Official Dutch Alarm Over the “Anti-Fascists”

Geert Wilders is just like Hitler. In Belgium, the members of Vlaams Belang are neo-Nazis. Those who oppose the Islamization of Europe and resist Eurabia are fascists.

That’s what the Left and most of the mainstream media would like the European public to believe. But the Dutch intelligence service has noticed who the real fascists are: the “anti-fascists”, also known as AFA or Antifa.


The fact that the AIVD has recognized the dangers of AFA is significant, since up until now the governments of the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and other European countries have turned a blind eye to the thuggish methods and violent history of the Antifas. The anti-fascists are useful to the European establishment when it comes to suppressing conservative dissent and keeping the Islam-critics in check. The Swedish branch of Antifa even acts as a quasi-governmental entity, beating up members of Sverigedemokraterna and disrupting the party’s events.

However, the AIVD has now issued an official warning about AFA in the Netherlands. Here’s the report from Reformatorisch Dagblad, as translated and annotated by our Flemish correspondent VH:

Dutch Intelligence Service warns against anti-fascists


In a letter [pdf] sent to all mayors in the Netherlands on Monday [February 8], The AIVD (Dutch Intelligence Service) warned about a controversial method used by Anti-Fascist Action (Antifa or AFA) to prevent right-wing party meetings and demonstrations. According to the AIVD, they do this by approaching the local council improperly or under false pretenses.

In a note [pdf] to the letter, as GeenStijl reports, the AIVD warns that the Anti-Fascists [AFA] are not an anti-discrimination or research organization, but rather an action group that in achieving its objectives sometimes inappropriately approaches local administrators. Furthermore, violence against what in their view is the extreme right and/or stewards is not shunned.

AFA regularly seeks contact with the local council to prevent groups that are “right-wing” in their eyes from being given the opportunity to hold meetings or demonstrations. When AFA gets wind of right-wing activities, municipalities or owners of congress rooms are approached and warned of the damage to which such meetings could lead. But, according to the AIVD, the damage usually is caused precisely by the counter-demonstrations held by AFA itself.

AFA will also apply this approach in the run-up to the elections. Thus the action group will not refrain from the use of violence against right-wing opponents and the police, according to the intelligence service [see photos showing a police patrol van and mobile brigade van damaged by AFA].

The AIVD also informs the mayors that in an early stage AFA tries to get hold of the lists of candidates and personal data on participants in the next local elections. “They do this through contact persons within a party. These data are sometimes used for private research by AFA into alleged right-wing extremists. It was learned that by this method individuals had been wrongly identified as right-wing extremists and as such were harmed”.

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In 2009 AFA established a working group to map the plans of the PVV for municipal elections. The intelligence service has evidence that AFA in the run-up to the elections will prepare actions against the PVV, but also against parties such as Trots op Nederland [‘Proud of the Netherlands’, party of former VVD minister Rita Verdonk], Partij Vrij Utrecht [‘Party Free Utrecht’] and the very “right-wing” NVU [‘Dutch People’s Union’].

Demonstrations or other peaceful protests are in themselves allowed. “But AFA has a hard core that does not shrink from using violence. Therefore the possibility cannot be ruled out that one or more of the meetings of these parties will degenerate into disturbances of public order,” the AIVD states. “The intensity of the actions will probably increase as the elections come nearer.”

AFA says in a response that they are perfectly legal and work in a nonviolent manner and find it outrageous that the AIVD is trying to criminalize the organization. According to the organization, the AIVD deliberately tries to discredit the left-wing, anti-racist movement.

AFA, a “cooperative body of locally operating action groups” [founded in 1992], further states that it fights “in a non-violent (however tenable) way, fights racist and fascist organizations and ideas as much as possible”. “We do not see how our efforts could form any threat to society could,” states AFA’s website.

VH adds:

In addition, AFA in an open letter states that the letter from the AIVD to the mayors is: “a violation of our right of free speech and freedom of association.”


They continue: “Roughly speaking, AFA applies [‘in combating racism and the extreme right in all its various forms’] three different methods: on the one hand, the action group aims to conduct research on extreme right-wing organizations, their practices and ideology.

“This expertise in the field of the extreme right is also used to inform local authorities, private individuals and entrepreneurs who (usually without their own intention and knowledge) are involved in any way in the facilitation of right-wing (party) meetings and demonstrations. Finally, AFA also operates on a practical level, through the organization of (counter) demonstrations and campaigns to inform the public about extreme right-wing organizations and how to mobilize against them.” […] “As is known, several extreme right-wing parties and individuals have signed up for the municipal elections […]. The far-right PVV joins the elections in two cities (The Hague and Almere). AFA will, as always, where possible, inform local authorities and citizens in an early stage of future developments through educational campaigns and demonstrations.”

A summary from AIVD note [pdf]:

Although the anti-fascist movement started as a purely violent group of protesters, some of whom posed a certain threat (such as widespread disruption of public order), during the last two decades it has grown into more of a political lobbying group. The use of violence, primarily against its right-wing opponents but also certainly against the police, remained lawful justified, according to AFA.

[…]

Since 2000, AFA has increasingly sought to prevent any right-wing activity in whatever town or city it targets. In this it does not distinguish between right-wing extremist groups — which also are not shy about the use of force — and (extreme) right-wing parties that limit themselves to the use of political means.^[1]

[…]

AFA uses different methods to achieve its goal. In its contacts with municipal officials and (local) politicians it often poses as one of the many anti-discrimination organizations. In that capacity members offer their ‘expertise’. Especially when (extreme) right-wing parties and groups announce a demonstration, AFA swings into action and approaches the local government and the meeting room owners in the (nearby) communities. The AIVD has ascertained that AFA in its activities is using improper means.

[…]

Spokespersons for AFA do not meet their counterparts under their own names. AFA aims at meeting-venue owners to pressure them, pointing to expected damage, not to sign a contract with (extreme) right-wing groups. They also try to improperly influence local policies, also under aliases. Thus, municipalities are being written to warn them of serious material damage due to the (extreme) right, when the municipality allows a demonstration of the (extreme) right to take place. In some cases this has led to the cancellation of a demonstration, which decision was then successfully challenged in court […]. When manifestations do proceed, the material damage usually is caused by anti-fascists and their supporters themselves, and not by right-wing demonstrators.

[…]

The AIVD has on several occasions determined that local governments have been approached by AFA to provide useful information about activities of right-wing groups and right-wing parties. This was accompanied with the warning of possible serious disturbances of public order by right-wing groups. In one case AFA approached and intimidated a person, who then provided data on several individuals — including personal data — to AFA. This, including confidential information, was then disseminated widely by AFA. In the past this has led to physical violence against persons who, according to AFA, are extreme right-wing. Besides this, AFA, in relation to the municipal elections, also seeks at a very early stage to obtain personal data on candidates and electoral lists. They do this through contact persons within parties. These data are sometimes used by AFA in its own research on some alleged right-wing extremists. It has happened that individuals have been wrongly listed as right-wing extremists and as such were harmed.

[…]

Actions of AFA may also take a more violent form. This is, for instance, the case with demonstrations against what they view as right-wing opponents […] or the riot police [Mobile Brigade] acting on the scene. AFA usually operates according to a set pattern. Until 2009 AFA reported their own counter-demonstration in the same municipality, with the aim of disrupting the right-wing demonstration. Since 2009, these actions have been organized by an AFA working group called “Laat Ze Niet Lopen” (LZNL: “Don’t let them go”). These demonstrations are usually allowed [by the municipality]. AFA calls every [local] leftist demonstrator to break through the police cordon, so as to attempt a (violent) confrontation with the right-wing demonstrators. In most cases this has failed, after which it has often come to a harsh confrontation between anti-fascists and the police units.

[…]

During 2009 AFA further developed its practice with respect to demonstrations. AFA no longer reports [for a permit] counter-demonstrations. Moreover, during the actions AFA activists have a more directional role than a participating one. Due to infiltration, members of AFA group LZNL are at an early stage often aware of date and place of demonstrations. The LZNL then looks for local support groups and approaches them to mobilize and demonstrate against the right-wing. This for instance may include the local mosque, Moroccan associations, or football hooligans with left-wing sympathies. The street-practice has also changed: participants will now appear in small groups and neatly dressed. These groups seek through hit-and-run actions to get close to the opponents or block the route in order to hinder their demonstration. This new approach has been tried last year in the cities of Den Bosch, Maastricht, and Venlo.

Local elections 2010

In 2009 a working group within AFA was founded, which has the goal to map the plans of the PVV with regard to the municipal elections. Meanwhile, various manifestations of anti-fascists and their allies have taken place. The first of these was a “noise” demonstration in Waddinxveen (near Gouda, in February 2009) where the PVV leader Geert Wilders made his appearance [during an informational evening for the local community about the policies of the PVV]. Beginning in November 2009 a torchlight parade in Arnhem attracted about two hundred participants. Besides (mostly young) anti-fascists, older concerned citizens and immigrants participated. The event was called a great success by the organizers (AFA) and led to seeking cooperation with local groups and individuals in relation to the municipal elections. The AIVD has evidence that in the run-up to the elections AFA is preparing more such actions whereby they aim at the PVV [but also other right-wing parties].

All of this is in itself lawful. AFA, however, has a hard core that does not shrink from using violence. Therefore the possibility cannot be ruled out that one or more of the meetings of these parties will degenerate into disturbances of public order. The intensity of the actions will possibly increase with the approach of the elections. An unpredictable factor is the participation of many local activists in AFA manifestations. In the past this has led to an escalation.

Conclusion

AFA is not an anti-discrimination organization or research bureau, according to the AIVD, but rather an action group that in achieving its objectives sometimes approaches local administrators in an inappropriate way. Furthermore, violence against the extreme right and/or stewards is not shunned. The AIVD will, as always, where possible, inform the local authorities in an early stage through the RID [Regionale Inlichtingendienst; ‘Regional Intelligence Service’] of future developments.” [emphasis added]

[1]

Note the peculiar sentence: political parties, left-wing, right-wing, and “middle” are “limiting themselves” if they do not make use of violence?

The summary of Europol’s report on left-wing terrorism:

From the Europol 2009 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, TE-SAT:

According to the recent Trend Report on terrorism by Europol, left-wing terrorism comes second to Islamist terrorism, and right-wing terrorism was non-existent:

Islamist terrorism

—Islamist terrorism is still perceived as being the biggest threat worldwide, despite the fact that the EU only faced one Islamist terrorist attack in 2008. The number of persons associated with ‘home-grown’ Islamist terrorist groups is rising in the EU. EU—based suspects continue providing logistical support to Islamist terrorist groups and networks based outside the EU.[p.9]

As in 2006 and 2007, the majority of the arrested suspects came from North African countries, most notably Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, although the share of Moroccan and Tunisian citizens in the numbers of arrests halved as compared to 2007.[p.20] The number of persons associated with ‘home-grown’ Islamist terrorist groups is rising in the EU. Islamist terrorists continue to legitimise their actions with references to western policies towards Muslims, including the military presence in conflict zones. EU—based suspects will continue providing logistical support to Islamist terrorist groups and networks based outside the EU.[p.40]

Left-wing terrorism

—The total number of left-wing terrorist attacks in the EU has risen in 2008. Left-wing and anarchist groups were responsible for 28 attacks; 58 individuals were arrested during 2008. Separatist terrorism remains the terrorism area which affects the EU most. […] Past contacts between [left-wing terrorists] ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna) and the FARC [left-wing terrorists] illustrate the fact that also separatist terrorist organisations seek cooperation partners outside the EU on the basis of common interests. [The ETA has contacts with AFA] Animal rights extremists [in majority left-wing terrorists] dominated the illegal activities of single issue extremism.[p.9]

Activities by left-wing and anarchist terrorists and extremists are increasing in quantity and geographical spread in the EU.[p.40]

Left-wing terrorist groups, such as the Devrimci Halk Kurtulus¸ Partisi / Cephesi (DHKP-C) or Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front, seek to change the entire political, social and economic system of a state according to an extremist leftist model. Their ideology is often Marxist-Leninist. […] The agenda of anarchist terrorist groups is usually revolutionary, anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian. Not all member states distinguish between activities of left-wing and anarchist terrorist groups in their contributions. [p. 11]

The majority of left-wing and anarchist terrorist attacks targeted business and governmental targets. Most attacks were carried out by IEDs. Arson accounted for one third of the reported incidents. Left-wing and anarchist groups have established links across Europe. Most of their actions reflect a common agenda.[p.20]

Right-wing extremism

—Right-wing terrorist attacks were not reported in 2008. The majority of member states consider these activities as right-wing extremism. Several arrested right-wing extremists were acting individually and were not linked to an organisation. [p.9] The “extreme rightwing” movement in the UK tends to make its presence felt less by their own public manifestations than by counter-protests: most right-wing street events attracted counter-demonstrations from anti-fascist groups. Numbers of ANTIFA protesters have increased in 2008.[p.37]