The White House said that US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, describing Antifa as a “terrorist organization”, after promising measures targeting left -wing groups after the assassination of Charlie Kerk.
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and has close ties with Trump, was assassinated on September 10 while speaking on a university campus in Utah. A 22 -year -old technical student was accused of killing Kirk.
Investigators are still looking for a motive and did not say that the suspect is working in coordination with any groups. However, the Trump administration used the killing as an excuse to revive years old to target the left -wing groups that it considers anti -conservative opinions.
Antifa, short for fascism control, is “a decentralized movement, without leadership consisting of loose groups of groups, networks and individuals,” according to the Anti -Defamation Association, which tracks extremists.
“While some extremist actors who claim to be affiliated with Antifa are involved in violence or sabotage in gatherings and events, this is not the rule,” she says on its website.
In the wake of the killing of Charlie Kerk, US President Donald Trump said he would appoint an antitia as a terrorist group – but what is Antifa? As for the national, Ashley Fraser of CBC crashed the movement’s origins and why experts say that its use may be exposed to a political narration service.
Trump’s 370 -word executive order “All relevant departments and executive agencies” directs to “investigation, disrupting and dismantling any and all illegal operations” performed by Antifa or any person who finances such procedures, according to the White House.
“Individuals associated with Antifa are coordinating with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading political violence, surprise, progress, and suppressing legal political discourse.”
Federal law enforcement officials are already investigating a violent and organized crime linked to a variety of hate groups and ideological movements.
The US government is currently not officially defining local groups as terrorist organizations in large part due to constitutional protection.
Critics warn that moving is an attack on freedom of expression
Administration critics have warned that it may follow an attack on freedom of expression and the opponents of the Republican President.
The official said that the anti -terrorism and anti -terrorism departments at the FBI will be used to track financial affairs – local and foreign sources for financing – and try to determine the central leadership of Antifa. The FBI and the investigation operations are usually restricted to how to target American citizens.
A source in the White House familiar with Reuters said: “The concentration of the big picture is on foreign money that sits American policy and draws links to foreign bank accounts,” said a source in the White House.
The White House source said: “The appointment of Antifa gives us the authority to summon banks, and a look at wire transport operations, foreign and local sources of financing, this type of things.”
It was not clear which individuals would be a target for such an investigation.
Political violence experts and former US law enforcement officials have identified advanced right -wing attacks as a main source of home violent extremism. Trump administration officials have sought to photograph leftist groups as the main drivers of political violence in their notes since Kirk’s death.
Legal experts have said that the appointment of local terrorism may be legal and constitutionally doubtful, and it is difficult to implement and raise free concerns, given that participation in ideology is not generally criminal under American law.
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