I think it's really, really goddamn important that we not throw around designations like "white supremacists" or "Antifa" or "black bloc" or "anarchist" or anything else for the mysterious instigators at this point.
Why?
Well, we don't f***ing know who they are. For the most part, the people who are
totally certain at this juncture are partisans who universally lump them into the group most opposite of their own ton the political spectrum. Here's what we do know:
- There's overwhelming evidence that people not involved in the protests themselves are showing up in the area and instigating much of the property damage and violence--and note that the word is "instigating", because that's the tactic.
- Exacerbating divisions and creating chaos in hopes of spurring systemic change is a tentpole, foundational goal of extremist groups on both ends of the spectrum. That's the concept behind far, far-left black bloc tactics; it's also the basis of the conspiratorial near-theology at the heart of organized white supremacy.
- Those outside actors appear to overwhelmingly be young white men wearing all black.
...and that's all we know at the moment. We know that selfish assholes are using these protests in a way that they
think is a furtherance of their political goals. And yes, quite often, regular protestors or bystanders become participants in the mayhem. Again, that's why it's a tactic, and in riot scenarios groupthink takes over--most people are capable of participating in these actions once the door has been opened (It's extremely common: When the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2009, I witnessed the tiniest, quietest girl from my Spanish 102 class taking down a traffic meter with her friend. Because everyone else was wrecking shit with impunity).
So, at this juncture, I don't think it's correct to be calling anyone "white supremacists" (which is obviously possible) or "Antifa" (which doesn't actually exist, at least not to the extent or in the form that certain people portray it--but that doesn't mean the assholes aren't all the way left). All that does is feed into someone's narrative or another.
The people taking advantage of this situation to exacerbate problems and cause more mayhem are assholes and they should get the shit kicked out of them by both the protestors and police, no matter their affiliations or aims. We just shouldn't be ascribing those affiliations or aims to them without any proof.