<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-13004" src="https://punchingbagpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2020-06-01-at-2.54.13-PM-300x204.png" alt="" />President Trump on Sunday said he would designate Antifa as a “terrorist organization” after Democratic and Republican officials blamed it and other extremist groups for the violence that occurred alongside protests over the killing of George Floyd.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Justice Department will be “apprehending and charging the violent radical agitators who have hijacked peaceful protest and are engaged in violations of federal law,” said AG William Barr. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“Preventing reconciliation and driving us apart is the goal of these radical groups, and we cannot let them succeed,” added Barr. “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Others within the Justice Department warned that labeling a US-based group a &#8220;terrorist organization&#8221; may end up violating Americans&#8217; </span><span class="s1"><i>First Amendment</i> rights. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The <i>First Amendment </i>gives Americans the right to say whatever they want, no matter how controversial, but that right is not extended to terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaida.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">This same concern was voiced last year when Democratic lawmakers pushed to designate certain white supremacist groups as<span class="Apple-converted-space"> &#8220;</span>terrorist organizations&#8221; following the shooting in El Paso, Texas. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>What is Antifa? </b></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-13001" src="https://punchingbagpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2020-06-01-at-5.35.16-PM-300x155.png" alt="" />Antifa (short for anti-fascist) is a loose network of left-wing activists that aims to take down any person they deem fascist. The group is known for using physical violence to accomplish its goals. </span></p>
<p><span class="s1"> </span><span class="s1">Antifa’s members are self-described anarchists and communists who fall outside the traditional liberal-conservative spectrum. They have no allegiance to liberal democracy, which they believe has failed the communities they seek to defend.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In most cases, once Antifa feels that it has subdued or eliminated a local threat, the group disbands and returns to its normal activities (environmentalism, organizing unions, etc.). </span></p>
<p>Some Democrats support Antifa even though the movement does not support the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>Minnesota Attorney General and former US <span class="s1">Representative Keith Ellison (D) is a known Antifa supporter who has been photographed spending time with </span><span class="s1">Luis Enrique Marquez, a prominent Antifa member with a criminal record. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Speaking with NBC’s “Meet the Press” last week, Ellison avoided blaming the recent violence on Antifa and said it is impossible to know who is responsible: </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">“I talked to people who were demonstrating, they say they think some of those folks are from Minnesota. And they also say some people have come from out of town. What the exact political motivation is unclear at this point. We need to investigate it.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Ellison, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, was sworn into office on a Quran after refusing a Bible. He has urged Islamists and Antifa to attend violent riots to stop Trump at any cost. Antifa is typically present at rallies </span><span class="s1">organized by Ellison and his Democratic colleagues.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Author’s Note:</strong> The Department of Homeland Security categorized Antifa’s actions as “domestic terrorist violence” in 2016. The following year, more than 300,000 Americans signed a petition to designate the group a terror organization based on its violent actions. That same year, the FBI launched an investigation into Antifa’s alleged connection to ISIS. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">In 2019, Republican senators introduced a measure designed to do the same thing. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">It is high time Antifa be treated based on the way it acts: like a terror cell plotting harm to the United States. </span></p>