>> Tucker: WELL, THE VIOLENT
LEFT IS A GROWING FORCE IN
AMERICAN POLITICS AND LIFE.
FROM WASHINGTON TO PORTLAND,
OREGON, TO THE BAY AREA.
AND YET EVEN NOW MOVEMENTS
LIKE ANTIFA REMAIN MOSTLY
MYSTERIOUS TO NEWS CONSUMERS.
MOST OF THE TIME YOU SEE THEM
WHEN THEY RIOT.
30-SECOND CLIPS AND THAT IS
IT.
WHAT IS IT LIKE INSIDE THE
GROUPS?
WHAT MOTIVATES THEIR MEMBERS?
CONNOR BARNES SPENT YEARS AS
PART OF AN ANARCHIST
COMMUNITY.
HE LATER LEFT THE MOVEMENT AND
PUBLISHED REMARKABLE ESSAY
ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES.
AND CONNOR JOINS US.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
I WAS STRUCK BY YOUR PEACE.
I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER -- I
WAS STRUCK BY YOUR PEACE.
I DON'T THINK, I KNOW I NEVER
READ A PIECE ABOUT THE CENTER
OF THIS.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR
POLITICS ARE AND I WON'T ASK
YOU.
YOU DESCRIBED THIS AS A
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY ALMOST.
>> THERE A REALLY STRONG
FAITH-BASED COMPONENT.
YOU BECOME ABSOLUTELY SURE
THAT YOU ARE RIGHT.
AND NOTHING IS GOING TO SWAY
YOU FROM IT.
YOU SET YOUR COURSE AND YOU
FIGURED IT OUT.
>> Tucker: IT DOESN'T SEEM
FROM YOUR DESCRIPTION LIKE
THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER
INPUTS COMING IN THE CELL.
LIKE IT WAS SELF-REFERENTIAL.
YOU TALK ONLY TO PEOPLE YOU
ARE IN IT WITH.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU
VINCEED YOURSELF OF OR --
CONVINCED YOURSELF OR WERE
CONVINCED OF IN THE CELL?
>> HMM-MM.
OH, GOSH.
EVERYTHING.
YOU WERE ABLE TO FIND WHAT WAS
WRONG WITH EVERYTHING FROM
SCHOOL TO GOVERNMENT, TO
POLICE, TO ANY INTERACTION
PEOPLE HAD.
YOU CAN FIND WHAT IS WRONG
WITH IT.
IT'S NOT A HAPPY WAY TO LIVE.
>> Tucker: WHAT WAS YOUR
VIEW OF VIOLENCE?
>> VIOLENCE, THERE IS SHIFTY
WAY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT.
DIRECT ACTION AND DIVERSITY OF
THE TACTICS, A SUBTLE WAY TO
SAY IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO BE
VIOLENT WE'LL TURN OUR HEAD
AND BE OKAY WITH IT.
>> Tucker: SO IT'S NOT A
NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT?
>> NO, NO, NO.
>> Tucker: HOW DID YOU GET
INTO IT?
>> I WAS A PRETTY UNHAPPY
TEENAGER.
I'M TOLD THAT HAPPENS A LOT TO
TEENAGERS.
I WENT LOOKING FOR AN
EXPLANATION.
I ENDED UP READING A LOT OF
RADICAL LITERATURE AND I FOUND
MORE AND MORE RADICAL
LITERATURE UNTIL I FOUND
THINGS THAT EXPLAINED
HAPPINESS WASN'T SOMETHING YOU
HAD MORE CONTROL OVER.
CAPITALISM WAS KEEPING YOU
DOWN.
>> Tucker: YES.
WHAT SPURRED YOU TO LEAVE IT?
>> THERE WERE, I THINK TWO
COMPONENTS.
THERE WAS, THERE ARE NASTY
PEOPLE IN SCENE.
I GOT MIXED UP WITH SOMEBODY
AND THAT SHOOK ME OUT OF MY
HEAD SPACE AND FORCED ME TO
RECONSIDER THINGS.
I STARTED READING WIDER AND
WIDER LITERATURE AND I
ENCOUNTERED GRADUAL THINGS
THAT MADE ME GO, OH, THAT
CHANGES, THAT CAN'T BE TRUE.
YOU GET SHOCKED OUT OF THE
CULT.
BIT BY BIT.
>> Tucker: INTERESTING.
CONNOR BARNES, I WANT TO SAY
AGAIN TO THE AUDIENCE IF YOU
HAVEN'T READ THE PIECE ON
