Green & Red Podcast: "Antifa Spy Networks Expose the Radical Right" with Chris Mathias (G&R 461)

Date: February 3, 2026
Hosts: Bob Buzzanco (BB) & Scott Parkin (SP)
Guest: Chris Mathias (CM), journalist and author of To Catch a Fascist

Episode Overview

This timely episode delves into the world of Antifa, exploring its history, tactics, key players, and ongoing impact in the struggle against the radical right in America. Journalist Chris Mathias, whose new book To Catch a Fascist demystifies Antifa and its methods, joins Bob Buzzanco and Scott Parkin to dissect the group’s real function, successes, mythologies, and the dangerous parallels between state and far-right forces. The conversation is enriched with reporting from Charlottesville, personal stories, and fresh insights into antifascist doxxing, infiltration, and grassroots organizing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Charlottesville Turning Point and Antifa’s Role

• Charlottesville, 2017 Experience
  • CM traveled to Charlottesville as a green reporter and witnessed firsthand the violence and the emotional aftermath:

    “I don't think there's anyone who went to Charlottesville... whose life wasn't completely changed by that day.” (01:50–03:00, CM)

  • Discusses the presence of an "antifascist spy" in the planning server before the rally, gathering intelligence on far-right intentions.
  • Introduces the recurring theme: Antifa as a Cassandra entity—accurately predicting fascist violence, yet often ignored by officials.

    "Anti fascists are so good at monitoring the far right... it's a Cassandra story, because they know this. They're warning people, but no one will listen to them." (05:00, CM)

2. What Is Antifa? Demystifying the Movement

• Myth-busting Definitions
  • Antifa is not just a general term for anti-fascists, but a specific, decentralized network with shared tactics and values:

    “Antifa is real and it refers to a specific thing. ...an underground network of radical leftists, anarchists, socialists and communists... When it comes to combating the far, they agree on some very basic tenets: confront fascists, deny them a platform, and never trust the state.” (07:00–08:00, CM)

  • Historical nod to groups like Anti Racist Action and the Baldies, whose direct action and political evolution laid groundwork for today’s activisms.
  • Antifa's composition: working and middle-class Americans from all walks of life, defending their communities.

3. The Right’s Villainization and the Battle of Narratives

• Fascist Myths & Propaganda
  • The far right has always known about Antifa and made them out to be both omnipresent threats and weak caricatures:

    “The way the far right talks about Antifa... is a dynamic you see in fascist politics — your opponents are simultaneously all powerful and everywhere and also very weak.” (11:41, CM)

  • Campaigns to label Antifa as a domestic terror group are rooted in distraction and false equivalency, not genuine fear.
  • Right-wing attacks include conspiracy theories about Soros funding, outside agitation, and scapegoating (e.g., January 6th, George Floyd protests).
  • Shifting public perceptions:

    “I don't know if they'd gone to the well too much, but it's just become this obligatory... and even, especially now with the last two Minnesota killings, that was their first...and nobody believes that anymore.” (17:26–19:47, BB & CM)

4. Antifascist Tactics: Doxxing, Infiltration, and Sabotage

• Doxxing: Historical Context & Modern Methods
  • CM reframes doxxing as unmasking fascists, akin to "ripping off the white hood":

    "Doxxing in the antifascist sense... is the modern digital equivalent of ripping the white hood off a Klansman and seeing who's underneath." (21:43, CM)

  • Grassroots research, open source investigations, strategic pressure campaigns on employers and communities.
• Infiltration: The Vincent Story
  • Details Vincent's undercover operation in Patriot Front:
    • Identified ~80 members
    • Sabotaged their marches and logistics
    • Publicly embarrassed the group with stunts (Playing "Bella Ciao" on their server, burning their uniforms)

    “He just says, you know what? I'm done talking. And he presses play and plays like this version of Bella Chow, like the anti fascist anthem.” (28:34, CM)

• Collaborations with Progressive Media
  • Antifa research quietly underpinned thousands of news stories, and was used by journalists (CM, ProPublica, BuzzFeed, etc.) despite mainstream hesitancy.

5. Law Enforcement & Far-Right Collusion

• Police and State Involvement
  • Repeated links between law enforcement and white supremacist groups, both as sympathizers and members
    • Example: Richard Spencer's bodyguard later exposed as a Massachusetts police officer
    • ICE agents displaying far-right symbols
  • Explains why Antifa does not cooperate with police:

    “They see them as law enforcement shared projects with white supremacy. ...police forces in America got their start as slave catchers and slave patrollers.” (33:34, CM)

6. Risks for Journalists and Activists

• Repercussions of Exposure
  • CM recounts targeted harassment from far-right actors after exposing neo-Nazis:
    • Doxxing threats to himself and family
    • “My mom received multiple death threats, including a phone call telling her that I had been killed and to come pick up... my body.” (36:09, CM)
  • Emphasizes why antifascists operate anonymously

7. Current Moment: Shifting Narratives and the “We Protect Us” Ethic

• Grassroots Movements against ICE and Fascism
  • Not just antifa, but broader militant tactics used in Minneapolis “bear a strong resemblance” to past antifascist uprisings:

    “It is essentially all the tactics that are being used are militant anti fascist tactics...” (18:17, CM)

  • “We Protect Us” as a living principle: communities rely on themselves, not Democratic Party or police, for defense and support

8. "The Fire Brigades" — Antifa as Front Line, Not Final Solution

• Metaphor and Mission
  • Drawing from Scott Crow, Antifa is the “fire brigade,” focused on immediate, urgent defense rather than broad social transformation:

    “Antifa's just like the front line of defense... the larger project of creating a more equitable world is a much bigger project." (43:13, CM)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Going Undercover:

  “He goes undercover into Patriot Front for about six months and basically method acts to be a Nazi and ends up... really fucking up their shit.” (25:46, CM)

• On Media Reluctance:

  “...in the month, two months after Charlottesville, those op ed sections spent more time denouncing the people punching Nazis than actually denouncing Nazis...” (31:09–32:21, CM)

• On Fascist Tactics:

  “Fascists wear masks... in hopes of creating a world in which they won't wear masks at all. Over the past 10 years, it was different fascist groups hiding behind masks. Now it's armed agents of the state.” (39:04–42:21, CM)

• Closing Reflection:

  “Part of Anti Fascism is... a politics of hope against all odds. And you are always fighting for a world... that you might not live to see, but that you will experience victories along the way that will be meaningful.” (45:13, CM)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Charlottesville & Antifa’s Rise — 01:14–06:21
• Defining Antifa & Roots — 06:21–11:26
• Far-Right Campaigns Against Antifa — 11:26–15:59
• Doxxing & Espionage (Vincent Story) — 21:43–28:34
• Media, Mainstream Collaborations — 29:17–32:21
• Law Enforcement Collusion — 32:50–36:04
• Retaliation Against Journalists/Activists — 36:04–38:13
• "We Protect Us" & Grassroots Organizing — 39:04–43:13
• "Fire Brigades" as Metaphor and Mission — 43:13–44:44

Tone & Style

Throughout, the conversation blends sobering candor with a sense of scrappy optimism and humor. The hosts and guest speak in plain but vivid language, alternating between journalistic rigor, personal storytelling, and accessible political analysis. The tone resists sensationalism, aiming instead for clarity and demystification of Antifa while highlighting real stakes and risks within antifascist and journalistic work.

Conclusion

Chris Mathias’s insights and his new book, To Catch a Fascist, offer a grounded, clear-eyed account of Antifa as both a tactical frontline defense against rising fascism and a lightning rod for political mythmaking. The episode emphasizes the necessity of grassroots vigilance, community self-defense, and underscores that while Antifa can disrupt and deter, broader change requires an even more expansive and unified movement.

Listen for more:

• To Catch a Fascist available now
• Further work by Chris Mathias in The Guardian, Sato, The Nation
• Connect with Green & Red Podcast on social platforms for ongoing radical conversations