We have a moral obligation to oppose Fascism and racism. However, we also have a moral obligation to act in a manner that does not aid the racists or fascists more than it harms them.
The cycle of history repeats itself.
Charlottesville was straight from The Charlottesville massacre was right out of the Nazi playbook. In the 1920s, it was the case that the Nazi Party was just one political party in a democratic system and was competing on behalf of seats within Germany’s parliament. In the majority of that period, it was a tiny marginalized segment of the population. Then, in 1933, riding on a wave of popular support, it took power and created an absolute dictatorship. The rest of the story is well-known.
In 1927, when it was still on the fringes of politics and still on the edges of politics, in 1927, The Nazi Party scheduled a rally in the most very hostile place Wedding, which was Wedding, the Berlin area of the Wedding. The Wedding was so out of the mainstream that the site was given the name “Red Wedding,” red being the color of the Communist Party. The Nazis frequently held rallies near where their adversaries lived to provoke them.
The residents from Wedding wanted to resist Fascism in their community. At Day of the demonstration, thousands of Nazis came to the Wedding. Hundreds of their adversaries were also present, arranged by the local Communist Party. The antifascists attempted to disrupt the gathering by yelling at the speakers. Nazi criminals retaliated. The brawl was massive. Nearly 100 people were injured.
I’m sure the guests at the Wedding believed they had won the Day. They had acted with courage to send the message that Fascism was not a welcome thing.
However, historians believe that events such as the one in Wedding contributed to helping the Nazis establish an oppressive regime. The brawl certainly earned them media focus. But what was more significant was the way it fueled an ever-increasing spiral that led to violent street riots. This violence helped fascists tremendously.
Protests against antifascists were violent and gave the Nazis an opportunity to portray themselves as victims of a violent, unruly left. They grabbed the chance.
It was successful. We know that many Germans believed in Fascism because they were scared of violence from leftists on the streets. Germans read their newspapers in the morning and read about clashes similar to those in Wedding. It was clear that the bloody conflict was increasing in the cities of Germany. Opposition politicians and voters alike were convinced that the government was in need of the police to be able to thwart violent leftists. Dictatorship grew attractive. The fact that Nazis themselves were the ones who stoked the violence didn’t have any significance.
One of Hitler’s most important steps toward dictatorial rule was to acquire the emergency powers of police that he claimed were necessary to stop the violence of leftists.
A large number of Nazi storm troops protest in the Communist neighborhood in Berlin in January. 22nd 1933. 35 Nazis, Communists, and police were wounded during the fighting. AP Photo
The left-hand side is the one that takes the heat.
In the public eye, the accusations of violence and disorder on the streets will generally tend to go against the left and not the right.
This was also the case in Germany during the 1920s. This was true even when the opponents of Fascism self-defended or employed gentle tactics, like protesting. It’s the same in the United States today, where even peaceful protests against racism and violence are labeled as riots that are in the process of being created.
Today, right-wing extremists are all over the country, holding rallies like those in 1927’s Wedding. According to a civil rights organization called the Southern Poverty Law Center, they choose locations where they know antifascists will be present, such as university campuses. They are averse to physical conflict. Then, they and their comrades use it to their advantage.
