Short for 'Anti-fascist', Antifa hails from a similar German political movement of the 1930s, Antifaschistische Aktion, which opposed Nazism in that decade.
"The paradox of Antifa is that there is no clear definition of the movement as such," says Dr Joshua Roose, director of the Institute for Religion, Politics and Society at Australian Catholic University.
According to Roose, Antifa's basic belief is that Nazism came to power in Germany on the back of inaction and that violent resistance at an earlier stage could have prevented Hitler's rise.
"They promote the idea that violent resistance is required against the far-right now to prevent their potential emergence."
Roose says that Antifa's membership generally includes people from socialist and anarchist movements as well as others hailing from groups that explicitly oppose the far-right.
Members of ANTIFA get in formation after entering the security checkpoint required to enter the mall in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. Source: AFP
"Everyone can join as there is no governing body deciding who can and who cannot be part of it, which makes it difficult to clearly define it," says Roose. "It comprises individuals from the far-left movements but also others such as anarchists, socialists, environmentalists, liberals (in the American sense)."
What distinguishes Antifa from other far-left groups is their stated intention to use violence where they see fit, and an existential opposition to far-right movements.
"They subscribe to the idea that violence against the far-right is permissible," says Roose. "The two groups [far-right groups and Antifa] feed off one another. The Antifa absolutely despises the far-right and the far-right absolutely hates the Antifa.
"There is a sort of reciprocity between the groups which appear more interested in targeting each other rather than in winning mainstream support."
Antifa prefers anonymity and loose organisation
"Antifa's actions are based on anonymity," says Roose. "You see Antifa protestors covering their faces and no one is going to go on social media and put their hand up.
"It is a global movement and as such it develops organically based on local context, so whilst there are international connections and people effectively follow each other's websites Facebook and social media, the group has no central organising body."
This, according to Roose, happens for two main reasons.
"One is law enforcement. No one is going to put their hand up and admit some form of violent action in public space which opens them to the possibility of police action... The second is the concern that members of the far-right might target them individually as well."
However some identities still do emerge.
"If you look at social media posts there are key individuals who post videos and occasional put their face out there but mostly they stay anonymous and coalesce around key issues."
Police try to contain Antifa protesters from approaching members of the Patriot Prayer Movement during a protest in Portland, Oregon on September 10, 2017. Source: AFP
Upper-class children versus working-class men?
While contemporary far-right movements tend to appeal more to alienated men working low-income jobs, Antifa is often made of students, says Roose, who describes them as "the children of the middle and upper-class."
"There is an interesting class dynamics in all of this. The children of the upper classes fighting the men from lower-middle and working class based on politics."
Antifa also apparently has a more balanced gender ratio, says Roose.
"Many more women are involved and ready to put themselves in the front line of the fighting."
Who is more violent?
Both Antifa and far-right groups believe that the state should not have a monopoly on the use of violence. But there is a difference between how these groups perceive and interact with state forces, such as the police or military.
"You often see the far-right attempting to appropriate law enforcement at their protests, thanking the officers for their work and in a way attempting to recruit them while they are having their protests," says Roose.
"The hostility towards law enforcement is stronger on the left. The Antifa is suspicious and openly hostile [toward authorities such as the police]."
Proletarian Left march in via Dante, Milan, December 1972 Source: Mondadori Portfolio Editorial
How the internet changed the game
The internet was a game changer for smaller political movements such as Antifa and the far-right. Speedy communication significantly cut organisational costs, says to Gianluca Scattu, PhD Researcher at the department of government and international relations of the University of Sydney.
"The emergence of the internet, together with the 2008 global financial crisis, created the conditions for non-traditional forces to enter the competition."
Before the internet, it was almost impossible for new political movements to challenge the traditional parties, which had access to public funding, large donation structures and historical momentum on their side.
"The only challenge to traditional parties was the emergence of entrepreneurs-politicians in the 90s," says Scattu. "A clear example is former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi."
The internet allows Antifa to surveil members of the far-right as well, and circulate information about those individuals or upcoming demonstrations.
"They very quickly organize to meet or effectively swarm events of the far right," says Roose.
Is Australia different?
Australia has its own history of far-right and -left movements, similar to those of European nations and the US where Antifa regularly clashes with far-right groups, but has its differences as well.
"We have a stronger and more centralized state apparatus than many states and a far more securitized public space than overseas particularly in the last 2 decades with the strengthening of security anti-terrorism legislation," says Roose.
Yet clashes still do occur, such as the 2016 'Battle of Coburg' in Melbourne, where a few dozen far-right and Antifa protestors clashed outside a local school.
"Coburg - traditionally a working class labor heartland - is going through a rapid process of gentrification," says Roose. "So there is tension between the higher income green-voting people moving in and the old working class that still owns a house there but struggle to buy groceries.
"It is a very symbolic ground for the Antifa and far-right clash."
