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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Using Bolshevik Tactics

In 1917, the Russian government was overthrown in a revolution led by the Bolsheviks.  That group had the allegiance of only a tiny portion of the Russian people, but it used massive street violence to take control of St. Petersburg (which was then Petrograd) and Moscow and then spread that control across the country in as civil war against the White Russians.  The provisional Russian government which was then led by Alexander Kerensky did not deploy its forces to stop the Bolsheviks.  For the next 75 years, the world paid the price for that mistake as the horrors of Soviet Communist totalitarianism were force upon hundreds of millions across the globe. 

At the moment, it seems as if the Antifa group is trying to repeat the Bolshevik tactic with the assistance of the media.  We had a march in Charlottesville by groups that included Nazis, the KKK and white supremacists.  One of those crazies drove his car into the crowd and killed a woman.  At that march, the Antifa engaged in violence from the other side.  As this happened, the police did nothing.  The cops did not try to keep the two sides separated; they just moved back to let the slugfest proceed.  That was bad enough.  But it has now gotten worse.  Since Charlottesville, there have been marches in support of free speech which the Antifa labeled "pro-hate" or "Nazi" and then showed up to break up.  In Boston, there was some violence by the Antifa.  That is being replicated in Berkeley today.  There are only scattered reports so far, but it seems that the police in Berkeley are once again holding back from stopping the violence.  That is unacceptable.

It does not matter what side one is one; violence at a demonstration is unacceptable.  Antifa, Nazis, white supremacists and everyone else has the right to speak without fear of violence.  Just remember, once we stand by and let anyone be silenced for their views, no one is safe.  No one knows the future.

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