Amidst criticisms resulting in proposals like the one which will be addressed in this article, I decided to speak to a member of the region known as Antifa to better evaluate the recent developments.
The proposal in question was a condemnation submitted before the Security Council which may or may not move on to become a resolution for World Assembly nations to vote on.
After seeing said proposal, I spoke with Courelli, who is a member of leadership in both Antifa and the Red Fleet.
The first thing I inquired about was what Courelli thought of the proposal. [Condemn Antifa]
“In short, I think it’s ridiculous. if you’d like more detailed answers, feel free to ask.”
I proceeded to ask more in-depth questions about the inner workings of Antifa.
Excluding the obvious (fascist regions), I asked what sorts of regions Antifa have its sights set on? I also questioned whether Courelli would consider it accurate to label Antifa a “raider” group. Then, I asked which position in leadership Courelli held for Antifa.
“We target regions which are fascist; we liberate regions held by fascists.
We raid and defend in accordance with the very simple policy set forth above
I am Admiral of the Huey P. Newton Squadron of The Red Fleet. as an interorganizational group, the senior leadership of member organizations serve as leaders in antifa; there are no ranks, positions, etc in antifa aside from one’s position in their respective organization.”
Courelli later told me what he thought of this clause in the proposal:
“ENRAGED by the fact that Antifa invades peaceful regions and complains when others (of a different ideology) do the same.
“In regard to the clause, it’s funny. they’re complaining when others of a different ideology raid regions. bit hypocritical,eh? 😛”
I pressed on to ask whether Antifa has ever raided a non-fascist region and what regions fit their criteria for invasion. Courelli explained a bit about Antifa’s mission.
“I can’t speak to “ever,” but in my tenure in the organization, we only attack fascists. Sure, one may say, “That fascist region did nothing to provoke you,” but the mere act of being fascist is enough. it’s kinda in our name 😛
We target fascist regions. generally by evaluating tags, dispatches, rmb, wfe, flag, embassies.”
I asked if Antifa targets other right-wing groups and what Antifa seeks to promote on NationStates.
“We have a very narrow mission: eradicate fascism on nationstates. If you don’t want your region targeted, then don’t tolerate fascism in your region and you won’t be. that’s it; that’s the one rule.”
I asked Courelli to expand on that statement and the criteria Antifa has.
“In my experience and in my opinion, just a few fascists in an otherwise peaceful region isn’t enough. however, if the fascists have overrun the place, run the government, etc — If it is a fascist region in all but name — then it doesn’t matter if it’s called “the happy sunshine assembly,” it may be a potential target.”
I asked Courelli to respond to claims of Antifa being an “alt-left extremist group”.
“Under no circumstance. It is not radical nor extreme to realize, in the simplest, that fascism is bad and has no place in our world — both in real life and in a button clicking browser game that takes up more of my time than it probably should.”
Finally, I asked Courelli if they had any closing statements.
“Sure. Impartiality takes the side of the oppressor
Anyone seeking to join the anti-fascist cause is invited and encouraged to join one of the member organizations
A lot of NS fascists claim to “just be roleplaying” and thus, in their minds, their words and actions are excusable. I humbly suggest that they pick a better ideology to “roleplay” — one that isn’t founded upon the oppression or murder of people because of racial superiority and the like.”
While writing this article, a nation associated with The Red Fleet’s Admiralty Board reached out to me with this official statement.
“The Red Fleet has policies in place that regulate the types of regions that are eligible targets.”
“Antifa has an even stricter set of policies restricting targets. The most recent failed attempt to “Condemn Antifa” is an obvious attempt by fascist-aligned nations, through puppets, to convince uninformed people that Antifa is a leftist military that attacks regions wantonly.
Pursuing this as a story legitimizes a fascist position and tarnishes the name and reputation of NationStates Today as a media outlet, which should abide by the principle of “no platform” as do most other respectable media groups on NationStates.”
I attempted to reach out to the author of the proposal, but they declined to be interviewed. Nevertheless, we have gotten some insight as to how the organization known as Antifa operates.
Upon hearing the response to some of the issues brought up in the proposal, it appears as though we have learned more about this organization’s mission in its pursuits to eradicate fascism on NationStates. Extremist group with radical tactics, or crusaders looking out for our world’s best interests?
I think it’s safe to say the latter. Perhaps there is something everyone can take away from this situation and that is dialogue to get a better understanding of people you might not know much about. It seems as though this was a case of a snap judgement made based off a lack of an understanding of said organization’s motives.
Disclaimer: The writer of this article, Greylyn, is a member of The Leftist Assembly, which holds an embassy with Antifa and its affiliated organizations.
