Situation Report: Antifa Group Calls for March 6th Direct Action Campaign

An Antifa group linked to some of the most destructive incidents of rioting in the Pacific Northwest is calling for a global “autonomous day of action” proposed for March 6^th.

The group, the Youth Liberation Front (YLF), self-describes as a “decentralized network of autonomous youth crews” referring to the anarcho-communist ideology of “autonomism” which motivates most Antifa groups. While the group’s largest chapter is organized in the Pacific Northwest, it has chapters in major U.S. cities including Seattle, Chicago, and D.C., and in regional groups in the mid-west, south-west and Western Canada.

The social media account putting out the call identified itself as a “Queer Insurrectionary Anarchists Youth Liberation Front Affinity Group” and a “Green Anti-Capitalist Front Affinity Group.”  The group’s call was retweeted by YLF and GAF groups ranging from D.C. and Seattle to Edinburgh.

The Green Anti-Capitalist Front (GAF) is a U.K-based environmental direct-action group known for clashing with police in demonstrations last year targeting the Bank of London and London Stock Exchange. GAF posted on their website about the March 6^th direct action campaign under the title, “The Kids Won’t Be Quiet, They’re Going To Start A Riot.”

An affinity group is a small unit of autonomous organizing favored by Antifa and similar anarchist groups, as described during the Center for Security Policy’s testimony about Antifa during a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing:

The most basic structure of Antifa is the affinity group, described by the pro-Antifa website CrimethInc, as the “essential building block” of anarchist organization-A small cell of individuals, known to each other, who agree to come together to participate in “direct actions”- those include sabotage, vandalism, and premediated assault.

The call contained indicators that the proposed day of action will consist of illegal activity rather than simply peaceful protest, including explicitly rejecting “placards and speeches” and calling for “destroying those who oppress us.” The call instructs aligned affinity groups to “target the state.”

Law enforcement with known or suspected Youth Liberation Front chapters or related antifa groups in their areas of operations should be on the look out for additional indicators that groups will attempt criminal actions on or about March 6^th, and if intelligence dictates, take additional measures as appropriate to ensure security at relevant government facilities.

Facilities related to law enforcement or the judiciary, or linked to environmental policy, or prominent private-sector offices or installations related to the petro-chemical industry or similar activities may be worth special attention.