Yvette Felarca: heroine? ... or terrorist?

The BBQ Pit
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Here is a video of Yvette Felarca, an organizer for BAMN, being interviewed. She has a wound dressing on her forehead. This was after she was allegedly attacked by a neo-Nazi though I didn’t find a YouTube of the attack on Youtube … perhaps that attack is another Alternate Fact.

magellan01 linked to a video of Yvette Felarca assaulting a white supremacist, though not mentioning her by name. My understanding is that this video was taken shortly before the attack against Ms. Felarca, and the interview in first link. BAMN is a militant organization which, according to one blogger, “is an antifa cult, led (in part) by Yvette Felarca, that literally kidnaps teenagers, forces them to defoo their families and serve in their militant antifa organization.” (What does ‘defoo’ mean?)

I had never heard of Ms. Felarca nor of BAMN until I clicked on Magellan’s video. Searching shows she has never been mentioned at SDMB (unless her name was truncated or misspelled). BAMN had one passing mention:

I don’t fully understand the erislover post (which is much longer than the excerpts) but I don’t think he’s pro-BAMN or pro-Felarca. Neither is Magellan:

I think Magellan has some of his facts wrong. The protest was from June 2016 and took place in Sacramento. Ms. Felarca is a Berkeley Middle School teacher, not a UCB professor.

More significantly, Ms. Felarca’s fists were only tickling the big strong guy (who holds a weapon, but deploys it unsuccessfully if at all). The cops did step in, when the guy started getting kicked. And “the lone protestor” had friend(s) who showed up with a knife and wounded Ms. Felarca. Anyway, I have mixed feelings. I’m not pleased that BAMN is kidnapping children and forcing them to riot. :eek: But watching Ms. Felarca be interviewd I find myself admiring her, and wishing I were young again. :smiley:

My first urge was to Pit magellan01. I suppose Ms. Felarca’s “attack” on big neo-Nazi was technically assault, but magellan01’s whining seems so typical of the right-wing scum now taking over America. They complain that whites are oppressed, laugh when Trump’s goons beat up blacks, but post as above, wanting us to know that Neo-Nazis are special snowflakes too, and need the cops to ward off Ms. Felarca’s petite fists.

I object to the kicking of unnamed “neo-Nazi”, but magellan01 wanted Ms. Felarca arrested when she was just pushing him.

So … I leave it to Dopers. Is she a heroine? a terrorist? or just another American with justifiable anger leaving in interesting times?

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Bonus question: what does “antifa” mean?

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Anti-fascist. Revolutionary groups come up with cutest abbreviations.

Total adorbs!

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That’s “totes adorbs” to you, fascist scum!

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“Totes” adorbs, surely.

And thank you.

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Antifascist. Bunch of gits with axe handles and an urge to use them. They’re the left’s answer to nazi skinheads, except justified by the latter’s aggression.

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Fa-Scu!

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In my opinion, she’s neither heroine nor terrorist. She did strike another person and that’s a generally crime. I agree it’s not the crime of the century, but it’s not correct to laugh it off as “tickling,” and even if it were tickling, unwanted tickling is still assault and everyone, even neo-Nazis, are entitled to the protection of the law.

It’s not clear to me if the man identified as a neo-Nazi also committed some crime that the video does not show. We do not, in other words, have the whole story, and I’d prefer to withhold judgement until I hear a complete explanation of events.

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At least her fake bandage was amusing.

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It was either assault, or self defense, depending on what really happened - and what led up to it.

It was NOT terror.

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If the attack is “technically” assault, then I want her “technically” arrested – and for her to get “technically” fined, and to “technically” serve time behind bars.

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Terrorism? Just how panicky are we these days?

TERRORISM!!

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I suppose it’s possible that it’s self-defense, but I can’t imagine what unseen events might make it so.

California does not have a “stand your ground” law. The video clearly shows Ms. Felarca pushing forward to strike the unnamed male. Self-defense in California (outside the home) includes a duty to retreat and only authorizes the use of force if retreat is not feasible.

So I agree we need the whole story, but I’m having trouble coming up with a scenario that makes her visible actions into self-defense. Maybe it’s a failure of imagination on my part – what were you thinking?

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I said " … either assault, or self defense, depending … "

Lots of words that mean “shit if I know”. Did he take a swipe at her? Did he pose some sort of real threat? “Shit if I know”.

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You seem to have left out the “technically” convicted in a court of law.
But then, this is the Trump era of justice.

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He hit her in the fist with his ribs.

Regards,
Shodan

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Guilty! String him up :smiley:

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Oh, hey, I’d want that too; I want rather a lot of things. After all, I’d sure like for her to “technically” be read her rights, and to be “technically” provided with a lawyer if she can’t afford one; and, with any luck, maybe she’ll “technically” come to see the error of her ways and “technically” apologize to the guy on live national television.

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Ms. Felarca certainly wasn’t acting in self-defense, at least in any strict sense, nor did she claim to. She brags that her organization is “militant” and uses “any means necessary.” She told the neo-Nazi to “Get off our street,” referring to the public street.

I never doubted that she was guilty of assault and apologize to any who thought that was my question. :rolleyes: I think the cops were correct and showed admirable restraint by intervening only when bodily injury was threatened. (The cops used clubs rather than guns?? We could have guessed this took place in a Western or Northeastern state — cops in Trumpland are trained to use only deadly force.)

I doubt that BAMN’s approach will do any good — it will only serve to further enrage and stupefy the enraged stupid people. Nor do I approve of violence: it was peaceful disobedience that led to the Civil Rights victories of the 1960’s.

But I can’t help liking and admiring her! Whatever one thinks of her methods, at least she’s trying to stand up to the on-going tragedy America has become. Many of us just say “Don’t blame me! I cast my one vote. Maybe I’ll cast another one in 2 or 4 years.” How well is that working out for all y’all?

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A short, short way to run.