President Trump recently Tweeted that he is designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.
But what is Antifa? Who is in it? And why is the spotlight back on the group when it’s been in existence for decades? Antifa, which stands for “anti-fascist,” is a loosely connected series of groups with shared left or extreme left ideology. They have no central governing body, no defined roles and because of their self admitted secrecy, it is hard to know how many people count themselves as members.
Antifa supporters generally campaign, organize, and protest, sometimes violently, against actions, people and organizations they view as promoting authoritarian, racist, homophobic, or xenophobic beliefs.
Anti-fascist groups can be traced back to Europe during WW2, where grass roots, mostly underground resistance movements fought to gain control of the continent back from Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy.
The modern “Antifa” movement gained international attention in 2011 during Occupy Wall Street, again two years later when they affiliated themselves with Black Lives Matter, and for counter demonstrations at the“Unite the Right Rally” in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Some Antifa groups are known for their community outreach and organizing, while others deploy often militant and radical tactics to get their message across.
And without a real hierarchy or structure, ANTIFA is not so much an organization as a loose confederation of people with a similar ideology.