OPINION | Barry Richard: The Alt-Left Antifa Thugs Are Not Heroes

I have heard and seen some pretty outrageous things since it all hit the fan in Charlottesville on Saturday but this one is about as repulsive as it gets. There is a meme circulating on social media today comparing the alt-left Antifa thugs to the brave heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy on what is now known as D-Day.

24 thousand American, British and Canadian troops waded ashore in stormy seas and under heavy enemy fire on June 6, 1944 as part of Operation Neptune. It was part of a larger campaign known as Operation Overlord which led to the liberation of northwestern Europe which was occupied by Nazi Germany.

Five allied beachfronts were established on D-Day. The invasion contributed to allied victories on the Western Front and the eventual defeat of the Nazi machine. Success came with a heavy price as the Allies suffered at least 10 thousand casualties and 4 thousand 414 fatalities.

The men and women who stood up to fascism have been referred to as "The Greatest Generation." There weren't many sniveling snowflakes among them. When the nation was under fire they responded by heading to the recruitment centers, the factories and the  shipyards. They sacrificed what it took to get the job done. They were our parents and grandparents. Our leaders. Our heroes. When the fighting was over they made our country the greatest and strongest nation the world has ever seen.

To even try to compare this generation of heroes to the violent radicals on either side of the political spectrum that are feeding this frenzy of hate is insulting, demeaning and morally reprehensible.

Lets clear something up right here. The thugs on the left who mixed it up with the equally disgusting thugs on the right in Charlottesville on Saturday are no heroes. Just because their sparring partners on that day represent some of the worst of America does not make them champions. Antifa and other like-groups who use violence to make their point are terrorists and should be classified as such.

The Antifa crowd's main objective is to snuff out all free speech rights through the use of violence. They call for the killing of police officers and burn buildings rather than listen to a gay man speak at U-C Berkley. They want to sanitize the history of this nation until it meets their version of reality. Much like Stalin, The Taliban and ISIS have tried to do.

Wake up America.

Editor's Note: Barry Richard is the afternoon host on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from Noon-3pm. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.