Antifa: Politics Unmasked
Posted in : Government and Society on by : Michael Maharrey Tags: Antifa, government, violence
“Unmasking the leftist Antifa movement: Activists seek peace through violence”
That was the original headline on a CNN story about the Antifa movement. CNN later removed the subheading about peace through violence, apparently under pressure from Antifa leaders.
Nevertheless, the original headline accurately describes the tactics of the Antifa, if not their ultimate goal. The organization frequently resorts to violence and intimidation to shut down events it doesn’t approve of and to silence people it disagrees with. The CNN report notes Antifa’s willingness to use violence and destroy property to achieve its ends.
“And their methods are often violent. Antifa leaders admit they’re willing to physically attack anyone who employs violence against them or who condones racism — as long as force is used in the name of eradicating hatred.”
The leader of the Antifa group in Portland, Oregon, made no apologies for violent acts committed by the group.
“You have to put your body in the way, and you have to make it speak in the language that they understand. And sometimes that is violence.”
An element of moral superiority underlies the Antifa violence. Members feel justified in destroying property, and even hurting people, because they view their cause as a morally just crusade against evil.
“Violence against windows — there’s no such thing as violence against windows. Windows don’t have — they’re not persons. And even when they are persons, the people we fight back against, they are evil. They are the living embodiment, they are the second coming of Hitler.”
Eradicating hatred by hitting people may seem contradictory. Some might call peace through violence paradoxical. But at their core, the tactics of the Antifa don’t differ substantively from those of any other political movement. “Mainstream” politicos just do a better job of hiding their violence. Men and women wearing expensive suits mask it behind “lawfully passed” legislation, shiny badges and heartfelt appeals to the “common good.”
After all, every law proposed, from smoking bans to tax collection, is ultimately enforced at gunpoint.
The Antifa is really nothing more than politics — government — unmasked. It’s a group of people driven to enforce their will on the rest of society, using coercion, force and violence if necessary.
Jesus took a different path – peace through peace. He didn’t conquer evil by force. He conquered it by letting it kill him and then rising triumphantly over it. Earthly kingdoms sustain themselves through force and violence. God’s kingdom sustains itself through love. We can’t serve both.
