A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document titled “Domestic Terrorism Symbols Guide”* links common protest symbols to “terrorism” — another marker in a common theme of conflating militant protest for social justice with deadly terrorist violence within the United States. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Brennan Center have raised warnings about such documents, citing inadequate protections for people’s constitutional rights.
What does antifa have to do with anarchy? I remember first seeing the symbol at Major League Soccer matches in Seattle in 2009. Lots of Amazon employees of liberal, but somewhat mainstream democratic POVs often raised the symbol. I thought it was just folks that hated racism and fascism,but not necessarily anarchist or socialist.
Anarchy as a label and the anarchy symbol are so diversely used it’s hard to say what they definitely mean. When I was young I first encountered it as a music symbol and it meant rebel to me or anti-Reagan. I’ve met and talked to anarchist who say there shouldn’t be any form of government at all to people who want a commune-type government to people who want to keep the existing government but want it to be extremely laissez faire. A lot of different people use the label and symbol and claim it for themselves.
Reminds me of Anonymous, the hacker group that once seemed to have some kind of meaning, until everyone realized anyone and everyone was using the label for some of the dumbest movements.
“Treyarch. You believe you have gotten away with anti-consumer behavior by nerfing the dual shotguns in the latest Call of Duty patch. But Anonymous, the very members of your playerbase, have been watching.”
May have something to do with the fact that it’s only anarchists and (other) socialists that are willing to throw down with fascists without being ordered to do so.
No true Scotsman…
Go count the liberals in the black bloc, Clyde.