BREAKING
Our organization is being targeted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who, on Friday, February 6th, released a public statement calling us “deranged traitors” and terrorists, citing Trump’s prior executive order to designate all Antifa groups as terrorist organizations. He goes on to allege that the artwork we sell “promotes the death of ICE agents and encourages violence by mentally ill ‘transgender’ individuals.”
“These deranged traitors will face the full force of law. No stone will be left unturned, and no tool will be left unused.” – Attorney General Ken Paxton
This investigation by Paxton is a blatant act of intimidation against progressive and leftist organizations by the far right. He claims the authority to do so by asserting that Screwston Antifascist Committee (“SAFC”) is an “unincorporated nonprofit” which is defined as “any group of 3 or more who are together for a common cause or goal”. This assertion of authority should concern everyone in Texas and beyond. He has used this tool against any perceived “enemy” of his agenda, including organizations that provide valuable and fully legal services to marginalized groups across the state. We fully condemn this cynical erosion of rights to score political clout.
At this very moment, all over the country, ICE agents are killing immigrants and US citizens, terrorizing entire cities, entering homes without warrants, detaining people without cause, turning neighborhoods into war zones, tearing families apart, violating the constitution at every turn and brutalizing people who are exercising their right to protest. Yet, somehow, we are the “terrorists”. The actions being taken by the Attorney General against the SAFC are a part of this wave of aggression meant to intimidate people who speak up against the Trump regime, erosion of the rule of law and generalizing repression.
The role of any anti-fascist is to stop the spread of fascism. It is within our rights to protest the growth of violent and dangerous groups like Patriot Front, The Proud Boys, Vanguard America, and countless others. Many of their members participated in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and the January 6th insurrection at the Capital (an event that Paxton himself attended). The Attorney General’s attack against the SAFC sends a clear message: Paxton is more interested in working to protect fascist organizations and their members than he is in helping Texans.
By working to shut down the SAFC, they are creating space for fascists to organize, commit violence, spread hate and participate in actual acts of terror. Their efforts to leave “no stone left unturned” and “no tool left unused” would be better served investigating and shutting down these far right groups. Of course, the state has shown little to no interest in defending oppressed communities from right-wing terrorism.
Already, we’re seeing the far-right cheer on Ken Paxton’s decision. It is clear that our activism against the far-right works, and by explicitly choosing to target our group, Ken Paxton is aiding the far-right by taking legal action against anti-fascists who are shining a light on white supremacist organizing.
Ken Paxton’s hypocrisy is evident in his accusing SAC of “doxxing.” ICE agents and fascists regularly conceal their identities while they commit heinous crimes. The Attorney General fights to protect the identities of people that regularly assault and murder the “American citizens” he claims to care about. Meanwhile, his office spends taxpayer resources to target and upend the lives of organizers who want nothing more than to see an end to the crimes committed by these organizations.
We ask for your support in publicizing what Ken Paxton is doing to organizers in Texas. If you have any connections or are a journalist yourself, please amplify this message. Also, please read about and support the Prairieland Defendants in Dallas that are being locked away on trumped-up charges, as the connection between the state’s repression of them and us cannot be ignored. Similarly, the state is attempting to suppress SAC by creating false accusations and claims just like they did with the Prairieland Defendants. More details about the Prairieland case will be included below, and are also linked elsewhere on our pages.
The Screwston Anti-Fascist Committee maintains our right to protest and organize. We unilaterally believe in the work that we do and the positive impact it has in making our communities a safer place for everyone across and beyond identity lines. We firmly believe in fighting racism and fascism in all of its forms, including both grassroots fascist movements and the very institutions in which the deeper foundations of white supremacy are rooted. The extreme new forms of repression and state terror unfolding against all kinds of working class people across the nation are tied hand in hand with the terror Ken Paxton intends to wield against us and anyone else who openly resists injustice and white supremacy across Texas.
Meanwhile, Paxton himself has been investigated by the FBI on corruption charges (an investigation which resulted in a still unpaid $3 million settlement), was impeached with assistance from his own party over security fraud charges, and still has to sort out an ugly divorce brought by his wife “on biblical grounds.” We will not be intimidated by the performative gestures of a corrupt, incompetent, adulterous divorcee who’s attempting to score political clout by harassing people trying to defend their community. If Paxton wants to investigate “deranged traitors,” maybe he should take a look in the mirror.
Our shop will remain active, and any orders that have been placed will continue to be processed and shipped as usual until further notice.
We stand firmly with all anti-fascist and political prisoners who are already at this very moment locked away by the state. We stand firmly and openly with all who resist the state, police, and ICE. In Minnesota, Houston, LA, Chicago, and everywhere across the globe.
“Treason” against fascism is loyalty to humanity.
Click here to read more about the Prairieland 19.