US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he has designated members of the groups Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI), Revolutionary Class Self-Defense and Armed Proletarian Justice as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”, continuing Trump’s policy of “countering the anti-fine campaign of political violence”.
Rubio noted that he intends to designate those groups as “foreign terrorist organizations” from November 20, and warned that Washington will also target other groups around the world.
“Groups associated with this movement are driven by revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity, using them to incite and justify violent attacks at home and abroad,” Rubio said.
“The United States will continue to use all available tools to protect national and public security and deny funding and resources to terrorists, which will include targeting other antifa groups around the world,” he added.
According to the State Department, Germany-based Antifa Ost carried out attacks against individuals it deemed “fascists” in Germany between 2018 and 2023 and “was charged with a series of attacks in Budapest in mid-February 2023.” Hungary declared Antifa Ost a terrorist organization earlier this year.
“FAI/FRI has claimed responsibility for threats of violence, bombs, and letter bombs against political and economic institutions, including courtrooms and other ‘capitalist institutions,’” the State Department said.
It adds that the Revolutionary Class Self-Defense “claimed responsibility for two attacks with improvised explosive devices targeting the Greek Ministry of Labor and the offices of the Hellenic Railways”, while the Armed Proletarian Justice “claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the headquarters of the Greek Intervention Police in Goudi, Greece on December 18, 2023.”
Trump and his Republican allies have accused antifa followers of inciting political violence following the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.
Trump threatened to persecute antifa during his first term, and in June he declared the group a terrorist organization in an executive order. Some national security legal experts consider the designation legally questionable because antifa has no official leadership or organizational structure.
(Vijesti.ba)
