What does it mean if someone is Antifa or a member of an Antifa group? This article will define the meaning of Antifa and teach you how to use it.
-
Kevin
-
May 31, 2022
-
Common Questions
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
You may have heard the word Antifa in the media, but what does this political term mean? This article will define the term Antifa and teach you how to use it. We will also provide a history of the Antida movement and information on how to say Antifa in different languages.
Keep reading to learn about the Antifa movement.
What Does Antifa Mean in English?
According to ADL, the term Antifa is short for anti-Fascist or anti-Fascism. Antifa groups exist all over the world. However, Antifa is not a centralized movement with one single leader. Today, Antifa is associated with left-leaning American politics and an opposition to Donald Trump.
The Antifa movement is against the neo-Nazis, the alt-right, white nationalists, and other political movements that advocate for fascism and a lack of human rights. Depending on your news source, the word Antifa might negatively imply that a person is an anarchist or against all forms of government.
While extremists can exist in any group, Antifa is largely made of people who are liberal and who are against conservative dictatorships or absolute rulers, not people who are against all forms of government.
Antifa: A History
While Antifa is most often associated with the modern left and the Black Lives Matter movement, the German Antifa movement actually began in opposition to the Nazi Party in 1960s Germany after World War II. This group fought against German Nazism and white supremacist groups.
Antifa groups gained media recognition after the Charlottesville Unite the Right white supremacist rally in 2017. At this rally, Antifa members participated in a counter-protest.
One Antifa-related murder took place in August 2020 in Portland, Oregon.
In January 2021, a group of anti-Fascists attacked supporters of President Trump at the Pacific Beach Patriot March. In both left-wing and far-right groups, there are extremists.
How Can You Say Anti-Fascism in Languages Around the World?
While people might support Antifa all over the world, the abbreviation Antifa is mostly used in English. If you are trying to refer to something or someone that is against Fascism in another language, you can use one of the below translations of anti-fascism provided by Nice Translator.
Politics can be a tricky subject, especially when you do not know everything about the culture or politics of a different country. To be on the safe side, avoid talking about politics with people in other countries who you do not know well. It can be considered impolite to discuss politics with strangers in certain countries, so it is better to be safe than sorry.
- Serbian: антифашизам
- Spanish: antifascismo
- Icelandic: andfasismi
- Swedish: anti-fascism
- Telugu: యాంటీ-ఫాసిజం
- Chinese (PRC): 反法西斯主义
- Japanese: 反ファシズム
- Malay: anti-fasisme
- Hindi: विरोधी फासीवाद
- Portuguese (Brazil): antifascismo
- Portuguese (Portugal): antifascismo
- Korean: 반 파시즘
- Welsh: gwrth-ffasgaeth
- Ukrainian: антифашизм
- Urdu: اینٹی فاشزم
- Chinese (Taiwan): 反法西斯主義
- Hungarian: anti-fasizmus
- Kannada: ಫಸಲತ್ವ
- Romanian: anti-fascism
- Latvian: fašisms
- Swahili: Kupinga-Fascism
- Lithuanian: antifašizmas
- Croatian: antifašizam
- Basque: Anti-faxismo
- Greek: αντιφασισμός
- Finnish: antifasismi
- Bulgarian: антифашизъм
- Amharic: ፀረ-ፋሺዝም
- Czech: Antifašismus
- Estonian: antifašism
- Tamil: பாசிச எதிர்ப்பு
- Bengali: অ্যান্টি-ফ্যাসিজম
- Vietnamese: chống phát xít
- Turkish: anti-faşizm
- Norwegian: antifascisme
- German: Antifaschismus
- Polish: antyfaszyzm
- Gujarati: નિશાની વિરોધી
- French: anti-fascisme
- Dutch: anti-fascisme
- Indonesian: anti-fasisme
- Russian: антифашизм
- Danish: Anti-fascisme
- Thai: การต่อต้านลัทธิฟาสซิสต์
- Hebrew: אנטי-פשיזם
- Catalan: antifeixisme
- Malayalam: -ഫാസിസം
- Marathi: फॅसिझमविरोधी
- Slovak: anti-fašizmus
- Italian: antifascismo
- Arabic: مكافحة الفاشية
- Slovenian: protifašizem
What Are Synonyms of the Word Anti-Fascism?
The word Antifa can sometimes have a negative connotation due to certain types of media attention. Suppose you are trying to refer to something that is anti-fascist but do not want the connotations that come along with the word Antifa. In that case, you can use one of the below synonyms or anti-fascist and anti-fascism provided by Power Thesaurus.
All of the below words describe systems of government that are not fascist or dictatorial.
- democratic organization
- free democracy
- democratic state
- commonweal
- popular government
- communism
- integration
- democracy
- considerateness
- liberal political ideology
- democratism
- respect
- democratic institution
- pinkness
- democratic society
- government by the people
- liberal democracy
- elective government
- liberalism
- libertarian democracy
- racial equality
- melting pot
What Are Antonyms of the Word Anti-Fascism?
As the word implies, if something is not anti-fascist, it is fascist or in support of fascism. To learn about different words that you can use in place of the word fascism, you can study the below list of synonyms of fascism from Power Thesaurus. Sometimes, the word fascist can have a very negative connotation since it implies a system of government with no personal freedoms.
Many of the below words also have a negative connotation, but some of them have a neutral connotation. Therefore, depending on your context and if you have to remain neutral about Fascism, you can opt for different words from this list.
- ethnocentrism
- xenophobia
- one-man rule
- national independence
- terrorism
- chauvinism
- absolutism
- oppression
- stagnation
- severity
- fattism
- nazism
- monoculturalism
- authoritarianism
- despotism
- discrimination
- decadence
- autarchy
- apartheid
- bigotry
- reign of terror
- regimentation
- totalitarianism
- fatism
- one-party system
- neo-fascism
- tyrannies
- bullying
- subjugation
- nationalism
- anti-multiculturism
- anti-semitism
- neutralism
- iron hand
- tyranny
- garrison state
- rightism
- autocracy
- national socialism
- sovereignty
- neofascism
- harshness
- injustice
- repression
- jingoism
- colonialism
- domination
- segregation
- brutality
- bureaucracy
- undemocratic rule
- absolute rule
- neo-nazism
- fascist
- sovereign nationhood
- party government
- cruelty
- dictatorship
- enslavement
- racism
- ethno-nationalism
- isolationism
Conclusion
The definition of Antifa is anti-fascist or anti-fascism. This word of the day is often used in a political context to refer to left-leaning groups that are against Fascism and in favor of democracy and personal freedom. Often, left-wing anti-fascist groups of Antifa protesters participate in activism against Fascist and dictatorial movements.
Sources:
