President Donald Trump announced that the United States will designate Antifa a domestic terrorist organization.
“The United States of America will be designating Antifa as a Terrorist Organization,” the president wrote on Twitter Sunday morning, acting on an idea long called for by conservative lawmakers. The president said in 2019 that he was considering labeling Antifa a terrorist organization, but didn’t take any further action.
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
At the time, he called them “gutless radical left wack jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats.”
Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” began forming after Trump’s 2016 election and has been documented on countless occasions using tactics of violence and intimidation.
Any Ngo, a journalist who specializes in covering Antifa, said Sunday that federal authorities “must dismantle the networks and hundreds of Antifa cells across the U.S. who radicalize, train, and carry out organized extremist violence.”
“They also have international links to affinity cells in Western Europe. It is domestic and international terrorism,” said Ngo.
Federal investigative authorities must dismantle the networks & hundreds of antifa cells across the US who radicalize, train & carry out organized extremist violence. They also have international links to affinity cells in Western Europe. It is domestic & international terrorism.
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) May 31, 2020
According to federal law, domestic terrorism is defined as any act that is “dangerous to human life” and designed to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping.
“Radicalization to violence of domestic terrorists is increasingly taking place online, where violent extremists can use social media for the distribution of propaganda, recruitment, target selection, and incitement to violence,” the FBI said in a 2019 statement on the rise of domestic terrorism in the United States. “Through the Internet, violent extremists around the world have access to our local communities to target and recruit and spread their messages of hate on a global scale, as we saw in the recent attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.”
The president’s announcement comes after four nights of violent rioting, looting, and arson left portions of Minneapolis and St. Paul in ruins. Gov. Tim Walz said Sunday that he has “reason to believe that bad actors continue to infiltrate the rightful protests of George Floyd’s murder.”
Trump praised the Minnesota National Guard for bringing an end to the violence and destruction Saturday night.
“Other Democrat run cities and states should look at the total shutdown of Radical Left Anarchists in Minneapolis last night. The National Guard did a great job, and should be used in other states before it is too late,” he said, noting that the “Antifa led anarchists” were “shut down quickly.”
Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
Other Democrat run Cities and States should look at the total shutdown of Radical Left Anarchists in Minneapolis last night. The National Guard did a great job, and should be used in other States before it is too late!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
