US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would designate "Antifa" -- a shorthand term for "anti-fascist" used to describe diffuse left-wing groups -- as "a major terrorist organization," a move he has threatened since his first term.
Trump, who is on a state visit to the United Kingdom, made the announcement in a social media post shortly before 1:30 a.m. Thursday local time. He called antifa a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER.” He also said he will be “strongly recommending” that funders of antifa be investigated.
Trump on Monday threatened to go through with such a designation after senior White House official Stephen Miller vowed the administration would dismantle an alleged "vast domestic terror movement" that he linked to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump since his first term has ascribed blame to Antifa for various actions he dislikes, from violence against police to conducting the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
While federal law enforcement includes combating domestic terrorism under its purview, the United States does not have a list of designated "domestic terrorist organizations."
It’s unclear how the administration would label what is effectively a decentralized movement as a terrorist organization, and the White House on Wednesday did not immediately offer more details.
Trump’s previous FBI director, Christopher Wray, said in testimony in 2020 that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, lacking the hierarchical structure that would usually allow it to be designated as a terror group by the federal government.
After Trump's post, Sen. 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.”
In July 2019, Cassidy and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a resolution in the Senate to condemn the violent acts of antifa and to designate the group a domestic terror organization.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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