Noam Chomsky Slams Antifa: ‘Wrong In Principal, Destructive’

Noam Chomsky has launched an attack on Antifa, branding the violent leftist movement “self-destructive and wrong in principal.”

The leftist intellectual, who is described as the father of modern linguistics, said the Antifa movement is “a major gift to the right” and they should take their bats and balls and go home.

Antifa, shorthand for anti-fascist organisations, refers to a loose coalition of militant, decentralised, grassroots groups which are opposed to the far-right.

The Independent reports: The movement, which was founded in Europe in the 1920s, has dominated headlines in the wake of a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month. Neo-Nazis, KKK members and “alt-right” supporters clashed with anti-fascists and a woman was left dead after a car ploughed into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters.

In the wake of the deadly violence, President Donald Trump has prompted anger for drawing a moral parity between white supremacists and anti-fascists, saying counter-protesters were as violent as the far-right and the “alt-right” groups included some “very fine” people.

Chomsky, a leading voice on the left who is famed for his critique of US foreign policy, neoliberalism and the mainstream media, has now joined President Trump in criticizing Antifa.

“As for Antifa, it’s a minuscule fringe of the Left, just as its predecessors were,” the linguist and political philosopher told the Washington Examiner.  “It’s a major gift to the right, including the militant right, who are exuberant.”

“What they do is often wrong in principle – like blocking talks – and [the movement] is generally self-destructive,” the 88-year-old told the conservative paper.

He added: “When confrontation shifts to the arena of violence, it’s the toughest and most brutal who win – and we know who that is. That’s quite apart from the opportunity costs – the loss of the opportunity for education, organising, and serious and constructive activism.”