Anti-fascists destroy Marine Corps recruiting station for reasons that make no sense to me

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I don't really want to write this one because I fear the tangents that the comment section will go off on, but so be it.  Here we go.

For some reason anti-fascist groups decided to take vengeance upon the fascist window panes of a Marine Recruiting Depot:

An Antifa protest in Berkeley became violent on Sunday when members of the group smashed the windows of a Marine Corps recruiting office. A series of photos posted on Twitter show Antifa members, self-styled anti-facists who use violence to oppose those they identify as fascists, racists or right wing extremists, destroying the windows of the Shattuck Avenue office.

Twenty people were arrested during competing demonstrations by Antifa and individuals connected to the alt-right. Three people were hurt after authorities say "extremists" threw explosives at police officers, Fox News reports. The explosives are believed to have consisted of fireworks and flares....

Ford Fischer, who recorded video of the incident, tweeted that several Antifa members told him to leave, telling him, "Get the f— back. Cops aren't here. They won't help you."

Here's a video, I assume the one that Fischer shot, but I'm not certain on that:

 Marine Corps Times adds some more:

The windows of the downtown Berkeley Shattuck Ave. Marine station were targeted allegedly by counter-protest movement called Antifa, short for “anti-fascists.” The group is known to use violence to confront “alt-right” groups.

“At 1:45 pm [Sunday], the windows of the Marine Corps Recruiting Center (64 Shattuck Square) were vandalized,” Officer Byron White, a spokesman for the Berkeley Police Department, told Marine Corps Times. “From videos seen on social media, the suspects appeared to have repeatedly hit the windows with a hammer or tire iron — causing an estimated $2000 worth of damage.”

No Marines were present at the station during the incident and the recruiting station is continuing to conduct business as normal, according to Capt. Chad Hill, a spokesman for 12th Marine Corps District.

Now, with the that out of the way, I should note that a lot of groups do destructive and stupid things, and somehow they justify it (I guess) in their own minds, but it never makes sense.  I guess we just have to accept that people are stupid.  Protesting is a very fine thing, and goes back to the founding of the country.  However, destroying government property means that they have to replace that property, and that money is paid for by all of us.  So this isn't like vandalizing Disney because you found something irreparably wrong with Moana (my one year old son's first crush), which would be idiotic, illegal and asinine, but would at least plausibly be related to what you were trying to do.  But the entire public pays for those windows, including presumably any antifa members who pay taxes.

Maybe there are hordes of fascists in Berkeley I don't know about.  Either way, I know of a time when there were a bunch of fascists in Italy, Germany and Japan and we sent some people over to deal with them.  As near as I can remember it wasn't organic brocoli growers, or college administrators or even disgruntled librarians.  It was Marines.  And Army guys, and Navy people.  (I'm not forgetting you AF peeps, I think it was still under the Army then, no?)

Our Constitution grants you many things, such as peaceful assembly, rights to petition the government, right to vote and so on.  No where in our documents is there a right to take a hammer to the window of a recruiting station.  It's senseless violence and destruction of property, the price of which is borne by everyone, not the people you were ostensibly trying to protest in the first place.   Then again, Antifa also decided to protest the election of the new President by striking a blow against white supremacy and the super attacking and destroying a limo run by a Muslim American immigrant small business owner who was just trying to make a living on his limo company.

If you ever find yourself thinking: "I think the best way to get my message across will require a hammer" then you should probably rethink not just your position but your purpose on this planet.

And, if you just absolutely, positively have to run around in black pajamas with weaponry, you are in luck, as the town of Igam, Japan has a great job opportunity for you: they are hiring ninjas.

Posted in the burner | 62 comments
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Just to be clear: anarchists, by definition, don't fall on the usual left/right paradigm. They want nothing but anarchy, a complete absence of governance. That is definitely not a left wing goal, as the far left wants a stronger central government than we have now. So please keep that in mind when viewing the actions of these malcontents.

"Stronger central government" communist and nazi nations?

If you think nazis are leftists there's no point having a conversation with you until you've taken some polisci courses.

Also, the extreme right wants a stronger central government just as much. They just have different ideas of how that government should be used.

Nazi comes from the word Nationalsozialistische (National Socialist). The left wants us turned into a National Socialist country. In the 1930's, the Brownshirts brought Hitler to power. Now, these AntiFa criminals are using the same tactics as the Brownshirts did. Terrorize their opponents.
As for the extreme right wanting a stronger central government, you should go back and take some polisci courses. The extreme right wants a government to have one role. Protect the people of the country. That doesn't mean dictate every aspect of every persons life. In the words of the left; the government has to protect you from yourself. The right wants to allow us to live as we want as set down by the laws passed by Congress. Don't like those laws? Because we a a Democratic Republic, vote people in who will change them.

Terror helped Hitler to gain some power but his promises to build a stronger Germany and his economic reforms allowed him to be given ultimate power by legitimate means. The deal between Hitler and the German people turned out to be a bad deal for Germany. It is difficult for people to accept something that is bad for them but it seems relatively easy for those same people to be duped into accepting the same bad ideas.

I bet you think North Korea is a democratic nation, since they call themselves the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Go study some polisci. Seriously.

Very good reply to someone who do not know the meaning of socialist. Thank you from a korean veteran who helped to keep communism from spreading only to see it come to america is heatbraking

CORY IS OBVIOUSLY A YOUNG PUNK AND AN IDIOT THAT KNOWS NOTHING! Right as you call them moron aka: Constitutional Conservatives - only issue is that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and must be followed... They don't legislate from the Supreme Court and pick candidates that won't do that.. They are NOT AT ALL in favor of centralized government!!! We abhor it... And if la la land CA had a governor with a pair of stones, he'd send the so CA National Guard out and tell them if these TERRORISTS act up ... SHOOT TO KILL....

Cory - you are undoubtedly uneducated or an agitator that hasn't a clue of the Right or Left ideology. Stay away from posting for your are embarrassing yourself.

Cory, all good comments. The riots shed very little light on the overall motives of any mainstream political movement, and those who associate socialist leaning policy with Nazism appeal to the lowest common denominator in making comparisons. Honest dialog and analysis is much more complex than what can be communicated in a meme.

Why do these cowards hide behind mask??? If you are going protest and stand up for something you believe in be man enough to show your face!!!!

I think it’s despicable that you seem to highlight left extremists but never mention the racists, misogynistic and homophobic issues happenings in our country. Veterans are BOTH republicans and Democrats. We shed our sweat and blood for the American public regardless of race, creed or religion. Be fair.

Can you give me a story that would highlight that beliefe with a story that deals with National Security, Veterans Issues, Americanism or Children and Youth (our 4 pillars.)   If this was radical right wing lunatics attacking a Marine Recruiting station I would have written about it as well.  This blog deals with veterans issues, national securty etc.  (Ergo an attack on a Marine Recruiting Station.)  It's not a blog dealing with racism, misogyny and homophobia.  I can only write about issues that fall under our purview, which come from resolutions via National Convention.  If you want to pass a resolution dealing with one of those issues, and then send me articles which highlight it, I would be happy to write about it.,

What? You call what those clowns did FAIR? Moronic perhaps, but hardly fair. I wish a few of our "fascist?" brothers were there from the 3rd of 5th to demonstrate fairness to these maroons.

And looks like nobody did anything to stop them?

why are the local police allowing these thugs to operate freely and openly destroy property??????I would believe that the city council of Berkley is probably supportive of these criminals, and they control the police dept...I'm also sure that a large number of these antifa people are getting a check from the govt. each month. I would vote to sent these people to north Korea to enjoy their right to protest and still get govt. support money....

The protesters were lucky the Marines weren’t present they would have let them fall to the ground (several times with a little help) while holding them for the authorities. The hammer or tire iron could have been considered a lethal weapon. Marines would have had the right to meet force with force. Sounds like a severe butt kicking would have happened.

If it's wearing a mask and black pajamas and carries an AK-47 . . . shoot it!

I wonder if the day will come when Antifa members recognize they are the absolute personification of fascism. Anytime you shout down someone speaking an opposing opinion, threaten and actually use violence to intimidate and silence those of opposing thought, you are, in my opinion, a shining example of fascism. There is nothing anti-fascist about Antifa. They are fascists pure and simple. They even chose the color black for their so-called uniform just as Mussolini did in the 40s. I hope they will one day recognize this and look back on their acts with shame, but I highly doubt it. They have no shame because they have no honor, and they don't know history either. Their lack of decency and moral fiber will be their undoing, but that will not come soon enough for most Americans.

What exactly is a fascist? Can someone here give me a dictionary definition?

You should not take what Fox News reports at face value. In addition to their well known and extensively documented conservative bias, members of the alt-right have been known to infiltrate anti-fascist events such as these, the military is not ANTIFA's main focus by a long shot, and unless molotov cocktails were involved, one can hardly say that the recruitment center as destroyed when only the front windows were broken. The report from Berkeley P.D. is of much greater value.

I cited to Marine Corps Times and a video, neither of which as far as I know has anything to do with Fox.  And I quoted Berkeley Police Officers, so I don't know what Fox has to do with this except the one line commenting on a report in Fox News that I didn't even use.

This is status quo for the city of Berkeley. The city counsel voted to evict the recruiting station in 2008 stating it was "unwelcome". The "pink lady's" have protested the recruiting center over the years. This is just one more uncivil act in a series of civil unrest from a population that promotes "inclusiveness". Start withholding federal funds from this city and county and see how loudly the scream.

Any group trying to shut down others are in fact the fascists. The Antifa folks are themselves the definition of fascism. They equate to Mussolini's Black Shirts & the Nazi (National Socialist) Party's Brown Shirts.

They should be arrested & tried for their crimes.

A question: Why are folks on the left so vile, vulgar & violent? We on the side of patriotism did nothing like this during President Obama's 8 years. Still don't.

Antifa are Communists, not fascists.

You know, I think you have a good point there. I may have to revise my position. Communist does seem to fit the definition of these POS' more accurately. I'm not sure which is worse!

It is a total perversion for Antifa to be called "anti-fascists. They do, in fact, operate as the black shirts and brown shirts of the 30's.

Mr. Zimmerman, Are you aware that it was & IS the Democratic Party that not only FOUNDED THE KKK, but also sustained & continues to recruit membership in it?? The Democrats were the ones who wanted to continue slavery even after the Civil War was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Perhaps you need to re-take that part of your high school history class. Or did you just sleep through the whole class??

Man did the country screw up when they abandoned the draft.

These are just a bunch of frigin cowards. First, they hide their faces. Second, they did this on a Sunday at around 1PM - the station is closed. Third, since they knew the Marines weren't around, they did what they did knowing their sorry asses wouldn't get kicked by Marines! Oh, that's right - they're in Berkeley, CA. Why are we not surprised??

I haven't read all the comments but probably someone has already mentioned that the cowards did this on Sunday when they would be sure that the Marines wouldn't be there.

The reason they do this is they get away with it. Last Au in Charlottesville VA they initiated violence & riots. Civil authorities did NOTHING to stop them. On & off through the year the same. It's due to happen again this weekend, and once again if the police intervene the liberals will scream police brutality. Civil authorities will stand by and allow them to riot, loot & attack people (antifa prefer attacking the elderly or disabled or as gangs vs 1 person). No arrests will likely be made, & if any are they won't be antifa, & if liberals/demoocrats they'll be released. Antifa are the same kind of people as Hitler used in 1936-8 to silence those opposed to him. If we don't exterminate them we're done.

Wouldn't it be nice if a judge could/would order them to a 2-year (minimum) enlistment in the military as payment for their destruction of government property? A couple of them might actually learn a thing or two about citizenship.

We don't need them destroying the moral of a military unit. It's difficult enough being in the military without concern for these morons in your unit.
When we received draftees in the Marine Corps, by federal mandate, we mustered them out and sent them to the Army or sent them back to their mommies. They said we had to take em, but we didn't have to keep em. It just does not work.

around 1930+ Hitler came to power by using the brown shirts to intimidate and hurt anyone that did not toe the Nazi line. I truly believe Antifa are the beginning of the new brown shirts

Reading some of the comments, how in the hell can anyone defend these hoodlums? It is not a right to commit a felony! And to Levi, a lot of those hippies got a degree in liberal arts and became school teachers. Now you know why our public school system is so broken.

I totally agree Sam. The problem is (as it was then) the media will not properly report on all of this.

Seems the tactics and antics of the Hitler Jugend are the tactics and antics of choice. Amazing that they think they're the good guys. Other people's children, eh?

These people are members of communist party front groups so why is anyone surprised that they go out and do damage.

I have a great idea. Just sic a bunch of Jarheads on them. The will then just disappear!!
Or, better yet, draft them and send to the Mid-East!
Or round them up and send them out to the desert with an 80 pound pack and limited water and let them fend for themselves.

I'm not a fan of people in hoods either especially when they are intimidationg people or destroying property. I hope they arrest and prosecute this person to the fullest extent of the law. That being said I am also not a fan of the unhealthy glorification of the military like they are somehow better than us. They are us. I'm sure many of the marines we sent overseas to deal with fascism were "organic brocoli growers, or college administrators or even disgruntled librarians" before they accepted the call to serve. A citizen like the rest of us. I am also a little concerned about the carte blanche condemnation of destruction of property. While I agree it it illegal and should be treated as such as you did I also look back to the founding of our country when many acts of vandalism were perpetrated by the colonists when they felt they had been pushed beyond their ability to endure. It was Abdul in telly illegal but I think we sometimes can understand why groups can be compelled to do it.

Put a uniform on them give them a rifle and put them in a combat zone.

I’m disappointed by the people and vets who are calling for more violence to control the violence of Antifa. We have language in the Constitution that requires due process. Shooting and killing people without due process is illegal. Antifa, Qanon, the KKK, the neonazis and fringe groups are igniting a tribalism not seen since the Civil War. We are a better nation than this. To blame persons on the right or left is lazy and ignorant. These fringe groups are real and are from both sides of the political spectrum. What else is represented by all sides of the political spectrum? The U.S. Military. I’m seeing too many people who are making this about an entire political affiliation. It’s much more difficult than that and it isn’t fair to our brothers and sisters rights to vote how they see fit. Instead of berating each other, why not come to common viewpoint. I’m kind of disappointed as I thought politics are left at the door of every American Legion post in the country.

Articles about this group should refer to them by their own chosen name, Antifa. Calling them "anti-fascist" is misleading. Their actions are in fact fascistic, very much like Germany and Italy in the 1930's.

When I see people dressed in black with their ugly ass faces covered why do I think of ISIS??

This is a Federal crime many years behind bars, track the money back to its source, arrest and conviction of all in this conspiracy. But no because nobody goes to jail, all these federal crimes, the Clintons, the murders around the DNC, two different laws for us and them. A million Veterans march on DC hold court on the steps of the capital building would get action. All veterans would be sling arms and ready to fight. Dam it, some General should have a call to arms and organize the march. Set up LZs: and read charges to the masses. Shake the Capital wake up this country. No one going to jail at the top of these deep state departments is a crime. The Congress has the power to arrest and have Marshals lock up those that refuse to testify, and hold them in the Capital building basement Jail. But it has not been done for 90 years.

As a Marine I saw violence in the USA that was not policed for political reasons. As a result, property was damaged, many people were hurt and some killed. I witnessed racial violence in the South, most of which was never reported and the offenders not punished. Not taking action against criminal behavior is not the answer. No protest should be allowed to damage property or injury bystanders. If we don't punish those that commit crimes, everyone suffers. I agree with the right to protest, and along with many who suffered much more than I wrote a blank check to my great country to insure freedom was protected. So no matter what side you trust, left or right, let's try to make our point without hurting each other. We are all Americans.

These An-queer-fa folks, or whatever name they call themselves are nothing more than indoctrinated anti-social violent savages who have been taught to hate America and it is literally ingrained within their DNA. I despise them but what I despise more is the leadership of the DemoRat party. It is no longer a legitimate political party, but a party which is led by American hating, straight-white-hetero-christian-alpha male hating, pajama boy beta males like our former Chicago 'Man's Club' member and Kenyan dictator. There is already a law in CA about wearing a disguise for the purposes of committing a crime, so why aren't they immediately arrested, the second the show up in the area wearing masks, and arrested with 'extreme prejudice?'

Nothing will happen to these people if found and arrested. They're above the law. Can you imagine the FBI actually making an arrest? Too busy protecting the Clintons!

Antifa are the fascists for Christ sakes !!!
Who the heck is writing your articles ? they seem to know nothing at all !!!


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News from the World of Military and Veterans Issues. Iraq and A-Stan in parenthesis reflects that the author is currently deployed to that theater.