The group came to limelight last year when its members clashed with the members of a far-right group called Proud Boys in Portland, Oregon.
As massive protests erupted across the United States followed by the death of George Floyd, US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced that his government will designate the far-left group ANTIFA as a terrorist organisation. “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization,” Donald Trump tweeted without further elaboration.
Although, this is not the first time Trump has hit out at the group. In earlier instances, Trump has often described the group as a terrorist organisation, along with some of his right-wing colleagues such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
The group came to limelight last year when its members clashed with the members of a far-right group called Proud Boys in Portland, Oregon. The violence left many injured from both sides, including a journalist working with a right-leaning publication.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1267129644228247552?s=20
WHAT IS ANTIFA?
Though there has been no surety about the beginnings of this group, ANTIFA has been around for several decades. According to the Merriam-Webster, the term dates as far back as Nazi Germany, recounting the derivation of ANTIFA as “borrowed from German Antifa, short for antifaschistische ‘anti-fascist’, in Antifaschistische Aktion (multiparty front initiated by the German Communist Party in 1932 to counter Nazism) and in other collocations”.
Though the organisation does not have a formal structure, it has a presence in several European countries and has come into the news in the US in recent years. According to the New York Times, the organisation draws its members from other anti-right movements such as Black Lives Matter and the Occupy movement.
Though the movement has a presence in the USA since the 80s, it shot to prominence after the election of Donald Trump in 2016, with violence erupting at some of its protests and demonstrations.
Followers of far-left ideologies such as ant-capitalism, the ANTIFA protestors often dress in black and wear masks at their demonstrations. They have been at the forefront for the causes such as LGBTQ rights and indigenous rights. Violence, however, is something that makes them stand out.
Though its members have often physically confronted their conservative opponents on streets, they also criticise mainstream liberal politicians for not doing enough. Mainly known for its violence, the group also participates in non-violent protests.
ANTIFA IN RECENT TIMES
According to the media reports, ANTIFA appears to be a loose collaboration of activists opposing right-wing and white supremacists. Though ANTIFA doesn’t have a prominent and uniform presence in the USA, its activities are mostly observed in the states of Oregon (which includes Portland), California, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
In Charlottesville (Virginia) in 2017, the ANTIFA members clashed on streets following a large demonstration by right-wing radicals. In the same year, they were accused of disrupting a conference by a conservative leader at the University of California at Berkeley. According to the New York Times, a member of the group had punched a right-wing leader in the face on camera in 2016.
Because of the continuous reports of violence at ANTIFA protests, many liberal leaders have criticised the group for bringing disrepute to existing anti-fascism movements in the country.
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