To think Trump has run out of plots to lose - threatening Portland Oregon with troops.

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/27/donald-trump-portland-troops-00583380?nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nname=playbook&nrid=87159bb2-52df-4310-86e6-ee8648874c61

Would love to hear from any MNetters across the pond as to the reality of the situation there, is it a "war zone" and how you feel about the situation.

@Eyesopenwideawake yes I know what it means

but generally, groups of crazy people have a similar MO. it's like the left and right "horseshoe" thing.

Someone asked me to read behind the headlines - sorry I shouldn't have used the word headlines. I find it very difficult to get actual information even from the articles. The amount of Wordsalad that's produced is astonishing.

So as this has cropped up in a couple of areas where I know people, I prefer to just ask them.

There's no decent way to know anything solid really. If the midterm elections are cancelled, then I guess that tells me something. But there's a lot of hysteria on here as well, so I just don't know.

there's a lot of stuff going on at the moment in the UK that people have warned about for maybe 20+ years. Possibly longer. We were shouted down then and we're being shouted down again now.

Happily, I have just been in the pub and everything seems relatively normal, although somebody did mention Donald Trump - I managed to get a change of subject in very quickly 😂

alright, no more of this thread for me. Life is surreal enough in the UK!

there's a lot of stuff going on at the moment in the UK that people have warned about for maybe 20+ years. Possibly longer. We were shouted down then and we're being shouted down again now.

About what?

Trump calls anyone who disagrees with him, Antifa. So anyone against fascism is also considered an enemy of Trump.

Ergo Trump is a fascist.

What is it with the conspiracy nut right wing frothing beserkers and their 'Google it' or 'Do your own research'. That's the best they can ever do when making their ignorant and outlandish claims.
Fuck but this place is overrun with Reform shills and racist twats lately.

Same, isn’t that what all the guns are for?

My baby sister lives there and it was a sleepless night last night. She is in a good neighbourhood- £1m+ homes so she is safe but still had helicopters and searchlights all night long.

But they’re not on the side of freedom. They’re on the side of TWAW, communism, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Islamism, and the borderline persecution of anyone who is white, straight and ‘cis’.

They’re sinister as fuck, don’t mistake the enemy of your enemy as your friend. Calling yourself anti fascist doesn’t mean you de facto are.

They are doing one better- a full fancy dress clown circus outside ICE,
I guess he thinks they must all be as dangerous as Batman’s joker the way he over-reacted.

Rioting with guns would just lead to people being killed.

Don't be ridiculous all your life.

Why am I being ridiculous?

@Uggbootsforever Antifa have no central leadership or structure, because it's decentralized, one group’s actions don’t necessarily represent the broader movement. In general, they oppose fascism, white supremacy, and far-right ideologies.

What is ‘opposing fascism’ though?

Because last time I checked, Islamic regimes are much further down the fascist ideology route than the West - extreme misogyny, theocracy, public execution.

Why doesn’t Antifa focus its sights on those before worrying about the States?

I think we all know.

@Uggbootsforever Some Antifa-affiliated individuals have even joined foreign conflicts,like western volunteers fighting alongside Kurdish groups against ISIS in Rojava.

Yet the majority march against people who are doing what they can to prevent extreme Islamist theocracy from spreading.

Talking about 'being on the side of' is ridiculous for anyone over 13.

There's no central global structure so don't have the resources to intervene directly in countries with authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, Iran, China.

Yes, happily i was quoting another poster.

Wow, that's a Trumpian level of lying...well done.

But they’re not on the side of freedom. They’re on the side of TWAW, communism, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Islamism, and the borderline persecution of anyone who is white, straight and ‘cis’.
They’re sinister as fuck, don’t mistake the enemy of your enemy as your friend. Calling yourself anti fascist doesn’t mean you de facto are.

Your words. Not another poster.

IIRC the people being referred to as having been locked up for free speech were prosecuted under the malicious communications act. And the majority of these are abusive men who’ve been convicted for staking/harassing their ex partners by phone or email. I can’t imagine only assume that anyone quoting those figure either a) hasn’t bothered to actually look up what they refer to or b) does know and is pro domestic violence or stalking

In a nutshell, anti-fascists are on the side of freedom from oppression and dictatorships.

^ was the message I was responding to.

Hope that helps.

I'm in NY, not Portland.

The thing is, Portland is not a city known for a high violent crime rate and it's a pretty white city. It's not about crime, it's not about immigration, it's about a show of government force in Democratic majority cities.

It's distraction.

I absolutely agree.

The bots / 'change agents' are hard at work on this thread (and similar threads)

It's hard to know what goes on without being there, yes, but I know people (friends living there as we speak) in California, Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and NY. Both rural and urban areas, so I have a fairly good mix of places that I follow sort of in 'real time'. There are things that are not necessarily being reported on extensively such as how many people show up at town halls really pissed off with their representatives - calling out bullshit is well within their democratic rights by the way. But crime being out of hand in Portland? That's not what I heard. Same with LA when they sent troops there etc. However, what my friends think is that it's all done to get citizens used to the idea of federal troops in blue cities, and for intimidation to do its work over the next year or so. Endgame would be monitoring (well, intimidation/suppression of blue votes) in the midterm elections. That's what Americans I know are starting to think.