Yesterday, outright fascists came to Austin looking to attack antifa in conjunction with the “1776 Freedom March” that gave a voice to bigots, white nationalists, and eugenicists like Augustus Invictus who was flown in from Florida. Unable to assault people yesterday, they came back to Austin looking for a fight today.
They targeted an anti-Trump, impeachment march that consisted primarily of liberal democrats. Again, they wanted to beat up antifa (i.e., people who oppose fascism), but with no identifiable targets they began to move in on the Democrats who were peaceably marching (exercising the First Amendment rights that the bigots so often claim they value so much).
These outright fascists, most of who came armed with pistols and rifles, came under the banners of “This is Texas,” the “Alt-Knights,” the “Proud Boys,” “III Percenters,” and “Open Carry Texas.” They tried to intimidate protesters by positioning themselves at multiple intersections, taunting protesters, violating personal space, and then surrounding the protesters.
At the Capitol, they surrounded the liberal protesters. They were looking for a fight. They were looking for an excuse to assault people who oppose their preferred brand of fascism. Several scuffles broke out. They do not even distinguish between liberals and radicals anymore. To them, if you do not support fascism, you are a target.
We encourage people to recognize this threat for what it is. The fascist threat has moved out of internet forums and white nationalist rallies. The fascist threat is ever present, and not standing up to the fascists will not protect you from the threat.
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