CW2 Watch: FOIA documents reveal Antifa tactics

A delivery of documents from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveals antifascist tactics, as recorded by Federal Protective Services, during a June pro-Trump rally in Portland, OR.

Portland is a hotbed of Leftist violence, and is a top contender for the unfortunate title of Ground Zero for political-related violence in the nation. In the FOIA release, DHS officers report on observations during Operation Columbia Crest. To wit, law enforcement observed:

• "Protestors are using some sort of irritant against law enforcement (OC spray?)"
• "Police are still taking sporadic projectiles - rocks etc"
• "Both [Federal Protective Service] and [Portland Police Bureau] are taking rocks, bricks, bottles, and thrown/launched fireworks"
• "Counter protest group building stocks of rocks and other projectiles"
• "FPS and PPB has taken additional fire from wrist rockets and marbles"
• "Balloons with an unknown foul-smelling liquid are being thrown at FPS and PPB"
• "Open source reporting here shows light incendiary devices (smoke bombs, road flares) taken off counterprotestors and two Molotov cocktails"

This is typical of violent Leftist counter-demonstrations, however, it's been very interesting to see how influential blogs like Crimethinc and It's Going Down have been influential in publishing popular tactics. After the J20 protests, several blogs began publishing best practices for committing violence, and we've seen these tactics proliferate across the country. Here's a summary of one prominent blog post from an anarchist organizer...

An anarchist/anti-capitalist blog called A Las Barricadas (To the Barricades; a popular leftist/anarchist song during the Spanish Civil War) published an interesting take on the black bloc movement. (Black bloc doesn't refer to a specific organization, but to a tactic and a movement.)

• The author, who is apparently a committed anarchist with anti-capitalist and pro-social justice leanings, begins by opining that many people involved in black blocs don't actually understand how they work.

• The goal is to use protests as cover for black bloc action, which could include destruction of property, propagandizing via making the news, and preventing the police from arresting protestors or black bloc members.

• The article goes on to outline some advice for black bloc members who are resisting police action, usually during a riot.

• That advice includes using shields and protective gear; making Molotov cocktails; using slingshots to injure police; and creating oil slicks peppered with marbles to create a barrier that will injure police and their horses.

• It's an insightful look into what black blocs of the future might look like.

Cc: @deanlogic and @stevescoins