Newsletters
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an order designating the left-wing Antifa movement as a domestic terrorist organization, the White House said, following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The order described Antifa as “a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.” It added that Antifa’s “organized effort designed to achieve policy objectives by coercion and intimidation is domestic terrorism.”
“Because of the aforementioned pattern of political violence designed to suppress lawful political activity and obstruct the rule of law, I hereby designate Antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organization,’” Trump wrote.
The move comes despite the absence of a legal framework under U.S. law for designating domestic groups as terrorist organizations. The order accused Antifa of concealing the identities of its members, its funding sources, and recruitment methods.
Antifa, shorthand for “anti-fascist,” refers to a loose network of far-left activists and does not have a centralized structure. Former FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in 2020 that “we look at Antifa as more of an ideology or a movement than an organization.”
The White House linked the designation to the Sept. 10 killing of Charlie Kirk at a Utah university campus. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with murder. Investigators said Robinson told them he acted because of the “hatred” he accused Kirk of spreading.
Trump and his aides have accused Antifa of being behind Kirk’s killing as well as “most other political violence” in recent years, though investigators have not tied the group to the incident.
The White House also cited 11 violent acts over the past eight years, including the July shooting of an immigration enforcement officer and incidents at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017, where protesters clashed with police and conservative event attendees.
Trump previewed the move last week on Truth Social, calling Antifa “a sick, dangerous, radical left disaster” and vowing to investigate those funding it.
He has long threatened action against Antifa, blaming it for street violence against police, for counter-protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, and even for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot—despite evidence that right-wing groups played a central role in the attack.
Critics warned the designation could be used to silence dissent and target political opponents. They also note that studies have shown far-right groups are responsible for most political violence in the United States.
While Kirk’s killing intensified right-wing calls for action, the country has experienced politically motivated attacks against both left- and right-leaning figures amid rising polarization and widespread access to firearms.
Antifa traces its roots to 1930s German socialist groups that opposed Adolf Hitler. In recent years, black-clad, mask-wearing activists identifying with the movement have engaged in counter-protests against racism and far-right groups, often clashing with police and employing tactics they defend as self-defense.
During Trump’s first inauguration in 2017, Antifa-linked demonstrators smashed windows and set a car ablaze in Washington. The group was also active in counter-protests against white supremacists in Charlottesville later that year.
1 min read
3 min read
