Climate activist Gan Golan writes this on his Facebook page and it is very smart. I hope this advice is heeded:
Napoleon famously said: “Never interrupt your enemy when they are in the middle of making a mistake,” an enduring strategic insight that we should adapt directly to the present moment: “Never interrupt a nazi when they are punching themselves in the face.” Yes, right now, the nazis are punching themselves in the face and we should not interrupt them.
The events in DC have suddenly made clear to the public and to The State what has been obvious all along: the MAGA movement is an existential threat to the country’s stability. Out of sheer stupidity they succeeded in creating a pure, undeniable narrative for the world to see. They directly attacked a commonly accepted symbol of Democracy without any discernible provocation. Now, despite their desperate attempts to do so they cannot use their usual gaslighting and disinformation tactics to escape accountability, because well, Antifa wasn’t even around, so they cannot draw false equivalencies.
The results are that the public has turned on them. Perhaps even more importantly The State has turned on them. There are now massive internal fissures within their movement that is fracturing both their elite funders and their white middle class base. There are now even calls to purge law enforcement of white supremacists and MAGA sympathizers, which was decades overdue.
All of this is a good thing. The Nazis are punching themselves in the face.
The most important thing for us to do is to not interrupt this narrative by doing anything that would distract from it. Instead, allow it to flourish and continue to wreak havoc on their entire network as their infrastructure gets obliterated. This would be a perfect moment for Antifa and to stay home, kick your boots on the table, drink vegan milkshakes and eat popcorn.
Or, better yet, if militant anti -fascists really want to be seen in public right now then draw a contrast. Go out and cheer frontline healthcare workers, or help distribute vaccines, or deliver food to families in need. Help our communities survive and grieve. The last thing we need to do right now is to try and punch nazis in the face because they are doing a much better job of it than any of us could.
I understand the impulse to confront the insurrectionists. But it would be a terrible, terrible idea for all the reasons outlined above.