While the disingenuous media has been having a field day lampooning Trump and branding his supporters as fascists, many outlets have refused to criticize the actual fascists wreaking havoc on our major cities.

The ironically-named Anti-Fascists, or Antifa, are a group of disgruntled twenty-somethings who find it acceptable to loot, riot, and cause general chaos within the downtowns of major cities, college campuses, and other generally peaceful public places. Politically, they are far-left on the political compass—an eclectic mess of anarchists, communists, socialists, and anti-capitalists who make it their main goal to disrupt law and order to spite Donald Trump and the right.

The hypocrisy of the Anti-Fascists lies within their own name—they are in fact not representing what they call themselves. Following the election of Donald Trump, videos showcasing the authoritarianism of the anti-fascists flooded the internet. Like a scene that would not be out of place in Orwell’s 1984, Antifa “thought police” infiltrated right-wing gatherings, where they verbally and physically assaulted conservatives in an attempt to censor them. These Bolshevik-esque displays of violence were quickly condemned by all on the right, but the mainstream media instead chose to focus on condemning “Neo-Nazis,” a minority of the right wing whose numbers are so negligible it nearly makes them a nonissue.

While the alt-right chooses to reside within the cyber boundaries of 4chan’s /pol (a right-leaning website), the “anti-fascists” use college campuses as their centers of operation. College campuses have historically been places where freedom of speech is paramount, but since the left, which now controls the agenda of most American universities, have apparently adopted Antifa as their wing through which they exercise their deepest innermost  fantasies of censoring the opinions of individuals with opposing viewpoints.

These college campuses no longer have the reputation of being bastions of free thought.  On September 24th, 2017, Berkeley Patriot, a right-wing student group at UC Berkeley, organized a Free Speech week, where major right-wing figures were invited to make appearances and hold speeches. Among the individuals invited was Milo Yiannopoulos, a well-known right-wing provocateur. Due to strong resistance from the Berkeley Administration, Berkeley Patriot cancelled the event; however, Yiannopoulos was steadfast in making an appearance at the tumultuous campus. Without the backing of Berkeley Patriot or the university’s administration,  he held his very own Free Speech week.  His brief appearance at Berkeley would cost the university almost $800,000 in security costs, due to the fear that Antifa would come onto the campus armed with pitchforks, subsequently turning the flagship university into a repeat of the Salem Witch Trials.

The reality is unfortunate: freedom of speech is under attack, and the “anti-fascists” are the attackers. A half a century ago, Free Speech activists protested for UC Berkeley to remove the ban on on-campus political activities. Now, pro free speech advocates cannot even set foot on the campus without being assaulted by the violent Antifa. UC Berkeley is only one example of how the hypocrisy of Antifa is threatening our freedoms—they obstruct our roadways, downtowns, parks, and convention centers.

When will we put our foot down and give these Antifa thugs an ultimatum? When will the media finally abandon their partisanship and condemn these “anti-fascists?” These questions remain unanswered and as long as they remain as such, the hypocritical Antifa will continue to disrupt, destroy, and instigate chaos within our nation’s borders.