Antifa’s Playbook: The Left’s “Idea” of Organized Chaos

Written by David E. Smith

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel recently went on air to tell Americans that Antifa, designated by the Trump administration as a “major terrorist organization,” doesn’t exist. Ironically, Joe Biden said much the same during the 2020 debates, calling Antifa “an idea, not an organization.”

Many Democrats and their allies in the media have repeated that line for years. But if Antifa is merely an “idea,” not an organized movement bent on chaos and intimidation, then there’s no way to confront or curtail it under the law. Ironically, while dismissing concerns about Antifa’s existence, they also refuse to condemn the violence and destruction carried out in its name.

To deny its existence is not innocence; it’s either strategy or complicity.

A so-called “Antifa Manual,” reportedly found at Evergreen College, lays out the movement’s tactics in disturbing detail. Whether authentic or not, its content mirrors what we’ve seen on America’s streets. It urges activists to weaponize identity, infiltrate media, and use any means necessary—lies, coercion, even violence—to silence opposition. When all else fails, it says, “compare someone to Hitler.”

Sound familiar?

The manual celebrates victimhood as power: “You are Black first and American second… Gay or Lesbian first and American third.” It tells followers to gain influence in the media and “obfuscate” their true goals on social platforms—using those same platforms to “slap down” dissenters with charges of racism, homophobia, or fascism. It even outlines how to threaten the livelihoods of those who speak against the movement.

The final objective is chillingly clear: a “New World Order” where dissent is outlawed in the name of tolerance. As the document puts it, “use violence and hatred as tools” to usher in the new order.

That’s not an idea—it’s an operation.

As American Thinker recently noted, Antifa has become the street arm of a larger left-wing insurgency. Its ranks are filled with indoctrinated activists funded and shielded by well-connected elites—an ecosystem of NGOs, radical donors, and sympathetic media outlets. Local officials in blue cities often turn a blind eye as these militants vandalize property, assault police, and disrupt lawful assemblies. They know the chaos serves a purpose: instilling fear to suppress dissent.

This is how modern radicalism works.

Step one: Delegitimize opponents—call them racists, homophobes, fascists, “jack-booted thugs” or Nazis.

Step two: Control the narrative—embed sympathizers in media and education.

Step three: Enforce conformity—dox, boycott, and ruin the reputations of dissenters.

Step four: Escalate—riot, burn, and physically threaten to ensure fear and intimidation replaces dialogue.

Every totalitarian movement in history has followed this same script. Antifa simply updated it for the digital age.

Meanwhile, the mainstream press keeps running interference. Outlets like CNN and others publish “fluff” profiles of Antifa, portraying them as misunderstood idealists instead of violent enforcers. This is not journalism—it’s public relations for anarchists. By whitewashing street violence as “anti-fascist activism,” they embolden it.

The solution is not despair—it’s exposure. It’s calling them out for the very things they are accusing Christians and conservatives of doing. It’s confronting their gaslighting techniques and lies with truth.

Christian patriots must call out these tactics wherever they appear: in universities, media, or online. When mobs weaponize identity politics to silence debate, say so plainly. When officials ignore lawlessness for political convenience, demand accountability. And when journalists excuse violence, refuse to play along.

Free speech means nothing if those who attempt to speak are silenced by fear. We are to boldly speak truth in love, knowing that when we do, we will likely incur persecution and hatred. Jesus warns us that will happen in John 15:18-25. And ask the Lord to give you boldness and wisdom so that you can please God and fulfill your role as His ambassador. (Acts 4:29; James 1:5; 2 Corinthians 5:20)

We must also understand that law and order collapse when Antifa or similar mobs defy and obstruct the law—or presume to decide who must obey it, and when or where it should be enforced.

Antifa’s “idea” is simple: cause chaos through violence and intimidation for the purpose of instilling fear, leading to division and ultimately gaining power. Its goal is to dismantle the traditional moral and civic framework that holds America together—faith, family, law, and truth. That’s why their fury is directed not only at conservatives but at Christianity itself. The biblical worldview stands in direct opposition to their creed of relativism and rage.

We can’t afford to laugh this off, as Jimmy Kimmel does. Nor can we ignore it, as the legacy media does. The Antifa playbook isn’t satire—it’s strategy. And until Americans recognize it as such, the radicals will keep using the same tactics to divide, demoralize, and dominate.

Their “idea” thrives in darkness. If we are God’s light in this world (Matthew 5:14), it’s time we turn on that light and expose their lies and tactics. Darkness can’t exist when light is present. (John 1:5)

Read/Watch More:

Antifa: Ideology or Organization?

Exposing Antifa With Harmeet Dhillon

Trump Should Take A Page From The First Red Scare And Start Raiding Antifa Terror Cells

Veteran Journalist Flips Script on Media ‘Running Cover’ for Antifa Violence

Transantifa