A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document titled “Domestic Terrorism Symbols Guide”* links common protest symbols to “terrorism” — another marker in a common theme of conflating militant protest for social justice with deadly terrorist violence within the United States. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Brennan Center have raised warnings about such documents, citing inadequate protections for people’s constitutional rights.

  • Striker@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Labelling Antifa as a terrorist group is basically admitting you are a fascist.

    • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think there’s more nuance on the topic than you’re implying. While there’s no actual group called antifa, there are plenty of groups who oppose far right ideology (i.e. anti-fascist/antifa). Some of these groups have definitely become heavily armed and radicalized. I don’t support fascists, but I also don’t support radicalized zealots of any creed. Does that make me a fascist?

      • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        While I’d prefer peaceful resolutions to our problems, I fully understand why left leaning groups are becoming more radicalized. There is little compromise with the theocrats who want to eliminate or subjugate various minority and underrepresented groups within our society, continually hand more and more power to corporations, wholeheartedly believe the end of days is coming once Israel fully takes control of the holy land, and will scream “Second Amendment” and “Crisis Actors” every time kids are killed in school shootings. They violently stormed the US Capitol many of whole had intent to kill Senators and Representatives.

        There is no compromise or peaceful resolution with people who want to hurt you or worse because their pastor said you’re a demonic sinner who must be cleansed from the earth.

      • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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        1 year ago

        Does that make me a fascist?

        No, it makes you a person that probably won’t do squat to stop fascists.

        It’s no coincidence wthat it’s only radicals that show up to physically confront fascists while the so-called “enlightened centrists” do nothing but heckle from the sidelines.

        • Striker@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yup. Or when anyone tries to do anything they will just come up with reasons why it’s wrong.

          • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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            1 year ago

            The media was quick to forget that they were literally trying to criminalize the wearing of masks before Covid hit because “Antifa Scary.”

            So, yeah.

        • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          As someone who’s been in several combat zones with the US military (honorably discharged 10 years ago), I can safely say I do not want my backyard turning into one. So pardon me while I wait for all peaceful options to be utterly exhausted before getting gun-happy and LARPing with others in fatigues while shouting for armed resistance.

          If MAGAs or any other “militia” begins marching down my street, I’ll sure as shit meet it with force. But until then or an outright coup, I’ll continue advocating for peace

          • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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            1 year ago

            Nobody’s asking you to break out the claymore mines just yet… it’s the fascists that are escalating the lethality, not the “scary radical left” opposing them.

            It’s usually a good idea to try and stop the fash before they march down your street… by the time they do, the politicians might just have decided to hand them the keys to the tanks - which they will, eventually.

            • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              But confronting fascists is good optics for them. They want to be able to point to shit like that to show how oPpReSsEd they are for their oPiNIoNs. It’s fuel. Ignore the marches. A news article covering a bunny of dudes waving nazi flags and nobody giving a shit is infinitely optically better than a brawl between nazis and antifa.

              • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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                1 year ago

                But confronting fascists is good optics for them.

                Absolutely not.

                Anyone who believes that understands nothing about fascism at all. The pretense of “unopposable strength” is literally the only reason they will show themselves in public - if you don’t oppose it forcefully they win by default.

                A news article covering a bunny of dudes waving nazi flags

                The media will happily ignore fascism. After all, the rich media bosses know who it is that will protect their precious private property for them, just like all the rich people do… that is why they fund fascists - there is no such thing as “grassroots fascism”. The fact that antifa’s resistance meant they couldn’t is literally one of the reasons the US’s secret police is now seeing antifa as a threat to the status quo.

                Ignoring fascism is no different than ignoring climate change - doing so doesn’t make it go away.

                • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  What do you think was more optically advantageous for the left, a bunch of patriot front idiots getting arrested just for marching, or antifa and the proud boys brawling?

                  We’re not at the point of civil war. Optics are still more important than punching them.

                  Actually, portraying your enemy as both strong and weak is crucial to fascism. To nazis, the jews were simultaneously subhuman and also in control of the world. To the alt right, the left is simultaneously soy boy beta cucks and nazi punching radicals. If you remove yourself from their narrative, it fails apart. And instead of brave defenders of western culture under attack from crazy leftist extremists, they simply become weird motherfuckers waving nazi flags in (current year).

                  I’m not gonna say don’t punch nazis, but don’t do it in an organized fashion at a rally where they hope to provoke a reaction.

                  • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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                    1 year ago

                    What do you think was more optically advantageous for the left

                    Showing the fascists - and their spineless “centrist” allies - that they will face real opposition in the streets. When the fash start marching, that is the only optics that matter.

                    bunch of patriot front idiots getting arrested just for marching

                    Arrested by whom? Their KKK and neo-nazi allies you optimistically call “police”?

                    You don’t have to believe me, Clyde… you can hear it straight from a neo-nazi, too.

              • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                1 year ago

                Sure, just “ignore” it, conveniently forgetting they’re very much embedded in mainstream politics now and starting culture war campaigns, banning books, and actively attempting to dismantle democracy.

                Fascism in the US is already here.

          • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            it seems the less energic options are already exhausted.

            i dont want to be on the receiving end of state violence either but i dont think things can change by simply voting or protesting anymore.

            this doesnt necessarily mean violence but we must change our strategy.

          • CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            My stance on Jan 6 was had it been successful and Trump was installed as president, it would have been up to people like you to actually resist the new tyrannical government.

            Because at that point, democracy was usurped and the necessary peace transfer of power was ignored for a violent insurrection.

            The problem is that J6 was a test run. It was not successful because people with morals, many of whom were registered Republicans, stood firm and said this isn’t right. Many of these people have been replaced over the last three years to make stealing an election easier at a state level so that they won’t need to steal it at the federal level.

            I’m not saying there aren’t peaceful options. But one side has already decided that peace is not an option. They showed that they will have their form of government, by force if necessary.

      • echutaa@programming.dev
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        1 year ago

        Maybe with another organization you would have a point, but in the case of the FBI which has been known to aid and recruit fascists I don’t see this holding any water.

      • BarrelAgedBoredom@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Radicals aren’t the same as extremists. And that is an important distinction to understand when dealing with politics. Being armed and willing to defend yourself isn’t an act of extremism. Being violent towards violent fascists isn’t extremism. It’s community defense. When you break down politics into it’s most base element, it’s about the distribution of the legitimate use of violence. Understanding and working within that framework isn’t extremism, it’s politics 101. Philosophy Tube has a good video on this in relation to fascism. Skip to ~20 mins in for the violence bit.

      • negativeyoda@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The problem is that letting fascist types run rampant and hoping they’ll just go away historically doesn’t tend to work out well.

        I live in Portland. Up until 2021 or so fascists, proud boys, Patriot prayer, etc. All ran rampant in cahoots with local law enforcement. People were menaced, paintballed, attacked and all that. It sucked. The sniveling mayor begged those groups not to come in (they’re never local) and act like that. Shockingly they did anyway.

        Portland fought back

        It was unpleasant, but it worked. Those assholes haven’t tried to have their gatherings here in a couple of years. Self described antifa groups are still on edge but have largely diminished in activity. You don’t see antifa rallies designed to menace going out to the surrounding small towns where those assholes largely come from. Unless you’re sporting some obviously fash flair pretty much everyone gets left alone in town.

        Both sides are not the same

          • ArbiterXero@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Sure, but I was curious whether the person I was replying to at least applied their standard across the board

            • MxM111@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              I would be and I am, but I am not the person you are replying too. I believe even Nazi should have right to not to be beaten by a mob who call themselves “antifa”. Not suggesting that all antifa is such a mob.

      • negativeyoda@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Not untrue, but antifa in general would cease to exist if fascists stopped coming to cities to menace people

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          1 year ago

          Do they? It didn’t really seem like a value judgment to me.

          But you can also be right and go to far. I don’t know if these groups do go to far, but nuclear annihilation for example would definitely be too far.

          • explodicle@local106.com
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            1 year ago

            In that case they’d be right about just the problem, but not right in their entire position which includes a solution. Nobody who thinks we should nuke the world for anything is right.

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              The site doesn’t refute violent extremist beliefs point by point or discuss matters of faith or politics. Instead, it makes teens aware of the destructive reality of various forms of violent extremism, including hateful attacks based on race, religion, or other factors. Through its Don’t Be a Puppet theme, the program encourages teens to think for themselves and display a healthy skepticism if they come across anyone who appears to be advocating extremist violence.

              • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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                1 year ago

                and display a healthy skepticism if they come across anyone who appears to be advocating extremist violence.

                …except when it comes to the violent extremism of the FBI and other alphabet agencies, of course.

              • explodicle@local106.com
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                I think we’ll have to agree to disagree as to what constitutes an obvious value judgement.

      • FireTower@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The use or sharing of these symbols or phrases alone should not independently be considered evidence of AVE presence or affiliation or serve as an indicator of illegal activity.

        -FBI, in the document referenced.

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          Yes, I read what the FBI said. But there have been a million reasons not to 100% trust law enforcement. I’ll take what they say with a grain of salt.

    • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Only if you’re dumb enough to just assume whatever a group titles themselves actually reflects their beliefs.

      Do you think the Nazis were socialist? How about the Soviets?

      You can call yourself whatever you want, if your group is anti fascist and acts in an authoritarian manner, then you’re the same thing with a different economic outlook.

      • Mandarbmax@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yes but antifa is anti fascist.

        Calling antifa a terrorist organization because in another universe an organization sharing the name could be bad is like banning ice cream because it could be made out of maggots.

        • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Yes but antifa is anti fascist.

          Damn, it’s like you didn’t even understand literally my entire comment.

          Capitalist authoritarianism and socialist/communist authoritarianism are both the same thing, using terms like fascism to pretend it’s different is the problem.

          If you use authoritarian means to get your way you are only different from fascism economically. If you aren’t authoritarian then you’re not going to support any group regardless of what they refer to themselves as or what they consider the opposition to be called.

    • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      Isn’t their whole thing arguing that terrorist tactics are justified, helpful and necessary? Every time I see antifa supporters talking online that’s the thrust of the discussion. What is the case for them not being a terrorist group?

      • masquenox@lemmy.worldOP
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        1 year ago

        Oooh… fascists are afraid of scawy antifa - that must mean antifa must be terrorists.

        Good job demonstrating how much moral weight you ascribe to the feelings of fascists, Clyde.

        • chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          I’m not sure what any of this has to do with what I said. I’m not talking about moral weight or feelings, and I’m not saying ‘terrorist’ pejoratively. It’s a word, it means something. I don’t think its meaning strictly depends on who is in the right, it’s more about goals and methods. What do you think it means?