President Trump drew tremendous criticism from the liberal media when he noted that there was violence in Charlottesville, Virginia “on all sides.” But despite its own hammering of the President, MSNBC brought on a staunch supporter of Antifa during MTP Daily to champion their violent approach to stopping opponents, as they displayed in Charlottesville. Host Chuck Todd, a self-proclaimed political referee, offered little to no push back against his violently radical guest.
The MSNBC host welcomed his guest with open arms, asking: “Mark Bray, you are writing this book Antifa, the Anti-Fascist Handbook. Explain this movement and its roots.”
“So anti-fascism goes back to the beginning of the 20th century when leftists of all stripes fought back against Mussolini and Hitler,” Dartmouth “lecturer” Mark Bray claimed. “The main perspective of Antifa is essentially that rather than simply waiting for the threat to materialize, you stop it from the beginning.” He even admitted that what they did in Charlottesville was try to deny a platform.
After confirming that Bray followed the radical beliefs of Antifa, Todd’s next question wasn’t about the legality or morality of using violence to shut down free speech. It was concerning Antifa making the neo-Nazi’s look good. “What do you say to those that are concerned that: ‘Hey, you're handing -- you're allowing this -- these white supremacists to claim victim hood here,’” Todd probed. “What do you say to that criticism since the President is trying to essentially create a false equivalency here?”
Chuck Todd never questioned his guest’s romanticized explanation about what Antifa stood for or their own anti-semitic streak. He failed to do his due diligence and mention that Antifa promoted communism, a bloody ideology responsible for the deaths of roughly 100 million people.
There was also no mention from Todd of the fact that Antifa’s definition of fascism only applies to those they say it applies too, regardless of whether or not they’re actually fascist, a neo-Nazi, or a white nationalist. It often just applies to those who don't take the liberal position on any particular issue. Their violence was even felt at world economic summits like the G20 where they’ve clashed with police.
Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, was the only one on the panel that appeared to find Antifa’s methods abhorrent. “I think fighting fire with fire under the circumstances is going to lead to what we saw in Charlottesville,” Cohen said. “We don't need the Antifa to come and make a spectacle out of it, to embolden these people. They love it.”
Unbelievably, Todd actually pushed back on Cohen’s criticism of using violence instead of debate. He even made the Antifa argument for his guest: “The historical aspect of fascism has only been defeated with violence. I assume this the argument you’d make, right, Mark?” Cohen seriously had to remind everyone that in the United States people had the freedom of speech:
These people have a right to espouse their ideas. No one – Hate is not illegal in this country. Hurting people is illegal, and we have first amendment rights and we can't squelch them by having people show up at rallies with clubs.
The Antifa advocate’s response was chilling as he denounced the First Amendment. “So, I mean, if no one is praising the Weimar Republic for giving Nazis the right to assemble. No one is really lauding that,” Bray said coldly. “And I'd rather have people confronting them than sitting idly. There are no great memoirs written of people who sat idling by and watch Nazism rise to power.”
Todd was unfazed by Bray; only half-heartedly asking if his guest if he was concerned about violence leading to more violence.
Antifa’s fluid definition of fascism, coupled with their love of violence, makes them a legitimate threat to anyone unlucky enough to attract their ire. And now Chuck Todd just gave them a platform to elevate and promote themselves.
Transcript below:
MSNBC
MTP Daily
August 16, 2017
5:40:06 PM Eastern
…
CHUCK TODD: Well, speaking of that fight, let's go to that issue there. Mark Bray, you are writing this book Antifa, the Anti-Fascist Handbook. Explain this movement and its roots.
MARK: Right. Right. So anti-fascism goes back to the beginning of the 20th century when leftists of all stripes fought back against Mussolini and Hitler. Most people think of Nazism as something that died with WWII, but it really rebranded itself, grew again in a lot of European countries, in the United States.
And so the modern Antifa movement grows out of the 70s and 80s in Great Britain and Germany when a lot of immigrants, when a lot of leftists, punk rockers had to physically defend themselves from neo-Nazi attacks, predominantly through skinheads. And that's where it grew and that's where we can trace its lineage from today.
The main perspective of Antifa is essentially that rather than simply waiting for the threat to materialize, you stop it from the beginning. You say no platform for fascism and that's what we're seeing with the attempts in Charlottesville and elsewhere.
TODD: I'm curious, first of all, are you an advocate of this sort of confrontation?
BRAY: Yes, I am. Yes.
TODD: What do you say to those that are concerned that: “Hey, you're handing -- you're allowing this -- these white supremacists to claim victimhood here?” What do you say to that criticism since the President is trying to essentially create a false equivalency here?
BRAY: Well, I think there's two parts of it. One is how does -- how do far right movements grow? I say they grow by becoming normalized, by not being confronted, by being able to present themselves as family friendly and respectable. So part of the reason why the alt-right called themselves alt-right is to present that mainstream image.
And the opposition that people showed in Charlottesville really marred and tainted that. So I think that by showing up and confronting it, it prevents the ability of being able to be presented as mainstream and connect to that, I think, really you need to be able to prevent them from being able to organize. People who are involved in politics know that for movements to expand, they need to be able to organize and grow, and if you stop that, it prevents it.
Historically we can see that Nazism and fascism were not stopped by polite dialogue and reasonable debate. It had to be stopped by force and unfortunately, self-defense is necessitated in the context that we're seeing today.
TODD: Mark, you didn't see this, but Richard was shaking his head no. Why do you say that is not the right way to confront these white supremacists groups?
RICHARD COHEN: I think fighting fire with fire under the circumstances is going to lead to what we saw in Charlottesville.
…
We don't need the Antifa to come and make a spectacle out of it, to embolden these people. They love it. That's why they came with helmets on and shields, because they want to portray themselves as martyrs. They want to portray the white race as being embattled. The idea that we want to encourage the Antifa to come with clubs, you know, in all due respect it seems crazy to me.
TODD: But address Mark's other point here. Well, mark, you go ahead. I was going to get him to respond to your other point, which is the historical aspect of fascism has only been defeated with violence. I assume this is the argument you’d make, right, Mark?
…
COHEN: Well, I guess what I would say is we have the police, we have law enforcement, and if, you know, if the neo-Nazis act violently, we can depend upon them shut them down. These people have a right to espouse their ideas. No one – Hate is not illegal in this country. Hurting people is illegal, and we have first amendment rights and we can't squelch them by having people show up at rallies with clubs.
TODD: Mark, I'll go ahead and give you the last word.
BRAY: So, I mean, if no one is praising the Weimar Republic for giving Nazis the right to assemble. No one is really lauding that. We're looking back and saying isn't it unfortunate that this threat was not taken seriously earlier and stamped out before millions of people could be killed. That's the historical argument that I make. And I'd rather have people confronting them than sitting idly. There are no great memoirs written of people who sat idling by and watch Nazism rise to power.
TODD: Are you at all concerned about the rise violence begets violence begets violence? Mark.
BRAY: Self-defense is important.
…
