United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is planning to designate ‘Antifa’ a ‘major terrorist organisation’, days after his ally Charlie Kirk was shot dead on the Utah Valley University campus.
‘Antifa’ is an acronym for anti-fascists and is used as an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups. It’s not a single entity, but consists of groups that resist fascists and neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations, according to the Associated Press.
It’s not immediately clear how the Trump administration is planning to designate a decentralised movement as a terrorist organisation. Antifa is not a structured group, and it doesn’t have an official leader or headquarters.
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“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!” he said.
In his mourning message from the Oval Office soon after Kirk’s death, Trump had promised to take action against the left-wing organisations that fuel political violence.
The latest moves have drawn criticism from the Democrats, who allege that Trump is creating a pretext to crack down on opposing viewpoints.
According to CNN, while it is illegal to provide “material support” to groups designated by the government as foreign terrorist organisations, there is no analogous law for domestic groups.
Christopher Wray, a former FBI director, had said in testimony in 2020 that Antifa is an ideology, not an organisation, lacking the hierarchical structure that would usually allow it to be designated as a terror group by the federal government.
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Trump, in his previous term, too, had said he would designate Antifa a terrorist organisation.
Kirk, a conservative activist, was fatally shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University last week. Police have arrested a 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, who allegedly fired a rifle from a rooftop, hitting Kirk in the neck.
The White House has suggested that a secret network of violent left-wing extremists was behind the assassination of Kirk, though law enforcement has yet to find any evidence in this regard.
