President Donald Trump said he planned to designate Antifa as a “major terrorist organization” in a post shared on his Truth Social account.
“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote during his visit to the United Kingdom at around 1:26 a.m. local time Thursday (September 18) and 8:26 p.m. ET Wednesday (September 17) in the United States.
Antifa, which is short for “anti-fascists,” is a broad label for far-left-leaning militant groups opposing fascists and neo-Nazis, particularly at demonstrations, however, isn’t a single entity. It’s unclear how the Trump administration would label the decentralized movement as a terrorist group as it didn’t provide additional details Thursday following the president’s post.
Antifa is a domestic entity and wouldn’t be considered for the State Department’s list of foreign terror organizations, which includes dozens of extremist groups including the Islamic State and al-Qaida. The designation would allow the Justice Department to prosecute individuals who give material supporting groups considered to be terrorist organizations even if the support doesn’t include actual violence.
No other domestic groups are included on the list partially due to First Amendment protections for U.S. citizens.
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