Louise Rosealma on Berkeley and It’s Implications

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The image of Louise being punched by Nathan Damigo, the neo-Nazi leader of Identity Evropa, has now become the most iconic footage to come out of the clashes between anarchists and white supremacists in Berkeley, CA. Unsurprisingly, the Alt-Right declared victory for the day (as they would have under any context) after police openly helped take away shields and poles from antifascists and effectively enforced a permit that never existed for the fascists. But while police collusion with neo-Nazis and the Alt-Right isn’t surprising, what largely isn’t being talked about in any media is the rising amount of support that is being generated for anarchists and antifascists for having the bravery to confront those on the far-Right for hours upon hours.

In many ways, the outpouring of support for Louise and brewing hatred (even Captain America wants a shot!) against Damigo is a testimonial to this reality. Wanting to set the record straight about what all went down on the 15th, we caught up with Louise to talk about what really happened in the midst of the ongoing media storm. In this interview, Louise discusses their anarchist and antifascist beliefs, about being attacked by Damigo, (who quickly fled as seen in multiple videos), and how they were then literally almost killed by several other Alt-Right supporters, who attempted to slam their head onto rocks and pavement.

In the interview we also talk about the need for people to conceal their identity while engaging in such actions, the barrage of threats of sexual assault and murder they have received from the Alt-Right, and the need for all of us to begin to take training, fighting, and organizing of the utmost seriousness.