1874CheeseBeerFootball
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From sky news, the people "protesting" have been attacking people of colour and their places of worship.
Not "protesters"
The anti-fascists were attending the nearby punk festival, Rebellion
TofuGolem
I am getting so sick and tired of the pro-fascist bias of the mainstream media.
TinyLiehon
Look if they fought fascists they'd be called fascist fighters. Occam's razor, people! Clark Kent can't be Superman cause without glasses Kent can't see! /s
Nivvi
At least call it for what it is, its not a protest its a riot and terrorism
TheJuiceLoosener
Same way that soldiers in the Confederacy weren't rebels until they actually killed a Union soldier. "mArChInG iSn'T uNcOnStItUtIoNaL..."
khora
You aren't obliged to use the descriptions people make for themselves though. Just because someone call themselves "anti-fascist" or "patriot" or "pro-life" doesn't mean they are.
DatDarthCaedus
Sure, but if you use "anti-fascist" to describe one side, you either use "fascist" to describe the other side... or you don't use "anti-fascist" at all, and go with something like protesters vs counter-protesters (BBC used "Groups of protesters" for eaxmple).
The text OP posted is clearly worded to give the reader a specific mental image of what was going on, to make it sound like "woah people calling themselves anti-fascists are just attacking random protesters?!" type shit.
khora
Maybe one side is describing themselves as "anti-fascist" but the other side isn't calling themselves "fascist". The description doesn't capture any such nuance though.
aloharamada
Putting both descriptors in quotation marks... truly a big brain journalism moment, smfh
1eudaemonia
all my homies hate fascists
JustAnotherVictimOfAmbientMorality
Add more confusion: "Protesters fight counter-protesters on the subject of fascism!"
Littleug
I'd love to be able to sit down and have a long chat with one of the rioters away from the mob. I can't really fathom where you have to be in life, or what your perception of the world must be, in order for racist rioting and smashing up a CAB to make sense. It seems like a widespread problem that's getting worse rather than better - but my understanding of it really doesn't go further than "buncha psychopaths" at the moment.
BloodyStupidJohnson
They'd have to bee simple words, for them yo understand you.
Littleug
I can speak the language of Gregg's.
neuronicle
It's the "Farage Riots in 2024" ... lets get this clear.
Seanspeed
This propaganda is all over the place right now. Even the top post of r/MapPorn is top to bottom filled with comments defending the 'protestors' and people acting like Muslims are really the ones going around beating people up for racist reasons. smh
dancingbarefootonlego
Let’s just say it’s OK to punch “the protesters” in the face
Hexrowe
Well, it's okay to punch THESE "protesters". Other protesters will vary.
ChloeRed
Not as much fun as watching that one get beaned in the head, then a projectile to the groin though.
Hexrowe
Ah, friendly fire. It'd be tragic if it wasn't so comedic.
Redyls
yall i dont know what failed some of these fucks in school or if something broke there after but some of these dumb fucks just dont seem to get or understand that words have meanings and fucking definitions to go with them. they use them but just some cognitive disconnect that makes them make think its ok to make shit up as new meanings for words. why even use fucking words at all if we are just gonna pretend they mean something else? theyre sword fighting while holding the pointy end. crazy af
lelevup
Of course, it's "anti-anti-fascist". Ask some government ministers here in Italy.
IconicM
#2 People with faces I'd guess?
Clockworkdancerobot
Nazi punks fuck off!
FlipTheBirdBeforeTheBirdFlipsYou
Dead Kennedys 🤘
Noodlesocks
The punks on the left were the anti fascists.
phuzz00
It is surprisingly hard to tell which side people are on, unless they're carrying a sign or a flag. You can usually trust a punk though.
Clockworkdancerobot
Battle vests.
seckoo
While I agree with the sentiment, please don’t lump Nazis and punks together. They are opposing groups. Punks have always stood up against Nazis
pushedaround51
Nazi punks used to show up to the Dead Kennedys shows and start shit. They wrote the song Nazi Punks Fuck Off in 1981
queefteef
As an old can confirm. Hateful shits in bomber jackets and boots.
Teledabby
Printers?
bril350
There would be no logical judge who would not throw out a lawsuit for calling a nazi a nazi. Judge: “Sir you are claiming defamation for being called a piece of shit…tell me why then do you have a banner, bumper sticker, and forehead tattoo that say im a piece of shit”?
tesseract4d2
In this instance, I agree. But also, just calling yourself something doesn't make it true. Imagine if pro-lifers used this argument. "pro-life supporters fighting 'people protesting'" "you mean murderers!?"
I fully believe in destroying fascists, but I also know leftists are a hugely fractured block. We're idealistic. Anyone less-left, or representing a different leftist issue at the expense of someone else's big issue gets called a nazi
sumthinsumthinsumthin
Hmmm. Who or what could they be?!
DarthVaderDidNothingWrong
Some sort of...anti-antifascists?
AutomaticCordonBleu
Antidisestablishmentarianists?
captainfakeypants
UK needs more police who are tasked with enforcing the laws. The laws are going unenforced at every level from simple, harmless shit like driving inconsiderately all the way up to violent terrorism - and the visible absence of any serious repercussions is causing an escalation.
BloodyStupidJohnson
They were punks gathering for the annual Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. And they ran those nazi shithouse rats, right out of town.
FiftyShadesOfMascarpone
Seeing that the news media is afraid of lawsuits, at least this proves that being an anti-fascist is not a bad thing. It's not an insult or an accusation, much unlike "fascist".
thinkybrainpains
I am proud to say I am VERY anti-anti-anti-fascist
DidntChooseTheUwULife
The downside is treating fascists with soft hands leads to normalizing them. This is one of the caveats of journalism as a business: they have to comply and corroborate with the status quo to maintain their presence, and so they struggle to aid progressive movements while helping to tolerate oppressive ones.
BluePaladin42
The fact that calling skinheads "fascist" could lead to a lawsuit is a big part of the problem. Calling them fascists isn't an opinion, anymore than calling the counter protesters anti-fascist is. It's fact, and their unwillingness to use the correct terminology means either the law unduly protects fascists or the media does, or both.
FiftyShadesOfMascarpone
I completely agree. This is already a small bit of progress though. By pointing out that the counter-protesters are anti-fascists, they make it rather obvious who is on the other side. There was a time when much of the press would have used a term like far-left or even anarchist because some were wearing anarchy buttons.
1874CheeseBeerFootball
A good point which I hadn't considered. Thanks.
casualgenderquestion2718
Even in the UK i’m sure this falls under right to press, no? I.e. you would have to prove damages, and as far as “How badly can you be damaged, as a guy burning down hotels and beating the shit out of immigrants, by being called a fascist” I feel like even the Limeys would be hard pressed to say like… “Well this is just slanderous”
Scahrossar
I'd buy this if they didn't do this with EVERYTHING (semi) right wing. See also "Police involved shootings" and the passive voice they love when talking about the genocide in Gaza.
PutinGivingYouANeckMassage
How do the two guys in fig 1 tell each other apart?
phuzz00
I was at a protest on the weekend (on the anti racist side, obvs), and honestly it was really hard to tell what side anyone was on if they were white. Especially as at least half the people there had no idea what was going on and had just come down to the park to sit in the sun.
Hexrowe
By their actions and stated motives.
AltruisticDefenestrator
One punches nazis!
samuelwestphalia
First, you acquaint yourself with your fellow comrades. Take stock of your crew. Then there's the movement of the action: which groups of people are moving in which directions. "Sides" often develop in situations like this, and you can take all that motion in as a bigger picture. Also, there's likely nuances in their dress and behavior which offer clues not available, here, just through a single pic.
DocBeeblebrox
I get where you're coming from and feel the frustration too, but with respect- the media is not as culpable. The Beeb's calling a spade a spade and refers to them them "far right riot[er]s". Even this nameless example (Telegraph?) is not as bad as Tommy Two-Names- he actively makes up lies to rile people up, which is *far* worse than '''benefit of the doubt''' sugar coating rioters as protesters
DocBeeblebrox
and to be clear, this is not meant to be read as "media = great!"; it's "media calling far right rioters 'protesters' = bad, actively fomenting violence with lies, omissions and dog-whistles = terrible"
Artebudz
Post says it was Sky News. The site has been referred to the groups as rioters and protesters. Currently has a live feed naming rioters as they are getting their sentences in court.
From what ive seen, they tend to refer to a situation as a protest until widespread violence breaks out then they call it a riot
DocBeeblebrox
Ah good eye, I missed that. Something Murdoch-adjacent giving the benefit of the doubt to right wing people is not surprising- there was violence from very early on, so I am surprised that any are being referred to as protesters, but I guess if there's an ambiguous situation, UK libel laws are such that they might say "better not call 'em rioters unless we have them on-camera rioting"
SubnetTwelve
So you have the protesters and the anti protesters ?
CarpeDeezNutz
#2 Anti Facist
CarpeDeezNutz
Don't post a political meme if it makes your side look dumb.
CarpeDeezNutz
LOL keep them downvotes comin', dummies.
badgesweedontneednostinkingbadges
TIL that you can be sued in the UK for calling someone a fascist. Does that apply to the term nazi, too? So what do the Brits call extremist right-wing, conspiracy-loving, white supremacist, christo-nationalists with a persecution complex? I mean, you've got to have something shorter or you're gonna lose their attention before you get to the end.
demoncatmara
I call them Christofascists and also Nazis (I'm in the UK, we have some of that type here too, I'm related to one and she really likes Trump)
phuzz00
Cunts. Or if I'm in polite company, "twats".
BloodyStupidJohnson
dickheads
maikothecat
Tories
demoncatmara
I agree re: Tories, but we have evangelical Christianity here now. It's worrying.
sakasiru
MAGAs?
badgesweedontneednostinkingbadges
Since first "A" doesn't work well in England, we could go with MEGAs, but they would probably consider that a complement, akin to "alpha male".
sakasiru
You could go with "MUGAs" for UK?
badgesweedontneednostinkingbadges
Sounds like muggers, I like it.