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Trump's calculated move to solidify himself as the "law + order" candidate by claiming the US will label "ANTIFA," a political stance against far-Right violence, white supremacy + fascism, a terrorist "group," mirrors similar efforts to do the same to #BlackLiveMatter. A thread.
"ANTIFA," which is only put in all caps by the grifter-Right + their followers - isn't an organization. Antifa, short for antifascism, is simply a political stance against fascism which can manifest in a variety of political and community forms of protest, organization + action.
Currently, Trump's advisors are divided on how he should respond to the uprising following the police murder of #GeorgeFloyd."...[Some] have said he should condemn the rioting + looting more forcefully or risk losing middle-of-the-road voters in November." https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/31/politics/trump-protests-george-floyd/index.html
Trump and his backers have also doubled-down on presenting the wave of riots and demonstrations in the terms of a vast conspiracy theory - that they are all the work of "ANTIFA."
This isn't a new play - it's the same discourse and divided and conquer technique that was employed during the Civil Rights Movement, where the Klan and local police branded Freedom Rights "outside agitators" and "Communists." https://www.crmvet.org/nars/peter1.htm
During the Ferguson Rebellion, similar tropes of "outside agitators" were also repeated - however behind the scenes, the vast surveillance apparatus of the State was firmly directed at the Black community and local Black organizers themselves. https://theintercept.com/2018/03/19/black-lives-matter-fbi-surveillance/
After the Ferguson Rebellion, a new threat was designated of "Black Identity Extremists," and was presented as a bigger threat than white nationalist or Islamic terrorist groups. https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-leak-black-identity-extremist-threat-1453362
In 2017, documents showed "government surveillance of the Movement for Black Lives + Black activists. They show how federal agencies characterized protesters as “Black Supremacist Extremists” + portrayed First Amendment protest as inciting violence to justify surveillance."
"These documents also reveal for the first time the existence of a report produced by the DHS Intelligence and Analysis office called the “Race Paper” and that is entirely blacked out in reliance on the National Security Act." https://www.netrootsnation.org/nn_events/nn18/the-race-paper-and-other-secret-documents-how-the-fbi-and-dhs-are-surveilling-and-criminalizing-black-protest/
Furthermore, as the Young Turks reported, the documents showed that the FBI "has established a program dubbed “Iron Fist” targeting so-called black identity extremists with undercover agents." https://theintercept.com/2019/10/29/fbi-surveillance-black-activists/
This "Iron Fist" program seems to bear a striking resemblance to COINTELPRO, or the Counter Intelligence Program, that sought to disrupt and destroy social movements in the 1960s and 1970s. https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/08/fbi-cointelpro-new-left-panthers-muslim-surveillance
Under COINTELPRO, activists and organizers were set-up on charges, had their lives ruined, and in many cases, were assassinated by local police. https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/assassination-of-fred-hampton
The far-Right has also played a role in pushing the State to declare grassroots movements as "terrorist." In 2016, a White House petition to label #BlackLivesMatter 
a terrorist group got over 100K signatures and was pushed heavily by the far-Right. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-responds-to-petition-to-label-black-lives-matter-a-terror-group/
a terrorist group got over 100K signatures and was pushed heavily by the far-Right. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-responds-to-petition-to-label-black-lives-matter-a-terror-group/
Petitions that receive over 100K signatures get a White House response, to which the then Obama White House responded: "The White House plays no role in designating domestic terror organizations," nor does the U.S. government "generate a list of domestic terror organizations."
A year later + ironically right after the deadly neo-Nazi Unite the Right rally, white nationalist troll and Trump supporter "Microchip" started a similar petition to label "ANTIFA" a terrorist group. The White House petition also got over 100K signatures. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/24/antifa-white-house-petition-trump-troll-241990
In response the Trump White House wrote: "Although Federal law provides a mechanism to designate + sanction foreign terrorist organizations and state sponsors of terrorism, there is currently no analogous mechanism for formally designating domestic terrorist organizations."
Two years later, Proud Boy leader + Unite the Right attendee Enrique Tarrio pushed a new White House petition to label "ANTIFA" a terrorist organization. This one was almost directly copy + pasted from the previous #BlackLivesMatter petition from 2016, changing only a few words.
petition from 2016, changing only a few words.
This interchangeability between "ANTIFA" and #BlackLivesMatter as a boogeyman on the Right, both within the hardcore far-Right on the streets and within regular Trump supporter circles - says a lot. It shows that while the enemy may change, the need to have one stays constant.
as a boogeyman on the Right, both within the hardcore far-Right on the streets and within regular Trump supporter circles - says a lot. It shows that while the enemy may change, the need to have one stays constant.
Ironically, Tarrio's petition to label "ANTIFA" a terrorist organization failed to even pass 40K signatures - thus gaining 60K signatures less than it did right after Charlottesville. Even still, Tarrio found a backer of his petition in the form of Ted Cruz, who promoted it.
Cruz has rubbed elbows with the far-Right in numerous instances. Speaking at rallies alongside the far-Right Oath Keepers militia + appearing alongside Proud Boys founder + contributor to white nationalist American Renaissance publication, Gavin McIness.
When they aren't working with politicians to label those who oppose fascism as "terrorists," the Proud Boys spend most of their time online, harassing journalists and attempting to shut down people exposing literal neo-Nazis and white supremacists. https://itsgoingdown.org/proud-boys-help-defend-paramilitary-neo-nazi-groups-online-as-their-leader-enrique-tarrio-prepares-congressional-run/
It's been over 5 years since the Ferguson Rebellion. Since that time, 6 people associated with the activist community who were involved in the demonstrations have died, "some in violent, mysterious ways." Two young men were found dead inside burned cars. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/ferguson-death-mystery-black-lives-matter-michael-brown-809407/
In Ferguson, what began with police, media, politicians + even some activists attacking "outside agitators" - over 5 years later has continued with a massive security State apparatus aimed directly at #BlackLivesMatter and the black community in general. https://www.salon.com/2019/08/14/leaked-documents-show-fbi-targeted-post-ferguson-black-identity-extremists-over-white-supremacists/
and the black community in general. https://www.salon.com/2019/08/14/leaked-documents-show-fbi-targeted-post-ferguson-black-identity-extremists-over-white-supremacists/
Neither "ANTIFA," anarchists, or any activist group for that matter - are behind or "directing" the uprising that is taking place across the US following the murder of #GeorgeFloyd. Young people of color are the driving force - and this is exactly who the State fears the most.
People need to refuse to allow the government to separate, split, and break apart those in the streets - and those who sympathize with them - especially around racial lines - which of course is what Trump does the best.
