A-Infos (en) Czech, AFED: Too bad a blow that falls by the wayside - Review of a book about Czech anti-fascism from the perspective of an AFA member (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

It's hard to believe, but already three years ago, the book My Life 
Antifa, written by a member of the AFA (Anti-Fascist Action) under the 
pseudonym Peter Cricket, was published without notice. Perhaps it will 
be because the book is only published as an e-book, and that in English, 
although today it also boasts a Polish and Portuguese translation, but 
inexplicably does not have a Czech version. Equally surprising is that 
the book has its own website and even a live promo VIDEO. ---- Just as 
it took me a while to hear about this book, it took me a while to write 
this review.

The book is written in the form of short notes, starting from the 
author's childhood, through his adolescence and up to many years of 
functioning within the framework of organized anti-fascism. Twenty 
years, a hundred notes. It reveals to us his motivation, family 
background, approach to things. There is no strict chronology in the 
part where specific anti-fascist activities are dealt with, but rather 
it is laid out in such a way that it somehow follows on from one 
another. And that is mainly due to the description of the author's 
motivations, lessons and consequences that the years of militant 
anti-fascism left on his person. The book is not long, it has 244 pages 
including the notepad, and you can devour it in one sitting. Not only 
because of the form, but mainly because of the content. The short notes 
are reminiscent of the book Výchova nacku v Cechá, but here it is no 
longer just a description of battles, so the reading is much more engaging.

It was very interesting to read something from an AFA "insider" because 
although I am no newcomer to the movement, its workings remained 
shrouded in secrecy. The "AFA people" were never talked about much, a 
security culture was maintained, sometimes even slightly paranoid. We 
appreciated their invisible work and they impressed us in something. 
Over the years, one has heard various stories of events, whether 
physical confrontations or off-street achievements, and the entries in 
the book confirm that such things were indeed possible. An almost 
professional approach to the matter (although the author of the book 
claims that it is semi-professional), incredible commitment, monitoring 
of the Nazis, putting the intelligence services and the police to shame. 
Lots of stories about where a prominent figure got beaten, how they 
defended a concert or how they set up an ambush. How they conducted 
psychological operations. All this brought about successes and 
victories, from which the movement benefits to some extent even today.

And the related inevitable consequences for the author, if no longer 
legal, then on the level of personal life and in relation to his 
surroundings. He admits that it was not a fight between good and evil, 
the neo-Nazis were political opponents for him, and violence against 
them was simply one of the means to gain the upper hand. And as 
organized neo-Nazis disappeared from the streets, even this form of 
anti-fascism ceased to make sense. Racists and fascists in jackets, 
sitting in the parliamentary benches, have to be fought differently if 
it is to bring success.

I would recommend the book for reading both to people who experienced 
the given period and to those who were no longer affected by it. Either 
out of a certain nostalgia, or out of a desire to reveal the functioning 
of AFA in the Czech Republic, which was very specific compared to the 
surrounding countries.

The book is available for purchase as an e-book, both in pdf, epub and 
kindle versions. On mylifeantifa.com you can also find a sample for free 
download. It also includes several posters and artwork. By buying the 
book, you support the NERO collective, an informal organization that 
helps Roma children spend their free time meaningfully.

Peter Cricket: My Life Antifa. 2021. 244 pages, EUR6. Available for 
purchase at mylifeantifa.com.

https://www.afed.cz/text/8205/skoda-rany-ktera-padne-vedle
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