What is “antifa”? It’s really just an idea. It’s shorthand for anti-fascism. There’s no organization, it doesn’t have a leader or a headquarters, there’s no membership roll, no money in bank accounts. It’s just people who are opposed to fascism. If someone is against people opposed to fascism… that makes them what?

Some people call themselves antifa and believe the correct response to violent fascism is to get into fights with fascists in the streets. Me, I think that’s dumb. Street fights will never stop fascism. But I suppose you can call me antifa because I’m against fascists and fascism. I’ve studied enough history to know that it’s evil.

So I’m antifa. Please don’t be scared. I don’t own any guns, I’ve never set anything on fire (on purpose), and I’m sure not a good street brawler. I’m a sissy.

So, are people who call themselves antifa violent? Not really. Maybe there are a few knuckleheads, but a July 2020 study found that right-wing extremists had killed 329 victims in the last 25 years, while antifa members hadn’t killed any. So it’s clear where the real danger is coming from.

Conclusion? Fear-mongering that antifa is coming to your neighborhood to kill you is a transparent tactic to justify a military/police crackdown, just as Putin likes to say “law and order” because he wants Russians to think that anyone opposed to him is a violent thug who must be arrested, beaten, or killed.

So, is anyone who says “law and order” automatically a fascist? No. But I’m for law, order, and JUSTICE. Two of them without the third is unstable and unsustainable. Don’t forget the justice part. Civilization lies in the heady mixture of the three, not the two.

And it seems to me that equal parts of law, order, and justice would require one to be antifa, that is, against fascism.