President Donald Trump said he is designating the far-left anti-fascism movement Antifa as a terrorist organization, announcing the move on his Truth Social platform in the early hours of Thursday morning UK time.

It wasn’t immediately clear what mechanism Trump would use to make the designation, and Antifa lacks centralized 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 ORGANIZATION,” Trump wrote. “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!”

A White House official told CNN, “This is just one of many actions the president will take to address left wing organizations that fuel political violence.”

Trump — who’s overseas for a formal state visit — signaled the move earlier this week in remarks from the Oval Office following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      1 hour ago

      That’s what makes it so useful to them. If Antifa doesn’t exist, then they get to make it up. And that means they get to decide who’s in it.

      And of course, once they decide you’re a member of Antifa, that makes you a suspected terrorist. And suspected terrorists don’t get things like a right to a trial. Suspected terrorists get shipped off to Guantanamo. Oh but you’re not actually a terrorist? How do you plan to prove that in court, if you don’t have a right to a day in court?

      All that shit that everyone let slide when it was being used to hunt AL Quaida or whatever; this is where it leads. Once you decide that certain people don’t get human rights, all they have to do is expand the definition of certain people.

    • MajorasTerribleFate@lemmy.zip
      4·
      2 hours ago

      I mean, it exists, but as an idea, a label of sorts. A movement, some would say, or a principle. But yeah, it isn’t a specific organization that can be shut down. It’s just there are some people who do some things that are anti-fascist, and by that virtue they “are” “Antifa”. I’d argue that even that status is ephemeral.