Antifa

Antifa

See also: antifa and antifã

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Antifa, originally an abbreviation for Antifaschistische Aktion, a wing of the Communist Party of Germany founded in 1932.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ænˈtiːfə/, /ˈæntifɑː/

Proper noun

Antifa

1. (uncountable, politics) A decentralized, radical political movement that opposes fascism.
   • 1985, Andreas Dorpalen, German History in Marxist Perspective: The East German Approach, Wayne State University Press, page 385:

     Similarly, Antifa organized local defense units that fought off Nazi assaults and factory and land-estate committees that blocked further wage cuts and other infringements.

   • 1996, Rebecca L. Boehling, A Question of Priorities: Democratic Reforms and Economic Recovery in Postwar Germany : Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart Under U.S. Occupation, 1945-1949, Berghahn Books, page 102:

     The active Communist participation in the leadership of the Antifa committees made them vulnerable to "red scare" propaganda, especially from the much more conservative city government.

   • 2019 July 3, Stanislav Vysotsky, “Antifa in America: Militant Anti-fascism Isn't Terrorism, It's Self-defense”, in Haaretz‎:

     After an anti-fascist punched a right-wing journalist in Portland, militant anti-fascists and Antifa have been branded as 'violent gangs,' even 'terrorists.' Those definitions are completely wrong.

2. (countable, politics) A local instance of this movement.
   • 1949, Political Science Quarterly, volume 64, Academy of Political Science:

     The stakes were high and the issues far-reaching; it is hardly astonishing that in cities like Bremen and Leipzig Antifas jumped the gun, exercised administrative powers without waiting for military government and continued them.

   • 1981, James D. Wilkinson, The Intellectual Resistance in Europe, Harvard University Press, page 136:

     Both the pattern and participation and the internal structure of the Antifas recalled the French underground.

   • 2017, Loren Balhorn, “The Lost History of Antifa”, in Jacobin Magazine‎:

     After the war, Antifas varied in size and composition across the former Reich, now divided into four zones of occupation, and developed in interaction with the local occupying power.

3. (slang, informal, countable, politics) A member of an anti-fascist group.
4. (slang, informal, politics) Black bloc groups that fight fascist or far-right groups in public, usually anarchist, socialist, or communist groups.

Derived terms

• anti-Antifa

Translations

anti-fascist movement

Catalan: antifa ? Chinese: Mandarin: 安提法 (Āntífǎ) Dutch: Antifa f Esperanto: kontraŭfaŝistaro, kontraŭfaŝisma movado German: Antifa (de) f Hebrew: אנטיפה‎ f (antifa), פעולה אנטי-פשיסטית‎ f Polish: Antifa (pl) f Russian: Антифа́ f (Antifá) Spanish: antifa (es) ? Yiddish: אַנטיפֿאַ‎ f (antifa)

See also

• anti-Nazi

Further reading

• Post-World War II anti-fascism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Antifa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Anti-Fascist Action on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• afaint

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Dutch

Alternative forms

• AFA
• antifa

Etymology

Short for Anti-Fascistische Actie.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑntiˌfaː/

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Antifa f

1. Antifa (decentralized militant left-wing anti-fascist movement)

Noun

Antifa m or f (plural Antifa's)

1. An Antifa member.

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German

Etymology

Short for Antifaschismus and/or Antifaschistische Aktion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈantiˌfaː/

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Antifa f (proper noun, genitive Antifa, plural Antifas)

1. (historical) Abbreviation of Antifaschistische Aktion (organisation that was part of the Communist Party of Germany from 1932 to 1933)
   • 1935, “Das Jahr der großen Aufmärsche 1931”, in Die Geschichte der Kurhessischen SA, page 85:

     Als wenn Sie in einer eigenen Versammlung wäre, hatte sich die „Antifa“ in einem großen Klumpen niedergelassen. […] Kurz schwankt die Entscheidung, dann sind wir Sieger, die Antifa ist hinausgehauen.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

2. Antifa (political current that is composed of multiple far-left, autonomous, militant groups and individuals)
   • 2017 December 30, Lukas Hermsmeier, “Schwarze Kapuzen gegen weiße Kapuzen”, in Die Zeit:

     Auch an den Protesten gegen das WTO-Ministertreffen in Seattle im Jahr 1999 und an Occupy Wall Street, um nur zwei Beispiele zu nennen, beteiligten sich selbst ernannte Antifaschisten. Doch die Antifa blieb ein Nischenthema. Bis Trump kam.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 2017 June 28, Anant Agarwala; Stefan Schirmer, “Kommt eine neue Studentenrevolte?”, in Die Zeit Campus‎:

     Das Schanzenviertel, an jedem 1. Mai Kampfplatz von Antifa und Polizei, ist zuplakatiert mit Aufrufen, den Gipfel zu verhindern.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 2017 March 23, Alard von Kittlitz, “Meint er das ernst?”, in Die Zeit‎:

     Vier Jahre lang macht Somuncu die Tour. Manchmal unter Polizeischutz. Es kommen Neonazis, alte Nazis, die Antifa, KZ-Überlebende, Schülergruppen, Kulturbürger.

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Derived terms

• Antifant
• Anti-Antifa

Related terms

• Antifaschismus
• Antifaschist
• antifaschistisch
• Antifaschistische Aktion
• Faschismus
• Faschist
• faschistisch

See also

• Antira-

Further reading

• Antifa on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• Antifaschistische Aktion on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Antifa (Germany) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia