I shot this through the rear window and chose it for display because of the visibility of the object in the man's hand:
On the other side of the Capitol Square, on the first block of East Washington, I saw these guys, perhaps converging on the same event at the square.
Did something happen today? I will need to look it up and will update the post if I find anything. Let me know what this looks like to you. Part of me clings to the hope that the guys in the first 2 pictures were going to a Halloween party — going as Antifa guys. Looking at the photos, I asked Meade, "Are those jackboots or are they just those guys' snow boots... kind of moon boots?" Meade said, "They're jackboots."
We also discussed what's in the cooler. Maybe beer. See? It could be a Halloween party. Do Antifa normally bring a cooler? Pulled in a little collapsible wagon? Does this add up to fun or thuggery? I don't like the seeming weapon in that one man's hand. The silly shoes give me hope... though Meade insists they're jackboots.
UPDATE: Here's video (on Facebook) showing the American flag group arriving at the Capitol and eventually participating in what seems to be a permitted rally. The other group can be seen (around 38:00) encountering them. The police keep the groups apart. There's a bit of yelling and taunting, but it seems more like hot air than any physical threat.
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73 comments:
A search for Antifa and Madison in the last 24 hours turns up nothing.
Looks like they need to spend some time in Seattle or Portlandia to learn advanced Antifa thuggery. They look pretty lame.
Did I see words ==>> "Pro Gun"
Should that give me hope? For 2A protect.?
Pro Gun Anti Fascists? With American Flags? And Beer? Your town is Weird!
Their moms told them they couldn’t spend all day in the basement and needed to go outside for awhile.
It has been illegal for a long time to wear masks in the sweet sunny South. You know, KKK and all.
Halloween party? Where are the chicks? Maybe it's a Antifa-Incel Halloween party.
Something going on at a farmers' market?
https://twitter.com/litlGuillotine/status/1190701449770131457
https://twitter.com/gaymedea/status/1190703521538224128
I think if you're maced you're supposed to wash your eyes with milk.
Of course Antifa in Madison. Who do you think it was that was going to be throwing baseballs on your lawn and putting up wanted posters?
Of course, they might not have called themselves that at the time. Maybe they were Occupy. Or Anarchist. Or The People's Front. Whatever.
In the cooler are “milkshakes made with cement”. Just like the crazies from Portland.
I think Madison would downplay any kind of ANTIFA activity.
So, the fact you can’t find anything doesn’t surprise me.
But, I think anytime people wal around with masks over their faces and ANTIFA flags you can’t ignore it.
"Pro Gun Anti Fascists? With American Flags? And Beer? Your town is Weird!"
The guys with the American flag are a different group.
Help me identify the flags in the other pictures. I see the anarchy flag — a black flag with a circled red A. Those guys also have a furled banner and a pink and blue flag.
@James
The regular farmers market was happening, but we drove around the square and saw nothing abnormal (other than a mid-sized group of cops walking together in reflective vests toward the Capitol).
"Welcome to the party, pal."
Althouse will be asking about what conditioners will be available as they are escorting her to the showers.
Captain obvious reporting for duty
So so-called anti-fascists are dressed like.... fascists. Wearing Masks.
Pro-American people, normals - are open about their pro-Americana.
Antifa with guns = they are kicking up their brown-shirting with masks to the next level.
gilbar said...
Pro Gun Anti Fascists? With American Flags? And Beer? Your town is Weird!
Not so weird:
https://psjbgc.org/
https://www.facebook.com/PhxJBGC/
It was a similar bunch that were the one's waving AR-15's around in Charlottesville. The media conveniently tagged them as a "Miltia Group".
Let me know what this looks like to you.
Looks like a few thugs who will crap their pants at the first sign of serious response to said thuggery.
Thought bubble above the fascist antifas: I wonder where I can ditch this mask so I can grab some chik fil a.
Althouse: "I see the anarchy flag — a black flag with a circled red A."
I notice the Anarchy Flags all look exactly alike.
Black and red?
Look like fascists to me.
I suspect they call themselves "progressives"
I say, progressive, fascist, what's the difference. None that I can tell.
Aren't you happy to live in a nice progressive city like Madison? Home of Phil LaFollette, the National Progressive Party and the "Circumsized swastika" (as the Wisconsin Historical Society called it)
https://www.tommcmahon.net/2008/01/the-lafollette.html
Madison has a long, long, not so proud, history with these kinds of folk.
John Henry
...and saw nothing abnormal...
Well, nothing Madison abnormal.
Related
Antifa-BrownShirtThugs... Nazi Brownshirts would be proud. Asking for the death of free speech= bonus.
These jackboots are made for stompin.
Narayanan observes: Should that give me hope? For 2A protect.?
Not necessarily. I've been reporting here for some time that the far Left is heavily armed but no one seems to take me seriously. That doesn't mean they want US to have firearms.
The cool part about being a media-approved Antifa Fascist - it you can call everyone a "racist" and make yourself feel superior behind you fascist mask.
What's next?
Mocking and harassing Andy NGO - isn't that racist and homophobic?
I guess if you're an approved-by-the-corporate-press progressive fascist - you get to be a racist and a homophobe.
Althouse needs some jillboots.
One of the flags appears to be Antifaschistische Aktion
Facebook page for Madison Antifa shows no upcoming events.
"Pro Gun Antifascist" would be an unusually subtle dig for someone who was dressing up to mock those people.
Our Beloved Professor Althouse assigned a task...
elp me identify the flags in the other pictures.
Those guys also have a furled banner and a pink and blue flag.
I'm guessing that it's something like this: anti-Transphobia Action
Their moms told them they couldn’t spend all day in the basement and needed to go outside for awhile.
Thread Winner!
@Althouse, note for you and Meade. This is what Wikipedia has to say about what constitutes a jackboot:
A jackboot is a military boot such as the cavalry jackboot or the hobnailed jackboot. The hobnailed jackboot has a different design and function than the first type. It is a combat boot that is designed for marching. It rises to mid-calf or higher with no laces ...
The laces mark the boots as ordinary combat boots of the type I wore on fatigue duty a half century ago.
Looks like they need to spend some time in Seattle or Portlandia to learn advanced Antifa thuggery.
Portland Antifa
The Portland antifa are having some internal squabbles. It's unclear whether the winners or losers are in Madison this week. But their reference to guns is only that many of them carry as the linked episode shows. Of course many also carry law enforcement style expandable batons.
The police keep the groups apart. There's a bit of yelling and taunting, but it seems more like hot air than any physical threat.
And that’s what it would have looked like in Charlottesville back in 2017 if the Virginia Governor McAuliffe, the Charlottesville mayor, and the Charlottesville chief of police allowed the police to do their jobs and keep the neo-Nazis (who had a legal permit to march) apart from the violent counter-protesters who did nothing legal on the day. The death of Heather Heyer should be on their consciences, but being Democrats they don’t have consciences.
and then you recall the math research center and karleton Armstrong and doesn't it strike a chord of caution,
This isn't the REAL antifa. Because Violence did NOT "break Out". Y'see usually when Antifa shows up, mysteriously "Violence Breaks Out". But don't BLAME antifa! its just a coincidence. They don't start nothin'. Ir just happens. Mysteriously.
And Sorry to be such a debbie downer, but people should NOT be allowed to wear masks to demonstrations. No Exceptions.
For what it's worth, jackboots don't have laces.
You can't burn an American flag if you don't have one.
They probably stole it from the front porch of someone in Waukesha County.
Antifa is completely against fascism. And if you disagree, they'll stomp your fucking face in. Or hit you with a bike lock.
They're flexible.
You can't burn an American flag if you don't have one.
They probably stole it from the front porch of someone in Waukesha County.
The communist-socialist-[anti]fascist axis.
Me: Hello Senator McConnell
Senator Mitch: Why Hello, what can I do for you?
Me: its about Antifa its a terrorist organization attacking conservatives.
Senator Mitch: So, how much did you give to the RNC? a million?
Me: Well, I do what I can. I'm Joe six-pack.
Senator Mitch: Yeeaaah. Do you know Paul or Sidney or the koch brothers?
Me: Why, no i..
Senator Mitch: Slams door.
I stand (in my UGG slippers) corrected.
I call them black bloc, but it's not a description that furthers their self image, now they were the original occupy?? whatever that meant, but they don't fight fascists, and they resist civil authority,
There’s nothing wrong with those boys that hot girlfriends couldn’t cure.
I don't think they're supporting the second amendment so much as making an implied threat that they might be armed. Maybe it's just cosplay, but, what with the masks,the black clothes, the jackboots, there's the possibility that someone might take them seriously. When you dress up as a frightening creature, you might get a frightened and over the top response. Well, they also like to play martyr, so it's all good.
The people saying “Pro Gun Anti-Fascist” are especially dangerous. They are not just okay with violence to people with whom they disagree politically; these people are saying they’re okay with gun violence against anyone they disagree with politically.
There’s nothing wrong with those boys that hot girlfriends couldn’t cure.
MoldyLocks the Antifa girl: see the link--what a knock-out!!
https://steemit.com/thedonald/@notoriousdjp/moldy-locks-antifa-girl-and-the-battle-at-berkeley-nsfw
There's a little-known protest law which says that the heat of the protest is directly related to the temperature of the air. Imagine reality - I wonder if you can. It's cold in Madison this week. The polar vortex is hovering; snow flakes are appearing and vanishing; cold, wet leaves coat a sidewalk you remember from third grade as hard, hard. Head down, you trudge into the wind with a few others, people you don't really like. Gotta do it. The fascists are out. Head down, you trudge into the wind with a few others, people you don't really like. Gotta do it. Antifa is out. It's so cold the protest disappears. No one will raise their head and look into the wind to spot the enemy. No one will take off a glove to light the enemy flag on fire. And what's the use of punching people bundled up like that, and your punching hand is heavily padded with snow gloves?
Bisexual flag?
Althouse,
Let's agree that you know precious little about what real physical threat is.
Big Mike said...
The people saying “Pro Gun Anti-Fascist” are especially dangerous. They are not just okay with violence to people with whom they disagree politically; these people are saying they’re okay with gun violence against anyone they disagree with politically
They've showed up to a couple of events in Phoenix and waved their guns around. Seems to me they've never entertained the notion that one day someone may shoot back.
Big Mike said...
The laces mark the boots as ordinary combat boots of the type I wore on fatigue duty a half century ago.
The boots in the photo look to me more like Doc Marten's or a knock-off of such.
I love Ugg slippers...
Gahrie said...
Althouse will be asking about what conditioners will be available as they are escorting her to the showers.
11/2/19, 4:02 PM
Ha, ha, ha! Ann, take off your clothes.
It's always easy to identify who's the self-dramatizing douche. They're wearing masks.
In Wisconsin violence is the intellectual property of Unions. Antifa can't break the patent.
I'm north of the border in Vancouver, BC. There's a trans-gender protest outside the hotel.
They want to abolish the KKK......in Vancouver.....Canada.
A trans-gender protest?? Crying about the KKK?
@NorthoftheOneOhOne, where do you think Doc Marten got the idea?
Is it legal to wear a mask AND carry a weapon? That can't be legal, right?
Does the government just look the other way because Antifa is on the left?
You say anything off about the pink and baby blue flag, we got a guy with a pipe a few paces towards the rear of the group. He was so proud of his first plumbing job success, he won't let that thing go.
Well, Tiffany and Co. has a copyright on that blue. Is that a legal issue ?
I thought that was a baby stroller.
You know where you don't see these guys?
In west Michigan.
There's a reason for that.
A trans-gender protest??
I'm assuming they are trans-genders protesting, not someone protesting trans-genderism. Pity.
Antifa rhymes with anteater, kinda.
Antifa is nothing...
They should relocate all those Somalis from Minneapolis to Madison.
Does the government just look the other way because Antifa is on the left?
@Craig, to ask the question is to answer it.
Kinda weird, they look like sthereotypical left wing and sthereotypical right wing people crossover.
Very effective and useful article.
I was finding a professional photoshop service provider but after seeing your post I can remove background easily.
"I call them black bloc"
They're Anti-1A. A black bloc is an organized flash mob, usually of Anti-1A protesters/rioters, assembled in the streets to wreak havoc.
This looks like a saddest black bloc party ever.
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