Trump designates Antifa as a terrorist organisation, calls the group ‘radical left disaster’

US President Donald Trump said that he would designate the far-left anti-fascism movement Antifa as a terrorist organisation weeks after the killing of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. Trump announced the move on his social media platform TruthSocial on Wednesday, commencing his trip to the United Kingdom.

Soon, many went on to question what mechanism Trump used to designate Antifa a terror organisation, since the group lacked a centralised structure or defined leadership, making it unclear who or what precisely would be targeted. “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 ORGANISATION,” Trump wrote in his post.

“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 furthered.

Meanwhile, a White House official told CNN: “This is just one of many actions the president will take to address left-wing organisations that fuel political violence.” In his remarks from the Oval Office, after the killing of Kirk, Trump signalled taking such measures against “radical left”.

The practicality of it all

It was not immediately clear exactly what practical effect the move would have on the group. Interestingly, during his first term in office, Trump vowed to designate the far-left group as a terrorist organisation. His attorney general at that time, William Barr, said the group’s activities constituted “domestic terrorism.”

However, Antifa, which is short for anti-fascists, is not a structured group, but rather a nebulous social movement. It is pertinent to note that 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.

The term defines a broad group of people who lean towards the left and often far left. Despite being on the left, the party does not conform to the Democratic Party platform, CNN reported. The group also does not have an official leader or headquarters, although the group holds regular meetings in certain states.

“Antifa is terrible. There are other groups,” Trump said Monday in the Oval Office. “We have some pretty radical groups, and they got away with murder,” he added without citing any evidence or elaborating. Trump also said he’d been discussing with Attorney General Pam Bondi the prospect of bringing racketeering charges against left-wing groups that he claimed were funding left-wing agitators.

“I’ve asked Pam to look into that in terms of RICO, bringing RICO cases. They should be put in jail; what they’re doing to this country is really subversive,” Trump averred.