In a surprising twist, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has released a statement condemning antifa, the fascist thugs who tore up Berkeley – and innocent bystanders – on Sunday. It is significant that Pelosi named them, as most on her side of the political spectrum have failed to do so (and the media certainly didn’t insist that they do).

Said Pelosi:

“Our democracy has no room for inciting violence or endangering the public, no matter the ideology of those who commit such acts.  The violent actions of people calling themselves antifa in Berkeley this weekend deserve unequivocal condemnation, and the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.

“In California, as across all of our great nation, we have deep reverence for the Constitutional right to peaceful dissent and free speech.  Non-violence is fundamental to that right.  Let us use this sad event to reaffirm that we must never fight hate with hate, and to remember the values of peace, openness and justice that represent the best of America.”

This was exactly the right thing for Pelosi to say, although it is a bit late in coming since antifa has been wreaking havoc for many months now. It remains to be seen if other liberals and Democrats will follow suit.

A petition calling on the White House to designate antifa as a terrorist organization is nearing 325,000 signatures, well past the number needed to compel the White House to respond. This means that pressure will increase on both Democrats and Republicans to denounce antifa and their brownshirt tactics.