the way i see anti-fascist activism as being effective in australia is that it makes it more difficult to hold explicitly racist demonstrations, because a lot of people show up to counter-protest.
i would say they are
overwhelmingly dedicated to non-violence, incidentally - i know lots of anti-fascist who are over 60 years old and definitely not (physical) fighters.
it makes the whole thing logistically difficult for the organisers when a march featuring a few dozen alt-right muppets and boneheads (neo-nazi skinheads) turns into a massive to-do with a major police operation with 500 riot cops. it increases the 'cost of admission' for everyone involved on the nazi side of things.
if, for the nazis, turning up means being filmed/photographed, blockaded, possibly arrested if they want to fight - it deters them from showing up. the more complicated holding these rallies becomes, the more difficult it is to get a permit to demonstrate in a central location, etc etc.
the more frustrated they are, the more undisciplined they are - and the more they show their true colours (explicit nazism etc - things that are often quite hidden in their public image). lots of nazis nowadays are trying to have an image of 'respectability'. neat clothing, less of the nazi skinhead look, more subtle iconography etc - but when the pressure is on, these guys (rallies are predominantly a male phenomenon) tend to drop the "
smile for the cameras" act.
none of this needs even the
threat of violence on the part of antifascists; it's an entirely legitimate way for anti-fascsists to exercise freedom of expression and free assembly. merely showing up to counter-demonstrate is a provocation to dogmatic race-haters.
of course, some antifascists are not shy about physical confrontation, but when you see the menacing nature of nazi rallies....well, i'm afraid it's kinda necessary.
if/when nazis can get away with hurting peaceful demonstrators,
they do.
you only need to look at the videos of charlottesville (or shelbyville yesterday/today whatever) to see the sort of people that turn up to nazi demos - and in the US, especially, they tend to be armed with clubs, knives and/or firearms.
these are not the sort of folks that have a problem with killing. they don't make a secret of that.
when you're making a point of resisting that sort of stuff - which many of us are
determined to do - you simply cannot always practice passive resistance.
which is not to say that all antifa actions are violent. far, far from it - but that's not what fox news would have you believe, of course.
the tabloid press loves a moral panic, a folk-devil - and "antifas" are the latest buzzword in the low-rent news cycle.
you're right though, in the sense that antifa can't take credit for the failure of shonky aus-nazi groups (UPF, TBC et al) from taking off - their petty infighting, general dysfunctionality and domestic violence convictions have played a much bigger role in the last couple of years (not naming any names)
i agree that violence doesn't make society a better place, but it's important to be aware of the fact that "antifa" isn't only about violence.
there are a lot of tactics that are neither malicious nor violent, but just seek to make it more difficult for these people to mobilise.
i personally think you can't overstate the importance of simply monitoring nazi groups to maintain awareness of what they're up to, and hopefully - what they're plotting.
it's not very difficult to infiltrate their groups, especially online. i suspect a sizeable proportion of the following many of these people have on facebook (for instance) is made up of people who oppose their views, rather than share them.
liberals and centrists often urge the antifascist left to ignore nazis, but i think that's a dangerous tactic.
for people that want to actively resist fascism, it's far better to know what they're up to, because i really think it's not something to be complacent about.
these people recruit disenfranchised people that society has failed. they offer a bunch of easy answers (prejudice, scapegoating) for people's problems (blame immigrants, women/feminists, "lefties" for the fact that Joe Hatemonger can't hold down a job or a relationship etc) and nowadays especially (where secure jobs are hard to come by) that's fertile ground for the disenchanted and undereducated fringe.
what antifa is trying to prevent is a further emboldening of nazi ideas, because once this shit leaves the internet and takes to the streets, that's when the real trouble starts.
violence is never nice - i personally hate it - but in the big picture, i'm glad there are people willing to stand up and challenge
organised hate.
once you get to the point that nazis feel they can do nazi shit with impunity (bashings, bombings, murders etc) it's very hard to turn that around.
the antifa approach isn't perfect, and it certainly may not be pretty, but it is genuine grassroots direct action, and i personally respect people that are prepared to act in solidarity with their communities to keep nazis isolated on the fringes of the political sphere, where they belong.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
