Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he is designating the left-wing group Antifa as “a major terrorist organization” and warned that those funding it will be investigated “with the highest legal standards and practices.”

The announcement comes days after Trump’s close aide and right-wing political activist, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated.

What is Antifa?

Antifa is a secretive network of radical activists that has no formal leaders. Its members, often clad in black, organize protests against racism, far-right values, and what they define as fascism. Antifa supporters argue that violent tactics are sometimes necessary as a form of self-defense.

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Background

The movement traces its roots back to opposition groups in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy before World War II. In the United States, antifa activism is linked to the 1980s, when antiracist groups mobilized against racist skinheads, Ku Klux Klan members, and neo-Nazis.

Antifa groups in the US

Antifa gained national attention following violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017, when white supremacists and counter-protesters confronted each other.

In June 2016, Antifa-linked demonstrators confronted a neo-Nazi rally in Sacramento, California, leaving at least five people stabbed. Between February and April 2017, its members attacked alt-right demonstrators at the University of California, Berkeley with bricks, pipes, hammers, and incendiary devices.

In July 2019, William Van Spronsen, a self-proclaimed supporter, attempted to bomb a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Tacoma, Washington, using a propane tank but was killed by police.

Timeline of key Antifa-related incidents

• 1980s – Antiracist activists in the US begin organising against racist skinheads, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan.
• June 2016 – Antifa supporters clash with neo-Nazi groups in Sacramento, California, leaving at least five people stabbed.
• 2017 (Feb–Apr) – Members attack alt-right demonstrators at the University of California, Berkeley with bricks, pipes, hammers, and incendiary devices.
• August 12, 2017 – Violent clashes in Charlottesville, Virginia, between white supremacists and counter-protesters, including Antifa supporters, bring the group into the national spotlight.
• July 2019 – William Van Spronsen, a self-identified supporter, is killed by police after attempting to bomb an ICE detention facility in Tacoma, Washington.
• January 6, 2021 – Trump and his allies blame them for the US Capitol riot, although no conclusive evidence has tied the group to organizing the event.
• September 2025 – Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Trump formally designates Antifa as “a major terrorist organization.”

Trump’s stance

Since his first term, Trump has consistently blamed them for violence against police and even for orchestrating the US Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.

However, in 2020, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that Antifa was “an ideology, not an organization,” stressing that it lacks the structure typically required to be classified as a terrorist group.