Two Antifa Thugs On Trial In California For What Could Be A Landmark Case, Which Would Classify The Leftist Militant Group As A Gang
Screenshot
(USA Today) The trial of two men, charged in a 3-year-old street brawl in a California beach town, could soon reshape the image of one of the most debated political movements in America: Antifa.
Opening arguments Tuesday laid out conflicting views about the roles Brian Lightfoot and Jeremy White played in a heated protest in the San Diego neighborhood of Pacific Beach on Jan. 9, 2021, three days after the Capitol insurrection.
That day, far-right protesters ended up in a string of violent brawls with anti-fascist counterprotesters. Prosecutors, however, focused solely on Antifa, charging 11 defendants with dozens of felonies.
The prosecution’s case rests not just on proving that Lightfoot and White engaged in the acts they’re accused of – hardly in dispute, as they’re caught on camera from multiple angles – but that they did so as part of a broader conspiracy to commit violence. That conspiracy, Harvey and her team have argued, was organized under and inspired by the banner of Antifa, a political movement of far-left militants who oppose neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events.
