I've been holding back from citing this, but in the interest of having a complete discussion on how punching fascists might relate to Dharma practice, we have to deal with this:
Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra:
The Buddha said to Kasyapa: "By correctly upholding Wonderful Dharma, one obtains this adamantine body. O Kasyapa! As I have in the past well guarded Dharma, I am now blessed with perfecting this adamantine body, which is eternal and indestructible. O good man! One who upholds Wonderful Dharma does not receive the five precepts and practise deportment, but protects with the sword, bow, arrow, and halberd those bhiksus who uphold the precepts and who are pure..." O good man! In the past - innumerable, boundless, asamkhyas of kalpas past - there appeared in this town of Kusinagara a Buddha who was the Alms-deserving, the All-Enlightened One, the All-accomplished One, the Well-gone, the All-knower, the Unsurpassed One, the Best Trainer, the Teacher of Heaven and Earth, the Buddha-World-Honoured One, and whose name was "Tathagata of Joy-and-Benefit-Augmentation." At that time, the world was wide and gloriously pure, rich and peaceful. The people were at the height of prosperity and no hunger was felt. He [They] looked like the Bodhisattvas of the Land of Peace and Happiness. That Buddha-World-Honoured One stayed in the world for an innumerable length of time. Having taught the people, he entered Parinirvana between the twin sal trees. The Buddha having entered Nirvana, the teaching remained in the world for countless billions of years and in the last part of the remaining 40 years the Buddhist teaching had still not died. At that time, there was a bhiksu called "Enlightened-Virtuous", who upheld the precepts well and was surrounded by many of his relatives. He raised the lion's roar and preached all the nine types of sutras. He taught, saying: "Do not keep menials, men or women, cows, sheep or whatever might go against the precepts." At that time there were many bhiksus who were acting contrary to the precepts. On hearing this, they entertained ill-will and came upon this bhiksu, brandishing swords and staffs. At that time, there was a king called "Virtuous". He heard of this. To protect Dharma, he came to where the bhiksu was delivering his sermons and fought against the evil doers so that the bhiksu did not suffer. The king, however, received wounds all over his body. Then the bhiksu, Enlightened-Virtuous, praised the king, saying: "Well done, well done, O King! You are a person who protects Wonderful Dharma. In days to come, you will become the unsurpassed utensil of Dharma." The king listened to his sermon and rejoiced. Then he died and was born in the land of Buddha Akshobhya and became his foremost disciple. The subjects of this king, his relatives and soldiers were all glad and did not retrogress in their Bodhichitta [resolve to gain Enlightenment]. When the day came to depart the world, they were born in the land of Buddha Akshobhya. At the time when Wonderful Dharma is about to die out, one should act and protect Dharma like this. O Kasyapa! The king at that time was I; the bhiksu who delivered the sermon was Buddha Kasyapa. O Kasyapa! One who guards Wonderful Dharma is recompensed with such incalculable fruition. That is why I today adorn my body in various ways and have perfectly achieved the indestructible Dharma-Body."
Personally, I do not disavow violence as a means, but I consider it a last resort, and one that is karmically perilous.
I practice a tradition that was marked with violent persecution from the outset. Several attempts were made to murder the founder of my school. At one point, he was chased by a mob after his first public teaching; his hermitage was burned down by a rioting mob and he had to flee the city; armed soldiers attacked him while he was traveling, killing two samurai who accompanied him and while he suffered a sword wound across his face and a broken hand; he was exiled to remote places and left to die in the elements; he was arrested and beaten, sentenced to death and saved at the last moment as he faced the executioner's sword; he was harassed on a daily basis; a number of his followers were executed or killed in mob violence; others lost their fiefs and titles. Many monks of our tradition have suffered similar persecutions in the centuries since; our community in Kyoto was genocided during the civil wars there. More recently, individuals have been exiled or imprisoned for defying the military government of Japan. My point is that we are steeped in confronting and withstanding persecution, and we are expected to protect the dharma even at the cost of our lives. We may be a lot of things, but we are taught to never be afraid or to back down from evil.
At present I don't see the need to violently confront these people. Doing so undermines the greater goal and in my view creates more problems than it would solved. The peaceful means have not been exhausted. At some point, the balance of the question may change. That will largely depend on how robustly we act now through non-violent means.
I understand that others see the conditions differently - that the balance has already turned. I can see the arguments.