Our Mission
We are dedicated to the cultivation, preservation, and expansion of true democracy, and to the improved condition of all who call this nation their home.
We are dedicated to the opposition of tyranny in all its forms, which we define as the consolidation of power and resources by one group at the expense of all others.
We hold that fascism (i.e. militant populist ultra-nationalism) is the most immediate threat to freedom in these United States, and indeed the world over.
Authoritarian communism, though antidemocratic, is simply not an existential threat to the well being of our country. We hold that, as it applies to modern-day dictatorships, the distinction between ‘left’ and ‘right’ is a false dichotomy. Upon analysis, there emerges a significant overlap in both ideology and policy between the fascist movements of the West and the ‘red nationalism’ currently pervasive throughout much of the East and Global South.
We therefore believe that one may stand in solidarity with global liberation movements without falling prey to the follies of geopolitical rhetoric.
We are dedicated to the opposition of economic tyranny; the dangers of unconstrained capitalist monopolies are a threat to freedom as much as any government regime. Indeed, historians recognize a merging of state and corporate interests as a defining characteristic of 20th Century fascism.
We hold that the principals of the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions - Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality - are sound foundations upon which to base government and society.
We assert this in the recognition that these principals have too often been betrayed, to the great detriment of the American Experiment. Such has been the case since the foundation of our republic over three centuries ago, with its original sins of chattel slavery and Indigenous genocide.
We hold that the recognition of these past evils is proper and necessary, so that we may learn from them and approach reconciliation. Then, and only then, shall we heal the deep wounds these crimes have left upon our society.
We hold that by studying our nation's failures as well as its triumphs, one exercises a higher form of patriotism.
In this, we distinguish ourselves from pseudo-patriots who seek to erase or excuse the foul deeds of generations past and present.
We proclaim that those who burn books and those who whitewash the ugliest chapters of our history are not patriots.
This is because they cling to the very worst of what has come to define American identity, perpetuating white supremacy, imperialism, and economic exploitation - all things that have impeded any acceptable realization of the "American Dream". In doing so, they would condemn us to languish under systems best relegated to the pages of our history books.
We hold that oligarchy and prejudice are poisons to liberty and justice.
We believe it necessary to form a Popular Front against fascism.
History shows us that totalitarianism is effectively thwarted when the opposition stands unified.
To this end, we strive to represent an anti-fascism rooted in American ideals of liberty and equality for all, not just the few.
We draw inspiration from a storied but overlooked history of anti-racist and anti-fascist organizing in the United States, from the conductors of the Underground Railroad to the volunteers of the Lincoln Battalion in Spain.
We encourage all persons rightfully alarmed by the recent attacks on our democracy to take whatever action is within their means, and to put aside political squabbles to focus on this common threat.
To the radical who balks at collaboration with liberals who uphold the systems you seek to replace, we say only this: You may find dismantling hierarchy to be significantly more difficult under a fascist police state than under a neoliberal democracy. Now is the time for pragmatism, not ideological purity tests.
To the moderate who is wary of rubbing shoulders with the more radical elements of organized resistance: Know that the fascist does not care to distinguish. To him, the centrist and the anarchist are subversives both, and under his yoke both shall meet the same fate.
Our History
Three Arrows Against the Swastika
The original Iron Front (German: Eiserne Front) was an anti-fascist, pro-democracy resistance group established by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of the Weimar Republic in December of 1931. The Iron Front was intended to function as a paramilitary coalition between labor unionists, democratic socialists, center-left liberals, and other sections of Germany’s libertarian left.
In the inter-war years leading up to the rise of the Nazi Party, the short-lived German republic was famously plagued by extreme economic instability and political violence. What were effectively political fighting gangs regularly clashed in the streets of Berlin and other major cities. The Iron Front was formed in response to increasing violence from the fascist far-right, monarchist center-right, and Stalinist far-left.
Besides the SPD’s Iron Front, the two most prominent political fighting groups at the time were Anti-Fascist Action (German: Antifaschistische Aktion), and the Sturmabtielung, more commonly known as the Brownshirts. These were the paramilitary wings of the German Communist Party (KPD) and Nazi Party (NSDAP) respectively.
Gegen Papen, Hitler, and Thälmann
The symbol of the Iron Front was three parallel arrows pointing diagonally downward. Traditionally the arrows point to the lower left, except on some flags where they were designed to point flyward. The symbolism of the three arrows is multifaceted, but primarily designed to block out the swastika.
The most famous piece of political artwork featuring the three arrows was a campaign poster for the SPD, which depicted each arrow in opposition to one of the three largest anti-democracy movements in Germany at the time: the monarchists, the fascists, and the Stalinists. The exact meaning of the three arrows has been reinterpreted in the decades since WWII, depending on the group using it. Post-war, the arrows grew popular with a number of European and North American left-wing organizations.
Though primarily known as a leftist anti-fascist group, the original Iron Front members were also staunch opponents of the German Communist Party led by Ernst Thälmann, a dedicated supporter of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The paramilitary wing of the KPD, Antifaschistische Aktion, is the origin of the abbreviation antifa, meaning ‘anti-fascist’.
The symbol most commonly associated with the modern antifa movement, two black or red flags waving in unison, is also derived from the German AFA symbol. It should be noted that, though the name and symbolism draw from a Marxist-Leninist group, a significant portion of the modern antifa movement consists of anarchists, democratic socialists, and other anti-authoritarian leftists.
In modern contexts, the AFA symbol and the Iron Front arrows are regularly seen alongside one another, having become representative of the broader anti-fascist movement, rather than a specific ideological camp.
“Boots & Braces Don't Make A Racist”
Some of the best-known examples of the Iron Front arrows' use post-WWII were to be found among the anti-racist skinhead movement. Despite its popular association with neo-Nazism, the ‘skinhead’ music subculture first spawned in London's Jamaican immigrant communities circa 1960s, and was therefore originally anti-racist by nature. However, similarly to punk rock, skinhead music and aesthetics were co-opted by white power extremists, primarily the neo-Nazi National Front party. This drove traditional skins to become explicitly anti-fascist in an attempt to exclude racist skinheads, or “boneheads”, from their spaces.
These anti-racist skinheads adopted the moniker S.H.A.R.P, or “Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice”. The most common S.H.A.R.P emblem is an ancient Trojan helmet, the logo of iconic reggae music label Trojan Records. These “sharpskin” groups played a central role in anti-fascist organizing during the surge of white power hate groups in the '70s, '80s, and beyond. Many S.H.A.R.P groups also adopted the Iron Front's triple arrows symbol, notably including a NYC-based crew known as Red & Anarchist Skinheads (R.A.S.H.).
A United Front
In 2019, the American sports league Major League Soccer (MLS) sparked controversy when they announced a total ban on the display of “political symbols” at games. This policy was introduced primarily in response to the widespread display of the Iron Front emblem by members of the ‘Timbers Army’ fan club in Portland. Several MLS fans were subsequently banned from games for continuing to bring their Iron Front flags to matches. This prompted significant backlash and began a wider protest movement among MLS fans dubbed ‘A United Front’. Critics of the new policy accused MLS of trying to appease right-wing commentators at a time when left-right political tensions in the Pacific Northwest had reached a renewed level of intensity.
At this point in 2019, political street fighting - not unlike that of the Weimar Republic - had become a regular occurance in Portland. Local anti-fascist crews like Rose City Antifa and Popular Mobilization (PopMob) were gaining national attention for confronting and often clashing with far-right groups like Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys. As many locals perceived the far-right groups as outside agitators, there was a considerable amount of anti-fascist solidarity among Portland's communities.
The United Front movement saw various soccer fan clubs protesting MLS and encouraging their members to display anti-fascist iconography at their games in defiance of the ban on political symbols. These included the Iron Front emblem, LGBTQ+ pride flags, and various anti-racist slogans. The protests ultimately succeeded, with MLS reversing the policy and un-banning those fans who had violated it.