That tactic is not new either.
Umberto Eco warned long ago that fascism would not return in uniform. It would not wear swastikas or goose-step down Pennsylvania Avenue. It would come with flags and slogans and “the promise of order.” It would come disguised as national pride².
Today, it comes with a badge and bleach.
And the ones who see it — the ones who throw the bottle or yell from the balcony or link arms at the barricade — are called Antifa. Not because they joined something, but because they refused something.
We have smelled it before.
Bibliography
1. ¹ Paxton, Robert O. The Anatomy of Fascism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. A foundational scholarly analysis tracing the historical stages of fascist movements, from emergence to consolidation.
2. ² Eco, Umberto. “Ur-Fascism.” The New York Review of Books, June 22, 1995. Essay by the Italian novelist and philosopher identifying recurring elements of fascist culture across time and borders.
3. ³ Griffin, Roger. The Nature of Fascism. London: Routledge, 1993. Academic work that frames fascism as a revolutionary form of ultranationalism rooted in palingenetic myth.
4. ⁴ Traverso, Enzo. The New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far Right. London: Verso, 2019. Explores how fascist ideologies have mutated into contemporary right-wing populist movements.
5. ⁵ Orwell, George. Looking Back on the Spanish War. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1943. Orwell’s eyewitness account of anti-fascist resistance during the Spanish Civil War.
6. ⁶ Stanley, Jason. How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. New York: Random House, 2018. A philosophical examination of the tactics used by authoritarian leaders to create division and suppress dissent.
7. ⁷ Vance, Joyce. “Are We the Nazis Now?” Civil Discourse, October 2023. Reflects on historical comparisons to authoritarian abuses and recounts a chilling ICE raid in Chicago mirroring Anne Frank’s wartime diary.
8. ⁸ “Massive Raid at South Shore Apartment Building Sparks Outcry.” Chicago Sun-Times, October 2023. Firsthand reporting on the DHS-led raid involving over 100 agents and allegations of abusive treatment toward residents.
9. ⁹ “FBI Director Testifies on Antifa.” U.S. Congress, September 17, 2020. Congressional testimony clarifying that Antifa is not a formal organization, but an ideological movement.