/meta/ - Ruthless criticism of all that exists (in leftypol.org)

At HOUDINI, we have always held that spaces for the genuine left must be vigilant, principled, and, above all, safe from the corrosive influence of fascism. It is with disappointment and frustration that we must address the ongoing and escalating issue of one such space: the /leftypol/ imageboard. What was once a chaotic but useful forum for anti-capitalist discussion has rapidly devolved into a haven for the very forces we claim to oppose, aided and abetted by a complete failure of moderation.

The evidence is not hidden; it is posted brazenly and constantly. Users are no longer merely debating right-wing talking points, they are openly reposting literal Nazi propaganda. The rhetoric has shifted from edgy nonsense to full-throated support for white supremacist figures. Most tellingly, we have witnessed users unironically proclaiming white nationalist Nick Fuentes as "a savior of the left." This is not a joke. It is a testament to how deeply the rot has set in.

HOUDINI’s stance on this has always been clear: if you sit at a table with Nazis without protest, you are normalizing their presence. If you platform them, you are amplifying them. And if you, as a moderation team, allow them to flourish, your table becomes a Nazi table. The fact that the /leftypol/ administration allows this to continue is nothing short of disgusting.

This is the same space that continues to permit the promotion of figures like the Fuentes, who famously tweeted "Her Body, My Choice" in gleeful opposition to bodily autonomy. This is who this "leftist" imageboard platform empowers. The irony is palpable and sickening: nothing says “leftism” like promoting a misogynist who co-opts feminist language to celebrate its dismantling.

We understand the argument. Imageboards allow for a much deeper freedom of expression, a raw and unfiltered exchange that can be fertile ground for organic organization. But we are not naive. We've seen this playbook before, and it always ends the same way. The pattern is predictable:

1. Nazis move into a community, testing the boundaries with "edgy" humor and propaganda.
2. Moderation fails to address the issue, hiding behind excuses of "free speech" or "not wanting to be censors."
3. Normal, non-Nazi users, tired of the bigotry and hostility, begin to leave.
4. The space is left to the Nazis and those willing to tolerate them, completing the takeover.

We do not want to hang out with a bunch of groypers. No leftist should.

The lack of moderation is usually excused by a liberal "free market of ideas" hogwash. This is a fundamentally anti-leftist position. The "marketplace of ideas" is a liberal fantasy that ignores how power dynamics and bad-faith actors inevitably poison the well. You might expect this hands-off approach from a centrist, but not from a space that claims to cater to leftists, anarchists, communists, and syndicalists. Tolerance of intolerance is not a leftist value; it is a suicide pact.

HOUDINI has had a tentative relationship with /leftypol/ in the past. We once ran a news page that pulled from the valuable work of users like "newsanon." We admit that, despite the chaos and shitposting, the space has potential to benefit the movement. Boards like /labor/ and /latam/ demonstrated that focused, productive organization is possible even on such a platform.

It is therefore a profound failure that the people who run the site have chosen to allow it to become a safe haven for neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and male chauvinists, rather than commit to creating the principled leftist space they claim to be.

For this reason, HOUDINI can no longer endorse or recommend the /leftypol/ imageboard to anyone. We believe that in its current state, it has not only failed its purpose but has become actively harmful to the movement. It has outlived its use.

The fight for a better world requires spaces free from the poison of fascism. /leftypol/ is no longer one of them.