Antifa “Night of Rage” protests follow police shooting of anarchist

Having promised a “night of rage,” anarchist and communist groups launched a series of violent “direct action” protests across the country on Saturday, January 21^st, resulting in substantial property damage and numerous arrests. The effort was a response to the death of Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran, an anarchist and “forest defender” who was reportedly shot dead after opening fire on police, wounding one officer at an illegally occupied protest encampment known as “Cop City,” just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

The focal point of the action was Atlanta, where a group of protests wearing black bloc chanted, “if you build it, we will burn it,” while targeting the Atlanta Police Foundation, and several other buildings for vandalism. At least one police car was torched. Police charged six individuals with rioting, arson, and domestic terrorism.

While some media outlets attempted to maintain that the protest was “mostly peaceful,” the Atlanta’s Democratic mayor pushed back on such claims, noting that arrested rioters were found in possession of explosives and had largely travelled from out of state:

“The crimes range from violence to domestic terrorism to assault battery and some other things,” the mayor said. “But yes, it is violent when someone turns to burn down a police car or breakout windows or have explosives on them. I don’t get into the names. I don’t know all the organizations. I’ll let y’all decide who did it. I just know they’re arrested. And if they come into Atlanta, again, to wreak havoc, they will be arrested again.”

The Atlanta mayor’s declaration represents a substantial departure from the way that Antifa-orchestrated riots were handled in many locales throughout the summer of 2020, where there was a disinclination to admit the role played by out of state networks of rioters, despite strong evidence that outside actors were a key factor in the violence:

Most notably 90 percent of agencies identified out-of-state protestors playing a role in protests, and there was a correlation between out-of-state protestors and increased levels of violence. While claims of paid protestors and astro-turfing have long been alleged by conservatives and denied by the media, there’s now evidence that at least a quarter of responding police agencies saw this phenomenon take place.

Other demonstrations took place in Boston, New York, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, and Austin.

In Boston, police arrested one individual for assault on police officer.  The suspect, 23-year-old Jared Dowell, is the son of U.S. House Minority Whip Representative Katherine M. Clark (D-MA) was reportedly “tagging” a monument with graffiti “ACAB” which stands for “All Cops Are Bastards,” a common Antifa slogan.

Rep. Clark acknowledged the arrest, saying she had “confidence” in the judicial process. This is not the first time an individual with political connections was arrested participating in an Antifa event. In 2020 the legislative director for Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek was arrested during a violent riot in Portland. In 2017, Linwood Michael Kaine, the son of former Virginia Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Kaine, was arrested following an attack on a Trump campaign event at the Minnesota State Capitol Building. While not identified as Antifa, the younger Kaine was part of a group described as equipped “with face and head coverings and goggles” and which deployed “smoke bombs, mace and fireworks” all of which are hallmarks of Antifa activity.

The degree to which Antifa enjoys media and political support is often the determining factor in its ability to conduct successful actions. In cases (such as Atlanta) where local law enforcement and government officials respond with aggressive enforcement measures and displays a willingness to prosecute, Antifa is often unable to sustain its activities long-term. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr warned:

“This isn’t Oregon, we’re not Washington, we’re not New York or California. If you come here, if you commit violent acts against our citizens, against law enforcement officers, we’re going to hold you accountable and I am proud that our office is taking the lead,” Carr said.

The question now is whether Antifa and affiliated groups can successfully propagandize the police shooting of an armed anarchist during an illegal “forest defense” occupation to a nation-wide audience. On Monday following the riots in Atlanta, Representative Cori Bush (D-MO) retweeted a claim that Teran had been “assassinated in cold blood” and called for an “independent investigation” into the shooting.