Congress to Hold Hearing on ‘Antifa’ Violence

The Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a congressional hearing Tuesday on violence and criminal acts tied to Antifa. 

The committee, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas), will hold a hearing titled “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.”  

“Americans have a constitutional right to gather, protest, and otherwise have their voices heard, but they must do so peacefully,” Cruz said in a statement. “Antifa is fundamentally against free-speech and is using peaceful protests as a cover and an excuse to engage in violence and other criminal actions.”

Cruz pointed to Portland, where he said self-proclaimed anti-fascist “criminals are trying to burn down the federal courthouse.”  

“The hearing will highlight how Antifa and other anarchists are hijacking peaceful protests and engaging in political violence that is not only criminal, but antithetical to the First Amendment,” he added.