Anti-fascism is a feminist issue

The existence and growing momentum of the Feminist Anti-Fascist Assembly speaks to the political importance of anti-fascist organising going hand in hand with feminism. It cannot be overstated how central sexism and misogyny are to the far-right’s political agenda. At the same time, it is crucial to address the fact that too often, feminist organisations and campaigns neglect to take bold, radical action against racism and the far right. What’s more, sexism and misogyny are both common and often unchallenged in many anti-fascist groups. Feminist Anti-Fascist Assembly seeks to develop an inclusive political space which addresses both of these problems and builds a movement that is capable of defeating the far-right both politically and in the streets. FAF is not just about the dynamics of our organising spaces, though that is of course essential. It’s also about a fundamental understanding that fascism and the patriarchy are two heads of the same snake – and we cannot effectively fight one without fighting the other. Throughout history, in whatever country they are strong, the far right have promoted and perpetuated oppressive patriarchal norms, from restrictions on women’s bodily autonomy, limiting access to abortion, to enforcing rigid gender roles, to legitimising sexual violence and more. You only have to look at the comments on FAF’s social media that are about “women getting back to the kitchen” or telling us to stop “complaining” to see how widespread and normal misogyny has become. So today, as we see the far right surging internationally, we also see attacks against women being entrenched – for example, in the UK on average two women are killed by their partner or ex-partner every week. In response what we are also seeing is a beautiful, militant and inspiring global alliance of women fighting back against their oppressors, and leading the struggle against both sexism and fascism.

Hope Worsdale in Anti-fascism is a feminist issue (Redpepper)