US President Trump wants to declare Antifa, a terrorist organisation. Why? What are the activities in which this group is involved?
As massive protests after the death of George Floyd continued to rock the United States, President Donald Trump has announced that the far-left group ANTIFA would be designated as a terrorist organisation by his government.
Even in the past, Trump has described Antifa as a terrorist group.
Other right-wing politicians have also criticised the group.
Antifa has been around for several decades, though accounts vary on its exact beginnings.
While the movement has had a presence in several European countries and has come into focus in the United States in recent years.
Antifa does not have a formal organisational structure. The New York Times said it draws its members from other movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Occupy movement.
The movement has been known to have a presence in the US in the 1980s. It shot into prominence following the election of President Trump in 2016, with violence marking some of its protests and demonstrations.
Antifa members typically dress in black and often wear a mask at their demonstrations, and follow far-left ideologies such as anti-capitalism.
They take up causes such as LGBTQ and indigenous rights. What makes them stand out is the violence.
Criticising mainstream liberal politicians for not doing enough, Antifa members have often physically confronted their conservative opponents on the streets, although the group also participates in non-violent protests.
Apart from public counter-protests, Antifa members run websites that track white extremist and ultra-right groups.
Because of Antifa’s repeated involvement in violence, many liberal figures have criticised the group for bringing disrepute to existing anti-fascism movements in the country.
