What A United Antifascist Front Could Do

A Reportback & Call to Action from the West Coast United Against Fascism coalition.
Somehow, the Nazi’s returned.
A picture of neo-nazi's from the Goyim Defense League holding a banner drop over the LA 405 while sig hialing. Text on the screen reads "Erika Ostrove or Hungarian Erika." A femme presenting person on the end with no mask is zoomed in on and compared against a headshot of someone with the same hair and features in a red shirt.
Turns out, “Hungarian Erika” isn’t just Hungarian— her name is actually Erika. Erika Ostrove, also known as Erika Suveg (her maiden name, though she’s divorced) lives in Westwood, CA. Erika previously lived in both San Diego CA and the Inland Empire. pic.twitter.com/4oy7vC82zD — SoCal Research Club (@SCResearchClub) October 25, 2022
It’s October 23rd, you turn on your social media app of choice, and what do you see? Surprise surprise, your blue checkmark local politician is sharing swastika-laden Neo-Nazi’s on main with a direct-fucking-hyperlink to the incendiary brain bank that brought them all together.
 
While opportunists, grifters and bad actors did everything they could to carry water for these fascist-fuck’s, this new and highly visible platform inevitably cost them the credentials they needed to keep their website from getting pulled out from under them for their antisemitic hate work.
 
 
It should come to no ones surprise that the Nazi’s are here. While everyday, Antifascists spend the majority of their own time keeping their neighborhoods Nazi free by identifying, confronting and removing racist dogwhistles in their community, it seems like every election cycle, liberals & moderates are reminded that their racist Klan uncle is still somewhere burning a cross at a little kids birthday party.
 
If that isn’t bad enough, thanks to US intervention efforts, we are continually reminded about Nazi-on-Nazi violence in Ukraine where the biggest victim is everyday working people stuck in the middle.
 

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine standing in front of Ukrainian soldiers wearing Neo-Nazi emblems on their plate carriers. Zelenksy is in a green jacket with a flared collor, with an overgrown chinstrap beard and mustache. His head is trim on the sides and with short, brown hair on top. The soldier behind him is in tan camo with a black plate carrier. The background is a grey, overcast sky.

The everyday sensationalism of Sig-hailing Neo-Nazi’s on the TV, street signs and freeway overpasses is enough to make your head twirl and stomach curl. This constant presence doesn’t just monger fear within communities that are most impacted by fascist violence, it creates a breeding ground of idolatry towards Western Chauvinism and internet LARPers who want to “Fight and defend their homeland!,” too.
 
The results are a bunch of Colonizers running around roleplaying the losers of WWII acting as if charging the entrance of an all-ages Drag Show is going to be their Beer Hall Putsch.
 

So where did these LA Nazi fucks come from? Whether its a car being lit on fire in East Los during a National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) show, Chuds playing hot potato with fences in Yolo County, or Proud Boys developing performance issues due to their monthly delivery of pepper spray, you can bet we’re going to get to the bottom of it.

What the fuck is the Goyim Defense League?
 
“Goy” or “Goyyim” is the Jewish name for non-Jewish people. The group of Neo-Nazi’s who attach themselves to the name act as a direct foil and reaction to the radical “Jewish Defense League” founded in New York City in 1968.
 
A picture in black and white of protestors clapping, holding signs. Image pulled from the SPLC website.
 
In the words of Rabbi Meir Kahane, he says “To turn the other cheek is not a Jewish concept, do not listen to the soothing anesthesia of the establishment. They walk in the paths of those whose timidity helped bury our brothers and sisters less than thirty years ago.”
 
The SPLC labels the JDL a “radical organization that preaches a violent form of anti-Arab, Jewish nationalism. Its late founder, Kahane, claimed that Jews face fierce antisemitism domestically and abroad and must protect themselves by any means necessary.”
 
A black and white photo of protestors in a dense crowd. Over them hangs a banner that reads "JDL NEVER AGAIN" and a second banner that reads "NEVER AGAIN!" On one banner is a star of david with a fist held infront of it as a symbol.
 
So what does this make the Goyim Defense League? The Anti-Defamation League also identifies the GDL as a direct foil. So much so, internet memes have borrowed their logo to make it a new antisemitic symbol of its own. The ADL has this to say:
 
Key Points
  • The Goyim Defense League is a loose network of individuals connected by their virulent antisemitism. The group includes five or six primary organizers/public figures, dozens of supporters and thousands of online followers.
 
  • GDL operates GoyimTV, a video platform that streams antisemitic content.
 
  • GDL espouses vitriolic antisemitism and white supremacist themes via the internet, through propaganda distributions and in street actions.
 
  • GDL engages in antisemitic stunts and schemes to troll or otherwise harass Jews.
 
  • GDL’s most zealous and visible actors are in California, Colorado, Florida and New York.
Origins and Ideology
 
Goyim Defense League (GDL) is a small network of virulently antisemitic provocateurs led by Jon Minadeo II of Petaluma, California. GDL parodies the Anti-Defamation League’s name and logo by replacing “Anti-Defamation” with “Goyim Defense” — “Goyim” being a disparaging Yiddish and Hebrew word for non-Jews.
 
Infact, the ADL credits the GDL for:
 
“..at least 74 antisemitic propaganda incidents in 2021. Most of GDL’s propaganda distributions have taken place during their so-called “Name the Nose” tours, but in December 2021 the group increased their non-tour related propaganda distributions, organizing their first nationwide propaganda campaign for the weekend of December 18. GDL has continued monthly propaganda drives into 2022, distributing propaganda dozens of times in seventeen states.“
The point of this is to say that the GDL is infact nothing new, and thats more of a concern than if they appeared out of thin air. At every level of their organizing, they have attempted to engage in sensationalist reaction and the scapegoating of Jewish people as the tropes espoused in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
A fake newspaper that reads "Every Aspect Of the Media Is Jewish:" with a list of major cable networks and production companies. There is a star of david and a satanic star. At the bottom is crossed out contact information. Three arrows swipe across the page to slightly conceal its contents.
GDL Propaganda found in Nashville, TN on Wednesday, August 3rd of 2022.
Little ziplocks of antisemitic propaganda discovered in Nashville, TN on August 3rd, 2022 with antisemitic content, ranging on different topics. One talks about gun control, the other talks about abortion. There are six bags in total and all of it a different antisemitic article.
GDL Propaganda found in Nashville, TN on Wednesday, August 3rd of 2022.
 
 
 
Robert Evans Podcast, Behind The Bastards, does a great job at expanding on what this is, where it comes from, and what makes it a forgery of the antisemitic documents that proceed it. However, constant plagiarism hasn’t prevented it from becoming a corner stone of modern antisemitism today, and we should continue to be concerned by those who cite it’s inflammatory fiction to justify antisemitism.
 

It is one thing to point to the fact that Neo-Nazi’s are marching in your streets. It’s imperative for Antifascist movements to know when to sound the alarm, point and say “This is the Neo-Nazi.” Identifying a clear and present danger is an important tenant to Antifascist work and must continue to be used over and over until the threat is no longer present. It is a different thing to increase the effectiveness of their platform, such as aiding to the reach of their TV channel, an ideological brain bank of incendiary content.

 
As many thousands of blue checkmarks reigned in one-line ‘gotcha’s and faux-surprise that Neo-Nazi’s didn’t all just disappear after 2017’s “Unite the Right” hate-fest in Charlottesville, VA, (which left dozens injured and one dead, Heather Heyer, rest in power), they played many moving parts in carrying and sharing this Nazi hyperlink to the very website disorganized cells of Neo-Nazi’s needed to become a directed force.
 
A screenshot from a twitter post by SoCal Antifa that reads "Twitter has done more harm to the Jewish community in their reporting of a Nazi banner drop than the actual Nazis behind it. Their message wouldn't of spread nearly as far if people just took the time to censor out their hate."
 
With all this Sig-hailing around and the threat of hundreds of little cells erupting as a result of this skeleton-crew draping cloth over the I-405, a bunch of down motherfucking black bloc antifascist crews got together and said “enough is enough.”
 
Just as vigilante fascist groups are the social forces of an ideology fighting to become the dominant hegemony, community defense groups from all over the West Coast got together to say this.
 
“Antifascism is the default position, and everywhere you rear your ugly head, we already are.” And more importantly, we’re declaring the attack.
 
Solidarity with the Jewish Community,
The West Coast Is United Against Fascism!
 
A United Antifascist Front
 
West Coast United Against Fascism Day of Action Statement  This day of action has been called for by anti-fascists all across the west coast in response to the rising wave of openly fascist, transphobic, racist, and anti-semitic hate speech and attacks upon our communities.
 
Last week Goyim Defense League (GDL) dropped anti-semitic banners over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles and raised nazi salutes. This cannot be allowed to go unchecked and must be met with active resistance from communities committed to putting an end to fascism.
 
A banner declaring the area anti-fascist was dropped from the same bridge as GDL, but with far greater numbers and support.
 
In solidarity with this struggle, antifascists all along the west coast (and even some on the east coast!) have dropped banners declaring a united anti-fascist effort to resist this antisemitism.
 
This will not just be a day of action, but part of a long and continuous promise that fascism will be met with resistance and eventually defeated everywhere it attempts to spread.
 
Everywhere that they go; schools and universities, abortion clinics, synagogues, and LGBTQIA+ events, we already are there and actively defending our communities against fascism!
 
For the 4th anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting, the US Holocaust Museum called “on individuals everywhere to stand up to antisemitism in all of its forms.”
 
So in addition to this action, antifascists across the country are carrying this message, and calling for antifascist art, direct action, and community building to take place everywhere there are fascists to resist.
 
We will share these actions over the course of this week to show that we will out organize them!  Please send all prop to antifabridgeclub@protonmail.com and we ask that all identifying information of activists involved be blurred or not shown for the safety of everyone involved.
 
Tag all independently shared prop with #unitedagainstfascism
In over 6 cities on the West Coast and over 16+ locations across the so-called United States, antifascist crews got on the same page to relay a cohesive and unified message. The Nazi’s are marching in our streets and you are morally obligated to take action. The beacons have been lit.
 
In the areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, Redlands, Ventura County, Sacramento, and the South Bay Area of California, banners were dropped from sun up till sun down like a wave that echoed from Interstate 405 up the coast.
 
A black banner with white text that reads "SoCal is ANTIFASCIST!" with road flares on either side. Its placed against what appears to be a concrete wall in a dark tunnel. The wall has three arrows, the letters W.C.U.A.F. and an anarchist circle-a behind it.
Location Unknown
Antifascists in black wave flags and are surrounded by banners on a freeway overpass. One banner turned towards the camera reads "smash fascism!" with three arrows on the left and right of the text.
La Tijera Overpass, Los Angeles, California
A black banner stretched over the side of an overpass atop a busy freeway with cars passing under. The banner reads "iZona Antifascista! #unitedagainstfascism"
Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles, CA
Two antifascists in black clothing drape a white banner with red and black text that reads "Antisemitism will be met with violence." with three arrows down the side.
South Bay Area, California
A group of studded jacket punks drop banners off the side of a freeway that read "SoCal is Antifascist" in black and red. A second banner reads "No room 4 Nazis."
Redlands, California
Banners hang off the 405 Freeway that read "SoCal is Antifascist" "Tikkun Olam!" heal the world with a Star of David on each side. A third canvas is the West Coast United Against Fascism with two hands gripping each others arms. To the side is someone waving a red and black flag from the top to the background of a clear blue sky.
405 Freeway, Los Angeles, California
Two large canvas sheets hang over the side of an active freeway. One reads "Solidarity with the jewish community." The other reads "West coast united against fascism." There are red and black flags waving on the overpass, road flares to the side and barely visible bodies in black clothes behind the fence. The traffic sign reads "Exit 518 Old Sacramento State Historic Park Next Exit."
Downtown Sacramento, CA over the Interstate 5 freeway.
A black banner with white text tied to a freeway overpass that reads "West Coast United Against Fascism" with three arrows in the corner. A canvas is draped next to it with a crossed out swastika. Cars drive underneeth.
Highway 101 in Southern California
Coverups and flyerings were additionally carried in solidarity of the event.
A flyer that reads "Every campus every town, where they go we shut them down" with a logo for TPUSA that reads "its just fascist campus organizing marketed to edgy dweebs." After some text, the bottom has the West Coast United Against Fascism logo, a Queer Antifa logo and an Antifascist Action logo.
Flyers posted in solidarity of the 10/30 day of action.
A rugged lamp pole with a flyer taped to it. Its black with a red arm squeezing a yellow snake with a swastika on the snake. Red letters at the bottom read "No mercy for fascism." A nearly empty rode is to the left of the pole and a nearly empty parking lot to the right.
Flyers posted in solidarity of the 10/30 day of action.
A flyer reads "when Nazis march we stop them. Antifascist action as community defense model." In the distance is a bridge.
Flyers posted in solidarity of the 10/30 day of action.
A green electric box with a white supremacist symbol on it has been covered up with antifascist stickers under a nearby overpass.
Flyers posted in solidarity of the 10/30 day of action.

Images from all over California of banner drops, flyers and the covering of fascist symbols for the 10/30 Day of Action.

What You Can Do! Week of Action 10/30-11/06
 
West Coast United Against Fascism is calling for a week of constant, recurring and unpredictable antifascist work from all over to respond to the call. This week of Antifascism is from Oct 30th to November 6th. Even if you’ve never done antifascist work in your life, this is your call to start.
 
(W.C.U.A.F.) has put together a list of resources to pull from. You are encouraged to use, distribute and study this material of entry level resources that goes into
•What is Antifa?
•What is Fascism?
•40 Ways to Fight Fascism
•Affinity organizing, and so much more!
 
 
You are encouraged to print this image as a sticker and flyer where ever you take action. You should probably remove the email & contact information and instead add your own local crew. If you don’t have one yet, you can create a free, encrypted email from one of the resources in our link tree and use that to get started.
WHEN NAZI'S MARCH WE STOP THEM ANTIFASCIST ACTION IS A COMMUNITY DEFENSE MODEL Anti-fascism is a method of community defense organizing meant to identify, confront and remove different forms of white power organizing. If you are already an enemy of Neo-Nazi's and the Klu Klux Klan, you are likely already an anti-fascist and ready to do your part. There are modern day white power movements that have taken hold in our communities. You have vigilante forces such as the Proud Boy's, Patriot Front and the #WLM Coalition who espouse and perform direct community violence. You have police departments and the U.S. military which sources this violence into state institutions. HERE IS A LIST OF TOOLS TO GET STARTED. COAS • WHAT IS ANTIFA? • WHAT IS FASCISM? • 40 WAYS TO FIGHT FASCISM • AFFINITY ORGANIZING & MORE! WEST COAST UNITED AGAINST FASCISM Follow our link tree for videos, zines, journals and updates on fascist activity. YOUR LOCAL ANTIFA IS
Download, add your local antifascist action group, print and flyer within your zone of operation.
 
When you take action where you live, we ask that you share it online or with us directly & that all identifying information of activists involved be blurred or not shown for the safety of everyone involved.
 
To be included in the reportback for the Week of Action 10/30-11/06, make sure you email us directly at
antifabridgeclub@protonmail.com and/or add the tag
#unitedagainstfascism so we can find it.
 
Stay safe, stay dangerous, and in solidarity.
 
-W.C.U.A.F.
 
A symbol of two hands holding each others arms. Surrounding it reads "West Coast United Against Fascism."
___________________________________________
 Editors Note:
  1. The JDL’s position with regard to Israel is denial of any Palestinian claims to land.
  2. The ADL’s position with regard to Israel is to support a secure, Jewish and democratic State of Israel.
  3. We reject Israel as a legitimate State and stand in unity with Palestine and it’s people. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
  4. The ADL has a long history of recruiting law enforcement to act as unregistered agents of foreign governments, including prior CIA agents, and has been successfully sued for civil rights violations towards privacy for the illegal obtainment of personal information from over 10,000 people, including drivers license and social security card information. https://www.israellobby.org/adl-ca/