Plz indulge our little Cassandra moment here in a *THREAD* discussing some dynamics in the pre-Trump years, the rebirth of the right in the Obama era, & how at that time antifa was a tiny handful of folks largely unsupported by the wider left.

This is to stress the importance of preventative antifa.

As the end of Trump‘s term is imminent, there will likely be many who move on from antifa work. It is v important that at least some ppl continue doing this even if the Far Right does recede (a big “if” ofc).

Many leftists recognize Trump as a symptom, but usually of general American cultural/political pathology (which, fair enough). But also Trumpism is more specifically the product of v intentional, multi-level Far Right organizing turbocharged by the election of a black man.

Most antifa today have a 4ish-yr perspective, so the fact that the rebirth of the right started in the Obama era may not be v apparent. But the shift in right discourse & activity was dramatic in that time & was catalyzed by a mixture of Far Right actors, both elite & insurgent

The US Far Right resurgence was situated in the global rise of Populism, a nationalistic, racist response to Neo-liberalism. These mvmts shared strategic pointers & swapped ideological notes ie the Alt Right was a mix of European New Right and domestic paleoconservatism.

A full rendering of right activity in that time would be a Twitter tome of biblical scale (American Third Position begot American Freedom Party and was struck down mightily….) but basically we saw this upsurge occur & opposed the prototypes of what later coalesced into Trumpism.

We were highly active knocking down local groups in the PNW. A few other antifa/ARA chapters were similarly doing this in their little corner of the country. But it was like moving a beach with a teaspoon. We had successes locally, but there wasn’t enough labor/coverage overall.

To give perspective, we were the only active antifa/ARA group on the entire West Coast for most of our existence. Similarly in other parts of the country it was maybe a couple chapters in an entire region, with varying levels of activity.

Not to be too sour grapes, but a lot of the left did not believe us that the Far Right was on the rise or that it was a serious problem. Obvs the white liberals of PDX were condescending, blasé, or condemning of us. (Obama won so racism was over.)

But a LOT of the left itself was not too hot & ppl need to do a lil reflection on that. Many leftists badly underestimated the Far Right & saw this work as “unstrategic”. We are glad ppl came around, but tbc this was a slow-rolling avalanche that antifa was warning of for years.

While it was necessary & good that many ppl flooded into antifa w Trump’s election, it is less than ideal to wait until a Neo-fascist has assumed the presidency to begin opposition. This is not to shame ppl for coming in then, but to reflect on key lessons.

A basic premise of antifa is that we “pull em' up before they take root”, we stop fascist groups in early stages to prevent another Third Reich. Antifa work should be like a vaccine: the v effectiveness of it draws into question whether it is necessary. It prevents the outbreak.

But in practice what tends to happen is a lot of ppl rush into this work when the fash are highly visible (ala 80s/90s), then disappear once fash are “gone”. But fash are like cockroaches, by the time they are obviously scurrying around, a huge hive swarms below the surface.

This tendency leads to some weaknesses in antifa praxis. Skills are developed, then lost & not even passed on to new folx. Lack of continuity, accumulated abilities, or proactive strategies means ppl are often jumping into fighting an advanced stage of fascism totally green.

The Trump rush of antifa are now hitting their stride & these acquired skills need to be retained & built upon. US Fascism is at an advanced metastatic stage now. Antifa cannot afford to constantly reinvent the wheel or be stuck in a recurring awkward & dangerous learning curve.

One major reason PDX was able to hit the ground running in 2016 was because we were a long-established group with existing community networks & capacity. We had a track record of solid info & previous campaigns. We had built up support & antifa wasn’t a new idea here.

While ofc we weren’t winning popularity contests when we began in 2007, we were v lucky that there was a pool of PDX OGs who had fought Nazis in the 90s who supported us in our early years. We need to cherish elders & see teaching & learning as antifa work. This is a relay race.

This is not to say that literally everyone must make a lifelong commitment to antifa or that other kinds of leftist work should be abandoned. A lot of things are v important: migrants rights, environmental justice, BLM, labor, healthcare… many fronts should be fought on.

Just like those other forms of organizing, antifa requires specific skills & knowledge that develop over time. For antifa to evolve beyond entry-level activism, to something that can match the problem we face today, it requires serious, specialized, long-haul organizing.

The story rn on “ANTIFA” & Trump limits what is imagined as antifa & understanding of the Far Right. Examining how we got here is necessary to charting a path forward. Ongoing organizing, collective relationships & left solidarity are vital to the development & success of antifa.