It took quite a while, but after the brouhaha surrounding President Trump’s statement on Charlottesville quieted down, the mainstream media slowly began to open its eyes to that “other” side harboring bigotry and violence that Trump alluded to: the antifa.
Of course, when only a handful showed up for an alt-right gathering in Boston, the press had no one to cover except the “mostly peaceful” protesters, only a few of whom were caught throwing rocks and bottles of urine at police officers in the absence of neo-Nazis.
CNN’s Jake Tapper even published a thread on Twitter noting incidents where alt-left activists had attacked and injured journalists. Heck, even Rep. Nancy Pelosi put out a definitive statement following violent protests in Berkeley in August: “The violent actions of people calling themselves antifa in Berkeley this weekend deserve unequivocal condemnation, and the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.”
When you’ve lost Nancy Pelosi and people aren’t buying comparisons of the antifa to allied soldiers storming Normandy on D-Day … well, it’s time for some image rehabilitation.
Antifa still doesn't care what the media thinks: https://t.co/IMMJHrHnAs pic.twitter.com/jeZpFpQkr7
— VICE (@VICE) September 12, 2017
Criminals rarely do. https://t.co/Rt7ju2iVXG
— NeoN: Automataster (@neontaster) September 12, 2017
In the Trump era, white supremacist rallies have become increasingly menacing and prone to violence—and antifa activists say that the police can’t be trusted to keep counter-protesters safe, unless they’re alt-right. That, activists say, is how one should view the much-publicized moments of violence at a protest last month in Berkeley. “We felt we were going to have to rely on ourselves,” says Sara Kershner from the National Lawyers Guild, one of roughly 50 legal observers at the protest.
Though the left has come under fire for high-profile incidents of antifa aggression, in conversations with activists in the Bay Area—where I’ve covered protests since 2013—none were concerned about negative portrayals in the media.
Good for them that they’re so secure they cover their faces and only rarely attack and injure journalists trying to get them on video.
That's nice. That can keep them warm in prison. https://t.co/jvwy1JalhR
— I'm a woman, and I'm mad as Hell (@nowhere_nh) September 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/almarsh71/status/907625282026090496
Really? Because they seem to attack a lot of reporters and destroy their equipment. https://t.co/eaZwQilvRZ
— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) September 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/ProgDisorder/status/907676397237280768
Take off their masks and half of them are probably IN the media. Or at least Journo school https://t.co/jvwy1JalhR
— I'm a woman, and I'm mad as Hell (@nowhere_nh) September 12, 2017
They don't care what the media thinks so much that they hide their identities and have attacked journalists for recording/reporting on them. https://t.co/wxw7O2Yi4N
— Satan (@IAmReallySatan) September 12, 2017
They'll certainly be caring what the media thinks when law enforcement start treating them like the domestic terrorist group that they are.
— Gary Laser Eyes (@GaryLazer_Eyes) September 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/trumpasaurus23/status/907679976585121795
tfw you assault any reporter who films you, yet the edge posers at Vice still fellate you https://t.co/1V31m5LJGa
— Scott Greer (@ScottMGreer) September 12, 2017
* * *
Related:
WOW: Video of AntiFa assault on cameraman in Berkeley (and lack of police intervention) is staggering https://t.co/Ml1VA6ip7U
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 29, 2017
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