6 reasons why Chomsky is wrong about antifa

Chomsky’s claim that one of the “costs” of physical confrontation with fascists is the “loss of the opportunity for education, organizing, and serious and constructive activism” is a false division. Moreover, it’s one that shows a lack of real-life contact with anti-fascists. In reality, anti-fascists often are involved in activity beyond ‘anti-fascism’ whether that be migrant solidarity, union organising, anti-police violence or whatever else. They hold film screenings, concerts and football tournaments. The fact that Chomsky misses all this says more about him than it does anti-fascists. If people are prepared to put their lives and safety on the line to resist fascism that’s a choice which should be celebrated. Community self-defense can create space for other organising to happen, whereas un-opposed fascists will happily crash and disrupt left meetings and organising. A big contingent of antifascist mobilisations in the US have been associated with the IWW, a radical union which puts huge importance on serious, constructive education and organising. You can organise at work Monday to Friday and oppose fascists when they occasionally come to town on Saturday, that’s not much of an ‘opportunity cost’. Ultimately, it’s important to remember that ‘anti-fascism’ will never be enough to defeat fascism; in fact, there is no defeating fascism without defeating capitalism. That means building a mass, working-class political culture that stands as an alternative to both the far-right and the liberal politics of ‘business as usual’: vibrant workplace organisations both inside and out of traditional unions, community groups fighting on housing, police brutality, proper provision for survivors of domestic violence, migrant solidarity, and so much more it couldn’t possibly fit here. We mustn’t think of antifa as an end in and of itself. But we don’t need the left’s most prominent public intellectuals to throw them under the bus either.

In 6 reasons why Chomsky is wrong about antifa (Libcom)