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Hurricane Harvey: Antifa are on the ground in Texas helping flooding relief efforts

Politics put aside to help thousands displaced by worst US storm in 10-years

Lydia Smith
Thursday 31 August 2017 12:53 BST
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People form a human chain to save an elderly man whose car is trapped in flood waters caused by Storm Harvey

Political differences have been put aside as people pitch in to help with the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.

Activists from the anti-fascist movement known as antifa have recently come under fire because some - but not all - employ militant tactics and use violence as a means of getting their message across.

But now some of the group - a loose coalition of left-wing groups who oppose fascism, racism and sexism - are reportedly assisting with search and rescue and first aid.

Others claim to have established shelters in poorer neighbourhoods and areas that may be overlooked by larger organisations.

“When real disaster strikes, people put aside what they think about the world and begin to help each other directly,” a relief worker, identified as Scott Crow, told the Revere Press website.

"Gonzo journalist" and self declared anti-fascist, Kit O'Connell also said members of the group were helping with the relief effort.

"Even though we’re not wearing our masks, antifa in Texas are in the streets, saving lives, feeding folks and organising," he wrote in an article for the Medium website.

At least 38 people have been killed as a result of the storm and more than 30,000 have been displaced in Texas alone.

Anti-fascists have been involved in a series of clashes with far-right groups across the US over the course of this year.

A largely peaceful demonstration at Martin Luther King Civic Center Park in Berkeley, California saw violence erupt between the groups.

Police made 10 arrests and used tear gas to disperse the counter-protesters.

The incident lead Trump supporters and conservatives to condemn Antifa members and some have called for the group to be formally recognised as a terrorist organisation.

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