Four ANTIFA groups were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorist and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) by the 119th Congress on January 9, 2005. Being designated as an FTO is a legal designation that can limit an organization’s influence in the United States. In an article published on The Post Millennial website (thepostmillennial.com), reporter Andy Ngo explained, “It enables: sanctions against individuals associated with the groups, asset freezes, travel bans, and criminal penalties for membership or providing material support. In short, it is now a federal crime to belong to or assist the four violent Antifa/anarchist groups.” Thus, by designating the four groups—Antifa Ost, Armed Proletarian Justice, Revolutionary Class Self-Defense, and Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI)—their influence has been greatly suppressed. Additionally, these groups work in tandem with ANTIFA, and through this designation, they are legally in the same category as terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
ANTIFA, which stands for anti-fascism, is an organization that aims to counter fascism within America and other countries, known for its extreme violence. Namely, ANTIFA members in the U.S. were reported, according to the American First Policy Institute (AFPI) (americafirstpolicy.com), to have tried to “force their way into the courthouse while chanting ‘F*** the United States!’” AFPI also reported that “Later that same evening, rioters set a fire outside the Hatfield courthouse entrance” in a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon in 2021. Additionally, as reported by the White House (state.gov), “In August 2018, a Bernie Sanders voter was beaten by Antifa militants ‘for carrying an American flag.’”
In Germany, seven Antifa Ost members are currently on trial facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and property damage. As reported by the BBC (bbc.com), the defendants are being accused of “striking victims on the head with heavy tools, including a hammer and an iron bar.” The BBC also reported that “Prosecutors say they continued to inflict life-threatening blows and kicks, even after their victims had been knocked to the ground.” The victims were at Germany’s Dessau-Rosslau train station after attending a rally in Magdeburg, Germany, which commemorated the anniversary of the World War II bombing of the city. Additionally, in Greece, the Revolutionary Class Self-Defense group, which is described as an “anarchist” and “anti-capitalist” group, claimed responsibility for two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) attacks that targeted the Greece Ministry of Labor and the Hellenic Train offices in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Additionally, the Armed Proletarian Justice group took blame for planting a bomb near the Greek riot police headquarters in Goudi, Greece, on December 18, 2023. The FAI/FRI is a “militant anarchist group” that has owned up to “threats of violence, bombs, and letter bombs against political and economic institutions, including a courthouse and other ‘capitalist institutions’” explained by the U.S. Department of State (state.gov).
Through this designation, the U.S. Department of State hopes to better protect the American people.
