Antifa’s Roots

Violent protests and acts of political violence tied to the left-wing extremist group Antifa are the focus of attention after a series of high-profile incidents. 

President Donald Trump targeted political violence with executive orders after his friend, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, was assassinated last month. 

“Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law,” the order signed on Sept. 22 reads. 

Antifa protesters attacked Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Portland, Oregon, and in other cities earlier this month. 

Antifa-related engravings were found on bullets used in recent attacks, including Kirk’s killing.

The group is loosely organized, with no official central hierarchy. However, mobs of individuals dressed identically, who appear together, cause damage and destruction, and disappear in unison, suggest some level of sophistication, according to law enforcement officials. 

Journalists, including reporters from The Epoch Times, have encountered Antifa rioters assaulting innocent bystanders, destroying private property, and harassing uniformed police on multiple occasions over the past five years. 

One reporter was twice victimized by Antifa in Portland while covering riots in the city. After nine years of investigating the group, Andy Ngo found a shadowy system of influence. 

“Antifa is the decentralized movement of autonomous networks, groups, cells, and individuals who follow an ideology of violent anarchism and communism,” Ngo said. 

Members have repeatedly noted their intention to become ungovernable. Autonomous zones set up by the group in city centers, including Seattle, dissolved after safety and security concerns proliferated. 

The idea of antifascism is rooted in opposition to Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party in Italy a century ago. 

Antifa’s name derives from Germany’s Antifascist Action, a communist group founded in 1932. 

Today, far-left-wing ideologies are promoted via online platforms, with posts spreading seeds of communist doctrine. Members use encrypted messaging apps and aliases to avoid detection. 

Antifa’s prominence rose in 2020 during protests that erupted after George Floyd died in Minnesota. 

Some protesters who find themselves aligned with Antifa members in demonstrations may have no affiliation with the international movement. 

Others wave flags bearing the group’s logo, dressed in all black in a disguise known as “black bloc,” with their faces covered to avoid identification. 

While the group’s moniker suggests it is opposed to fascism, most opponents are slapped with the label. 

“Antifa stands for antifascist, but the name is deceptive,” Gabriel Nadales, a self-described former member of Antifa, wrote in his 2020 book. “Anyone who dares to criticize the group or its tactics can be labeled a fascist.” 

Those who question labor unions or social justice agendas, among other loosely defined infractions, are identified as fascist enemies. 

Nadales suggested some politicians are reluctant to counter Antifa because they see their actions as beneficial to their cause, and they potentially fear retaliation. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security identified Antifa as a possible domestic terror organization in 2016. 

Republican senators attempted to designate the group as such in 2019, but the legislation stalled. 

Trump is tackling the topic head-on by issuing the terror designation. The president also tasked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with following the money to identify funding sources. 

Some prominent Antifa members responded by fleeing the country. Others are moving underground to avoid federal investigations. 

Ngo expects the group to “try to lay low, depend on the media to run cover for them, and hope that they get a Democrat in office again, who will undo the executive orders.” 

Changes are already underway. The International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund, A nonprofit organization that provides legal aid to Antifa members, announced it is recalibrating operations to protect donors.

—Travis Gillmore

BOOKMARKS

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he’s eyeing San Francisco as the target for his next crime crackdown. “I’m going to be strongly recommending at the request of government officials … that you start looking at San Francisco,” Trump said during a White House event alongside FBI Director Kash Patel. 

A district judge in Illinois has ordered federal law enforcement officers to wear body cameras while arresting illegal immigrants in Chicago. The order comes after accusations, including by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, that the officers are using excessive force. 

Trump warned Hamas on Thursday that if it continued to kill Palestinians in Gaza, that forces would  “go in and kill them.” It wasn’t clear at first whether Trump meant U.S. or Israeli forces, but he later clarified: “We won’t need the U.S. military.”

The Senate has rejected, in a 50–44 vote, an $831.5 billion defense spending bill. “Seems to me like it’s just pure politics,”  Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) told The Epoch Times.

The Department of Homeland Security will have to restore $34 million in terrorism prevention funding to New York City’s transportation system, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said the decision to withhold the funds because New York is a sanctuary city was “arbitrary, capricious, and a blatant violation of the law.”

—Stacy Robinson