via the Daily Telegraph NZ
The text of the document was published on the White House website.
“Because of the aforementioned pattern of political violence designed to suppress lawful political activity and obstruct the rule of law, I hereby designate Antifa as a ‘domestic terrorist organisation,’” the executive order states.
Antifa does not exist as a legal entity. It is understood to refer to supporters of far-left anarchist views.
FBI Director Kash Patel previously spoke of counterterrorism investigations targeting “nihilists.”
Americans Against Government Censorship, a coalition of progressive groups and labor unions, said Monday night that although antifa is “frequently invoked in political rhetoric, it is not — under U.S. law — a distinct organisation that can be legally designated as a terrorist group.”
The group accused the Trump administration of trying “to weaponise the government and accuse anyone or anything they feel threatened by of committing crimes based on their political beliefs.”
Trump’s order accuses Antifa of coordinating efforts to “obstruct enforcement of Federal laws through armed standoffs with law enforcement, organised riots, violent assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement officers, and routine doxing of and other threats against political figures and activists.”
It directs all relevant federal agencies to “investigate, disrupt, and dismantle” Antifa operations.
See this review of the book on Antifa by Andy Ngo. The obvious question is should that happen in NZ too? Here the group calls itself “Anti-fascist Coalition” and although less inclined towards violence, have identical ideology to the American extremists. The Jacinda regime in 2022 decided to ban the American Proud Boys and The Base despite neither having any identified operaton here, or for that matter, members. Banning political organisations and their discourse is contrary to the Libertarian ethos: “I diagree with what you say, but defend your right to say it.” That obviously changes when groups encourage and resort to vandalism and violence, which in Antifa’s case is regularly. But existing laws are enough to deal with that. —Eds