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Anti-fascism

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Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideology, organization, or government, on all levels. It has been historically associated with left-wing movements such as anarchism, communism and socialism, although many individuals who do not belong to this movement share anti-fascist ideas. However, the active struggle against fascism and many antifascist organizations are related to the socialist and anarchist movement. In left-wing movements, anti-fascism generally includes antimilitarism, since the two are considered intimately related.

There is a difference between anti-fascism as a movement and broader opposition to fascism. In the broadest sense, an anti-fascist is anyone who opposes fascism, and/or engages in anti-fascist direct action. This includes most mainstream political parties and groups in the Western world, including both left-wingers and moderate rightists. However, many countries in the world also have anti-fascist movements; for instance, there is a strong anti-fascist movement in Spain. Such movements are left-wing in character.

Anti-fascism as shared by many left-wing people also includes opposing homophobia, sexism, racism and the restriction of civil liberties, for example during state of emergency. In the most broader sense, The term antifa is a commonly used word for anti-fascist action.

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Resistance movements and violence

Most major resistance movements during World War II were anti-fascist, although antifascism as an ideology has been historically associated with the socialist movement. Some members who joined the resistance weren't antifascists. In France, for example, quite a few people who joined the Resistance against the Vichy regime came from far right nationalist and royalist background, which certainly didn't make them "antifascist" (e.g. Henri d'Astier de la Vigerie, who may even have taken a part, before the war, in the fascist La Cagoule terrorist group, but joined the Resistance anyhow, by patriotism — however, his brother, Emmanuel d'Astier de la Vigerie, also part of the Action Française in the 1930s but who became progressively left-wing, also engaged himself and the Resistance and wasn't a fascist). However, they abandoned the Vichy regime and started fighting against the Germans' when they saw that Philippe Pétain was totally bending over to the Nazis and had no intent to stop collaboration. But they didn't fight nazism for antifascism reasons, but because of patriotism.

Thus, antifascism as a distinct theory and practice is historically limited to the socialist movement, although with the emergence of new, alternative political movements (the Greens being only one of them), the antifascism tradition of the socialist movement may expands itself to other left-wing people. Although many moderate right-wing people are anti-racist and oppose fascism, they are not considered "antifascists" as they do not organize themselves in specific groups dedicated to the antifascist struggle.

While violent or militant anti-fascism does occur, the movement may also be non-violent; being an anti-fascist is not necessarily to "fight" fascism with violence, although violence did play an important role in the 1920s and the 1930s, when antifascists were confronted to aggressive far right leagues, such as the Action Française royalist movement in France, which dominated the Quartier latin students' neighborhood (although royalist, the Action Française counted members such as Georges Valois who would later found the Faisceau fascist movement, created on the model of the Italian Fascio). In Italy in the 1920s, antifascists had to struggle against the violent squadristi, while in Germany they were confronted to the Freikorps. The squadristi broke the general strikes using violence, and the only way for the workers' movement to defend itself was physically. Thus, pre-World War II history explains why anti-fascism has been associated with violence.

Modern anti-fascist movements

UAF logo representing unity between people.
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UAF logo representing unity between people.

Some antifa activists believe that violence is not justified, since fascists don't represent a massive physical threat in most countries. They argue that they should be fought intellectually. Others point out that racist skinheads pose a real threat in some neighborhoods, and have even killed people. These anti-fascists claim that self-defense is necessary, because the state doesn't equally defend the population of specific neighborhoods. In Russia, some neo-Nazis have committed hate crimes against foreigners. Some anti-fascist groups are: Anti-Racist Action, a group created in the USA in the 1990s; Antifascistisk aktion founded in Sweden in 1993; the Anti-Nazi League, set up in the UK in 1977 (and merged with Unite Against Fascism in 2002); Anti-Fascist Action; Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice and RASH (one must recall that the original skinhead subculture was non-racist, and only later became associated with Neo-nazism). Spain has a substantial anti-fascist movement, some aspects of which grew out of left-wing opposition to the rule of Franco. This movement is generally associated with the hard left, although many of its members are not active in left-wing politics.

Anti-fascist organisations

Pre-World War II

World War II

Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944.
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Members of the Dutch Eindhoven Resistance with troops of the US 101st Airborne in front of the Eindhoven cathedral during Operation Market Garden in September 1944.

Members of the Maquis in La Trésorerie
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Members of the Maquis in La Trésorerie
(but excluding the Action Française members who joined the Resistance)

Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst, executed for participation in a resistance movement against the Nazi regime through White Rose.
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Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst, executed for participation in a resistance movement against the Nazi regime through White Rose.

Kotwica, one of the symbols of the Armia Krajowa.
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Kotwica, one of the symbols of the Armia Krajowa.

Post-World War II

Anti-fascist Individuals

Mordechaj Anielewicz
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Mordechaj Anielewicz

Willy Brandt
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Willy Brandt

Daniel Cohn-Bendit
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Daniel Cohn-Bendit

Jean Moulin
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Jean Moulin

Christian Pineau
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Christian Pineau

Josip Broz Tito
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Josip Broz Tito

Anti-fascist books

Anti-fascist bands

Anti-fascist songs

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
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