The old meme was that the Antifa was the equivalent of American GIs storming the beaches of Normandy for their willingness to brawl with Nazis and associated riff raff. That meme was somewhat diluted by an incident on Berkeley in which Masked Antifa terrorists attacked a group of peaceful demonstrators while chanting, “No trump, no wall, no USA at all!"
Does the right to free speech depends on one’s identity
While it can be stipulated that Nazis and Klansmen are not only bad people but losers, it cannot be said that they are a particular class of individuals who deserve to get a beat down because they are these things.
Once upon a time, the first amendment applied to pernicious or unpopular speech as well as expressed opinions for which a consensus exist. Nazis were allowed to rant about Jews and Klansmen against African Americans. The rest of us also got to point out how evil those sentiments are and how World War II and the Civil War decided these issues on the battlefield. As long as opinions are expressed peacefully, the Republic can survive.
However, now it seems that the first amendment also conveys the right to stove in the head of someone whose opinions or even identity one doesn’t like. Two problems exist for this notion. First, violence as speech goes both ways. If one group can engage in it, then all groups can.
The second problem is that there exists a distinct lack of focus on the part of the Antifa. They make no distinction between a Neo Nazi loser and an ordinary Trump supporter. All are enemies that must be destroyed.
The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend
The notion that a group of people is conveyed with virtue because they are willing to beat up bad people is a curious one.
The Soviet Army fought with great valor against the Third Reich. Then, with Nazi Germany defeated, they proceeded to occupy Eastern Europe and threaten the rest of that continent with death and tyranny for 45 years. Stalin was as great a butcher as Hitler. He was just on our side for a few years before he was an enemy.
The Antifa are the mirror image of the Neo Nazis.
Both groups adhere to pernicious political philosophies that would mean untold death and misery if ever implemented. Both are willing to commit acts of violence to get what they want, which in the immediate term is to see the blood of the other spilled in the street. The only sensible reaction is to wish a plague on both their houses.
