Antifa on Thursday issued a statement on Facebook rejecting United States President Donald Trump’s declaration designating the loosely organised anti-fascist movement as a “major terrorist organisation.”
“Donald Trump’s regime is out of control and we are at about our last, best chance to avoid the worst range of outcomes. The time for maximum non-violent pressure to address the current crisis of legitimacy and good faith in our elected leadership on the right is now,” the statement said.
It dismissed Trump’s threats as “impotent and delusional,” adding that the president “doesn’t have the legal authority to unilaterally designate anyone or anything a terrorist or an organisation or both.”
Antifa said it had decided against making a formal response, only to later release what it called an “improvised” message after Facebook deleted its first attempt.
“There is no ‘Antifa.’ It doesn’t exist. There are a few small groups of like-minded individuals around the world who gather under some localised antifascist identity, but that does not validate the idea that Antifa is an organisation nor that anyone credibly identified as acting out of antifascist motivation has committed a single act of violence that rises to the level of terrorism,” the statement read.
The group argued that those still questioning its nature are no longer uninformed but complicit. “The rest of the noisemakers are just fascists who are trying to maintain a pretense of plausible deniability of accountability and responsibility for their behavior and values,” it added.
The statement accused Trump’s allies of being “jack-booted backstabbing faithless thugs” and warned that “either we get together right now in an organised and utterly implacable resistance, or we are in this for the long haul and it is going to cost millions of lives.”
It concluded with a direct address to the president: “Dear Donald Trump: you may feel free to shove your entirely illegal and impotent terrorist designation straight up your a**. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
President Trump announced early Thursday that he was designating Antifa a “major terrorist organisation,” likening it to groups such as al-Qaida and ISIS.
The declaration was made in a post on Truth Social at about 1:30 a.m. local time in the United Kingdom, where he is on a state visit.
“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” Trump wrote.
He said he would be “strongly recommending” a thorough investigation into the movement’s funding sources “in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices.”
The announcement followed the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, for which prosecutors in Utah have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Authorities have not produced evidence linking Robinson to Antifa or any other group, and his motives remain unclear.
Trump and senior officials have blamed left-wing movements for fostering hostility toward conservatives. A White House official described the designation as part of “broader steps” against organizations accused of fueling political violence.
Legal experts have questioned the feasibility of the move.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascists,” is not a centralised organization but a loose network of individuals and groups opposing fascism and neo-Nazism, especially at demonstrations.
Under US law, only foreign entities can be formally designated as terrorist organisations by the state department. No equivalent statute exists for domestic groups because of First Amendment protections.
Past calls to create such a legal framework, including after mass shootings carried out by white supremacists, have not succeeded.
Trump first raised the idea of designating Antifa in 2020 during protests following the killing of George Floyd. At that time, FBI Director Christopher Wray described Antifa as “an ideology, not an organisation.”
Former Attorney General William Barr nevertheless characterised its activities as “domestic terrorism.”
Trump has recently indicated that Attorney General Pam Bondi and members of his Cabinet were exploring options, including racketeering charges, against those accused of financing left-wing agitators.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who with Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a resolution in 2019 to label Antifa a domestic terror group, praising Trump’s latest declaration.
“Antifa seized upon a movement of legitimate grievances to promote violence and anarchy. The President is right to recognise the destructive role of Antifa,” Cassidy said.
Despite such endorsements, constitutional scholars warn that Trump’s move risks criminalising political ideology rather than organised crime.