PRO hasn't been on site since creating this debate so it doesn't look like there will be an argument to counter. Antifa is defined slightly differently by geographic region, so let's note that CON is assuming we are discussing the most recent incarnation of antifa in the United States.
DEFINITONS
The
ANTIFA movement is composed of left-wing, autonomous, militant anti-fascist groups and individuals in the United States. The principal feature of antifa groups is their use of direct action, with conflicts occurring both online and in real life. Activists involved in the movement tend to be anti-capitalists and subscribe to a range of ideologies, typically on the left. They include anarchists, socialists and communists along with some liberals and social democrats. Their stated focus is on fighting far-right and white supremacist ideologies directly, rather than through electoral means.
There is no universally accepted definition for terrorism. Resort to violence is possibly the only common denominator agreed by all but we can also agree that most acts of violence are not terrorism. For the purposes of this debate, let's note the present incarnation of antifascist resistance in the US has not been shown to be responsible for any deaths or permanent injuries. Yes, there has been some property damage and punches thrown but antifa has not killed anybody. If reasonable people agree that for any political organization to qualify as legitimately "terrorist," that organization must at least be guilty of murder then we have established that antifa groups do not qualify as a terrorist organization.
Let's hand back to PRO to see if we get an affirmative argument.
Antifa does have some terrorists. Though, it's not really an organization.
That makes some sense, but there is a little detail I feel was missed. Your definition says that " Hierarchy and inequality may be viewed as natural results of traditional social differences or the competition in market economies".
It states that the right-wing believes in naturally occurring difference caused because everyone is different. The KKK wanted to enforce differences in an unnatural manner.
Perhaps a debate on this some day. I am not too informed on the matter as of now- just curious.
What makes the kkk "right-wing"? Wikipedia, for one.
"Right-wing politics hold that certain social orders and hierarchies are inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, or tradition. Hierarchy and inequality may be viewed as natural results of traditional social differences or the competition in market economies. The term right-wing can generally refer to "the conservative or reactionary section of a political party or system"."
They supported democrats, who are left-wing.
Democrat/Republican are party labels that don't necessarily correspond to left-wing/right-wing archetypes. The Klan is pretty exclusively all about the politics of human hierarchies which makes the Klan right-wing by definition, whether or not they voted or who for.
Sounds like a debate to me.
What makes the kkk "right-wing"? They supported democrats, who are left-wing.
Fair point. I should correct myself, they are not truly equivalent evils. I think I would rather say that aside from scaled-down severity, they are scarily comparable. Perhaps this is where the equivalency claims derive from... kind of like people claiming that the US gov has concentration camps at the Mexican border, although I personally disagree with such a comparison.
I'm no defender of antifa but I make a big distinction between wrong-headed college kids and right-wing terrorists. No murder vs lots of murder (22 this week) seems like an essential dividing line.
https://www.debateart.com/debates/1075/antifa-is-equivalent-to-the-kkk
I personally have a hard time classifying Antifa as anything other than a KKK-esque organization, although, it seems we won't be getting any response from Pro anytime soon.