In the calendar year since the election of President Donald J. Trump, there has been a marked intensification of activist demonstrations that have permeated mainstream American culture. Roughly one century after its inception, a group of powerful, semi-underground activists and organizers have resurrected a radical social movement called the Antifa network. Antifa, which is short for anti-fascist, originated in early 20th century Germany, Italy and Spain. The group has now been reborn in response to what Antifa members have identified as a strong and dangerous wave of fascist mentality in American politics. They will not rest until they have succeeded in suppressing and defeating every inkling of fascist sentiment from the American political landscape, regardless of what they must do to accomplish that goal. This thesis examines the intentions, motivations and actions of Antifa by dissecting what they are, who they are, and how they work. I will provide a brief history of the movement in its various recorded forms—both in the United States and Europe. In addition to examining the stated goals and behaviors of the movement, I will assess and evaluate Antifa’s ideology by analyzing several key pieces of writing from their resource archives. Primarily, my goal is to determine the ideological legitimacy of Antifa’s efforts against those they have deemed fascist, and the legitimacy of the claims that it is members of Antifa who are the real perpetrators of fascist action in the United States.

During the last decade the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has brought increased attention to the issues pertaining to police brutality and the systemic discrimination of black Americans. At the same time as the movement has experienced growing support, its opposers have also consolidated. Among them president Donald Trump has proved to be one of the staunchest critics of Black Lives Matter. This has further strengthened the movement's oppositional role in relation to the US government. Therefore this bachelor's thesis examines what role the Trump-administration plays in the portrayal of Black Lives Matter. Using the Essex School of discourse analysis the statements of Trump and his administration towards the movement are examined, and through them discourses opposed to BLM are identified. Through the theoretical lenses of postcolonialism and post-marxism the Trump-administration’s statements can be shown to portray BLM as a violent and extremist socialist movement. The statements have the effect of rendering BLM as distinct from regular americans and as opposed to american values in various ways. This has the additional effect of creating division among the supporters of BLM themselves as they are torn between allegiance to the movement and the nation. The Trump-administration’s statements towards BLM are concluded to stem from the discourses of “American Exceptionalism”, “Neoliberalism” and “Law and Order”. This indicates that previously mentioned discourses are in opposition to BLM.

Given the social importance of understanding violence and why it is applied, this study offers a thorough discussion on antifascists actions and perceptions in relation to violence. While previous research has examined antifascism, a substantial understanding of the concept and justification of violence through individual frames has fallen short. With the objective to contribute to the field of peace and conflict through theoretical approaches in the discipline of sociology, this study aims to contribute to decreasing this gap. With the help of Erving Goffman’s Framing Analysis, previous research, and thematic analysis, this study accounts for the individual perceptions and meanings ascribed to social situations and violence within anti-fascism. By conducting eight semi-structured interviews with individuals who identify themselves as active antifascists, this study has been able to demonstrate the importance of recognising the subjective understanding of violence as a means for an antifascist goal. Indeed, the antifascist perceptions are highly individual, where the mere notion that is agreed upon is that fascism has to be countered. While certain individuals justify violence for an antifascist purpose, it is framed as self-defence – but that violence is justified for the greater aim of antifascism, is not proved as a commonality. / Med den sociala vikten av att förstå våld och varför det tillämpas, har denna studie ämnat att bidra med en djupgående diskussion om antifascistiska handlingar och uppfattningar i relation till våld. Även om tidigare forskning har undersökt antifascism, saknas det en grundlig förståelse för konceptet och rättfärdigandet av våld genom individuella ramar. Med syftet att bidra till området för fred och konflikt genom teoretiska angrepp inom sociologins disciplin, syftar denna studie till att minska detta gap. Med hjälp av Erving Goffmans ramanalys, tidigare forskning och tematisk analys, har denna studie kunnat redogöra för individuella uppfattningar och den inneboende meningen som tillskrivs sociala situationer och våldsamma handlingar. Genom att genomföra åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med individer som identifierar sig som aktiva antifascister har denna studie kunnat belysa vikten av att uppmärksamma de subjektiva förståelserna av våld som ett medel för ett antifascistiskt ändamål. De antifascistiska uppfattningarna är individuella, och den gemensamma uppfattningen som enar antifascister är att fascism måste motverkas. När våld är rättfärdigat av dessa individer är det inom ramen av självförsvar, men att våld är rättfärdigat för det större antifascistiska syftet, är bevisligen inte en konsensus.

L’antifascisme fait l’objet de nombreuses études sous sa forme historique, mais peu s’intéressent à son expression contemporaine. Afin de comprendre l’antifascisme dans le contexte montréalais, rencontrer les militants de cette lutte, acteurs de terrain de l’action, a semblé primordial. C’est donc en réalisant des entrevues semi-dirigées avec 5 militant(e)s antifascistes montréalais et par une courte recherche documentaire dans les ressources antifascistes montréalaises, que la compréhension de cette forme d’antifascisme a pu se construire. Cette recherche met en lumière une pluralité de portraits et de parcours militants auxquels la littérature sur le sujet , alors que les participants s’expriment sur leurs différents parcours, leur cheminement personnel ainsi que sur leurs motivations à s’engager. Ces discussions permettent de contextualiser l’engagement antifasciste dans le cadre spécifique du Québec au cours des 15 dernières années, tout en soulevant les défis des engagements militants. Par la même occasion, la rencontre des militant(es) met en avant la diversité des actions antifascistes ainsi que leurs enjeux, dont celui de la violence qui fait l’objet d’un traitement médiatique important. Cette recherche démontre que ce qui est présenté dans les médias ou la littérature sur l’antifascisme n’est que la pointe de l’iceberg et que la réalité du milieu est beaucoup plus complexe. / Anti-fascism is the object of many studies when it comes to its historical expression, but few focus on its modern expression. When seeking to understand modern anti-fascism in Montreal, meeting the militants of the movement, front actors of the actions, seemed to be of prime importance. The comprehension of this form of anti-fascism was achieved by conducting semi-directed interviews with 5 Montrealer anti-fascist activists and through a documentary search conducted on several Montreal anti-fascists key resources. This research highlights a plurality of portraits and militant journeys which are hardly referred to in the literature on anti-fascism, while the participants describe their different experiences, their personal journey and their motivations to get involved in the cause. These discussions help contextualizing anti-fascist engagement in Montréal, Quebec, by exploring its definitional and cultural frameworks, while addressing the challenges of militant engagement. Anti-fascist actions are explored with the activists and allow to map out their actions as well as their challenges and stakes, including the issue of violence. This research shows that what is presented in the media or literature about anti-fascism is only the tip of the iceberg and the reality of the milieu is much more complex.