The Democrat love affair with antifa 

In your most recent Cape Gazette there were three letters disparaging the Young Republicans’ criticism of the Democrat relationship with Antifa. They all seem to feel that Antifa is a benign group whose only interest is in defeating fascism. Antifa is anti-fascist in the same way that the Committee of Public Safety was for public safety during the French Revolution. This irony of this name only became apparent as thousands lost their heads at the guillotine.

The name Antifa suggests that they are anti-fascist, but they are themselves the definition of fascism. Wikipedia defines Antifa this way, “Antifa aims to achieve their objectives through the use of both non-violent and violent direct action rather than through policy reform. Antifa political activists engage in protest tactics such as digital activism and militancy, sometimes involving property damage, physical violence… Individuals involved in the movement tend to hold anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist views, subscribing to a range of left-wing ideologies such as anarchism, communism, Marxism, social democracy and socialism.”

Wikipedia further describes fascism this way “Far-right, authoritarian ultra-nationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, as well as strong regimentation of society and of the economy. Fascists believe that liberal democracy is obsolete and regard the complete mobilization of society under a totalitarian one-party state as necessary.” Antifa would certainly not be considered far-right, but they are fascist in every other sense of the definition.

Linda DeFeo suggests the Republican Party does not disavow Neo-Nazis and white supremacist, another untruth. On August 14th, 2017 Donald Trump issued a press release containing the following statement, “Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs including the KKK, neo Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.” I do not think our president can make it any clearer than that.

She furthermore claims that she has never seen Antifa disrupt a conservative rally with violence. Has she not seen all the violent protests that occurred at Berkeley University in 2017, simply because they invited some conservative speakers like Milo Yiannopoulos, Ben Shapiro, and Ann Coulter to talk? Free speech is still a cherished American value for some, even though it is frequently under attack by Antifa, Google, Facebook, YouTube, and others. Did she not see Antifa protesters in Portland, ORre., beating up gay reporter Andy Ngo, simply because he wrote something they did not like? 

Linda DeFeo goes on to criticize President Trump concerning his threat to use the military to restore law and order. The Insurrection Act authorizes the president to employ the military in cases of insurrection or obstruction of laws. This would not be the first time the military was used. George Washington first used the military to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. More recent examples include Dwight Eisenhower using troops to escort nine black students into Little Rock Central High School after the Arkansas governor tried to prevent students from entering the school. JFK used troops in 1962 and 1963 in Mississippi and Alabama to enforce civil rights laws. In 1967 Lyndon Johnson sent troops to Detroit when deadly riots broke out. In 1992 George H.W. Bush sent troops to California to help quell rioting in Los Angeles. Use of the law only seems to be a problem when President Trump uses it. Sen. Tom Cotton recently addressed this issue at the invitation of the New York Times and created quite a kerfuffle. After publication of the op-ed the NYT editor was fired, simply for allowing an opposing point of view. This is further evidence that freedom of speech is under serious attack in this country. Those that still believe in it had better start defending it.  

The Democrats shamelessly blame President Trump for the behavior of police departments across the nation when he has little authority over any of them. There is not a unified U.S. police force reporting to Donald Trump, but thousands of police forces each reporting to local police chiefs, mayors, and governors. Many of these positions are held by minorities and many in the most troubled areas are run by Democrats, including in Minneapolis and Atlanta where the most recent examples occurred. Why have they not addressed the problem with rogue cops in their ranks? It is long overdue. 

Antifa has little interest in making changes at the margins; they seek revolutionary change to our history, culture, and economic system. They have been helped by those on the left indoctrinating children in our schools and universities. They are now targeting our history, tearing down statues that offend. If you think this stops at obscure Confederate war heroes, you would be wrong. It has found its way to the most iconic people in our history; a statue of Abraham Lincoln was recently defaced, and schools named after George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in San Francisco were recently renamed. If names like these are now targeted, will anything be spared? 

It would serve us well to remember a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we lose our freedoms it will be because we have destroyed ourselves from within.” Wake up and unite, America; the values you cherish are in peril.  

Hylton Phillips-Page
Rehoboth Beach