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.

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[–] 355 points 1 year ago (16 children)

To be a terrorist organization, don’t you first have to be… an organization?

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  • [–] 177 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Or at least commit acts of terrorism?

    How do you add "no terrorism" to "no organization", and come up with "terrorist organization"?

    Antifa's Wikipedia page has a similar juxtaposition:

    Several analyses, reports, and studies have concluded that antifa is not a major domestic terrorism risk. On September 17, 2025, Trump announced plans to designate Antifa as a "major terrorist organization."

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  • [–] 58 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    That's why they want to do it. If there's no hierarchy or apparatus, no Central structure, no actual organization, well that all just means that they can call you a member if they want and there's nothing to dispute it. It's perfect for them.

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  • [–] 33 points 1 year ago

    Plus, so many of your rights are stripped once you are charged with terrorism, so as they continue to pass laws that bypass due process they can just use this to round up citizens and put them in camps

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  • It’s the same thing they do with claiming some random tattoo is a gang tattoo.

    It’s difficult to prove an actual crime was committed by someone than to create a scary boogeyman “organization” and just convince people you’re guilty by association. It’s even easier when you can change the characteristics of the boogeyman to match the person you’re trying to prosecute.

    We’ve let it go on for decades, and now there’s plenty of precedent. We don’t stand a chance.

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