WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump has once again pledged to classify Antifa as a “major terrorist organization,” reviving a controversial stance from his first term.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump branded Antifa as “a sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and demanded an investigation into its alleged funders under the strictest legal standards. He argued the group was responsible for violence against police and even linked it to the January 6 Capitol riot that sought to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory.
However, experts and federal officials note that Antifa is not a structured group. A Congressional Research Service report from 2020 described it as a loose collection of radical individuals and local groups united by ideology rather than centralized leadership.
Critics caution that Trump’s push to label Antifa terrorist organization as a terrorist organization could be a powerful pretext to silence dissent and target political rivals. The United States currently maintains a list of foreign terrorist organizations but does not officially designate domestic groups in the same way.
The debate around Antifa terrorist organization intensified after senior White House official Stephen Miller vowed to dismantle what he called a “vast domestic terror movement,” linking it to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Originating from socialist groups in 1930s Germany that opposed Adolf Hitler, Antifa terrorist organization is known for confronting far-right demonstrators and protesting racism and fascism. Its members often dress in black and sometimes justify violent tactics as self-defense.
During Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, masked Antifa terrorist organization activists were seen smashing windows and burning vehicles in Washington. They also joined counter-protests against white supremacists in Charlottesville the same year.
In 2020, Trump tried to equate Antifa terrorist organizationwith foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS and al-Qaeda, but FBI Director Chris Wray clarified that Antifa terrorist organization is “an ideology or a movement, not an organization.”
As of Wednesday, Antifa terrorist organization was not listed among the 95 designated foreign terrorist organizations published by the State Department.
