WASHINGTON ― Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned us that antifa would be in attendance at Saturday’s peaceful, nationwide “No Kings” protests of President Donald Trump’s authoritarianism. Gotta hand it to him, he was right.
By Jennifer Bendery
HuffPost spotted antifa at the Washington, D.C., rally, in plain view. It was surreal. This is who Trump designated a “domestic terrorist organization” last month. This is who Johnson said Friday is the radical group behind the weekend’s “hate America” rallies, led by “people who don’t want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic.”
Never mind that antifa isn’t even a centralized group, but a loosely organized movement of mostly progressive activists opposed to fascism and racism. Or that antifa is short for “anti-fascist,” and that it comes from the German word “antifaschistisch,” a reference to a German anti-fascist group from the 1930s. Or that the “No Kings” protests drew out an estimated 7 million Americans in cities and towns across all 50 states, peacefully and proudly waving U.S. flags and signs condemning Trump’s now-routine attacks on democracy and the rule of law.
Johnson was right. Antifa was present at these protests. And here she is.
It’s not clear how many more Aunt Tifas or Uncle Tifas were in attendance. But there were plenty more people with signs and messages to make it understandable why Johnson was so scared of these massive, organized and even joyful protests.
