The symbolic gesture was the latest in an increasingly provocative series of responses to protests that have broken out in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Sunday that he was designating Antifa as a domestic terrorism organization after another night of violent protests over racism and police violence erupted in cities across the nation.
The practical effect of the president’s declaration was unclear. While domestic terrorism is defined in the 2001 Patriot Act bill – and law enforcement could use the designation to seek enhanced powers to investigate members of the group – there are no current designated domestic terrorist organizations.
There’s also no explicit law against providing support to domestic terrorist organizations – unlike groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations. The Antifa movement is largely decentralized, with activists organizing their protest activities online or in small, decentralized groups.
Antifa is short for “anti-fascist” and sometimes used to describe militant left-wing political activists.
“The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement.
