Madtown Antifascist Cookdown Against Nazis and Antisemitism

“We Carry with us the fire of the Spanish Revolution, not just as a hope or a memory, but as a necessity, an inevitability, a promise.”

– Long live the Abraham Lincoln Brigades!

On September 19th fascists committed an act of terror against our Jewish community in Madison, WI. They spray painted swastikas along with the words “antifa sucks” and “Trump rules” on one of the only leftist antifascist monuments in the country. The monument was erected to celebrate the Abraham Lincoln Brigades, Americans who fought in Spain during the Civil War and Revolution against the Nazi backed military dictator, Franco and his fascist battalions. The monument is located next to one of the oldest synagogues in the country, the Gates of Heaven Synagogue, built in 1863.

The Madison General Defense Committee (GDC) Local 100 of the Industrial Workers of the World quickly responded by calling an action at the monument. They were joined by the Milwaukee General Defense Committee Local 19 and many other leftist organizations to form a coalition of the Left. 200 people gathered at the site of the monument on Sunday, September 24th. General Defense Committee members stood in formation with IWW and GDC flags as antifascist speakers rallied the crowd. GDC grilled brats and corn for the people, hella Wisconsin style!

Members from Degenderettes, International Socialist Organization, Socialist Alternative, Vets for Peace, Solidarity, The White Rose Forum, General Defense Committee, International Marxist Tendency, Wisconsin Debate and Workers World Party of Wisconsin all gave impassioned speeches. In addition to these groups, other groups that co-hosted and sponsored the rally were Socialist Party of Madison and Dane County, Fond du Lac Underclass, AFSCME Local 255 Childcare Union, Great Lakes Antifa, Madison DSA, Jewish Voice for Peace/Madison Chapter, Muslim Student Association and Our Wisconsin Revolution – Dane County.

The overarching theme was that of urgency and anger. We must not allow any platform for fascists. Violent fascist attacks must be met with force, pacifism is dangerous and will get marginalized people and antifascists killed. One comrade talked about how fascists would kill every last one of us if they got the chance and that folks had better all join organizations that put antifascism front and center moving forward. A Spanish comrade, from International Marxist Tendency Madison, reminded us of the consequences of letting the fascist threat fester unanswered.

To fight fascism, we must gain a deeper understanding of racism and capitalist oppression more broadly. If we aim to be successful in the fight against fascism then we must also call out all forms of capitalist oppression, including the “nice racism” that people of color experience daily, not just this vile display of overt hate. Moderate liberals who decry antifa and advocate for principled pacifism are complacent to the violence that marginalized people must live with daily, like disproportionate incarceration rates, voter disenfranchisement, the school to prison pipeline, economic inequality, police brutality, etc.

The media and the State would lull us into believing that the desecration of the monument is a lone wolf situation, just a bunch of punks. But we know this is an organized, targeted fascist threat, emboldened by Trump and the Alt-Right. The time is now to fight fascism, organize community self defense, build our organizations and forge the kinds of broader working alliances and networks that will enable us to build a movement with real social power! Never forgive, never forget! No Pasaran! We are all antifa!

An injury to one is an injury to all!