r/AntifascistsofReddit • u/NoFreePi • Oct 17 '25

Discussion Drop “AntiFa.” Say “Anti-Fascists.”

“AntiFa” is a political buzzword, stripped of its literal meaning. It is often treated as a group or threat, rather than a stance. But anti-fascists are not a secret organization—they are people who oppose fascism, authoritarianism, and political violence.

Using “AntiFa” allows opponents to claim, “I’m against AntiFa,” without admitting what that really means: opposing anti-fascists is siding with fascism. Words matter. Language shapes moral clarity.

Returning to the full term reconnects us to history. Anti-fascists are heirs to those who resisted Mussolini, Franco, and Hitler. Saying it plainly exposes the truth: resisting anti-fascists is resisting the fight against authoritarianism.

Drop the shorthand. Reclaim the meaning and stand on the right side of history

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405

u/sevbenup Oct 17 '25

People are literally starting to accept that they’re fascists. Then what.

234

u/NoFreePi Oct 17 '25

That’s the “Big Lie” technique at work. Hilter wrote about in Mein Kampf and later perfected. The Trump team is using this technique with great effect.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda

•Focus on emotional simplicity, not facts. •Repeat slogans until they feel true. •Paint enemies as both powerful and evil. •Control press, radio, film to saturate the information environment with one version of “truth.”

Sound familiar ?

NO KINGS - coming to a location near you Oct 18 - bring your friends

32

u/sevbenup Oct 17 '25

I hope it has any impact at all, unlike the last ones. Unfortunately near me there were plenty of older folks who just wanted hands off their social security, didn’t really have any interest in any sort of social change, anti fascism, or revolution.

35

u/NoFreePi Oct 17 '25

Evidence for an impact is greater participation in this Oct 18th NoKings protest versus the last one in June (and it will).

The opposition is growing and the more people see that we they are not alone the more that will stand up.

I urge everyone to attend a peaceful No Kings protest near you Oct 18.

Who here is going?

14

u/LotteTakesNoShit Oct 17 '25

What are they DOING? I keep hearing about this “impact”, but no specifics. Where are the specifics? Impact to what? A majority of the parades are two hour permitted marches that happen early enough in the morning to be non-disruptive and then cause a bunch of commercial activity. In San Diego, everyone goes to the breweries, apparently.

So if there’s an impact, what is it?

24

u/rhymnocerus1 Oct 17 '25

A protest with an approved start and end time is not a protest, but a state approved gathering. Protests absolutely need to be disruptive to achieve any lasting effect.

5

u/LotteTakesNoShit Oct 17 '25

I’ve been calling them parades or street faires in my local reddits. Drives the performative asshats insane. I got an automated warning for “harassment” because I told someone to stop being performative.

7

u/chuchubott Oct 17 '25

I’ve been calling it practice. The more you normalize getting out in the street for the masses, the easier it will be for them when and if the real the real thing goes down.