#89: The Battle of York, January 2002—Anti-Fascism, Then and Now

The Ex-Worker

In this episode, we share an audio version of a recently published account from the history of anarchist struggles against fascism. On January 12, 2002, hundreds of neo-Nazis gathered in York, Pennsylvania to promote white supremacy. Anarchists and other opponents of fascism throughout the region mobilized to oppose them, making common cause with locals and sending the fascists packing in a clash that came to be known as “the Battle of York.” Twenty-one years later, a participant in the day’s events recounts the clashes and reflects on what has changed since then, comparing the events in York with those in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. This account is adapted from a memoir forthcoming on PM Press, entitled The Anarchist International. {February 6, 2023}

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• Table of Contents:
  • Ex-Worker Introduction {0:01}
  • January 2022: The Battle of York—Anti-Fascism Then and Now {0:38}
  • The Gathering Storm {1:52}
  • On the Prowl: Saturday, January 12, 2002 {7:29}
  • The Battle of York {17:44}
  • Conclusion {44:36}

• This episode is an audio version of January 2002: The Battle of York: Anti-Fascism, Then and Now.

• Want to learn more about anarchist struggles against fascism in the past and today? Start with The Ex-Worker’s two episodes on the subject, [#11, “Never Forgive and Never Forget”](https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/11) and [#12. “Remembering Means Fighting”](https://crimethinc.com/podcasts/the-ex-worker/episodes/12).

• We’d also recommend CrimethInc.’s previous articles, which include “How Anti-Fascists Won the Battle of Berkeley” (2018) – don’t miss the audio version here – as well as “The Long Struggle Against Fascism in DC” (2018), our poster on the two faces of fascism and flyer on Anti-Fascism as Self-Defense (2017), “Not Your Grandmother’s Anti-Fascism” (2017), “Antifa Sisters” (2017), the point-counterpoint analyses “Does Trump Represent White Supremacy or Fascism?” and “Yes, Trump Represents Fascism” (2016), and more.

• The author in this episode makes reference to the 2017 fascist rally in Charlottesville which resulted in the death of Heather Heyer. To learn more, check out Ex-Worker Epsiode #56: Triumph and Tragedy in the Struggle Against Fascism, as well as the articles One Dead in Charlottesville: Why the Right Can Kill Us Now, Charlottesville and the Rise of Fascism in the USA: What We Need to Do, From J20 to Charlottesville: Repressing Dissent From Above and Below, Why We Fought in Charlottesville, and The Lessons of Charlottesville a Year Later: How the Terrain Has Changed.

• We’d recommend the books Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook by Mark Bray and Fascism Today: What It Is and How To End It and Why We Fight by Shane Burley. There’s also a new history of Anti-Racist Action called We Go Where They Go.