Explained | What is Antifa, the movement Trump has labelled as 'terrorist organisation'?

In the aftermath of the assassination of American right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, US President Donald Trump announced that he was designating the left-wing, anti-fascist movement Antifa as a terrorist organisation. Trump made the announcement on Thursday, September 18, in a social media post where he called Antifa a “SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER”. 

What is Antifa? 

The term “Antifa” is short for “anti-fascist”. Rather than a single organisation, it is a loose, decentralised movement of activists and collectives united by their opposition to fascism, white supremacy, and far-right extremism. 

There are no formal membership rolls, no national leadership, and no headquarters. Instead, Antifa functions through local networks or “cells,” with groups such as Rose City Antifa in Portland, Oregon being among the most visible.

Origin and history

Antifa’s roots trace back to interwar Europe, where left-wing activists opposed the rise of Mussolini and Hitler. In the US, modern Antifa emerged from the anti-racist movements of the 1980s and 1990s, particularly Anti-Racist Action, which mobilised against neo-Nazis, skinhead gangs, and the Ku Klux Klan.

By the 2000s, small local Antifa groups had come together around issues of racial justice, immigration rights, and LGBTQ+ protection, often taking confrontational stances against far-right rallies.

Ideologies and beliefs

Antifa adherents are united less by a single ideology than by a shared opposition to fascism and authoritarianism. Many within the movement identify as anarchists, socialists, or broadly anti-capitalist, while others are motivated primarily by anti-racism and civil rights. Common across groups is a distrust of state institutions like the police, prisons, and borders, which they view as upholding systemic oppression.

Tactics and controversies

Antifa activism spans a wide spectrum. At one end are non-violent tactics such as organising counter-protests, monitoring far-right activity, and exposing extremist individuals online. At the other end are more confrontational methods, including clashes with right-wing demonstrators and, in some cases, vandalism or property damage. These militant tactics have drawn criticism, with opponents arguing that Antifa undermines peaceful protest traditions and inflames political violence. Supporters counter that direct action is sometimes necessary to counter violent far-right groups.

Mark Bray, history lecturer at Rutgers University, was quoted by the New York Times to have said, “The argument is that militant anti-fascism is inherently self-defence because of the historically documented violence that fascists pose, especially to the marginalised people”. 

Can Antifa be designated a terrorist organisation?

Trump’s announcement raises significant legal questions. Unlike foreign terrorist groups, which can be designated by the US State Department, there is no clear domestic legal framework to outlaw a loosely defined movement such as Antifa.

Legal experts point out that without a central leadership or formal structure, it is unclear how such a designation would apply in practice. Civil liberties advocates also warn that branding a political movement as “terrorist” risks infringing on constitutionally protected free speech and protest rights.

The larger debate

Studies of political violence in the US suggest that far-right extremism has historically posed a greater lethal threat than Antifa. While Antifa-linked protests have sometimes turned violent, there is little evidence tying the movement to organised terror plots or mass-casualty attacks. Nevertheless, Antifa has become a potent symbol in American politics, invoked by critics as evidence of left-wing extremism and by supporters as a bulwark against the rise of fascist movements.