A so-called “anti-fascist” (antifa) activist described as “a gentle, non-violent person” by compatriots has been given a one-year prison sentence for throwing missiles and attacking police lines during a riot.
Andrew Scott, a 41-year-old care worker from Ramsgate Road, Margate, had a previous conviction for striking former UKIP leader Nigel Farage in the head with a placard. He was given 80 hours of community service.
Judge James O’Mahony described how “gentle, non-violent” Scott had travelled to the Port of Dover with a “bellicose and aggressive” group of far left activists, to start trouble with another group protesting mass immigration and attacks on lorry drivers passing through Calais, France.
Militant hard left occupying port road at Dover. Unwelcome, damaging to our nation's economy and the town. Go away. pic.twitter.com/pSwDiWqQk9
— Charlie Elphicke (@CharlieElphicke) April 2, 2016
KentOnline reports court descriptions of Scott’s group marching through the town “as if they were going off to war”, accompanied by “smoke, flags, drums and foul language”.
“There was sheer hatred on people’s faces of both sides,” said the judge, chastising Scott for charging police lines and throwing missiles at the anti-migration protesters.
Sentencing, the judge claimed that “people who are prepared to use violence will not be tolerated”, and pointed out that Scott would not have shown up to the event in a mask and hard hat if he only intended to take part in a peaceful protest.
Antifa activists have been exposed to increasing scrutiny in recent months, rampaging through Washington, D.C. during President Donald Trump’s inauguration, attacking attendees of a free speech rally in Berkley, California, and, most recently, participating in violent anti-Marine Le Pen demonstrations in Paris, France, in which police officers were set on fire.
🇷 Police hurt in Paris May 1 clashes with youths https://t.co/zrbGNDNkiD 📷 @zakria_alkafi pic.twitter.com/ZbkjZPCVfG
— Frédérique Geffard (@fgeffardAFP) May 1, 2017
A Change.org petition to proscribe Antifa as a domestic terrorist organisation in the U.S. has surpassed 82,000 signatures.
Breitbart News’s January 2017 field guide to Antifa and Black Bloc activists provides a comprehensive breakdown of the groups’ history and methods.
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