Oh Shit! What Now?

The Oh Shit! What now? Collective plans study

groups, discussions, and workshops aimed at

equipping folks with radical skills to share with

others.

For more information, visit our website:

http://ohshitwhatnow.org/

Punching Nazis

A discussion of anti-fascist tactics

Principles of Anti-Fascism

● Anti-fascists believe fascism is a real, tangible, modern force.

● Striking back at those who advocate racism, white supremacy & ethnic cleansing is self-defense.

● Fascists must never again be given a platform to spread & normalize their virulent ideas.

● Oppressed and endangered communities and people must be defended, at any cost.

● Antifa is ideological and physical confrontations with fascism.

● Antifascism is both defensive and offensive, destructive & constructive.

● Anti-fascism is anti-capitalist.

Modern American Fascism

● Neo-liberal policies and the "disruption" of industries create fertile ground for nationalism amid rising poverty &

widespread white supremacy.

● Trump's fascist populism carries him into power while he provides cover and support for nationalist elements and

white supremacists.

● Media fawns over "handsome" "fashionable" neo-nazi figureheads like Richard Spencer, Milo Yiannopoulos.

● Liberals advocate nonviolence, defend "free speech" rights of bigots, even though they silence (& murder) the

oppressed.

● Increasing normalizationa of fascist messaging emboldens street-level fascists, rapid rise in hate crimes nationwide.

● Police enable fascism, stand aside for fascist violence while targeting antifascists

Capitalism & Fascism Are NOT The Same

● Capitalism enables & leads to fascism by creating inequality, division, (under)class

● Some corporations profit from fascism, but fascism escapes total corporate control

● Fascism controls corporate capitalism, corporations actually fear wrath of fascist leaders / must court

their favor

● Ongoing tension between fascists & gov't, fascists and capitalism

● See "Confronting Fascism: Discussion Documents For A Militant Movement" from Kersplebdeb / AK

Press

Richard Spencer & the No Platform Punch

● IMPORTANT: Spencer was punched as he gave an interview to Australian media.

● Masked puncher disrupted his interview and departed, (so far) avoiding legal consequences.

● Successfully "no platformed" Spencer.

● Disrupts the narrative of inauguration day hopelessness and the inevitable rise to power of fascism.

● Reveals surprisingly widespread support for violent self-defense against Nazis.

A Very Brief History of Anti-Fascism

● Modern anti-fascists inspired by the anti-fascists of Italy, Germany, Austria, France, elsewhere in

Europe before, during and after WWII.

● Rekindled in the 1980s in UK and Europe amid growing nationalism supported by neo-Conservative

policies.

● "Punk" antifascism, Anti-Racist Action most common form in US pre-1999

● US anti-fascism sees a rebirth in the aftermath of 1999 "Battle of Seattle."

● American anti-fascists successfully "no platform" Matt Hale & his white supremacist "World Church

Of The Creator."

● Sept. 11 brings new repression, backlash, empowers US nationalism.

● Antifa ebb & flow in numbers in response to fascist activity (an immune response)

Antifas tended to focus on a combination of hunting down Nazi criminals and underground Nazi partisans

(the so-called “Werewolves”) and practical concerns affecting the general population. Braunschweig’s

Antifa, for example, printed a twelve-point program demanding, among other things, the removal of Nazis

from all administrative bodies and their immediate replacement with “competent antifascists,” liquidation of

Nazi assets to provide for war victims, emergency laws to prosecute local fascists, and the

reestablishment of the public health-care service. Typical of an organization led by socialists and thus

keenly aware of the need for print media as an organizing medium, the program’s twelfth and final point

consisted bluntly of a “Daily newspaper.”

-- Loren Balhorn, "The Lost History of Antifa," Jacobin, May 8, 2017

Austin antifa confront "March Against Sharia" hate rally, June 10, 2017

(Flickr / Ann Harkness, CC license)

Texas Fascism Since November: A Selective Timeline

● November - Present: Fascists emboldened throughout Texas. Nazis mobilize regularly in opposition to leftist/radical

activist events. Graffiti and fascist propaganda regularly spotted in Texas cities, especially on campus.

● November 19, 2016: "White Lives Matter" hate group shut down in downtown Austin, Texas.

● December 7, 2016: Riot police protect Richard Spencer's appearance at Texas A&M.

● January 29, 2017: William Fears, 4chan nazi, threatens Indivisible Houston at knifepoint at IAH pro-immigration

protests

● March 4, 2017: "March 4 Trump" events held. Trump supporters being supplanted by overt nationalists/fascists/Pepe

trolls.

● May 1, 2017: White supremacists, nazis & militia attack, shut down May Day "red bloc" in downtown Austin, Texas.

● June 10, 2017: Antifascist activists and allies shut down "March Against Sharia." They never march in Austin.

● June 10, 2017: This Is Texas Freedom Force confronts "fake antifa" in Houston.

Texas Fascism Timeline (Continued)

● June 17, 2017: Nazi groups "Vanguard America" & "Traditionalist Workers Party" rally unopposed at the Capitol,

attack Indivisible activists

● July 1, 2017: Austin "March 4 Trump" organizers stage "1776 Freedom March," at Capitol incl. Based Stickman &

Augustus Invictus. Antifa hold space with picnic.

● July 2, 2017: Nazis and militia disrupt "Impeachment March" in Austin including assaults by Based Stickman on

nonviolent liberal activists.

● July 9, 2017: Denton, Texas GOP chair Joseph Kane revealed to be white supremacist. A student at UNT, he

regularly disrupts liberal & radical events there.

● August 12, 2017: On same day Heather Heyer killed, antifascists confront police & white supremacists over

Confederate statue in San Antonio.

● September 23, 2017: Antifascist counterprotesters celebrate canceled "Dixie Freedom Rally" in Austin, State

Troopers attack & arrest 2.

Charlottesville & After

● Many Texas nazis & fascists traveled to Charlottesville, participated in violence and assaults

● After Charlottesville, numerous fascist events canceled throughout Texas & USA

● Confederate statues begin to come down

● Massive (coordinated?) media backlash against "antifa"

● Fascists go underground? Calls for more violent, terroristic attacks & less open rallies

The littlest antifa

(Flickr / Sonia Golemme, CC NC ND license)

Tactics of Anti-Fascism

● Mask wearing, physical and virtual disguise to conceal identity

● Physical confrontation with lone fascists or groups/rallies.

● Disruption of fascist events with the goal of ending their ability to gather in public.

● Targeting racists & fascists homes and property for destruction.

● Creating connections with other activist groups & oppressed communities for mutual aid and

solidarity.

● Overwhelming numbers win the day (& prevent violence).

● Join larger protests (related: Black Bloc tactics) & attack the capitalist roots of fascism.

Black Bloc & Antifascism

● Black bloc is a tactic, not a movement or organized group

● Black bloc is not antifascism

● Black bloc developed from German squatter protests

● Black bloc creates anonymity & shared sense of identity

● Black bloc activists depend on their affinity groups for safety

● Black bloc is not appropriate for every action or protest

● Facial recognition software is getting dangerously good

Legal Concerns

● Violence is assault and carries jail and prison time.

● Property destruction also potentially carries jail & prison time if caught.

● Use violence & property destruction strategically and protect your identity.

● Cultivate a relationship with sympathetic lawyer, if possible.

Comrades, citizen journalists, friends, family and bystanders:

● Don't talk to the cops. Respect diversity of tactics.

● Think before you post to social media, or don't post at all.

● If you do film, don't film faces/incriminating details.

Other Antifa Tactics

● Defense of other activists against police & fascists

● Public humiliation and clowning (see: Loldiers of Odin).

● Audio disruption, stink bombs & other unconventional warfare

● Getting fascists fired, kicked out of community spaces

● Anti-Fascist visual culture, including graffiti and stickers and memes

● Art, music, poetry and other forms of writing which promote anti-racism, anti-fascism

Antifa Support Roles

● Legal support including raising fees & legal costs, jail support after arrests and pen pals after

imprisonment

● Street medics and help with costs of medical care for antifa and victims of fascists

● Support with research, sharing tips, and be watchful for fascists

● Create articles, zines, and other anti-racist, anti-nationalist culture

● Protect antifa in your community from police

● Look for everyday ways to oppose the normalization of nazis

Oh Shit! What Now?

is Growing Resistance

Class schedule, resources, and calendar at

http://ohshitwhatnow.org

Feedback, class ideas, or other suggestions?

ohshit@ohshitwhatnow.org