For decades, there has been a tradition in America of unmasking fascists, with Black activists and investigative journalists such as Ida B. Wells and Walter White exposing white supremacists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, antifa is taking that same approach to expose ICE agents who terrorize communities across the country.
The use of "doxing" - or naming and shaming fascists - by antifa has been successful, helping to dismantle groups during Donald Trump's first term in office. However, now it's targeting the armed agents of the state carrying out Trump's promise to mass-deport 100 million people. Antifa is working to unmask ICE and CBP agents, exposing them for their brutal actions against immigrants.
A group called Pacific Antifascist Research Collective claims to have identified Tyler Gramlin, a border patrol agent who pepper-sprayed a protester in Minneapolis last week. Flyers bearing Gramlin's photo were quickly disseminated across the city, exposing him for his actions.
The collective describes itself as an "autonomous group" of researchers dedicated to protecting communities from fascism in all its forms. Its members often keep their identities secret to prevent reprisals from the far right.
This modern iteration of antifa grew in response to a new wave of white supremacist groups that emerged during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Antifa is not just about violence, but also espionage and research. Over the last decade, it has exposed the identities of thousands of pseudonymous Americans belonging to this new generation of fascists.
The tactic of naming and shaming fascists leverages existing societal taboos against explicit white supremacy or neo-Nazism, creating a social cost for being a fascist. Antifa's doxing tactic is effective because it brings sunlight to groups that depend on organizing in the dark.
However, the Trump administration has pursued more prosecutions like this, an effort that could essentially codify ICE as its secret police force. In December, the justice department issued a memo to federal prosecutors to target individuals aligned with "antifa" who are "doxing" and "impeding" immigration law enforcement.
Antifascist activists argue that their work belongs to the people, not just to the organizations. They say that agents like Gramlin may feel invincible now but that the people will turn against them, and they will win.
The use of "doxing" - or naming and shaming fascists - by antifa has been successful, helping to dismantle groups during Donald Trump's first term in office. However, now it's targeting the armed agents of the state carrying out Trump's promise to mass-deport 100 million people. Antifa is working to unmask ICE and CBP agents, exposing them for their brutal actions against immigrants.
A group called Pacific Antifascist Research Collective claims to have identified Tyler Gramlin, a border patrol agent who pepper-sprayed a protester in Minneapolis last week. Flyers bearing Gramlin's photo were quickly disseminated across the city, exposing him for his actions.
The collective describes itself as an "autonomous group" of researchers dedicated to protecting communities from fascism in all its forms. Its members often keep their identities secret to prevent reprisals from the far right.
This modern iteration of antifa grew in response to a new wave of white supremacist groups that emerged during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Antifa is not just about violence, but also espionage and research. Over the last decade, it has exposed the identities of thousands of pseudonymous Americans belonging to this new generation of fascists.
The tactic of naming and shaming fascists leverages existing societal taboos against explicit white supremacy or neo-Nazism, creating a social cost for being a fascist. Antifa's doxing tactic is effective because it brings sunlight to groups that depend on organizing in the dark.
However, the Trump administration has pursued more prosecutions like this, an effort that could essentially codify ICE as its secret police force. In December, the justice department issued a memo to federal prosecutors to target individuals aligned with "antifa" who are "doxing" and "impeding" immigration law enforcement.
Antifascist activists argue that their work belongs to the people, not just to the organizations. They say that agents like Gramlin may feel invincible now but that the people will turn against them, and they will win.