Trump threatens to designate Antifa as terrorist group

PTI

Washington

US President Donald Trump has said that America will designate far-left extremist group Antifa as a terrorist organisation in view of its role in violence across the country after the killing of a black man by a white police officer in Minnesota.

Antifa, regarded as a militant, left-wing, anti-fascist political activist movement in the US, comprises autonomous activist groups that aim to achieve their political objectives through the use of direct action rather than through policy reforms.

“The United States of America will be designating Antifa as a terrorist organisation,” Trump said in a tweet on Sunday.

The Trump administration is blaming this far-left extremist group for the sudden spike in violent protests across the country after the brutal killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

“The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly,” Attorney General William P Barr said in a statement.

The Trump administration alleges that it appears the violence is planned, organised and driven by anarchistic and far left extremists using Antifa-like tactics, many of whom travel from out of state to promote the violence.

To identify criminal organisers and instigators, and to coordinate federal resources with state and local partners, federal law enforcement is using the existing network of 56 regional FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF), the Attorney General said.