US President Donald Trump has said he will “recognise” the Antifa movement as a “terrorist organisation”.
“I also urge that those who fund Antifa be thoroughly investigated under the highest legal standards and practices,” Trump wrote in Truth Social.
It is unclear what legal weight Trump’s statement carries. As Western agencies note, Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is a generic term for far-left groups and is not a separate entity, and the White House has not yet given further details.
Trump threatened similar moves during his first term as president. He accused Antifa of actions ranging from violence against police to rioting at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Earlier this week, senior White House official Stephen Miller pledged that the Trump administration would dismantle a “massive domestic terrorist movement,” which he linked to the murder of right-wing activist and Trump associate Charlie Kirk.