“You Might Be the Fascist”: MSNBC Host Joy Reid Defends Antifa Despite its Violent, Anti-Free Speech History

This week we discussed the California Government teacher Gabriel Gipe who boasted about his flying an Antifa flag at Inderkum High School and explaining that he has only “180 days to turn them into revolutionaries.” On MSNBC, host Joy Reid went to social media to defend Antifa as an organization as merely those fighting fascism. She based that claim entirely on the name rather than the well-documented violent history of the group. Since I have written previously about Antifa and testified in the Senate on that history, I wanted to offer a counter view. What is breathtaking is that Reid defends Antifa despite its attacks on journalists, bloggers, and other writers but says that criticism of the group indicates that you are also a fascist.

MSNBC’s Joy Reid went to Twitter to remind everyone that Antifa is “literally” short for anti-fascist. Thus, if you have a problem, you are by definition a fascist:

“If you’re constantly yelling “Antifa!” — which literally is short for “anti-fascists,” ding-ding-ding! … you might be the fascist they’re focused on. Just a thought…”

The first obvious response to this posting is that few journalists or thoughtful people who simply take an organization’s title as proof of its motives or its history. Few abusive organizations actually label themselves as violent or thuggish organizations.

The most extreme example is the most despised of all fascist organizations known as the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Despite the name, the Nazis hunted down socialists and communists in addition to the commission of genocide and other unspeakable crimes. It would have been breathtaking in the late 1930s as they were cracking down on dissidents for a host in the United States to insist “If you’re constantly yelling “Nazi!” — which literally is short for “National Socialist German Workers’ Party” ding-ding-ding! … you might be the anti-labor people they’re focused on. Just a thought…” In reality, the Nazis were the ultimate fascists, but their name said they were something else.

I have been a long critic of Antifa because of its violent history on college campuses and campaigns of intimidation and threats against anyone who opposes it. Antifa members regularly attack reporters, academics, and...

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