Portland’s most recognizable left-wing group has spoken out against a Senate resolution introduced earlier this month that would label anti-fascists “domestic terrorists,” saying the proposal is an attempt to “criminalize dissent.” Rose City Antifa released a statement saying the Republican Party “is explicitly targeting political opposition. If passed, this resolution would be a powerful new weapon for silencing leftists and dissent in the U.S.”
The resolution referenced a June 29 attack against conservative writer Andy Ngo during a mostly peaceful gathering of competing protesters in downtown. Ngo has said he suffered a brain injury. Cruz and Cassidy cited the attack as proof of the dangers posed by “antifa.” The term is short for anti-fascist and generally serves as a blanket description for typically anonymous left-wing activists who say they support using disruptive and sometimes violent tactics to fight hate, homophobia and anti-Semitism.
Effie Baum, a spokesperson for Portland-based “everyday antifascist” coalition Popular Mobilization, said the group signed the statement to show solidarity with organizations that shared its goals of “raising the cost of participation for racists and homophobic and transphobic people.”
Hmm. Maybe they should quit wearing masks and assaulting people; that'd be a good start. In Portland, they've done a lot of damage with their metal pipes and bats - breaking store windows and even busting in car windows (the driver was a woman with two kids in the vehicle on one occasion, and all she was trying to do was get home).
It's hard to sell the story that you're "anti-fascists" when you behave like fascists.