RingoLast weekend I went to the counter protest to a free speech rally held in the Boston Commons. I went because it was advertized as a march against Nazis. At first I was excited to go fuck with some Duechbag racists, but I quickly realized this original rally was in no way tied to White Nationalism or the Charlottesville march that turned tragic. Instead it was just a bunch of fucktards with no sense of taste or decorum…because honestly after someone gets murdered at a white supremacist rally, how the fuck do you think it’s a good idea to celebrate “free speech” as if it’s under attack? Like we just let people march chanting actual Nazi slogans and you’re gonna say we need to hold a rally for free speech? What government actions are you really complaining against? Is it the limited “free speech zones” outside of DNC and RNC conventions? Or perhaps this is questioning whether a lack of net neutrality laws will censor the internet?
But no, this rally appeared more butthurt snowflake conservatives whining that their voices are being drowned out by liberals, whether through economic action or literal yelling over them. This is based off the actions and speeches of the last Free Speech rally they held. While there is a societal danger to mob mentality surrounding PC culture…that’s not what Free speech. Turns out you aren’t guaranteed a right for your voice to be heard…just that the government won’t shut you up. So if no one wants to listen to you or other people’s voices are louder, too fucking bad cupcake. That’s what it’s like being the minority, learn to get used to it. Or if you really want to work against it, then hold your rally against Citizens United as that’s the decision that basically says, people can use speech to drown out opponents. And by speech I mean money.
Anyway I decided I’d still go, but with the intent of trying to limit violence…unless cats were wearing legit Swastikas or white hoods. That shit don’t fly. I know many patriots who say that if they see someone burning a flag or stomping on it, they’ll be willing to start a fight. This is the same feeling for me. You want to advocate that level of racism, well then fuck you it’s on but that’s not what I expected to find. Turns out I was right, even if the rest of the rally didn’t agree.
While I hold no sympathy for anyone on the free speech rally who had violence done to them, the lack of target acquisition was very worrisome. On one hand, pretty much every incident I was witness to or heard about was a “Free Speecher” actively walking into the counter protest to rile people up (I mean there was a 16 year old kid who ran out and through a Zieg Hiel salute….sadly he didn’t catch the beating and life lesson he deserved, even if I doubt he was a real nazi). On the other hand, I watched a latino wearing a Israeli flag as a cape get chased around by a crowd yelling Nazi at him. Yeah…let that one sink in. He and another guy wearing a Trump flag walked around the crowd early on. There were a number of people looking to jump them and it nearly turned to violence a couple of times. Eventually though they got escorted back to their side, where I was told they got arrested by the cops for trying to rile stuff up.
Want to talk a bit about the people who wanted to jump them…They looked like AntiFa…but that’s the problem with a with a decentralized anarchist movement with no real structure, because a quarter of the crowd looked like anti-fa. Somehow I doubt that many really consider themselves part of the movement and even if they do they are likely not associated with the more organized variety. So while I saw cats in bandanas get in people’s faces and literally have to be held back, I also watched members I knew were organizing an aid table and marches, restrain members and try to slow clashes with cops…I also got the impression through conversations with them that had they had the chance to jump everyone from the free speech rally, they probably would have. Despite the fact I saw a cat with Gadsden T-shirt roll with them and I know my buddy who is definite libertarian got questioned and left alone. In face he helped out with the aid station and met some to talk about ideals and such after the rally “broke up” It was a very interesting experience.
AntiFa was actually the one that seemed more in control. I don’t know if you can call BLM an organization but there were far more people chanting Black Lives Matter, with zero AntiFa trappings that were getting aggressive with cops near the end. When people took over the streets while I was there the bandana and black wearing force was greatly outnumbered by average looking liberals. Including at least one group of drunk college kids just looking to get in on the chaos. While I’m sure I missed active attacks by anarchist group…it actually scares me far less than the average angry liberal who was there.
See AntiFa, like the KKK, is an extremist party. And while they’re beliefs are far more tolerable by mainstream americans, their tactics and some ancillary messages(communism) are not. It’s exceedingly unlike that either “side” in this war will ever really get the power to do serious damage, as long as we pay attention. Which we are. The White Supremacists are meeting resistance everywhere. And Antifa, while hero’s to some, are clearly not fully embraced by the left and they are hated by the right.
That said…their message, Their ideal, is a palatable one. Smash Nazis Always. And one does not need to join in their ranks to participate in some good old fashioned facist beating. In fact even if you are explicitly there not to participate you may find yourself being pulled in that direction. The mood and energy of that crowd was violence and the reason it didn’t get worse is good actions by the cops and the fact the “free speech” crowd was so limited. That didn’t stop it from being easy to be caught up in. I found the urges strong and not even related to things I’m against. I saw a dude wearing a “stop being a cuck” shirt…and wanted to hit him for having the gall to walk around wearing something vaguely /pol, MRA, or altrightish. I came across a man who was yelling the N word, with some form of lighting bolt on his polo and my Nazi sense went off. I was actively considering a way to get close enough to sucker punch him. When the cops cleared us from the street the first time…despite not thinking blocking the street was a good idea I really wanted to press in an charge….
I like to think I’m a pretty restrained person. And yet I felt like I was a few nudges away from acting like the exact people I’ve been condemning. The AntiFa members who don’t practice good target acquisition that is. Not the Nazis. That scares the fuck out of me. I worry the backlash from the emergence of the White Power groups will be far worse than the thing we are fighting. I doubt we’ll see camps where political dissidents are rounded up or a death of free speech as some people fear. That sounds like paranoia to me, especially since the hard line part of the movement doesn’t seem interested in building a brand America can get behind. They don’t want to play PR tricks. They just want to smash nazis. I support that message…but worry that lack of discretion in determining a nazi will become more and more adopted. To the point where just wearing a MAGA hat while walking down the wrong street might get you jumped.
It’s not everyone in the movement who wants to do this…but it may become the majority and spread out. Especially if those on the Right and our Commander in Chief continue to ignore the legitimate arguments that are being made by the left. We need to talk to each other, but more important we need to listen to each other. I saw a number of people at the rally and few videos after of people on the Trump side trying to interview members of the counter rally. But they weren’t there to listen to concerns. They weren’t there to extend a hand of friendship. They were there to try and speak over the left and make themselves heard…the exact same thing the left was doing by having a counter rally. There’s an irony here in that I’m about to say the way t fix this is to shut up and listen to people…after having written some 1500 words saying probably a whole bunch of nothing….so here’s where I shut up and try to take my own advice.