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  • Antifa is a position, not a group. Individual anti-fascist groups often get reported as "antifa" as a way to give the impression of an organization, but there isn't really one.

  • Interesting, you picked two brands which aren't really single groups.

    'Antifa' is a social movement which developed from a red united front organization in 1930s Germany[1] and turned into a general brand we see today. Any group of antifascists can identify as antifa using symbols and tactics. You can find a friend and go be antifa.

    Similarly, 'Anonymous' grew out of social justice activism on 4chan and, as the name suggests, is a fluid kind of identity. Anyone can use the name, the original chatroom/group is less and less relevant as time goes on.

    Both collectives are still present and doing things, but antifa groups are far more relevant. They're just not in the news as often as they were during BLM. Anarchist blogs and media outlets (e.g. Unicorn Riot and It's Going Down) often have updates on recent antifascist actions, including disrupting neo-Nazi protests and infiltrating+sabotaging their organizations.

  • Not to be a "just Google it" type person, but I personally would read the Wikipedia articles on each. Wikipedia still has to be taken with skepticism, especially on decentralized movements that some would like to see be declared domestic terrorists, but I would believe Wikipedia more than randos on the internet.

    For example, I am the King of Anonymous. I see everything. I hear everything. We are merely waiting in the shadows for our next opportunity. Oooooor, I'm just a nobody lying online for giggles.

    I think the real answer is they were decentralized and people picked up or dropped the Anonymous or Antifa label as it was useful to them. There have been so many conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns on both, mentioning them is guaranteed to get 95% of people bored and trying to to change topics. So for people trying to get attention, identifying as Antifa or Anonymous probably doesn't help them these days.

    • So for people trying to get attention, identifying as Antifa [...] probably doesn’t help them these days.

      People doing actions for clout are likely to be shunned as opportunistic. A well-known antifascist guide to doxxing Nazis straight up says [paraphrasing] "seeking clout will make people skeptical of your actions, just don't do it".

33 comments