US President Donald Trump early Thursday said he would designate “Antifa” – a shorthand term for “anti-fascist” used by Trump allies to describe diffuse left-wing groups – as “a major terrorist organization”.
Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom, made the announcement in a social media post, calling Antifa a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER”. He also said he will be “strongly recommending” that funders of antifa be investigated.
Trump and his supporters have, without evidence, ascribed blame to Antifa for various actions Trump dislikes, from violence against police to the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
It’s unclear how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized ideology as a terrorist organization, and the White House on Wednesday did not immediately offer details.
Trump’s previous FBI director, Christopher Wray, said in testimony in 2020 that Antifa is an ideology, not an organization, and lacks the hierarchical structure that would usually allow it to be designated as a terror group by the federal government.
While federal law enforcement includes combating domestic terrorism under its purview, the United States does not have a list of designated domestic terrorist organizations.
Senior White House official Stephen Miller has vowed the administration would dismantle an alleged “vast domestic terror movement” that he linked to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The political leanings of the suspect in Kirk’s death remain unclear.
After Trump’s post, Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., praised the announcement, saying: “Antifa seized upon a movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy, working against justice for all. The President is right to recognize the destructive role of Antifa by designating them domestic terrorists.”
Cassidy and Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a July 2019 resolution in the Senate to condemn “Antifa” and designate it a domestic terror organization. (France24)
English