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President Donald Trump Is nominated The movement is known as Antifa, a major “domestic terrorist” organization.
The President originally announced this policy true social last month during a state visit to Britain He said he is also calling INVESTIGATIONS People are believed to be “funding” the movement.
“I am pleased to inform our many American patriots that I am designating Antifa, a sick, dangerous, radical left-wing disaster, as a designated terrorist organization,” Trump wrote. “I would also strongly recommend that those funding Antifa be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”
Since then, officials have cited the sending of federal agents and troops as a major reason behind their operations. portland And chicago Although local authorities have worked to crack down on the group Filed a lawsuit and denied that there was any kind of law-and-order crisis This military-style intervention in cities is being justified.
“They beat up journalists. They attacked the courts,” Attorney General Pam Bondy said during an October 8 federal roundtable on antifa. “They attacked police stations. They harass and attack our law enforcement officers.”
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is a driving force behind the administration’s immigration policy. said earlier this week ICE officers in these cities face “nightly hand-to-hand combat” against Antifa to get them to leave federal facilities, which has attracted regular protests.
Here’s what you need to know about the radical movement being targeted by the Trump administration.
What is antifa?
According to experts, Antifa, which is short for anti-fascism, is not a single organization, but a loosely affiliated, radical leftist movement, with no central hierarchy, organization, or clear membership structure.
Its followers have used a variety of protest methods, including violence, as part of their activism, and Antifa-style protesters have a notable presence on the West Coast in cities such as Portland and Seattle.
Trump’s former FBI director, Christopher Wray, told In 2020, Congress said that Antifa is “not a group or organization”, but a “movement or an ideology”.
anti defamation league Antifa has similarly been described as “a decentralized, leaderless movement composed of a loose collection of groups, networks, and individuals.”
These characteristics distinguish Antifa from others that have been the target of law enforcement attention, including jihadist cells or right-wing militias, which often operate as groups with solid authorities and membership criteria.
Where is antifa active?
Anti-fascist activism began in Europe in the 1920s and 30s during the rise of authoritarian leaders such as Mussolini and Hitler.
It has taken a variety of forms since its jump into the state.
Antifa-style groups in the US later sought to counter the increasing prevalence of neo-Nazis in the rock scene of the 1980s, while such protesters were seen in demonstrations against globalization and unregulated free trade in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In contemporary politics, he came to the attention of many during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. where the fight took place Amidst gathered white supremacists and antifa counter-protesters. Antifa activists are sometimes known to wear all black.
Since then, people with antifa-like ideologies have been found merged into larger opposition Crowds during social movements, including the Black Lives Matter movement.
Antifa-style actions have sometimes occurred in response to the presence of right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys In 2021, a dispute with anti-fascist activists occurred outside the Oregon State Capitol.
During the second Trump administration, federal authorities have accused individuals associated with Antifa ideology of defrauding immigration authorities and acting violently. Breach of the Portland Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in June,
The Department of Homeland Security alleges that the man arrested on assault charges for protesting outside an ICE office near Chicago in September “Antifa-aligned“Although the Justice Department has Avoid using such language When the legal complaints actually describe their alleged criminal offenses, the attacks are instead described without reference to any connection to any radical group.
what happens now?
It is not at all clear what practical effect this designation might have. As of 2023, the US government does not provide “precise, comprehensive, and public clarification” about groups it may consider domestic terrorist organizations, partly due to freedom of speech concerns. Congressional Research Service Report,
“Listing groups in this manner may violate First Amendment-protected free speech or action related to an ideological group, which is not a crime in itself in the United States,” the report said.
Independent The White House has been contacted for more information.
Right-wing influencers and media outlets frequently report on alleged antifa actions at protests, including podcaster Benny Johnson’s Tuesday claim that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced antifa forcesAt the Portland ICE Building. Photos of the confrontation show Noem standing on a rooftop looking at a small group of protesters, including a man in a chicken costume.
Journalist Andy Ngo frequently reports on alleged Antifa members, and has said that attacked by groupAlthough critics They have been accused of misleading reporting tactics and promoting online hate campaigns against people they condemn.
The announcement that Antifa will be considered a terrorist group comes in the wake of this Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk shot dead Speaking at an event on the campus of Utah Valley University in September.
Trump and his allies Leftist groups have since been criticized and blamed for increasing hostility against conservatives. Both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have vowed to investigate left-leaning organizations in the wake of Kirk’s murder. bloomberg Report.
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican, has praised Trump’s antifa announcement, according to associated Press,
“Antifa seized a movement of legitimate grievances to incite violence and anarchy, working against justice for all,” he said. “The President is right to recognize the destructive role of Antifa by designating them domestic terrorists.”
Others have been more critical, including CNN’s David Axelrod, who warned that the designation could be “an excuse to go after his political enemies.”
“They’ll go after everyone and everything that they put under that umbrella, even if it’s not an organization,” Axelrod said.
Trump first vowed to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization during his first term in 2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd. However, legal experts at the time raised concerns over free speech and warned that the designation lacked legal backing. reuters Report.