ANTIFA

During a White House roundtable on October 8, 2025, Kristi Noem stated: “One of the individuals we arrested recently in Portland was the girlfriend of one of the founders of Antifa, and we’re hoping as we go after her and prosecute her, we’ll get more and more information about the network.”

She framed the arrest as a strategic move to dismantle what she called a domestic terrorist network, comparing Antifa to groups like ISIS and Hezbollah

Let’s clear something up: Antifa is not an organization, club or association. It has no headquarters, no membership rolls, no leaders, no funding structure and no founder. What it IS, and ALWAYS HAS BEEN, is a concept. There is a loose, decentralized movement of people committed to opposing fascism, authoritarianism, and far-right extremism. That’s it. No secret meetings. No shadowy command center. Just a label for resistance.

So how did the right turn “antifa” into a boogeyman?

It started as a branding strategy. Around 2017, conservative media and political operatives began using “Antifa” as a catch-all term for left-wing protestors, especially those opposing white nationalism, police brutality, and Trump-era policies. By capitalizing the term and repeating it in headlines, they gave it the illusion of structure. This wasn’t accidental. It was a deliberate rhetorical move to justify surveillance, crackdowns, and fear-based politics.

But anti-fascism isn’t new. It’s deeply American.

-World War II veterans were literally anti-fascists. They fought and died to defeat Hitler, Mussolini, and the Axis powers.

-Civil rights activists opposed fascist tactics used to suppress Black Americans, from police violence to propaganda.

-Labor unions, Jewish organizations, and LGBTQ+ groups have long resisted fascist ideologies that target minorities and dissenters.

-Even Republicans and Democrats once agreed: fascism is a threat to democracy, not a partisan talking point.

To be anti-fascist is to reject authoritarianism, racism, and political violence. And when politicians try to criminalize that stance by inventing the fake idea of an “Antifa organization,” they’re not protecting America. They’re pushing a phony, radical talking point that got out of hand.

So next time someone says “Antifa is a terrorist group,” ask them:

“Do you mean the veterans who stormed Normandy? Or the students who marched in Selma? Or the journalists who expose authoritarian regimes?”

Who is actually threatened by the idea of Antifa? FASCISTS. Like Trump and his administration. __

Sources: Brennan Center for Justice, Southern Poverty Law Center, The Atlantic, Politico, NPR, The Guardian, ADL (Anti-Defamation League), Columbia Journalism Review, Washington Post, New York Times, PBS Frontline, History.com, Snopes, ProPublica. #douglasarthurjohnson **IF YOU FIND THIS INFORMATION VALUABLE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE**