Legal experts question the feasibility of targeting such a decentralized social movement.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump designated the antifascist social movement Antifa as a terrorist organization.

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“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,” he said.

“I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump warned.

The U.S. president appeared to take this step in an attempt to capitalize on emotions stirred by the Sept. 10 killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. In his Truth Social post, Trump did not clarify what mechanism he would use to make his decision effective.

Antifa is a highly decentralized network in the U.S. that brings together activists who identify as anarchists, anti-capitalists or communists. The lack of clear leadership makes it uncertain who or what exactly would be targeted by Trump’s policy.

On previous occasions, he had accused the antifascist movement of inciting violence, including riots that followed the 2020 killing of George Floyd during his first term. Trump had also expressed his desire to designate it a terrorist group multiple times, though experts and officials have stressed the legal difficulties of sanctioning such a decentralized collective.

Since Sept. 10, the day Kirk was killed in Utah, Trump has blamed the “radical left” for the country’s political violence. Several employees at U.S. companies and universities have been fired or disciplined over comments considered inappropriate about Kirk’s killing. Among them were workers at Nasdaq, the law firm Perkins Coie and a Texas State University student expelled for mimicking the killing during a vigil.

Republicans have sought to sanction and remove Democratic lawmakers from legislative spaces after they criticized the role and comments of the far-right activist, who often clashed with liberal students during online programs and appearances at public venues and universities.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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