BERN NOTICE: BUILDING A MATERIAL FORCE IN THE AGE OF TRUMPISM
Growth of Autonomous Far-Right Within and Outside of TrumpIt’s Going Down was launched in a period of rising white nationalism and far-right activity. In the aftermath of the Charleston, SC massacre in June of 2015, a wave of attacks, vandalism, and raucous protests began against flags, statues, and symbols of the Confederate past. This latest episode in the black liberation struggle, which proceeded the Baltimore uprising by only two months, pushed many within the often fractured white nationalist movement together, as they sought to intervene in the largely white push-back against denunciations on the vestiges of the Confederacy. As we have stated in the past, this struggle against white supremacy in the US has taken on the appearance and feeling of civil war; and it is within this war that people have chosen sides. Some take the side against it, as those who took to the streets and fought with the Klan and members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), several months after the Charleston Massacre, as the fascists rallied in support of the Confederate flag in South Carolina. Others, fight to uphold the racial caste system that America is founded upon, such as those that burned numerous black churches throughout the American south as these struggles raged.

We refer to these forces as the autonomous far-right, because they operate, organize, and exist outside of and sometimes are even hostile to the state, although just as often they may feed into it, or attempt to organize within these existing institutions. The growth of these formations, as well as their militancy is striking, and points to the fact that those fighting for liberation in communities across the US will have to not only contend with the police, the Leftist bureaucrats and managers, but now also potentially, fascists.
In the past year, we have seen this play out in the streets several times. In Olympia, we watched as Neo-Nazi skinheads took to the streets in support of the police. In Minneapolis, white nationalist members of the Patriot movement (and Trump supporters), fired upon demonstrators during the #JusticeforJamar occupation. In Seattle, members of the Hammerskin Nation attempted to march in a predominantly queer neighborhood. In short, the far-right has hit the streets more in the last two years than they have since the 1990s. Its also important to note that in all of these instances, as it was in Anaheim, it took people physically confronting them to drive them out. These actions took organization, they took planning, and they took people working together across racial, geographic, and ideological lines, but more over, they also took people being ready to
physically fight.

But these events are only part of the larger picture. From the recent #OurThreeBoys murders, Islamophobic and anti-Muslim bombings in the wake of the Paris ISIS attacks, the Bundy Ranch and Mahleur Refuge occupations, and the a rise in KKK activity and recruiting drives, the far-right has become emboldened beyond just an ideological hardcore or one specific group.
From the KKK, to skinheads, Neo-Nazis, Christian fascists, Men’s Rights Activists, to the Patriot Movement, and anti-abortion militants, what’s important is that these groups are learning from their weaknesses and attempting to reach out into larger society. This is a push that has been growing for some time now and thus it is important to remember that it is not caused by Trump’s candidacy. What Trump has done instead is simply create more of a sea in which these groups can swim in and a pool of potential recruits for the white nationalist cadres of the future.

Make no mistake, this is a force that continues to grow more violent. Only several days after the Anaheim showdown, Neo-nazi skinheads screaming, “Heil Hitler!” attacked Latino youth in an southern California park. In the wake of these attacks, other white nationalists, from both the caviar suit and tie fascists like Jared Taylor of American Renaissance to old guard former Klansman and Louisiana State Legislator David Duke, also gained headlines. This time for calling on their supporters to not only vote for Trump, but to take a role in organizing with his supporters and putting in work at campaign offices much as Neo-Nazis and KKK members had done for Duke himself, Pat Buchanan, Barry Goldwater, and George Wallace.
Heading the call, Klansman soon showed up outside of Trump rallies holding signs of support. In return, Trump continued to share on social media fascist and Neo-Nazi imagery, this week, it was a quote from the Italian fascist Mussolini, which he later refused to disavow. Then on CNN, Trump refused to back down from support he had received from David Duke and the KKK. And, it seems that no turn towards racist demagogy or fascism seems to hinder support of “The Donald,” as only days later, white basketball students chanted “Trump! Trump! Trump” after defeating a multi-ethnic basketball team. Then on Monday in Georgia, Trump had whole groups of black students removed from one of his rallies before they could even protest.
Matthew Heimbach shoves young African-American protesters at a Trump rally in Kentucky, only a few weeks after he was fired from his job working with abused and neglected youth.