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.

    • logicbomb@lemmy.world
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      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.”

    • njm1314@lemmy.world
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      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.

    • 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works
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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.

    • redjard@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      The notorious hackers anonymous and 4chan soon to be arrested. Hope they rot in prison together with the leadership of the trans agenda.

    • Hector@lemmy.worldBanned
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      Apparently no. We are in a post-truth society, reality lost, it is whatever they say it is. That is until we get some real leadership

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    Antifa isn’t an organization…it’s an idea. So, if someone is anti-fascist, they’re terrorists?

    Make it make sense.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    Where is ANTIFA?

    When was the last time someone saw ANTIFA?

    Who are ANTIFA’s leaders?

    Just another scare tactic to get terrified conservatives to fear an invisible boogeyman even more than they already do.

    Also, let’s be clear. ANTIFA stands for Anti-Fascist. In a nation not run by actual fascists, anti-fascism is a good thing.

    • this@sh.itjust.works
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      This is far more than a scare tactic. Its a way to designate anyone who disagrees with the current regime to be legally designated as an enemy of the state and allow for dissidents to be arrested, held indefinitely, and tortured through legal loopholes(at least until they stop needing to actually follow any semblance of the law).

      This is a major step towards trump consolidating his power and he’s wanted it since his first term.

    • Flatfire@lemmy.ca
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      Gonna be real with you chief, I think those are of the least concern with the recent advancements the American government has made towards becoming a single party state in the last few months. The Epstein files were the distraction, not the other way around.

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        I think the point I’m trying to make here is that if we, as a people, decide to hold all people accountable to the same standards (especially those meant to represent us), then unchecked power like this would not continue. The Epstein files are an easy way to convict Trump for acts he most likely has done. We simply have to hold him to it.

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    ANTIFA is not an organization, it’s a movement, an idea. Anybody who disapproves of fascism is ANTIFA, by definition, and are therefore now considered terrorists by this administration. This move is so that people can now be arrested, deported, detained, executed for speaking out against this administration. There are STILL people being held in Gitmo without trial because the state considered them terrorists. That’s where we’re at now with anybody who dares to speak out against Trump or joins a protest against this administration.

    • ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net
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      The most powerful act Bernie and the rest of the democrat politicians could do is loudly claim they are Antifa, to dare them to arrest them or do anything about it.

      • radiofreebc@lemmy.world
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        Bernie tried, but Hillary and DWS read him the riot act in 2016 and he gave up. He should have run against Trump in 2016. I blame Hillary and DWC for handing the keys over to Trump and the fascists in 2016. It hasn’t been the same since.

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    He is following the Nazi playbook to a T.

    Come 2026, many of us will be arrested with no due process and put into concentration camps for using the 1st amendment. The dictatorship is here and republicans REFUSE to admit it because the fascist is on their side.

    We have to make a decision in the next few months. Continue to work, be a member of society, and ignore what is happening. Or cause massive disruptions that will get change started.

    Sadly, i don’t think the majority of the population is willing to fight until they are in the bread line.

  • GreenBottles@lemmy.world
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    Antifa is not an organization, it’s an ideology. To be a patriotic American is synonymous with Antifascism. MAGA on the other hand, is a terrorist organization that has hijacked the United States Government in an ongoing coup.

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      This was foretold. Early in this fuckstick’s presidency, they changed the rules about what they can do to “terrorists.” I don’t remember the specifics, but basically making it so they can go all secret police on them. I think it was one of the earliest EOs.

      And the author of this article I read was saying “this is a dangerous step, because the next block to fall is trump labeling ‘antifa’ a terrorist org and throwing anyone he wants into a deep dark hole.”

      Looks like it only took less than a year. Full-on fascism.

    • Triasha@lemmy.world
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      I am deeply saddened that we are gonna need a bunch nore Patrick Henries to make this true.

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    How do they decide someone is antifa? Is it going to be just everyone they don’t like?

      • credo@lemmy.world
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        “Are you against fascism?”

        yes

        “So you’re anti fascist?”

        yes…

        “We have a confession boys, prepare the firing squad”

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          Firing squad? Buddy, you’re going to Gitmo for a few years of “enhanced interrogation” so they can shake some accomplices outta you

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          What American middle-class wants versus what they’re willing to actually DO about it might as well be on opposite sides of the solar system.

          Sites like this have the most informed people with the most thought-out positions and understand what’s at stake and most people here still aren’t willing to organize or mobilize or even ally with people slightly less left of themselves.

          Most people are still too comfortable, too poor, too scared, struggling too hard or too caught up in their own lives to want to break anything or rock the boat. Until it’s too late.

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          49.8% voted for this, more than any other option. 0.5% voted for RFK Jr so it’s highly likely that over 50% of people who felt bothered to actually vote seemed to be ok with it.

          I suppose you could say they were misinformed, but people were pretty loud about it…

        • Xerxos@lemmy.ml
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          The majority never voted for the Nazi party either. It doesn’t matter. If they don’t rise up against fascism, that’s enough for the fascist to win.

          A lot of people were saying that the last election was the choice between democracy and fascism - and still enough people either didn’t know or didn’t care.

          I’m afraid that the erosion of the education system did what it was designed to do: produced enough uneducated people to allow propaganda to break democracy.

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        If you’re anti-trump you suffer from trump-derangement-syndrome, ie. are mentally damaged.
        If you’re anti-fascism you’re part of antifa, a terror risk.

        For both rules and regulations are on the table to help them give you your own cot at a crocodile swamp-camp.

    • zd9@lemmy.world
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      I think you accidentally figured out their whole plan. It was always made to be as ambiguous as possible so they can do whatever they want. Classssic dictator shit.

    • ameancow@lemmy.world
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      Literally exactly it.

      But don’t worry, we have people ALL over Lemmy still shouting about the Epstein files, so I’m sure we’ll all be just fine.

    • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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      I mean that’s also the same way they decide who is a terrorist too. So, really, it’s just more of the same with new buzzwords.

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    “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.”

    Lmao this is the whole point – right wing leaders (for now Trump, but also whatever shithead populists arise after him) can just slap the Antifa label on whoever they don’t like, to justify whatever they want to do with them.

    Not that different from the “terrorism” label in the early 2000s. Some people were shouting as loud as they could from as many rooftops as they could, that this label would eventually be used far more broadly than initially intended. Sure enough, look at us now. “Stopping terrorism” has been used to justify all manner of insanely not-OK shit.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      I was actually shocked the NY judged dismissed the terrorism charges against Luigi, by citing that it didn’t actually meet the real definition.