🌍 What Is Fascism?
Fascism is a farright authoritarian ideology built on ultranationalism, rigid hierarchy, and the rejection of democratic values. It glorifies the state, erases dissent, scapegoats marginalized groups, and thrives on disinformation and fear. Recognizing its psychological hooks and historical patterns is key to fighting back.
- Authoritarianism and personality cults
- Militarism and glorification of violence
- Suppression of media and civil liberties
- Scapegoating and persecution of minorities
- Disinformation and distortion of truth
📖 The Ideological Foundations of Fascism
Fascist ideology borrows from thinkers like Giovanni Gentile and Carl Schmitt, who championed state supremacy and authoritarian rule. It often pretends to restore order or greatness, but it's fundamentally about control and exclusionespecially during crises that fuel public fear and longing for strongman solutions.
⚔️ The Arditi del Popolo and Italian Resistance
In 1921, Italian workers, anarchists, communists, and WWI veterans formed the Arditi del Popolo to resist Mussolini’s Blackshirts. Though unsupported by major parties, they fought to protect their communities. Their direct action legacy remains a core inspiration for antifascist movements.
🇪🇸 The Spanish Civil War and International Brigades
From 1936 to 1939, antifascists from 50+ countries fought against Franco's fascist forces in Spain. Volunteersincluding the U.S.based Abraham Lincoln Brigadejoined the Republicans in one of history’s most iconic battles between fascism and democracy.
🌐 World War II and the Global Antifascist Coalition
World War II was a global war against fascism. From Allied forces to local resistance networks like the French Maquis and Yugoslav partisans, antifascists resisted occupation, rescued victims, and disrupted fascist war efforts.
✊ PostWar Civil Rights and Liberation Movements
Antifascism inspired global resistance movementsfrom Black liberation in the U.S. to anticolonial revolts in Vietnam and South Africa. These movements exposed fascist tactics in modern policing, segregation, and imperialism, pushing for equity and freedom.
📱 Antifascism in the Digital Era
As fascism moved online, antifascists adapted. Collectives like Bellingcat, Unicorn Riot, and Anonymous track disinformation, expose hate networks, and counter harassment. The digital front is just as vital as the streets.
📉 Trumpism and Contemporary Fascist Resurgence
The Trump presidency normalized fascist talking points in U.S. politics. From travel bans and ICE raids to the January 6 insurrection, the movement weaponized nationalism and fear. Trump’s 2025 return has intensified this trend.
📉 Trump's Second Term and the New Fascist Playbook
Since returning to office in January 2025, Donald Trump has wasted no time in consolidating power, dismantling democratic institutions, and implementing a regime steeped in fascist tactics. His administration draws directly from authoritarian playbooks: install loyalists, purge opposition, control media, and criminalize dissent. Here’s a breakdown of how Trump’s second term is reshaping the U.S. government into an authoritarian stronghold:
- Executive Agency Takeover: Trump centralized control over agencies like the SEC, FTC, and FCC, allowing him to bypass checks on corporate power, civil rights enforcement, and media standards. [AP]
- Federal Workforce Purge: Over 77,000 career civil servants have been removed under the expanded Schedule F order and replaced by political loyalists. [BI]
- Birthright Citizenship Assault: Executive Order 14160 attempts to revoke automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants. [Wiki]
- Nationwide ICE Raids: ICE resumed aggressive, unannounced raids in sanctuary cities and workplaces. [NBC]
- Criminalization of the Press: Federal and state laws now target journalists for publishing “fake news,” with Trump-aligned outlets exempt. [WaPo]
- Weaponized DOJ: The Attorney General has launched politically motivated investigations into journalists, civil rights lawyers, and critics. [Reuters]
- Election Militarization: National Guard troops were deployed to polling places in urban and diverse areas, intimidating voters. [NPR]
- DHS Surveillance Expansion: DHS has increased surveillance of journalists, antifascists, and BIPOC activists under “counter-extremism” frameworks. [Guardian]
- State-Controlled Propaganda: A federally backed media network broadcasts 24/7 pro-Trump messaging, especially in rural areas. [NYT]
- Ethics System Dismantled: Trump’s administration has removed watchdogs, gutted the Impoundment Control Act, and rolled back post-Watergate ethics reforms. [Washington Post]
- Political Intimidation: Federal agents and MAGA-aligned figures have harassed critics, including sending symbolic threats such as toilets to university faculty. [SF Chronicle]
- Weaponized Disinformation: DHS and Trump surrogates have spread false claims about protest violence to justify crackdowns. [Guardian]
- Militarized Spectacle: Trump held a military parade on his birthday, flaunting tanks and aircraft in an overt display of power. [Guardian]
- Targeting Opposition Cities: Federal funding has been selectively withdrawn from blue cities and states accused of "election fraud." [Daily Beast]
- Record Executive Orders: With over 160 executive orders in five months, Trump has reversed decades of environmental, labor, and civil rights protections. [People]
- Unauthorized National Guard Control: Trump now controls Guard units without state consent, a historic and chilling precedent. [AP]
- Expanded Emergency Powers: Trump continues to declare bogus national emergencies to fast-track policy changes without Congress. [AP]
- No-Scalps Policy: Trump’s refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing has left unfit and corrupt officials in place—often in defiance of court rulings. [Vanity Fair]
🚨 Recognizing Fascist Dog Whistles
- Numeric codes like “1488” or “88” signaling white supremacy
- Terms like “globalist,” “cultural Marxism,” or “replacement theory”
- Mythic national nostalgia (e.g., "Make America Great Again")
- Co-opted symbols like Crusader crosses, Norse runes, or Pepe memes
- Discrediting dissent by labeling it “terrorism”
- “White genocide” – conspiracy theory claiming white people are being erased
- “ZOG” (Zionist Occupied Government) – antisemitic claim of Jewish control
- “Lügenpresse” – Nazi-era slur for the press, now revived by the far right
- “Based” and “redpilled” – praising far-right ideological awakening
- “Kekistan” and Kek flags – meme symbols for white nationalist identity
- “Clown World” (🤡🌍) – mocking inclusion, equity, and progressive values
- Triple parentheses “((( )))” – online method to target Jewish people
- “Blood and Soil” – Nazi slogan glorifying ethnic purity and nationalism
- “Identitarian” – rebranded white nationalist ideology
- “Reclaim America” / “Take Our Country Back” – resisting multicultural society
- Use of Roman salutes, “OK” hand signs, tiki torches – fascist-aligned gestures
- “Traditionalist” – coded opposition to feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, modernity
- “Cultural Bolshevism” – Nazi-era term for blaming diversity for society's decline
- “Sovereign citizen” jargon – pseudo-legal speak used by antigovernment extremists
🛠️ Antifascist Tactics Toolkit
- Community protest organization
- Research and exposure of fascist actors
- Knowyourrights education
- Local defense teams and support systems
- Mutual aid coordination
📚 Deep Dive Resources
- Arditi del Popolo — Overview of Italy’s first militant antifascist collective formed in 1921 to resist Mussolini’s Blackshirts.
- Jacobin on Antifa — Historical perspective on Antifa and its opposition to fascist politics in the U.S. and abroad.
- PBS: Spanish Civil War — Documentary coverage of the international antifascist struggle against Franco in 1930s Spain.
- BBC WWII Resistance — Exploration of underground resistance to fascism during World War II across Europe.
- San Francisco Antifascism — Localized history of antifascist movements in San Francisco.
- Anti-Defamation League — Monitors hate groups and extremism; offers legal advocacy and education.
- Southern Poverty Law Center — Legal nonprofit tracking white supremacist groups and defending civil rights.
- It’s Going Down — News and analysis from a radical, antifascist, and anarchist perspective.
- CrimethInc — Collective of anarchist writers and educators producing tactical and theoretical resources.
- Bellingcat — Investigative collective specializing in open-source intelligence on war crimes, extremism, and disinformation.
- Unicorn Riot — Non-profit media collective focused on social movements, police accountability, and fascist activity.
- New Internationalist — In-depth reporting on antifascism, resistance, and global justice.
- Marxists Archive — Massive digital archive of socialist, anarchist, and communist writings.
- Radical History Review — Academic journal exploring history from radical, decolonial, and antifascist perspectives.
- Verso Books — Leftist publisher of critical works on politics, history, and resistance movements.
- Haymarket Books — Publisher focusing on radical, antifascist, and social justice literature.
- Reddit r/antifascist — Online community sharing news, strategies, and discussions on antifascism.
📖 About the Antifascist Club
The Antifascist Club is a digital library built by and for people who refuse to sit back while fascism spreads. We’re not a membership group or a protest org. We're a living archive — a growing network of tools, lessons, and history for anyone ready to fight back.
We collect radical education, tactical guides, and community knowledge to help folks organize, understand the past, and resist in the present. We don’t run actions, but we’ve got your back with the infrastructure and research you need to make them happen.