This report is a roll-up of activity from revolutionary communist, radical anarchist, fascist, and other ‘alternative’ political groups that fulfill our intelligence requirements for both the Alt-Left and Alt-Right for Tuesday, 27 March 2018. Activities included are from Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Alt-Left:
National: Since the election of Donald Trump, the National African American Gun Association (NAAGA) has increased its number of chapters nationally from 14 to 42. Members of the organization say that they have became members to defend themselves against racism, while others claim that is it their way of supporting a call to arms in the midst of their recent struggle for civil rights. [Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/in-response-to-racist-violence-more-african-americans-look-to-bear-arms]
Illinois: Chicago-based Haymaker Collective gym organizers appeared on a Unicorn Riot video posted over the weekend. We reported on Haymaker Gym last year after they announced they’d be providing self-defense training for antifascist activists. In the video, one organizer says, “We’re invested in building material force of resistance against the rising nature of fascism in this country… And so we’re really invested in cultivating the capacities for our bodies to just be stronger because at the end of the day, stronger people are harder to kill.” The organizers go on to say that they want to start Haymaker Collective gyms all over the nation. [source video] (Analyst Comment: This is probably an old video, perhaps from last year, but it does give the viewer some insight into the Alt-Left self-defense niche.)
Oregon: An antifascist concert in called “Rock Against Fascism II: The Punks and the Skins Strike Back!” will be held in Portland, Oregon this Thursday to raise money for antifascist charities. Featured artists for the concert include The Brass, Petite, Empire Justice, and Violent Tradition. [Source: http://idavox.com/index.php/event/rock-against-fascism-ii-the-punks-and-skins-strike-back/]
Tennessee: Last week, the Knoxville Radical Alliance encouraged a community boycott against Tomato Head restaurants for allowing a white supremacist to dine there and also for allegedly punishing a server who refused service. [source] (Analyst Comment: Organizing boycotts and “de-platforming” are common forms of non-violent resistance. Antifascist activists routinely flood business and restaurants with phone calls, emails, and social media posts encouraging the businesses and restaurants to kick out, refuse to serve, or stop doing business with known and suspected white supremacists, and others who may not even be white supremacists.)
Tennessee: Antifascist groups are gearing up for the American Renaissance Conference, now one month away. From 27-29 April, white nationalists will be attending the annual conference, and area antifascists are planning to “block the suite and tie [fascists]”. [source]
Alt-Right:
Virginia/West Virginia: Over the weekend, Leftist accounts on Twitter began circulating a picture of a “Patriots of Appalachia” poster put up Charlottesville, Virginia. Patriots of Appalachia was initially accused of being a “regrouping and rebranding” of the Traditionalist Workers Party, a neo-Nazi group from Greater Appalachia that disbanded last month. (See the 16 March Weekly Summary for additional information on TWP.) In follow up tweets, several Alt-Left outlets clarified the issue that Nationalist Front is the public rebranding of TWP, and that Patriots of America is separate group. Alt-Left media outlet It’s Going Down says, “Both need to be confronted.” [source]
Additionally, Solidarity Cville, from Charlottesville, warned that “there’s reason to believe they’re targeting [West Virginia University].” [source] (Analyst Comment: These posters are immediately torn down, and it’s become a game of cat and mouse with Alt-Right and Alt-Left groups putting up and tearing down posters. In the following tweet, Solidarity C’ville warned their followers to use a key to remove these posters as “Neo-Nazis tend to boobytrap their posters… Getting reports of some flyers having razors behind them.” It’s not impossible, but it’s doubtful that these groups are going to take the time to equip these posters with razors. Instead of tearing them down, the Alt-Left groups removing these posters would do much better to harvest latest fingerprints from them. I’d be willing to bet that there are forensic lab technicians who would be willing to volunteer their time.)
Notable Activities:
March For Our Lives DC: Numerous celebrities attended the March For Our Lives gun control rally in Washington DC on Saturday. The event was hosted by the DC chapter of Black Lives Matter, who posted pictures from the rally via their Facebook page. Celebrities including Wilmer Valderrama, Jimmy Fallon, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West took pictures with attendees of the rally to show support for the cause. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BLMDC/posts/1918024211602454)
During the event, a youth member of Black Lives Matter gave a short speech on gun control. The following is a transcribed part of the speech: “These were people were killed by the same guns used by the law enforcement who target us, rather than protect and serve us. The same law enforcement that criminalizes us in our schools, and it’s important that in this time when the voices of the youth is [sic] being heard across the nation that you hear from the black youth. The black youth has been organizing for gun control and safer education for so long. For years now Students Deserve, the Black Lives Matter Youth Vanguard, and Students Not Suspects have been continuing to challenge institutions and laws that oppress the most targeted peoples, which is black people. So when we say we want control it is important that it is not an excuse to target the black youth. When we say we want control it is not another excuse to call us targets and criminals, and it is not another reason to call us “Black Identity Extremists.” When we say we want control we mean gun control for police officers too.” [Source]
Upcoming Events:
29 MAR: Rock Against Fascism II: The Punks and the Skins Strike Back, Portland, Oregon
14-15 APR: TPUSA Midwest Regional Conference, Chicago, Illinois
15 APR: Free Speech Conference at Siena College
20 APR: National High School Walk-Out For Anti-Gun Violence
28 APR: Anti-Racism Action Initiation Protest/American Renaissance Conference 2018, Burns, Tennessee
01 MAY: MayDay Seattle: Stand For Public Safety and Small Business Against Rioters
