WASHINGTON, September 23. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has signed a decree recognizing the American anti-fascist movement (Antifa) as a terrorist organization, the White House said in a statement.
"Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law," the statement reads. "It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals."
According to the statement, "This campaign involves coordinated efforts to obstruct enforcement of Federal laws through armed standoffs with law enforcement, organized riots, violent assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement officers, and routine doxing of and other threats against political figures and activists."
"Antifa recruits, trains, and radicalizes young Americans to engage in this violence and suppression of political activity, then employs elaborate means and mechanisms to shield the identities of its operatives, conceal its funding sources and operations in an effort to frustrate law enforcement, and recruit additional members. Individuals associated with and acting on behalf of Antifa further coordinate with other organizations and entities for the purpose of spreading, fomenting, and advancing political violence and suppressing lawful political speech," the White House stated.
"Because of the aforementioned pattern of political violence designed to suppress lawful political activity and obstruct the rule of law, I hereby designate Antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organization,’" the statement said quoting US President Trump.
"All relevant executive departments and agencies shall utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa, or for which Antifa or any person claiming to act on behalf of Antifa provided material support, including necessary investigatory and prosecutorial actions against those who fund such operations," the White House statement added.
Earlier in the week, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto has sent a letter to chief of the European diplomacy Kaja Kallas demanding that the Antifa movement be recognized as a terrorist organization just like the United States intended to do.