What is antifa; what does Trump’s ‘major terrorist’ label mean?

United States President Donald Trump announced precocious connected Wednesday that helium was designating the left-wing activistic movement, antifa, a “terrorist” organisation.

Here is what we know:

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What has Trump said astir antifa?

On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “I americium pleased to pass our galore U.S.A. Patriots that I americium designating Antifa, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.”

He added: “I volition besides beryllium powerfully recommending that those backing Antifa beryllium thoroughly investigated successful accordance with the highest ineligible standards and practices.”

What is antifa?

Antifa, which is abbreviated for “anti-fascists”, is not a azygous group. It is simply a loosely organised, decentralised, left-wing corporate of organisations and activists successful the US that opposes right-wing and fascist ideologies.

“Antifa is simply a benignant of politics, not a circumstantial group,” US-based historiographer Mark Bray, writer of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told Al Jazeera. “In the aforesaid mode that determination are feminist groups but feminism is not, itself, a group.

“Any radical that calls itself antifa and promotes the basal principles of militant antifascism is an antifa group. There is nary wide office oregon person to get authoritative designation from.”

The question is secretive, and it is intolerable to find the nonstop fig of members, their identities, oregon their leadership, arsenic this accusation is not public.

The question started gaining momentum successful 2016, earlier Trump’s archetypal term. However, activistic groups were utilizing the word “antifa” earlier that.

Fascism is simply a far-right, authoritarian ideology marked by dictatorial rule, aggravated nationalism, suppression of dissent, and strict power implicit society. It rejects democracy, and humanities examples see Benito Mussolini’s Italy and Nazi Germany of the 1930s.

In fact, the connection antifa tin beryllium traced backmost to an anti-Nazi German operation from 1946.

In 2007, an organisation called Rose City Antifa was founded successful Portland, Oregon. The members of the radical deterioration each achromatic and stay anonymous. They “dox” – oregon uncover idiosyncratic accusation – astir nationalist figures connected the right. Other organisations employment akin tactics.

What large incidents has antifa been progressive in?

While radical and groups aligned with the antifa ideology person participated successful galore protests and counterprotests, a fewer incidents basal out.

Chicago edifice attack, 2012

A radical of 18 masked radical carrying alloy batons and hammers stormed a suburban Chicago household restaurant, attacking what they claimed was a gathering of achromatic supremacists.

Five of the men were apprehended and charged with aggravated battery, mob enactment and transgression harm to property.

Berkeley protests, 2017

A bid of rallies and demonstrations descended into convulsive clashes betwixt Trump supporters and black-clad, mask-wearing antifa protesters successful Berkeley, California, passim the year.

The archetypal convulsive incidental occurred during a protestation connected February 1 against Trump protagonist Milo Yiannopoulos, who was owed to springiness a code astatine the university.

Pro-Trump rallies connected March 4, April 15 and April 27 besides ended successful unit betwixt Trump supporters and antifa activists.

On August 27, a “Say No to Marxism” rally was cancelled successful airy of the erstwhile unit but Trump supporters and antifa protesters arrived nevertheless and clashed.

Many injuries were reported and arrests were made. Police confiscated weapons, including shot bats, bricks and metallic pipes.

Demonstrators clash arsenic they bushed up a antheral and pursuit him down during a counterprotest against achromatic supremacists astatine MLK Park successful Berkeley, California, connected August 27, 2017 [Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images]

Charlottesville protests, 2017

In August 2017, far-right protesters organised a “Unite the Right” protestation successful Charlottesville, Virginia, against the removal of a statue of Confederate icon General Robert E Lee.

In effect to these protests, scores of counterprotesters stormed the protestation tract successful Charlottesville. These radical came from varied backgrounds: portion immoderate of them were residents rallying against achromatic supremacy, others carried signs denouncing fascism, capitalism and racism.

Twenty members of 1 specified group, Redneck Revolt, which was founded successful 2016 and calls itself anti-racist and anti-fascist, carried rifles and formed a unafraid perimeter astir the counterprotesters.

Left-wing protesters, immoderate affiliated with antifa, clasp a counterprotest against right-wing protesters participating successful a governmental rally connected July 25, 2021, successful New York City [Stephanie Keith/Getty Images/AFP]

Who funds antifa?

Since antifa is not a cohesive group, determination is nary mode of identifying and collating a database of financiers of the movement, arsenic it comprises respective autonomous groups with varied backing sources, which are often not made public.

“Speaking of ‘antifa’ successful the singular is misleading and plays into Trump’s efforts to repress the left,” said Bray. “He is trying to beforehand the communal right-wing conspiracy mentation that determination are shadowy financiers similar George Soros playing puppet maestro down everything the near does.

“The world is that antifa groups bash not person ample budgets astatine all, and what they person is fundamentally crowdsourced oregon generated from members themselves. It’s mostly for bail, really.”

Can Trump designate the antifa question arsenic a ‘terrorist’ organisation?

It is unclear however Trump would designate antifa a “terrorist” organisation from a logistical standpoint due to the fact that it is not a singular, monolithic group. Critics have, therefore, raised questions arsenic to however a “terrorism” designation would beryllium enforced and handled, fixed the amorphous quality of antifa supporters.

During Trump’s archetypal statesmanlike term, helium besides threatened to designate antifa arsenic a violent organisation, but his Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) manager astatine the time, Christopher Wray, said this would beryllium difficult. In grounds that year, helium said antifa is an ideology, not an organisation, lacking the hierarchical operation that would usually let it to beryllium designated arsenic a panic radical by the national government.

The US caput of authorities is authorised to designate overseas groups arsenic overseas violent organisations (FTOs). The caput does not necessitate legislature support to marque this designation, but is required to pass Congress 7 days earlier an organisation is designated, according to a Government Accountability Office study from 2015.

However, portion the US Constitution allows the authorities to designate overseas groups, it lacks a circumstantial statute that would let it to designate a home radical arsenic a violent organisation.

Mary McCord, a erstwhile elder Department of Justice official, told Al Jazeera during Trump’s archetypal word that his attempts to designate antifa would “raise important First Amendment concerns”.

Historian Bray said: “If this is much than conscionable bluster, arsenic it has been for the past 8 years whenever Trump oregon different Republican person calls for ‘antifa’ to beryllium declared a violent group, past it volition manifest itself arsenic a broad excuse for the authorities to ace down connected anyone to the near of them nether the elusive rubric of ‘antifa’.”

What does it mean erstwhile a overseas radical is designated arsenic ‘terrorist’?

It is amerciable nether US instrumentality to springiness wealth oregon supply backing to an FTO. The US tin besides frost immoderate assets held by members of the organisation successful the US banking system. The members besides look fiscal sanctions.

Members of FTOs who are not citizens of the US are banned from entering the country.

Has Trump targeted antifa before?

Yes, successful May 2020, Trump posted connected his X account: “The United States of America volition beryllium designating Antifa arsenic a Terrorist Organization.”

That was backmost erstwhile Trump and Democrat Joe Biden were campaigning for the 2020 statesmanlike election, which Biden won. Trump’s station besides came aft wide protests against the sidesplitting of a Black man, George Floyd, by a achromatic constabulary officer, Derek Chauvin, had breached retired successful respective US states.

On the evening of January 5, 2021 – the time earlier Biden’s predetermination triumph was owed to beryllium certified successful Washington, DC – Trump posted connected X, past called Twitter: “Antifa is simply a Terrorist Organization, enactment retired of Washington. Law enforcement is watching you precise closely!”

Then, thousands of radical stormed the US Capitol, protesting against the 2020 predetermination results connected January 6, 2021.

At the time, Axios reported, citing unnamed sources acquainted with the matter, that Trump had tried to privately blasted “antifa people” for storming the US Capitol. The quality outlet reported that Trump said this during a telephone with then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. The study added that McCarthy responded: “It’s not Antifa, it’s MAGA. I know. I was there.”

A constabulary serviceman pushes an antifa protester, wearing a achromatic mask, retired of the thoroughfare during protests successful Washington, DC, connected July 6, 2019 [Evelyn Hockstein/The Washington Post via Getty Images]

Why is Trump talking astir antifa now?

Trump’s latest connection comes conscionable a week aft the fatal shooting of blimpish influencer Charlie Kirk.

Kirk was changeable dormant successful beforehand of a assemblage of 3,000 radical portion helium was speaking astatine a assemblage lawsuit successful Utah connected September 10. After a national manhunt that lasted 33 hours, the authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson for the shooting. Utah Governor Spencer Cox told US media that Robinson was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology“.

Robinson appeared successful tribunal via a virtual nexus connected Tuesday and was charged with 7 offences, including aggravated execution and felony discharge of a firearm.

Some US blimpish societal media accounts person been posting claims that Robinson was affiliated with the antifa movement.

For example, 1 X relationship called US Homeland Security News, but unaffiliated with the US government, posted a fake representation of Robinson, which has been edited to look similar helium is wearing a “Harris Walz” T-shirt, referencing Trump’s Democratic challenger successful the 2024 election, Kamala Harris, and her moving mate, Tim Walz. However, successful the archetypal photo, Robinson was wearing a plain T-shirt.

The relationship captioned the photo: “He is simply a Democrat militant antifa leftist. No question.”