An MLS fan base divided
Antifa and the Iron Front
By Sam Bailey, ‘23
In September of 2019, the Iron Front flag was banned by the Major League Soccer Association and thus began the most impactful fan retaliation in American Soccer. The Iron Front was the insignia of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP), established in the late 1800s as a Marxist party of Germany. It gained popularity in response to the rise of the Nazi party in early 1930s Germany, however as this was the only opposing party to said Nazis, they were subsequently voted out and disbanded by force. The SPD (German Abbreviation: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) currently holds a centrist left political position.
According to the 2019 MLS Fan Code of Conduct, the flying of the Iron Front was “prohibited political signage.” This sparked outrage across the United States soccer community, and the resulting backlash was mainstream in its coverage, with ESPN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post all covering the ban itself, and the significance of the actions taken by the MLS. While it's important to understand the meaning behind the Iron Front, it's also important to recognize its attributions and the assumptions connected with it.
For many Portlanders, this is not new information, but the Iron Front has been largely attributed to and used by the Antifa (Antifascist) group, who had a rather prevalent presence in Portland Oregon, and most notably represented in the national media during their presence at the time of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the summer of 2020.
The movement's ideology is summarized by the Anti Defamation League (ADL).
“Antifa’s professed purpose is to vigorously oppose fascism. While some extreme actors who claim to be affiliated with Antifa do engage in violence or vandalism at rallies and events, this is not the norm.”
Despite this, many moderate and right-wing leaning sources have accused Antifa of senseless violence and extremist terrorism. The headline for a Fox News article claims that “Antifa members throw explosives, disperse chemical spray in violent Portland riots.''
The article quoted similar tweets.
“The Antifa throw explosives as they regroup and retreat after launching an attack on the right-wing rally in northeast Portland,” said Twitter user Andy Ngô.
Antifa has largely been painted in an aggressor narrative.
Armed and bearing this logic, the MLS decided it was best that the Iron Front be banned, as it was a rallying point for what some consider to be extremists. This decision was met with strong yet polar opposite opinions.
Many fans thought that this was infringing upon their freedom of expression. Those opposing the ban also argued that Antifa does not stand for anything political. It simply stands for Anti-Fascism, hence the namesake. Antifascism - to them - was objectively a morally correct position regardless of political standing.
Those in support of the ban felt so for mainly two reasons. Groups and teams participating in the usage of this were mainly the Seattle Sounders and their “Gorilla FC and Emerald City Supporters”who were quick to protest the ban on the Iron Front in 2019. However, many in support of the ban felt that soccer was becoming too political and that the MLS had, as Matt Calkins from the Seattle Times wrote, “turned into a political faction with a soccer hobby.”