If one of your new year's resolutions was to tighten up your digital/online security, we've got you! Digital Security Fundamentals Training for Anti-Fascists: January 18th @ noon EST/5pm GMT

If you think the US is going to be FUCKED by Trump's proposed immigration shutdowns/mass deportations, this podcast really explains why that's true. Key takeaways: -Remember the Chinese Exclusion Act? This 1882 law was America's 1st shot at restricting immigration. It was an economic disaster. The number Chinese workers in the US dropped by 65%, which led to businesses - especially in small towns in the West, where the Chinese Exclusion Act was the most popular - shutting down due to the sudden drop in (Chinese) patrons. This, in turn, threw non-Chinese workers out of work. The negative impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act on the US economy lasted 58 years! -Over 20 years of research on the economic impact of immigration found that countries that welcome immigrants reap massive economic benefits from doing so. Five reasons for this: 1) Talent: immigrants typically fill jobs that non-immigrants can't or won't do, or when there's simply not enough workers available to do those jobs. 2) Consumption: Immigrants increase the demand for goods and services, not leaste because they have to replace everything they left behind when they immigrated! But they also introduce new categories of products, services, and brands from their old lives to their new countries. 3) Taxes: Immigrants - even undocumented immigrants - pay sales taxes, payroll taxes, road tolls, etc. So much so that the taxes they pay in their new countries exceeds the amount of government services they use, which means that they actually subsidize government services for non-immgrants! How much? Each immigrant to the US pays out $250,000 more in taxes than they use in services, on-average, over their lifetimes. 4) Investment: For every 1% increase in the number of immigrants in a particular US state, that state is 50% more likely to receive foreign investment from the country those immigrants came from (what, did you think it was a coincidence that California has 72 Jollibee locations?). Also, immigrants are 80% more likely than non-immigrants to start their own businesses in their new countries. 5) Innovation: One out of every three patents in the US are filed by immigrants. Almost half of all Fortune 500 companies are headed by an immigrant or the child of immigrants. Oh and before you go "wHaT aBoUt TeH cRiMeS?" immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than non-immigrants. Kiss all of that goodbye in 2025, America!

Might be the best overview of the current situation in Syria we've come across.

Imagine the nightmare of joining a protest against draconian "Fortress Europe" border militarization in 2016, being arrested, and then having authorities relentlessly pursue charges against you for eight years! That's what our friend N. has been enduring and unless he comes up with thousands of € to pay for a good lawyer, it's going to end with him in prison. The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund has done what we can to make sure that does not happen. Full story above. Help us keep anti-fascists free and in the fight.

Nanuk is a German anti-fascist who was nabbed by a police tactical team in Berlin and has been sitting in prison ever since awaiting trial. For what? -supporting an anti-fascist organization -a bar fight in a notorious neo-nazi bar, four years ago -vandalizing a court building The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund has sent funds to Nanuk's support team to help him pay for his legal defence against these ridiculous charges. Full story here. Contribute to Nanuk's defence fund here. Keep The International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund in the fight by contributing here.

Some thoughts, Anon: 1) You're assuming that the first thing anti-fascists do when confronted with bigots & fascists is punch them. This is rarely the case. The overwhelming majority of cases are of anti-fascists having to physically defend themselves & their communities from violence perpetuated by fascists. Who, as a key part of their political ideology, fetishize and encourage violence as a legitimate and preferred form of political action (in other words, terrorism). 99% of anti-fascist work is non-violent. Education, networking, protesting, fundraising - the kinds of things that any movement does. We've yet to come across a situation where anti-fascists have had to resort to physical force where that force was not applied reasonably and appropriately. 2) You're further assuming that, when dealing with fascists, the worst you can expect is a punch-up and that violence from both sides is roughly equivalent.

Between 2018 and 2022 our collective documented 1625 murders motivated by bigotry or committed by fascists and far-right extremists. A further 4923 people were injured in these attacks. We defy you to provide examples of similar levels of violence from anti-fascists. Here, the Center for Strategic and International Studies have made this handy chart for you to start from:

Far-right extremists are the biggest terror threat in the US and that applies to most Western countries. Clearly, our opponents are not "unarmed" and aren't interested in limiting their violence to a punch-up. Fascists and far-right extremists are an existential threat to all of us (including themselves!). But you want us to do what now? Wait for them to "throw the first punch?" When that punch is more likely to come in the form of a car bomb or a bullet or a knife? GTFO. 3) Anti-fascism is self-defence. Always. 4) Paraphrasing a RASH skinhead we know: "when you are openly advocating and organizing for the enslavement, persecution, and genocide of most of the people in the world based on your own bigotry, you've forfeited your right to polite and civil discourse."

The idea that we should just wait for fascists and far-right extremists to start hurting people before we take all necessary steps to prevent them from doing so is absurd, Anon. Stop embarrassing yourself with this half-assed reasoning.

December 14, Berlin - Naziaufmarsch sabotieren!

December 8, Portsmouth, UK

A group calling itself Portland Patriots (known fascists) are planning to attack the Palestine red line protest in Portsmouth this Sunday 8th December. Never let the fascists have the streets!

December 14, Utrecht

Oh hey! It's been, well, more than a minute, hasn't it? You're right that we actually didn't remember our conversation very well but we looked it up again to refresh our memory. First: we're well-pleased to hear that you've been able to get help with your mental health, that you're taking good care of yourself, and that you're feeling much better now than you did when you wrote to us in early 2021. Second: no need to apologize! For one thing, you were putting forth well-intentioned and thoughtful arguments in a respectful way. We're always here for that! A movement that won't pause and do some self-reflection or take some self-criticism from time to time isn't a very good movement, after all. Finally: this might be a good time to see what's happened with David Rovics and violent white nationalist leader Matthew Heimbach since Rovics platformed Heimbach in a fawning, two-hour video filled with softball questions and lots of head-nodding agreement about the "anti-white racism" which Heimbach whines about being a victim of.

On the other hand, we now have this meme thanks to Matthew Heimbach (center, with glasses)

Since then, and after immense public pressure, Rovics did remove the video of his interview with Heimbach. But! Rovics' next move was to talk about the whole affair in an interview with a notorious anti-semite and Holocaust denier, during which Rovics also agreed that "people should be able to ask questions about the Holocaust." and that antifa were "likely Russian agents." Rovics went further then this, hosting and interviewing the noted anti-semite Gilad Atzmon in a discussion about "Jewish identity/tribal politics." All this, of course, led to more public denouncements of Rovics and more criticism. His response has been to cast himself as a victim of "cancel culture" and to categorize his critics as puritan radicals obsessed with identity politics. More disturbingly, Rovics has singled out two critics - researchers Shane Burley and Spencer Sunshine, both of whom are Jewish - and insinuated that they may be Mossad agents, working to discredit him on behalf of the Israeli regime. In the summer of 2023, Rovics publicly doxxed alleged members of Rose City Antifa and then quibbled that he hadn't actually doxxed anyone because he only published their names and social media handles, not their home addresses, in a lengthy essay he self-published in which he also describes notorious far-right extremist and grifter Andy Ngo as "a conservative journalist" and a victim of baseless attacks by antifascists. Rovics appears to have not learned anything from all of this or changed his views in any way. About a year ago, he wrote a rambling screed where he defended TERFs and "feminists," and villainized trans women ("who were raised as boys," Rovics claims for no apparent reason) as the real problem, for their refusal to allow fascist to hold public space or use platforms to broadcast their bullshit. This, according to Rovics, is the real problem - antifascists refusing to concede public space to fascists. So in summation, thanks for reaching out, glad you're doing better, and 100% fuck David Rovics.

THESE SHIRTS FIGHT FASCISM!

Looking for a gift for that hard-to-buy-for antifascist in your life? How about some sweet antifa apparel?

We've got 30 designs from 14 different countries & all proceeds go directly to antifascist groups in those countries or to int'l. antifascist projects. Get yours here.

These four devilish anti-fascists were arrested in May after heroically preventing the authorities from transporting a busload of asylum seekers to a prison barge. Yesterday, all charges against them were dropped! Thus ends the second trial of the 50 arrestees from the action and so far it's anti-fascists 2 authorities 0! Full story & how the International Anti-Fascist Defence Fund helped to provide legal support here. More trials for the remaining three dozen or so anti-fascists who haven't had their day in court yet coming soon - donate to their legal defence here!

Alerta! Alerta! Montréal Antifascista! 6pm vendredi/Friday, 5959 Boul. Monk! Info.