The United States of America has designated ANTIFA, the anti-fascist group, as a terrorist organisation, said President Donald Trump on Sunday. The Democratic and Republican officials, earlier in the day, had said that groups like Antifa and Boogaloo were responsible for the violent protests across the country, reported NBC News.
Taking to Twitter, Trump wrote, "The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization."
Congratulating the National Guard for quelling the protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota after the death of George Floyd, Trump said, "The ANTIFA-led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly." "Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!" he said.
He added, "Other Democrat run Cities and States should look at the total shutdown of Radical Left Anarchists in Minneapolis last night. The National Guard did a great job, and should be used in other States before it is too late!"
For the uninitiated, over the last few days, there have been protests across the US over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who cried, "I can't breathe," as a white police officer knelt on his neck, eventually leading to his death. A video of the same went viral, and there has been a tremendous outcry against it.
The protests took a violent turn, leading to arson and even looting. “We support the right of peaceful protestors, and we hear their pleas. But what we are now seeing on the streets of our cities has nothing to do with justice or peace,” said the US President and added, "My Administration will always stand against violence, mayhem, and disorder. We will stand with the family of George Floyd, with the peaceful protestors, and with every law-abiding citizen who wants decency, civility, safety, and security."
What is ANTIFA?
According to BBC, ANTIFA is against Neo-Nazis, Neo-fascism, white supremacists and racism. Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, says the modern American Antifa movement began in the 1980s with a group called Anti-Racist Action. The report said that the ANTIFA movement was dormant in the early 2000s. However, after the rise of Donald Trump and the far-right, the movement suddenly found its wings.
