El historiador Dave Renton dijo una vez: “No se puede ser objetivo cuando se escribe sobre el fascismo, porque no hay nada positivo que decir sobre él”. Es una frase con la que el activista de Occuppy Wall Street y experto en antifascismo Mark Bray no puede suscribir con mayor ahínco.
Bray se mantiene continuamente informado estos días, desde su casa de Nueva York, sobre los disturbios en EEUU. Y lo que ve le inquieta: la decisión del presidente Donald Trump de calificar de “terrorista” al movimiento Antifa o la amenaza de sacar al Ejército a la calle para acabar con los disturbios son iniciativas que ni apoya ni comparte.
El autor de Antifa: el Manual Antifascista conoce de sobra este movimiento. Entrevistó a más de 60 militantes de países europeos y de EEUU para documentarse y ha escrito la primera obra en inglés que recorre el conjunto del antifascismo trasnacional posterior a la II Guerra Mundial. Su defensa del antifascismo y de la autodefensa contra la ultraderecha hizo que la dirección de la universidad donde trabajaba lo rechazase y la exposición mediática le ha llevado a sufrir amenazas de muerte. Pero no quiere callarse ante las estratagema de Trump de culpar “a los grupos antifa de EEUU para desviar el foco del racismo y de la violencia policial”. “Es imposible que estos grupos hayan organizado lo que está pasando”, sentencia.
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Un movimiento internacional sin líderes y difícil de indentificar
Una de las pruebas de su afirmación, sostiene, es que Trump ni siquiera conoce al movimiento antifascista. Se trata de un movimiento internacional que, como Bray clarifica en su libro, surge como “respuesta razonable e históricamente documentada ante la amenaza fascista que persistió tras la II Guerra Mundial y que se ha intensificado durante los últimos años”. Este movimiento, abunda, “ha adaptado las corrientes socialistas, anarquistas y comunistas que ya existían ante la necesidad de reaccionar frente a la amenaza fascista”.
Aunque tengan características parecidas y un objetivo común —combatir a la ultraderecha—, es diferente ser antifascista en Estados Unidos y en Europa. “Todo depende del contexto, nosotros no vivimos el franquismo, por ejemplo”, explica Bray desde el otro lado de la pantalla, rodeado de libros de Historia. En EEUU, explica, hay grupos de militantes antifascistas en varias ciudades. “Son grupos pequeños porque temen las infiltraciones de la policía y tienen un carácter antiautoritario”. Se trata de un movimiento difuso en el que “no hay líder, no hay oficinas, es descentralizado y funciona de manera muy local”. Por eso defiende que “no tiene sentido” culparlos a ellos: “Hay mucha gente quemando y rompiendo todo, y no todos pertenecen al movimiento Antifa”.
Mark Bray en una entrevista con 'El HuffPost' en 2019CARLOS PINA
La causa no es Antifa, sino el racismo
Si Antifa no es el origen de las protestas, ¿de dónde ha salido tanta rabia organizada? El problema, apunta, es el racismo histórico del país. El movimiento Black Lives Matter (las vidas negras importan), también presente en todas estas protestas, empezó hace seis años por casos como el de Michael Brown, un joven negro de 18 años asesinado a tiros por un agente de policía, el de Eric Garner, estrangulado hasta la muerte por otro policía en plena calle el mismo año o el de Trayvon Martin, de 17 años, a quien un vecino blanco disparó hasta la muerte y quedando después en libertad sin cargos por alegar “defensa propia”.
“Estos movimientos nunca empiezan sin una historia o un contexto detrás”, explica Bray. “Después de cada muerto hemos visto cómo los políticos han prometido reformas que nunca han llegado y las personas negras están hartas de esperar”, afirma.
Por eso cree que la muerte de George Floyd ha supuesto la gota que ha colmado el vaso y las protestas de estos días son “resultado de la frustración de la gente negra y de la izquierda de este país”. La violencia registrada en algunas de ellas también está alentada por el “crecimiento de la importancia de la política abolicionista (así se refieren a la política negra en contra del abuso policial y carcelario) durante la última década”. “Muchas personas ya no confían en el sistema y ven el fuego como otra acción”, argumenta.
5ed6557f300000e82315722aAnadolu Agency via Getty Images
La legitimidad de la violencia, a debate
Una de las características del movimiento antifascista (que engloba ramas antirracistas, feministas, queer, ecologistas...) es que dentro del mismo hay quien defiende usar los métodos legales para pedir una normativa antirracista y antifascista y quienes defienden la acción directa y el enfrentamiento. Según Bray, no son dos puntos de vista excluyentes y el segundo suele llegar “tras el fracaso del primero”.
“No se puede hablar de si la violencia está legitimada sin ser consciente de que las otras opciones ya han fracasado”, dice. “Hemos visto intentos de reformarlo y es ridículo volver a pensar que lo van a hacer y decirles a los negros que esperen”, señala. Además, el experto defiende que si se mira la situación desde una perspectiva histórica “es obvio que el cambio social nunca viene de una manera limpia y sin conflicto. Creo que lo que está pasando es una respuesta razonable tras todos los fracasos y el contexto de la historia racista el país”.
5ed661762400007f148ebf3bGina Ferazzi via Getty Images
Black Lives Matter y el racismo arrastrado desde los 60
Ni siquiera el hecho de que un presidente negro y demócrata como Barack Obama haya gobernado ocho años ha servido para que el racismo cese. De hecho, fue durante la presidencia de Obama cuando nació Black Lives Matter porque “las esperanzas de que un presidente negro pueda cambiar todo por sí mismo murieron”. Las vidas de los negros han sido infravaloradas y “se han visto muertos con Clinton, Obama, Trump...”. Por eso, sobre la violencia, Bray afirma que “a mucha gente no le gusta ver este espectáculo de destrucción, pero tiene el poder de generar interés sobre el problema de una manera que las palabras no siempre pueden”.
En su libro, Bray insiste en que “es fundamental entender el antifascismo como el componente de un legado más amplio de resistencias al supremacismo blanco en todas sus vertientes” y afirma que “uno de los logros más importantes de las campañas de Black Lives Matter es que han conseguido conectar sus reivindicaciones actuales con las del movimiento de liberación negro de finales de los 60 y de los 70″. El lema antifascista “Nunca más”, explica, “obliga a aceptar que podría volver a ocurrir si no se permanece en guardia”.
5ed662da2200007a20829d54Wally Skalij via Getty Images
Determinante para la campaña electoral
La situación que se está produciendo estos días a lo largo de todo el país tiene lugar a cinco meses de que se celebren las elecciones presidenciales en EEUU e influirá con casi toda probabilidad en los votos: “El problema de la violencia policial hacia las personas negras cada vez polariza más a la sociedad y esto va a estar en el centro de la campaña”.
Bray tiene la impresión de que cada vez es más difícil compatibilizar las dos ideas: “Tienes que decidir uno de los dos lados”. Y cree que esto va a suponer un problema en la carrera del demócrata Joe Biden: “Está a favor del status quo y pretende representar a ambos lados, pero cada vez es más difícil. La división entre la policía y la gente negra afectará mucho a las elecciones y Trump apoyará, definitivamente, a los primeros”.
Protestas contra el racismo en EEUU
Protesta en Atlanta.
Disturbios en Mineapolis.
Queman un coche de la Policía en Atlanta.
Protestas en Oakland (California).
Edificio calcinado en Mineapolis.
Protestas en Charlotte (Carolina del Norte).
Protestas en Nueva York.
Protestas en Atlanta.
Disturbios en Atlanta.
La Policía carga contra los manifestantes en Detroit (Michigan).
Un edificio destrozado en Oakland (California)
Protestas en Mineapolis.
Un grupo de manifestantes en una protesta en Nueva York, Estados Unidos, el 29 de mayo de 2020 en rechazo a la muerte bajo la custodia policial del afroamericano George Floyd.
Un grupo de manifestantes participa en la quema de una comisaría en Minneapolis.
Protestas en Minneapolis por la muerte de un afroamericano a manos de la policía.
Protestas en Minneapolis por la muerte de un afroamericano a manos de la policía.
Protestas en EEUU por el racismo en EEUU.
Demonstrators pray during a march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A protester tries to talk the police back amid tear gas in downtown Atlanta, Sunday, May 31, 2020. Protests continue across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on...
Police hold off protesters during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who di...
A police officer shouts to members of the media while trying to clear the streets of demonstrators in Memphis, Tennessee, early Monday, June 1, 2020, protesting the death of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis police custody May 25, 2020. (Da...
Manifestantes encienden una hoguera durante una protesta por la muerte de George Floyd el domingo 31 de mayo 2020, cerca de la Casa Blanca, en Washington.
People break into a smoke shop on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died after being restrained by police officers on Memori...
People run out of a smoke shop that they broke into as police arrive on the scene on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died ...
Protestors celebrate after eluding authorities and stopping traffic along Interstate 55 in Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday, May 31, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd on May 25. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
Police stop a driver in the SoHo shopping district Sunday, May 31, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Pho...
Arrested protesters are loaded onto a transport bus by police on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officer...
Demonstrators march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A white man and a black man clasp hands as police in the background guard the old state capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George F...
A protester runs through tear gas on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Photo/Stev...
A brick protrudes from a shattered window in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George Floyd while in police custody. (AP Photo/Allen...
A protester confronts police during a rally in downtown Lexington, Ky., against the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A woman walks past a store boarded up with a message as protests over the death of George Floyd continue Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, and cities across California d...
Nick Brentley demonstrates in San Francisco on Sunday, May 31, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
CHARLOTTE, USA - MAY 31: Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protest in downtown Charlotte turn violent in NC, United States on May 31, 2020 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 1: People gather during a protest held against police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in New York, United States on June 1, 2020. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: UFC fighter Israel Adesanya joins in the protest down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of ...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: A protestor marches down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George F...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
A protester reacts after being hit by pepper spray from police as their group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the deat...
A protester reacts after being hit by crowd dispersal rounds as a group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the death of G...
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A worker removes graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...
156
Un coche arde en Atlanta en las protestas por el asesinato de George Floyd.
Un grupo de manifestantes en una protesta en Nueva York, Estados Unidos, el 29 de mayo de 2020 en rechazo a la muerte bajo la custodia policial del afroamericano George Floyd.
Demonstrators pray during a march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
A protester tries to talk the police back amid tear gas in downtown Atlanta, Sunday, May 31, 2020. Protests continue across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on...
Police hold off protesters during a solidarity rally for George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who di...
A police officer shouts to members of the media while trying to clear the streets of demonstrators in Memphis, Tennessee, early Monday, June 1, 2020, protesting the death of George Floyd who died in Minneapolis police custody May 25, 2020. (Da...
Manifestantes encienden una hoguera durante una protesta por la muerte de George Floyd el domingo 31 de mayo 2020, cerca de la Casa Blanca, en Washington.
People break into a smoke shop on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died after being restrained by police officers on Memori...
People run out of a smoke shop that they broke into as police arrive on the scene on Monday, June 1, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, a black man in police custody in Minneapolis who died ...
Protestors celebrate after eluding authorities and stopping traffic along Interstate 55 in Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday, May 31, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd on May 25. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian via AP)
Police stop a driver in the SoHo shopping district Sunday, May 31, 2020, in New York. Protests were held throughout the city over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Pho...
Arrested protesters are loaded onto a transport bus by police on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officer...
Demonstrators march, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Atlanta. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A white man and a black man clasp hands as police in the background guard the old state capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George F...
A protester runs through tear gas on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Las Vegas, during demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after he was pinned at the neck by a Minneapolis police officer. (AP Photo/Stev...
A brick protrudes from a shattered window in downtown Raleigh, N.C., on Monday, June 1, 2020. It was the second day of protests in the North Carolina capital following the death of Minnesotan George Floyd while in police custody. (AP Photo/Allen...
A protester confronts police during a rally in downtown Lexington, Ky., against the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor on Sunday, May 31, 2020. (Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
A woman walks past a store boarded up with a message as protests over the death of George Floyd continue Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Los Angeles. Armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, and cities across California d...
Nick Brentley demonstrates in San Francisco on Sunday, May 31, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
CHARLOTTE, USA - MAY 31: Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protest in downtown Charlotte turn violent in NC, United States on May 31, 2020 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 1: People gather during a protest held against police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in New York, United States on June 1, 2020. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: (This image has been converted to black and white.) Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States follo...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: UFC fighter Israel Adesanya joins in the protest down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of ...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: A protestor marches down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George F...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JUNE 01: Protestors march down Queen Street on June 01, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. The rally was organised in solidarity with protests across the United States following the killing of an unarmed black man George Floy...
VANCOUVER, BC - MAY 31: Thousands attend a protest against racism and police brutality at the Vancouver Art Gallery on May 31, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police during a protest on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minnea...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
A protester reacts after being hit by pepper spray from police as their group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the deat...
A protester reacts after being hit by crowd dispersal rounds as a group of demonstrators are detained prior to arrest at a gas station on South Washington Street, Sunday, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued sparked by the death of G...
EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A worker removes graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as...
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 01: Protesters take part in a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, England. Protests and riots continue across American following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minn...
People remove graffiti near the White House after a third night of violent protests over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020, in Washington, DC. - Police fired tear gas outside the White House late Sunday as anti-racism protestors again to...