Undercover reporters infiltrate Antifa to reveal highly organized group training members for violent action
06/09/2020 / By Isabelle Z.
When President Trump recently said he planned to declare far-left extremist group Antifa a terrorist organization, there was a lot of talk about whether or not he could do so because it’s an umbrella term that describes a certain philosophy rather than an organized group. However, it’s clear that at least some parts of Antifa are indeed highly organized, as undercover reporters working on behalf of the investigative journalism nonprofit Project Veritas recently discovered.
In New York City, one undercover journalist managed to record young radicals getting instruction on fighting techniques and martial arts for riots. An antifa fight instructor is seen describing the best way to injure opponents, saying that “a good liver or kidney shot” can cripple opponents and that floating ribs are also good targets.
The instructor, known as “Chris” said that “one good body shot could potentially give you all the time in the world to run away while they’re doubled over in pain, or really put a beating on them after that if you really want to make it personal.”
Reporter exposes violent tactics taught by Rose City Antifa
Another reporter discussed his experience with an Antifa cell in Portland, Oregon, known as Rose City Antifa, revealing a well-organized group with initiation and security procedures as well as “lectures” on violent actions. Veritas did not disclose the year the reporter joined, saying only that the month in question was July. The reporter’s identity isn’t being revealed out of security concerns, but he left the group “some time ago,” Veritas says.
He said that in order to be initiated into the group, he was contacted via a secure email platform and told to show up at a designated location with a water bottle in his hand while wearing a white T-shirt. Someone from the group picked him up and brought him to a second location for an “interview.” The reporter said that prospective members have to go to “required lectures” about Antifa tactics, which were held in a bookstore before it opened for the day. Attendees had to leave their cell phones in the bathroom of the store, where a fan was running to muffle sounds.
The prospects were lectured on carrying out violence clandestinely and reducing the risk to themselves. They learned how to cause their opponents grave injury, with one lecturer heard saying in an undercover video: “Police are going to be like, ‘Perfect, we can prosecute these [expletive]. Look how violent they are.’ And not that we aren’t, but we need to [expletive] hide that [expletive],” he stated.
The lecturer told the prospects to practice tactics like eye gouges, which they say can injure someone with very little pressure. They were told that the idea wasn’t to get involved in fights but rather inflicting serious harm and “destroying your enemy.”
He also talked about a tactic called Black Block, wherein members dress alike and wear masks so they all appear uniform and no one member can be singled out for perpetrating a crime. As one lecturer stated, their goal is doing dangerous things as safely as they can.
They also employ a buddy system, where members pair up with a buddy who they keep tabs on during protests, contacting legal and medical help when they are arrested or hurt and asking someone with a camera to record what is happening.
The reporter ultimately made it around halfway through the prospecting process. He noted that Rose City Antifa appeared well-structured and almost company-like, which makes him believe that outside funding, resources or influence is involved. He said the amount of tradecraft involved indicates a highly experienced professional is advising them.
Last week, Attorney General William Barr stated: “There are extremist agitators who are hijacking the protests to pursue their own separate and violent agenda.” He has said that recent violence at protests appears “planned, organized, and driven by far-left extremist groups and anarchic groups using Antifa-like tactics.”
Project Veritas’s front page promises that more undercover videos showing their infiltration of Antifa will be dropping this week. They’ve also called on “brave insiders” to record Antifa as they plan violence across the nation.
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Tagged Under: American ISIS, antifa, civil war, criminals, domestic terrorism, lawless, left cult, national security, organized attack, premeditated, protests, revolution, riots, terrorism, training, uprising, violence
