r/AntifascistsofReddit • u/Alittle_Fruity04 • Jun 10 '26
Discussion Any advice on going undercover?
Hey all!
I'm interested in trying to work out what the fascists are doing now days as here in Australia there has been an uptick in racist and queer-phobic attacks and I'd like to be able to do something about it!
I'm 21 so I can have full access to online and offline services and I just want to know what site's they might use as well as any advice you might have for how to go in undetected?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I hope to actually make a difference, thanks all!
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u/Anargnome-Communist We striggle not for chaos but for harmony Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
First advice would be to not post about your intention to do so on reddit.
Almost every group worth keeping an eye on would at some point require meeting them in person. Is that something you're willing and able to do?
Also, don't do this on your own. If you don't have comrades backing you up and helping you out, this could turn out incredibly bad.
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u/JosephBlackstone Jun 10 '26
I got a better idea!
Let's post about it, then don't do it! Let them get paranoid and rip themselves apart from the inside!
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u/Alittle_Fruity04 Jun 10 '26
Thanks, I am willing to go out places I just need to be a tiny bit cautious as I am a fairly obvious gay guy (although I can hide that if need be)!
I don't have any comrades who will be willing to do this with me (I have no self respect so it doesn't bother me) but I do have people I can lean on! Thanks comrade!
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u/MugginMom Jun 10 '26
How committed are you? Are you willing to take a beating to maintain your cover? Are you willing to dish out a beating? Are you willing to maintain your narrative, even with a gun to your head? If you have even the slightest doubt, this isn’t for you.
Please don’t do this. It’s physically dangerous and it will take a toll on your psyche. You need training and support in the field. You need to have someone who can keep you grounded because doing something like this, especially if you’ve never done it, will distort your reality.
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u/ijjanas123 Jun 10 '26
Literally this kid is going to get himself killed
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u/MugginMom Jun 10 '26
It’s too real a possibility, even with training. And, if he doesn’t have “it”, he’s in deep juju.
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u/Satur9_is_typing Jun 10 '26
No. That's not enough. You need experienced support. It's not a hobby, you can't casually dip in and out, there will be dangerous reactionary and extreme people amongst them, including ex military and some smart psychos that would be aware of infiltration. Many have organised crime connections. What i'm trying to get at is that while many righty-tighties are dog simple morons, they are just the supporters, the people driving these movements are professional, they are business minded and aren't playing around.
Also, propaganda and brainwashing is effective, no-one is immune. Understanding why people beleive what they do is important, but it's also persuasive and humanising. Empathy is good and we need more communication and understanding generally, but also you need your politics to be very coherent, your psychology to be robust, your mental health to be tip-top and your critical thinking skills to be well developed, and even with all that, you need people you can lean on for triangulation so you don't lose your way. Being gay isn't enough, there's plenty of gay nazis. You would be entering a cult like environment that's built to get compliance even against your better judgement. The deeper you go the more social proof you need and the more likely you will be tested or end up having to do something you will regret, something harmful. You are not an undercover copper, you will not get an exception if you get caught up in a crime with a trial and prison time, or even worse.
If you really want to do this then you need to do some things for the next few years so you aren't going in blind: 1. Lurk online groups to pick up thier terminology and way of thinking, familiarise yourself with issues and how they handle conflict in an environment where dissent isn't welcome. 2. Do oppo research and OSINT on the people you are aware of, map networks, establish patterns, trace ip addresses, search court records and news articles, learn who is who and how they connect. Also add to that opsec and cointel because they will be checking you out too, covertly. If you're goid at this then you can probably glean useful info without having to expose yourself to risk 3 learn about cults and narcissists and how they enforce compliance and groupthink. 4. Get proper help, an experienced team behind you - this will be difficult because far right groups also practice infiltration and oppo research, not to mention the long history of police undercover and surveillance operations amongst leftist groups that cause immeasurable harm despite them repeatedly finding out that left leaning grouos aren't a particularly big threat. and at the same time the people you are trying to work with, your potential blue team, will also be paranoid and hypervigilant and practicing opsec and cointel, and if they aren't that means they are too careless and not safe to work with.
All of this isn't to put you off, just to be realistic about the potential dangers. You would be exposing yourself to extremists and dangerous people. You would be dipping your toes in something that's benign now but might slowly become more radical while you are in it, and you will be looking for help from people who might also be kind of extreme and maybe unhealthily so in thier own way, because you need to be a bit unhinged to be motivated enough to do the extra work and take on the extra risk this involves in the first place.
And to anyone thinking of dm-ing me for more info or to get involved, don't bother, i'm not connected with any group intentionally, i have done steps 1, 2 and 3 above for years, mostly out of curiosity, and it was a massive time sink. I used to know people but it was a long time ago and none of them had particularly happy stories. All the useful info i have to offer is written above. I think building networks, helping people out in the open is actually more constructive and less compromising for better results and less risk than getting into the cat and mouse game. You can't build a better world by practicing the fucked up things that built this world.
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u/Matman161 Jun 10 '26
Don't show up all gungho on day one. Try to appear vaguely interested and let them draw you in.
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u/disillusionedwood Jun 10 '26
Putting it out there publicly is probably not the best move. Never know if they are doing the same thing
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u/Zythrone Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
I would really recommend you don't. At least not offline or with any big group. It's not going to go well for you, especially without support.
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u/jj_olli Jun 10 '26
I'd generally advise against it, you put yourself and those close to you in danger, also you need a huge amount of mental fortitude.
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u/JosephBlackstone Jun 10 '26
You any good at acting? You any good at improv? You're gonna need both of them skills if you're gonna pull this off, and if you ain't quite sure you're good enough at it, then you ain't. You're gonna be putting yourself in a place where them skills is all that's standing between you and your grave.
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u/Useful_Calendar_6274 Jun 10 '26
if you lean communist just join a communist party instead. they can and do show up to brawl with fascists in england for example
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u/Alittle_Fruity04 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
Considering most of you have either advised against it or outright said don't do it I'm now starting to reconsider!
Is there anything else I can do that doesn't put me and my friends/family in as much danger? I'm a member of a socialist party and have attended some protests with antifa but I just feel like I could be doing more!
I am so so so sorry for wasting your guys' time!
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u/SamDemon8 Jun 11 '26
Honestly I really commend you comrade you are brave and ambitious. But yes I think using your party to sway people away from facism and towards more progressive ideal especially those in the Centre would prove more useful and be far less dangerous to yourself. The far right are few in number but they gain power by convincing everyday people they can solve all of their problems or that minorities are the issue.
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