Filed under: Action, Anti-fascist, Southwest
“over the past several months campbell has worked to doxx and identify antifascists for targeted harassment, repression, and possible violence.”
For two days both a collection of outlets from the Right, the Center, and even on the Left as well as Democratic Party bureaucrats have moved to attack antifascists and antiracists who in the thousands converged over two days to shut down two far-Right rallies organized and attended by white nationalists in San Francisco and Berkeley. At the center of these attacks is the idea that “peaceful Trump supporters” were randomly beaten by out of control mask wearing anarchists. Some media outlets have even gone farther, stating that the anarchist and antifa contingents were divorced from the event and “crashed it,” while in reality they were central to the organizing, security, and execution of the mobilizations along with a broad range of coalition groups and individuals.
The liberal to troll to Trump pipeline.
In the wake of this media coverage, especially from the Center and liberal press, the Right finds extreme justification for it’s demonetization of anarchists, antifascists, and autonomous social movements. The day of the Berkeley demonstrations, Trump even re-shared an article from The Washington Post, a liberal newspaper that has been a continuous thorn in Trump’s side and a bogeyman of the Right. As always, in targeting and attacking autonomous social movements, the Center and the Right find common cause.
https://twitter.com/KPikklefield/status/901867146317201409
As journalists from Mother Jones and Reveal have pointed out, the physical altercations were small in number and often were the result of far-Right individuals both attacking large crowds with pepper spray and provoking them. One individual stands out in the handful of physical fights however, Keith Campbell, who was surrounded by antifascists and kicked and punched, leading Reveal journalist Al Letson to intervene on his behalf, allowing him to exit the area. Media pundits on the Right and on social media have attempted to paint Campbell as innocently someone out to pick up groceries and who was in turn randomly attacked by a mob. In reality however, Campbell for weeks leading up to the event encouraged confrontation and violence with counter-protesters and claimed that like on April 15th, antifascists were going to be attacked by members of the Alt-Right and far-Right individuals.
This didn’t age well.
What Went Down
On August 27th in Berkeley, Keith Campbell AKA KPikklefield, a member of the far-Right militia the Oathkeepers and involved in Alt-Right circles, was spotted and sent packing from the failed “No Marxism in America” rally which was overwhelmingly defeated and shutdown by a massive showing from antifascists and antiracists. Campbell has since gone on social media to claim that he was attacked as a random bystander in the street while merely carrying groceries, which is a ridiculous lie considering he lives in El Cerrito and had publicly expressed his intention to participate in the rally on social media. He has a lengthy documented history of affiliation and participation with fascist politics, and over the past several months has worked to doxx and identify antifascists for targeted harassment, repression, and possible violence.
https://twitter.com/josh_emerson/status/902554820632076288
life comes at you fast pic.twitter.com/eR2MHLuZp7
— Always Antifascist (@RoseCityAntifa) August 28, 2017
Campbell was initially spotted by antifa walking around while trying to blend in with the crowd and recording people’s faces as a part of his ongoing doxxing of antifascists on social media. As you can see on Campbell Twitter account, he was actively livestreaming from the event with Juan Cadavid, a Proud Boy from Southern California who works openly with neo-Nazi crews. Only a day before, Cadavid posted photos of himself while holding a tiki torch, a reference to the violent neo-Nazi march that happened the night before the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Alt-Right livestreaming outlet The Red Elephants also had posted flyers promoting a similar tiki torch march in Sacramento that never materialized.
#PatriotPrayer rally attendee Juan Cavdavid poses with tiki torches in reference to Nazi march in #Charlottesville. #berkeleyprotests pic.twitter.com/h9bFOb0LyZ
— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) August 27, 2017
Campbell was seen wearing an American flag t-shirt, red backpack, and sporting a soul patch, a style of facial hair seemingly irresistible to conservative middle aged white men looking to add a touch of edge to their look. He carried with him a camcorder placed on a monopod, and would immediately rush to the scene of any activity to record people.
The "peaceful victim" from Berkeley you've been seeing shared by the alt-right literally was looking for a fight. More alt-right lies pic.twitter.com/1x8yjHdILj
— New York City Antifa (@NYCAntifa) August 28, 2017
Antifascists followed and monitored Campbell’s activities and engaged him during the chaotic scene created by Joey Gibson and Tusitala “Tiny” Toese’s provocation of counter-protesters as he tried to get close to the action to record antifascists. As soon as he was called out as a fascist by members of the crowd, Campbell began to run away, but was ultimately knocked to the ground and suffered a severe ass whooping at the hands of the crowd. Footage of this has been widely circulated on social media, and has been used to construct a flimsy narrative around Campbell being an innocent bystander that has fallen victim to the indiscriminate attacks of antifa. This narrative doesn’t stand up to the facts and the fact that Campbell already has a lengthy history of attacks against antifascists by attempting to bring down violence and repression on them through exposing people’s identities. On the part of antifascists, intervening to prevent him from trying to record and compromise the identities of antifascists was a defensive act.
…seems like he enjoys chatting about knives with open fascists too. pic.twitter.com/NAXxEJa8UT
— Atlanta Antifascists (@afainatl) August 28, 2017
A History of Trolling and Confrontation
Keith Campbell has been known to Bay Area antifascists as far back as February 1, 2017 when he slithered through crowds of protesters against Milo Yiannopoulos to troll and record their faces and activities. Since then, Campbell has consistently livestreamed from left wing rallies and marches around the Bay Area, even making the trip to Portland for Joey Gibson’s June 4th rally to document what he expected to be a massive clash between the alt-right and antifascist counter protesters. Campbell’s attendance at white supremacist “free speech” rallies in recent months has provided cover, support, and propaganda for the more extreme fascist and neo-Nazi elements within the crowds. At times, he has worn clothing with anarchist insignia with the intention of blending into a group undetected.
About that "man walking to grocery store" in Berkeley CA yesterday… pic.twitter.com/clD92l1mjf
— Atlanta Antifascists (@afainatl) August 28, 2017
Aside from his streaming, which is always intended to identify and bring violence and repression to those on the Left, Campbell himself has attempted to engage in more personal and direct violence. In May, Campbell recorded a Periscope video from outside a courthouse in Oakland with several other alt-right cohorts that had gathered to harass Eric Clanton, who was arrested by Berkeley PD in collaboration with the Alt-Right 4chan and their bogus doxxing research, further illustrating how dangerous and destructive people like Campbell can be. The video shows Campbell revealing to his friends that he obtained Yvette Felarca’s home address, and threatened to show up to “provoke her” to “do something crazy” that he could catch on video. Considering that since then this stalker has showed up to BAMN meetings as well as Felearca’s court appearances, discussed knives with fascists on social media, and called for violence against the Left, this man’s threats should be taken seriously.
https://twitter.com/KPikklefield/status/900880460569616386
Member of the Alt-Right
A quick look at Campbell’s Twitter account shows clearly his politics, as he follows a wide range of Proud Boy, Alt-Right, and far-Right militia groups. This includes both Richard Spencer and Augustus Invictus who were organizers of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA. Augustus was also scheduled to speak both in Boston and in Berkeley on the 27th, and has a working relationship with Kyle “Based Stickman” Chapman, one of the organizers of the failed rally on the 27th.
The people that also took part in the May 24th Oakland rally during an arraignment of an antifascist also shows the company Campbell keeps. At the rally, Campbell’s cohorts flew 4chan “Kek” flags which are based off the 3rd Reich flag and the rally was attended by Cole White who would go on to be fired from a Hot Dog stand after attending the Unite the Right neo-Nazi rally.
Alt-Right and neo-Nazi accounts followed by Campbell.
Campbell Came Looking to Provoke Violence, People Protected Themselves
On August 27th, antifascists defended themselves and their community. Let the experience of Keith Campbell serve as a lesson for would-be livestreamers, doxxers, and media snitches: attempts at compromising the identities and security of those standing up to the rising tide of violent street level white supremacists and neo-Nazis will not be tolerated.