With Trump Gone, Antifa Embracing 'Fascist' Part of Name with Newest Targets

 You know what apparently qualifies as “fascism” now? Anti-vaccine protesters.

After all, we’ve been told for years that antifa is merely short for “anti-fascist.” And if you’re anti-anti-fascist, well, then, what does that make you? The implied answer is a fascist. This weekend, the actual answer seemed to be someone who’d prefer not to take the COVID-19 vaccine and doesn’t want the government to interfere in that decision.

On Saturday, a group of anti-vaccine individuals gathered in front of Los Angeles City Hall to protest “medical tyranny, mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports,” according to KTTV-TV. It ended in violence and with one man being stabbed. (His condition wasn’t known, the outlet reported.)

It wasn’t because the anti-vaccine forces thought COVID wasn’t hurting enough people and they thought they’d take care of the job themselves. Instead, the anti-vaccine protesters were confronted by an organized group that the media went out of its way to not identify as being antifa.

For instance, KTTV reported it was a showdown between “pro-vaccine supporters and anti-vaxxers.” The “anti-vaxxers,” the Fox outlet noted, called their protest a “choose freedom march.” The “pro-vaccine supporters,” meanwhile, called their counterprotest “no safe space for fascists.”

Apparently nothing could be deduced from this language aside from the fact this group supported vaccines. I know investigative reporting resources at local news outlets have taken a hit over the past few decades, but come on.

The Los Angeles Times got a bit closer to the truth, calling the group “a few dozen counterprotesters” who were dressed “in all black.” Of course, they couldn’t help but note that the other side were “draped in American flag garb and Trump memorabilia.”

Yes, former President Donald Trump.

The Los Angeles Police Department, at least, could be counted on to call it as it was: “We are on scene to maintain order after a fight broke out between Antifa and people gathered for the permitted event. We are aware of one male that was stabbed and is being treated by Fire Department personnel,” LAPD spokesman Capt. Stacy Spell said in a statement, according to the Times.

“No arrests have been made but (the) investigation is ongoing.”

The fight, according to the Times, broke out at roughly 2:30 p.m. The outlet reported it wasn’t clear who started the fight, “though each side quickly blamed the other.”

The man who was stabbed, who the anti-vaccine protesters said was part of their contingent, lay bleeding in an intersection. He was taken to the hospital by paramedics.

Los Angeles videographer Sean Carmitchel filmed some of the fracas. After antifa showed up, Carmitchel shot this: “A small verbal altercation. Promises of physical altercations from both sides.”

Things escalated from there. “A *lot* of fights, several weapons used,” he said in one tweet. “One man stabbed, will follow up on details.”

“Many, many punches thrown. Several press members injured. Lots of bear mace. Several press members hurt, one attempt at stealing a camera. I’ll break down when off the ground,” he said in another.

But remember, antifa is short for “anti-fascist.” If the movement really was about opposition to fascism, here’s an exhaustive list of what antifa needed to do regarding the protest at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday to accomplish that goal:

Not show up.

That’s it. There’s the list. Instead, antifa embraced the fascist part of its name and engaged in a street brawl with a contingent protesting for a redress of grievances.

You might not agree with those grievances, but when the Los Angeles City Council is drafting a law that would require at least one dose of vaccine for you to enter certain public indoor spaces, when Los Angeles County is considering its own law along those lines, and when San Francisco already is enforcing such a law, according to the Times, there’s still a legitimate grievance.

Antifa proved again Saturday that it is little more than cultural soccer hooligans. It’s their team and the other team — and the other team needs to get clobbered.

When it’s yobs supporting Manchester City pummeling Manchester United fans, however, the goal isn’t suppression of speech. This is the tip of the spear of a movement that doesn’t tolerate dissent — and with Trump gone, this is the new bad guy.