Cambridge, MA: Anti-fascists take the Streets Against Steve Bannon

Submitted to It’s Going Down

Boston, MA – November 30th: In the weeks leading up to and immediately after the election here in the U.S. there seemed to have been a surge of interest in Anti-fascist Action and antifa organizing with many new comrades reaching out wanting to get involved with established antifa groups or starting their own. It seemed Boston had not had an active antifa for a while, so comrades living North of Boston got together and started North Shore Antifa, with the current wave of anti-Trump protests providing the much needed opportunity for getting organized.

On Wednesday night despite torrential downpours, around 400 people rallied in opposition to the invitation of  Steve Bannon, “alt-right” white-nationalist scum and “chief strategist” for Donald Trump, as well as other advisors to the president-elect to speak at a conference hosted by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The night before the planned demo, The Harvard Crimson reported that Bannon will no longer be in attendance due to a schedule change. However, the large response ahead of the protest very likely attributed to his schedule change.

Speakers from many different organizations and solidarity groups took turns leading the bullhorn on the steps of the Kennedy School, where inside conference attendees were checking in and setting up. Our antifa crew painted a banner before the demo and were dressed in all black. Following the speakers the rally then turned into a march throughout Harvard Square and down Memorial Drive.

North Shore Antifa was welcomed by Jews and Muslims United to join the front of the march with our banner and black flags. While marching through the streets of Cambridge chanting “No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!” and “Say it loud! Say it clear! Refugees are welcome here!” and “Good night alt-right!” there was a strong sense of camaraderie and solidarity among everyone. It seemed as though there were a lot of folks that may have never seen a black bloc at a march before, feeling a sense of apprehension and intrigue from some people. We happily engaged those who were curious as to what we were all about and why we were wearing masks, managing to break a little of the stigma of masking up at protests and empowering others to do the same.

Aside from being a great opportunity to be in the streets in bloc and making connections with new people, it was a pretty uneventful march action-wise. Most importantly it was a chance for new people to be exposed to antifa and hopefully get them curious enough to get involved, and the rally and march was successful in building bigger coalitions that are going to be necessary in the tough times ahead.

The momentum is building and the heat is getting turned up for this local Antifa crew and we are excited and determined to continue with this project and do the work necessary to prepare ourselves to do whatever is necessary in this fight ahead of us. We must fight tooth-and-nail against the future which Trump and his cabinet of horrors are working to usher in: increased deportations, the registration of Muslims, bans on abortion and birth control, attacks on LGBTQ people, anti-Semitic populism, and the newfound electoral coalition of U.S. White Nationalism. Before Trump expands Obama’s deportation and security policies, we must build self-organized counter-power with a newfound commitment to our comrades, neighbors, and coworkers. It’s easy to start a local antifa, there are many of us out there, just find each other.

Support your local Antifa!

– North Shore Antifa

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