought fascism in Raqqa, and in the
spirit of Heather Heyer, who fought fascism in her own hometown—
An anarchist