The days following Charlottesville have seen a remarkable spectacle – President Donald J. Trump, of all people, getting in trouble for sticking to a principle. The principle in question, that fascists and antifa simply hold two conflicting but equally valid opinions, is of course completely insane. We should remember though, that before Charlottesville it was the default position across the mainstream political spectrum, when they bothered to acknowledge antifascism at all. Since August 12 that stance has become untenable, a basic political fact recognized by everyone but Trump. Trump is thereby ignoring the flip side of Stalin’s infamous dictum – the horrific murder of Heather Heyer by white supremacist James Fields is a tragedy, not a statistic.
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