Unmasking Antifa: History, Tactics, and Ideology

Antifa members frequently dress in all black, a tactic they refer to as “black block,” to make identification more difficult when they carry out attacks on individuals or engage in clashes over political ideas. These groups often appear at conservative events as counter-protesters, where they are known to escalate situations into violent conflicts. Their activities also include acting as agitators within popular movements such as Black Lives Matter.

Josh Philipp stated, "They dress in all black, black block as they call it, so that they could be harder to identify when they carry out attacks on people or rival political ideas."

While many on the left characterize Antifa as an idea rather than an organized group, investigators on the other side of the political spectrum describe it as an extensive network of organizations. Critics have identified several distinct groups, including Rose City Antifa, the John Brown Gun Club, and various Transtifa offshoots, suggesting a more structured and interconnected presence.

Josh Philipp noted, "Many talking heads on the left, while they say Antifa really is not a group, they say it's an idea, not really organized. But on the other side of the aisle, many who have investigated Antifa, they note it's a large-scale network of organizations".

The Trump administration's 2026 counterterrorism strategy outlines a focus on mapping and neutralizing violent secular political groups. The strategy aims to prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of organizations whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist, alongside cartels and Islamist terror groups. However, media outlets like Mother Jones controversially claimed this policy specifically targeted transgender people.

Despite these claims, the report explicitly lists violent left-wing extremists, anarchists, and anti-fascists as primary targets. The document also cited the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a catalyst for renewed action against such groups.

Josh Philipp quoted, "In addition to cartels and Islamist terror groups, our national CT activities will also prioritize the rapid identification and neutralization of violent secular political groups whose ideology is anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist."

Examples include Hammer Antifa in Germany, known for brutal attacks, and Armed Proletarian Justice in Greece. Both of these groups have been formally recognized as terrorist entities.

Terrorism is defined as the use of violence to instill fear and achieve political objectives. Antifa's activities, particularly their targeting of political expression through violence, align with this standard definition of terrorism.

Josh Philipp stated, "There's the group called Hammer Antifa in Germany, known for savagely beating targets with hammers. There's the Armed Proletarian Justice in Greece. And both of those, by the way, are designated terrorist organizations".

The history of Antifa can be traced back to Germany immediately following the First World War. The group from which Antifa grew was known as Antifaschistische Aktion, and its original flag design remains in use by modern Antifa groups. Information on its early activities draws from various sources, including the work of former member Bernd Langer.

Josh Philipp explained, "The history of Antifa actually goes back to Germany just after the First World War. And the group that Antifa grew from was called Antifaschistische Aktion."

Historically, Antifa was not an independent movement but was integrated into the United Front of the Soviet Union's Communist International, known as the Comintern. This connection emerged from the Third World Congress in 1921, where the Comintern aimed to export the Soviet revolution model. The focus was particularly on industrial Germany, seen as a key target for the international communist movement.

Josh Philipp stated, "Antifa at the time, it was actually part of the United Front of the Soviet Union's Communist International, the Comintern."

During its early period, Antifa engaged in ideological rivalry with various other socialist factions, including fascists, Nazis, and Soviet-aligned communists. Notably, Benito Mussolini, the founder of fascism, was formerly a leading socialist, illustrating the fluid ideological landscape of the era. The Nazi Party, formally the National Socialist German Workers' Party, also emerged in 1921, marking another distinct socialist group.

Despite their rivalries, all these groups shared core tenets, including a push for totalitarian, all-powerful states and collectivist social systems. Their differences in policy were often minimal, frequently revolving around the specifics of state-planned economies rather than fundamental ideological departures from collectivism.

Josh Philipp stated, "All of them pushed for totalitarian, all-powerful states. All of them wanted collectivist social systems."

An official analysis from a 2016 German intelligence report by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution identifies anti-fascism as a struggle against capitalism. From the perspective of left-wing extremists, specific activities within their spheres are deemed futile unless they contribute to the ultimate overthrow of the capitalist system. This anti-fascist narrative often labels capitalism itself as a form of fascism.

Josh Philipp quoted, "From the perspective of left-wing extremists, so-called partial struggles, that is activities within specific left-wing extremist spheres of activity, are futile unless their ultimate goal is the overthrow of the capitalist system as a whole."

In addition to ideological battles, street-level violence was a common and integral tool for all political factions of the era. Fascists deployed their militant wings, known for their black shirts, while Nazis utilized their own brown-shirted enforcers. Similarly, the Communist Party relied on Antifaschistische Aktion, or Antifa, as its militant arm to exert political influence through direct action and conflict.

Josh Philipp described, "Alongside the political battle was also a battle of thugs on the street, each using their own type of violence intended to form their own political actions."

The Communist Party of Germany (KPD) was designated to execute this plan, leveraging its agents embedded within Antifaschistische Aktion, or Antifa. This demonstrates the early role of Antifa as a tool for broader communist revolutionary objectives.

Josh Philipp explained, "According to Langer, the Communist Party of Russia met to plan an armed insurrection in Germany. The Communist Party of Germany, the KPD, was set to launch this using its agents within Antifaschistische Aktion, Antifa."

Historians believe that violent clashes, such as the 1927 'red wedding' incidents, significantly escalated street violence in Germany. These events, though gaining media attention, more crucially fueled a spiraling cycle of violence that inadvertently benefited the fascists. Antifa's actions, by intensifying this political turmoil, inadvertently drove support away from Social Democrats and towards the Nazi party.

Ultimately, the Communist Party suffered a defeat, which paved the way for the Nazis to consolidate control and establish a dictatorship. The Josh Phillip Show noted, "Historians believe events like the rally in wedding helped the Nazis build a dictatorship. They say yes, the brawl got the media attention but what was far far more important was how it fed an escalating spiral of street violence. That violence helped the fascists enormously."

Following World War II, Antifa movements became an integral part of the East German communist regime. The Berlin Wall, a symbol of division and repression, was officially branded in propaganda as the "anti-fascist protective barrier." This period solidified the association of the Antifa label with state-sponsored surveillance and systematic repression within the communist state.

The Josh Phillip Show stated, "Look, Chronic Der Mauer notes that when the East German regime celebrated building the Berlin Wall, it was written about in propaganda as the quote "anti-fascist protective barrier.""

After the German reunification in 1990, numerous new Antifa factions emerged, including Autonomen Antifa and Antifaschistische Aktion Berlin, alongside the reemergence of the original Antifaschistische Aktion. This resurgence also saw the international establishment of Antifa branches, with groups forming in the Netherlands in 1992 and Sweden in 1993. The UK branch, Antifascist Aktion, had already been established in 1985, maintaining ties with German counterparts.

The Josh Phillip Show recounted, "It was after the German reunification in 1990 that new Antifa factions emerged. There were, for example, the Autonomen Antifa, the Antifaschistische Aktion Berlin, and the reemergence of the aptly named Antifaschistische Aktion, as well as a lot of others."

Rose City Antifa in Portland is recognized as the oldest modern U.S. group, formed in 2007. The movement gained significant prominence following violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protesters, including Antifa supporters, in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017. Niche offshoots such as 'Traintifa' have since been linked to notable acts of violence.

The Josh Phillip Show stated, "Antifa groups in the United States gained prominence following violent clashes between white supremacists and their opponents, including Antifa supporters, in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017."

A 2020 congressional report highlighted the decentralized nature of Antifa in the United States, presenting challenges for identification and containment. The White House counterterrorism strategy aims to utilize all constitutionally available tools to map Antifa members domestically and identify their ties to international organizations. The primary objective is to use law enforcement tools to disrupt their operations before they can commit violent acts, such as maiming or killing innocent individuals.

This strategy focuses on individuals who plan or carry out violence, rather than targeting specific political or identity groups. The Josh Phillip Show quoted the strategy: "We will use all the tools constitutionally available to us to map them at home, identify their membership, map their ties to international organizations like Antifa, and use law enforcement tools to [ __ ] them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent."