WASHINGTON D.C. – The US State Department has declared a significant expansion of the Trump administration’s effort to combat leftist movements by labeling four European self-proclaimed anti-fascist groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. This action is the first step whereby “antifa” groups have been declared a foreign terrorist threat by the US government.
The targeted groups are Antifa Ost in Germany, International Revolutionary Front, which is based in Italy, and two of the Greek organizations, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that these groups had been declared as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists … conspiring to undermine the foundations of Western Civilization through their brutal attacks”.
Broadening the Scope of Surveillance
This label enables US authorities and federal states to employ more violent methods to counter the groups. Most importantly, it may apply the same instruments, such as increased surveillance and financial control, to US nationals who can be considered leftist sympathizers of these movements.
The press statement issued by the administration notably referred to incidents such as the use of homemade explosive devices, shootings, and attacks with hammers as a reason to be listed. The designation renders any financial operation with the listed organizations or their members a criminal offense in the United States.
Secretary Rubio stated that “Groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, ‘anti-capitalism’ and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas.”
The attention to antifa is a result of a September presidential executive order that named the movement a domestic terrorist group after violent clashes in cities across the US, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, especially following the assassination of rightwing youth political organizer Charlie Kirk.
Experts Warn of Overreach
The designation has however been received with immediate criticism by international security experts who question the premise of the threat.
According to national security analysts, the label is not ideal as anti-fascist is not one organization, as the collective name antifa is a loosely linked, decentralized movement with no obvious membership or leadership.
