The gun company behind an advertisement that showcased men brandishing assault rifles in front of a group of antifa protesters is offering "zero apologizes" for standing up to "socialist, anarchist, and communist rioters."
Spike's Tactical, a gun company based in Florida, published an illustration on its Facebook page on January 7 with four armed white men standing behind a barricade opposite a group of masked protesters with their fists in the air. "Not Today Antifa" is printed across the top of the advertisement with a logo for Spike's Tactical and Pipe Hitters Union, a Texas-based apparel company, along the bottom.
"We offer zero apologies to anyone that is offended by this advertisement that depicts armed, but peaceful, patriotic Americans standing up against socialist, anarchist, and communist rioters," the companies told VICE News. "We apologize to no one. If we were to make an apology, that would suggest that we have done something wrong or regret our actions, which is not the case."
The companies said the advertisement is not advocating violence, but depicting a group of "unlawful attackers" and "lawful defenders." The antifa organization the advertisement references is a shortened version of "anti-fascist." The antifa generally encompasses a liberal-leaning group that opposes authoritarian leadership and works to counter-protest white nationalism and Nazism in the U.S. In 2016, the activities of antifa groups were classified by the Department of Homeland Security as "domestic terrorist violence."
Related: "Not Today Antifa" gun company ad threatens leftists with assault rifles
The advertisement calls out the locations of several political rallies that took place last year, including Berkeley, California; Portland, Oregon; Boston; and Charlottesville, Virginia.
In Charlottesville in August, neo-Nazis and white supremacists arrived at a rally heavily armed, and a driver struck a peaceful counterprotester with his car, killing her and injuring 35 others.
The original Facebook post drew more than 2,000 comments as of Wednesday, some of which praised the rhetoric while others criticized the company for supposedly indicating support for fascists.
"We are not advocating violence," the companies told VICE News. "If you pay attention to the ad, you see two groups of people. No matter what type of description you give to the two groups, there is clearly one group of unlawful attackers and there is another group of lawful defenders."
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