Antifa explicitly opposes freedom of speech.

Antifa is a loose network of militant “Anarcho-Marxists” who have rioted in cities across Europe and North America. Recently they engaged in large scale rioting, looting, and arson in the German city of Hamburg.

The largest Antifa website in Germany is called linksunten.indymedia.org. The word linksunten means “bottom left.” On Thursday, an army of state and Federal police raided the webmasters in the city of Freiburg. Computers and weapons were seized.

The German Ministry of the Interior officially banned the website Friday morning. Federal police say the website has been encouraging violence since 2008. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière promised serious consequences. Arrests could be pending. Authorities say three webmasters have been identified. There is also a circle of about thirty other people who help run the site.

Ironically, Antifa is explicitly opposed to free speech. They are advocates of what the US Supreme Court calls “a heckler’s veto.” They endorse using violence to shut down events held by people they disagree with. This can range from the far-right to political moderates.

It is also notable that Freiburg is a very expensive place to live. It is called “the jewel of the Black Forest.” Recently, the German media outlet BILD examined 1,523 cases of “left-wing extremists” charged with politically motivated crimes. They found that 92% of the suspects lived with their parents. They also found that most were unemployed and most were single.

In the USA, Antifa has engaged in extreme acts of violence against Trump supporters and other conservatives for the past two years. Several hundred Antifa currently face criminal charges in cities all across the country. However, in a shocking turn of events, Republican politicians Marco Rubio, Mitt Romney, and John McCain have recently defended them. Goldman Sach president Gary Cohn publicly praised the group a few days ago.