Violent gangs of left-wing radicals known as "antifa" have been attacking Christians or conservatives whom they consider "racist" or "fascist."

But, now, some conservatives are organizing in self-defense, and the war is erupting in the streets.

The focal point is Berkeley, California, home of the free speech movement and now the site of repeated battles between antifa and conservatives. A lawsuit was filed against the University of Berkeley to force the school to allow author and conservative columnist Ann Coulter to speak.

It came only weeks after the "Battle of Berkeley" in which a "free speech rally" featuring Lauren Southern, Brittany Pettibone and other conservative and libertarian speakers was disrupted by antifa. However, conservatives wearing helmets and protective gear routed the left-wingers in a street battle, prompting organizers to declare victory.

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WE WON THE BATTLE OF BERKELEY!! — Lauren Southern (@Lauren_Southern) April 15, 2017

But it seems likely antifa will not accept defeat, as anarchists are now discussing in online forums the need for combat training and the acquisition of firearms.

One of the more prominent organizations inspiring them is the John Brown Gun Club, a left-wing group that staged an armed counter-protest of a pro-Trump rally in Arizona in March.

Meanwhile, conservatives are also organizing. One of the most prominent right-wing street fighters is Kyle Chapman, known on the Internet as "Based Stick Man," after video of him hitting an antifa over the head with a stick at a March 4 pro-Trump rally went viral.

In the aftermath of the latest "Battle of Berkeley," Chapman announced he was joining forces with conservative commentator Gavin McGinnes's "Western chauvinist" fraternal organization, the "Proud Boys." The group was heavily involved in protecting speakers at the "free speech rally" and has sworn to guard Coulter during her upcoming appearance at Berkeley.

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The battles between left and right first heated up after libertarian activist Milo Yiannopoulos had his February speech at the University of Berkeley shut down because of violent protests by antifa. Though Yiannopoulos was later disgraced by the airing of a video in which the openly homosexual activist discussed pederasty, the episode infuriated conservatives and libertarians and its importance for free speech surpassed any connection with Yiannopoulos himself.

Scott Greer, author of "No Campus For White Men," says there has been a real shift in the mentality of many on the American right since then.

"I think the Berkeley riots in February spurred the right to commit to self-defense against black-masked thugs," he told WND. "Fighting against antifa is not an act of aggression, but one of self-defense in the eyes of most conservatives."

Political correctness is just the beginning. The situation on college campuses is worse than you could ever imagine – and America's future is at stake. Don't miss the political blockbuster of 2017 – "No Campus For White Men" by Scott Greer.

Matthew Vadum, senior vice president of the Capital Research Center and the author of "Subversion, Inc.," argues conservatives are simply reacting to years of violence.

"I think conservatives are becoming painfully aware that these 'antifa' people want to hit them with baseball bats and knock out their teeth," he said. "They don't want to debate. They want to rumble in the streets. This is about a show of force. More conservatives are going to pro-Trump rallies prepared to defend themselves. They are doing this because they can see that the antifa present a clear and present danger."

Greer claims college campuses are at the center of many of these struggles because the radically anti-conservative and anti-white environment is a welcoming climate for even the most extreme left-wing organizer.

"It provides a safe space for these agitators," he said. "Most students won't join in the violence. However, they will give it a moral justification and see it as righteous. These antifa are primarily non-students, yet they know the students support them."

A further skirmish also developed on the East Coast over the weekend between antifa and their opponents. Rebel Media's Jack Posobiec was assaulted while reporting on an "Anti-fascist bloc party."

Jack Posobiec Assaulted by Antifa Terrorist pic.twitter.com/L2UvnJ2pKq — Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 23, 2017

Among those spotted at the event was Luke Kuhn, one of the left-wing activists who was sentenced to community service for plotting a butyric acid attack against the pro-Trump "Deploraball" at the president's inauguration.

In an interview with WND, Posobiec said such tactics are typical of how the left has always operated.

"The left always uses violence, from Josef Stalin to Mao Zedong to Pol Pot, the left has always committed violence to achieve its ends," he said. "Antifa has conducted their reign of terror throughout the 2016 election, at the Deploraball, Trump's inauguration, and now at Berkeley. Law-abiding patriots who support the First Amendment are fed up."

Posobiec also blasted the media for constantly describing antifa as simply "Trump protesters" rather than as extreme leftists.

Yet Greer suggested the media know exactly what antifa activists believe and eagerly try to promote their far-left message.

"The media sees them as fighting against hate and oppression," he said. "They want to promote them as scrappy rebels punching and shutting down their enemies. The media has no problem excusing violence if it's done on behalf of the right cause. But now, both antifa and the leftist media are actually seeing resistance."

Political correctness is just the beginning. The situation on college campuses is worse than you could ever imagine – and America's future is at stake. Don't miss the political blockbuster of 2017 – "No Campus For White Men" by Scott Greer.