Preface
Community defense is a powerful and essential ethos. All of us on the left are painfully aware that we walk a fine line, along the side of a cliff. Police have a tendency to be more violent toward progressive protesters, and are more forgiving of violence when it comes from the far-right, up to and including Neo-Nazis and Insurrectionists.
Fascism must be resisted. However, the government has a monopoly on violence and power, and dictates in what form that resistance can take shape without fear of legal consequences. If we antifascists choose to resist fascism under a particular banner, like that of a John Brown Gun Club, we must acknowledge that our actions will sometimes have consequences for others beneath that same banner, all over the nation. If antifascists choose to operate as a public facing organization, they must operate within the existing legal framework of American law so long as the American government’s monopoly on violence and power exists. To violate that unwritten contract jeopardizes the Left’s mission of liberation and equity for all people, and may limit other organizations future efforts to achieve that goal.
Thus, it is our solemn and unpleasant responsibility to call out failures and missteps in our community as they happen, not to admonish or shame fellow antifascists, but to caution them and highlight the consequences of our failure to walk that cliffside line closely.
That said, no antifascists will be named in this article. We will not participate in the doxing of our allies and friends.
The Incident
It’s Sunday, April 23rd, 2023. A drag event is scheduled at a location near the intersection of Tillar Street and North Foch Street in Fort Worth, Texas. As is usual in the South, the community is alerted to the fact that anti-drag protesters are likely to be attending the event in protest. Even in red states like Texas, this can draw anti-fascists out of the woodwork to support the civil liberties of their community against Christo-Fascism.
Clashes like this are commonplace in America today. Not only are informal anti-drag protests happening, but Republicans in several states are taking extraordinarily undemocratic measures to pass anti-drag and anti-LGBT laws, going so far as to silence elected representatives and expel elected representatives from the floor.
April 23rd was no exception. Alleged members of the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club arrived on the scene at some point, dressed mostly in black-bloc and openly carrying firearms as is their right under Texas law 87(R) HB 1927.
So what did Elm Fork do that was so wrong as to result not only in three of their members being arrested, but to bring members of their own community to speak against their actions?
In short, a complete and total failure in the discipline of community defense. Emphasis on the word defense.
Let’s say you’re accused of assault in Texas.
Was someone else actually the aggressor?
You’re allowed to defend yourself against violence in Texas. Texas law allows you to use a certain amount of reasonable force and defines the kind of situations in which you can use force.
In the above scenario, if someone beat you with a baseball bat and you believed at that moment that they intended to cause you serious harm, your decision to punch the attacker or use your fingernails to thwart them may be considered reasonable.
– Law Office of Matthew D. Sharp
As activists, it is important to remember that we must act responsibly and within the confines of the law. When we use force, it must be legally and obviously a self-defense measure. Otherwise, we risk damaging our own reputation and ability to protect our community. Emotionally-driven and unprovoked actions reflect poorly on our cause and impair the efforts of all similar groups across the country.
The video below was captured from a traffic camera mounted on a utility pole on the Northeast corner of Tillar and North Foch Street. It captures alleged members of the Elm Fork JBGC crossing the street, North to South, to confront the anti-drag protesters at 12:51 CST. Within 36 seconds, one of the individuals in black bloc, the one standing furthest away from the protesters, draws a can of what appears to be mace or a similar self-defense irritant spray. They hold it in hand for approximately six seconds, and then begin to spray members of the protest group.
It’s essential to note that while this was happening, the protesters appeared to be peacefully engaged with (read: not actively attacking) the antifascists, and one individual even had his hands extended, palms facing out, in a de-escalatory manner. The video from that camera contains no audio, and we cannot hear the exchange between the two parties. However, unless the protest group said something to the tune of “We intend to attack you right now.” then nothing the antifascists did soon after was legally defensible.
Let’s stop for a moment. WriteLeft supports antifascism, community defense, and stands by the mission and members of armed community defense outfits. WriteLeft stands firmly against fascism and firmly believes the Republican Party is actively preparing to commit genocide against the American LGBTQIA+ population. That said, we are not yet in open warfare. Violence against American fascists is not yet legally or socially palatable. As stated, it’s a fine line.
The confrontation continues. Roughly ten minutes later, at 13:01 CST, law enforcement body cameras show officers following the antifascists as they walk East down Tillar Street on the right side of the road. The officers confront the group and single out the individual who sprayed the protesters. They notably do not tell the individual they are being detained or arrested. They only utter vague commands like “You need to come with us.” and “[to the others] get away from him.”
The sprayer retreats first casually but then jogging behind several other antifascists armed with umbrellas to shield themselves from the officers. This is where the next misstep occurs.
In Texas, assault is defined as follows:
Texas Penal Code Ann. § 22.01 states that there are 3 actions that constitute assault:
– Law Office of Matthew D. Sharp
- Threatening the deliberate, imminent, physical harm of another person
- “Intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” causing physical harm to another person
- Any contact with a person’s physical body that you know is offensive or provocative
As the officers attempt to apprehend the sprayer, two other antifascists appear to engage with the officers physically in an attempt to frustrate or prevent the arrest of the sprayer. In Texas, this likely constitutes assault of a police officer. The two are apprehended along with the sprayer and as a result are doxed, their identities exposed.
The reckless and unwarranted decisions made by three members of Elm Fork JBGC on April 23rd have not only compromised their own operational security, but damaged the reputations of other John Brown Gun Clubs and similar antifascist organizations all over the country. Further, this incident could easily have risen to a use of lethal force by either side, and the blame for any injuries or deaths would have fallen solely on EFJBGC.
The goal of community defense is to defend your community. The goal of American antifascism is to oppose fascism in the United States. The goal is also to build positive relationships in our communities so that our neighbors know us and feel safer when they see us opposing fascism in the streets.
On April 23rd, EFJBGC failed to protect its community when its members acted irrationally, and crossed the fine line we all walk with reckless abandon. Their actions cannot be condoned in this instance, and we sincerely hope that they focus future trainings on organizational discipline, rules of engagement, and de-escalation.
WriteLeft 