While I'd prefer peaceful resolutions to our problems, I fully understand why left leaning groups are becoming more radicalized. There is little compromise with the theocrats who want to eliminate or subjugate various minority and underrepresented groups within our society, continually hand more and more power to corporations, wholeheartedly believe the end of days is coming once Israel fully takes control of the holy land, and will scream "Second Amendment" and "Crisis Actors" every time kids are killed in school shootings. They violently stormed the US Capitol many of whole had intent to kill Senators and Representatives.

There is no compromise or peaceful resolution with people who want to hurt you or worse because their pastor said you're a demonic sinner who must be cleansed from the earth.

Does that make me a fascist?

No, it makes you a person that probably won't do squat to stop fascists.

It's no coincidence wthat it's only radicals that show up to physically confront fascists while the so-called "enlightened centrists" do nothing but heckle from the sidelines.

Maybe with another organization you would have a point, but in the case of the FBI which has been known to aid and recruit fascists I don’t see this holding any water.

Radicals aren't the same as extremists. And that is an important distinction to understand when dealing with politics. Being armed and willing to defend yourself isn't an act of extremism. Being violent towards violent fascists isn't extremism. It's community defense. When you break down politics into it's most base element, it's about the distribution of the legitimate use of violence. Understanding and working within that framework isn't extremism, it's politics 101. Philosophy Tube has a good video on this in relation to fascism. Skip to ~20 mins in for the violence bit.

The problem is that letting fascist types run rampant and hoping they'll just go away historically doesn't tend to work out well.

I live in Portland. Up until 2021 or so fascists, proud boys, Patriot prayer, etc. All ran rampant in cahoots with local law enforcement. People were menaced, paintballed, attacked and all that. It sucked. The sniveling mayor begged those groups not to come in (they're never local) and act like that. Shockingly they did anyway.

Portland fought back

It was unpleasant, but it worked. Those assholes haven't tried to have their gatherings here in a couple of years. Self described antifa groups are still on edge but have largely diminished in activity. You don't see antifa rallies designed to menace going out to the surrounding small towns where those assholes largely come from. Unless you're sporting some obviously fash flair pretty much everyone gets left alone in town.

Both sides are not the same

So would you label “maga” as heavily armed and radicalised?

For most of Lemmy, yes, that makes you a fascist.

Yeah, actually, it kinda does.

Not untrue, but antifa in general would cease to exist if fascists stopped coming to cities to menace people

The use or sharing of these symbols or phrases alone should not independently be considered evidence of AVE presence or affiliation or serve as an indicator of illegal activity.

-FBI, in the document referenced.