Posters speaking out against fascism and advertising an organization called “Upstate Antifa” (UA) were found across Clemson University’s campus and the surrounding community over the weekend.
Reports on social media show that posters have been found in multiple areas of campus, including near Sikes Hall and Fort Hill.
A few days earlier, similar posters were spotted on a bench outside Fort Hill Presbyterian Church in downtown Clemson, according to a post on Reddit. The posters featured the same imagery and stated, “Fascism is not to be debated. It is to be smashed.”
Some students have expressed concern about the posters.
“Violent extremism in the name of political activism will not go unchallenged in Clemson, South Carolina. Upstate Antifa promotes violence and property destruction, and its operatives are too cowardly to openly show their faces,” senior civil engineering major Mitchell Gunter said. “This is the same strain of organization that brought … on destruction and injuries to UC Berkeley.”
Some students, however, think otherwise.
According to Upstate Antifa’s Facebook page, the group’s purpose is, “Fighting against fascism, racism, misogyny, and bigotry in Upstate SC.”
Upstate Antifa’s upcoming event, “Not My President: March against Fascism & White Supremacy,” will take place March 4 to counter protest a pro-Trump rally planned for the same day in Greer, South Carolina.
The Tiger has reached out to Upstate Antifa for comment.
UPDATE (5:35 pm):
UA was also accused of throwing away copies of The TigerTown Observer, a magazine publication on campus.
The representative for UA denied their alleged involvement in the removal of TigerTown Observer (TTO) magazines. The rep. said that while “[UA] did put flyers on the [TTO] bin,” they “did not throw copies of the [magazine] away. We do nothing without good reason.”
In response to their placement of their materials, the representative also said, “The materials placed around campus were a direct response to the the distribution of Klan recruitment propaganda in the upstate. Many communities, including some of our own neighborhoods, were targeted. The police, university administration and media’s response was completely inadequate.”
