On Sunday, a group of simple-minded bullies known as "Antifa" activists marched through the streets of downtown Worcester, spewing profanities, taunting police and generally behaving like thugs.

We got off easy, though. While one of the protesters struck a reporter with a flagpole, none of them threw rocks or bricks like their counterparts at the University of California at Berkeley, who used violence to shut down a speech by "alt-right" provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.

The local march was organized by a group called Worcester Antifa, and pay attention because this gets confusing. Antifa is short for "anti-fascist," and Worcester Antifa is an offshoot of the militant anti-fascist movement, but group members tend to mimic the movement they claim to loathe by trying to silence any speech with which they disagree.

Yeah, I don't get it, either. And I'd be eager to seek out one of these dopes to explain their confused ideology, but they apparently consider the media "collaborators," and I would also rather not get clubbed over the head with a piece of metal.

That's what happened to my colleague, who was trying to do her job on Sunday afternoon by taping the rally with her cellphone when one of the protesters demanding she stop taping struck her on the head with her flagpole.

Now, this reporter may be forgiven for assuming that protesters typically like to get their message across, which is usually the purpose of a public protest. Not this group, though, which covered their faces with black handkerchiefs and refused to reveal the purpose of the protest, which seems counterproductive on its face.

"I tried to find out what they were protesting and they swore at me the entire time," my colleague said. "I was trying to tell their story. I really wanted to hear their concerns."

As mentioned, "Antifa" is an anti-fascist group, but it's awfully hard to tell the difference. Antifa shows authoritarian tendencies, sometimes violently, as witnessed Feb. 1 in Berkeley. Last year in Sacramento, 10 people were injured - five of them stabbed - when more than 350 Antifa activists confronted a small rally organized by the neo-Nazi Traditionalist Worker Party.

“NO ‘FREE SPEECH’ FOR FASCISTS!” Antifa Sacramento proclaimed. Er, no, that's not how it works in America.

In Worcester, police were ready for the protest because they monitor social media and had learned of it late last week, according to Police Chief Steven M. Sargent. Seven people were arrested after they refused orders to move to the sidewalk. Some carried bats and at least one wore brass knuckles. More than 30 officers responded, including the tactical team. Only two of those arrested hail from Worcester; others listed addresses in Roslindale, Medford, Gloucester, Saugus and Chelsea. They range in age from 19 to 32, although it isn't known how many live in their parents' basements.

"I don't know where they came from," Chief Sargent said of the protesters. "They're not the people who we usually see protesting ... They were definitely looking for problems. This was certainly not a civil group. But our officers were phenomenal. They did a tremendous job."

I'm guessing the protesters didn't want to share their message because they're not quite sure what it is. They carried an effigy of Donald Trump, shouted anti-police slogans, used the F-word like drunken sailors, called on people to resist fascism, claimed that the streets belonged to them and at one point chanted that Black Lives Matter. They're a left wing response to the "alt-right" movement and pretend to be anarchists. One website offering helpful tips on starting an Antifa group offers this advice:

"Build a culture of non-cooperation with law enforcement. If you have any intention of working with the police, FBI, or other agencies; or if you publically (sic) condemn anti-fascists who break the law: don’t call yourself an anti-fascist. The cops will be Trump supporters; do not collaborate with them."

OK, then. Silly me for expecting anti-fascists to not behave like fascists. The movement has its roots in 1930s Europe but has been fairly dormant until the election of Donald Trump and the recent surge in the nationalist movement. Since then, these charming groups have been popping up throughout the country. Thanks, Donald!

"No Cops, No KKK, No fascist USA!" the local protesters chanted.

Yes, because police and the Ku Klux Klan are the same exact thing.

One thing's for sure - these people sure are angry. But I won't hold out hope they'll eventually use their words to make a cogent point, rather than swears and weapons, because protesters who cover their face are nothing but misguided cowards.