What is Antifa, who are its members and what is their ideology? Trump cracks down on them as terror organization

President Donald Trump declared Antifa as a “major terror organisation” on September 17, 2025, escalating the political unrest in the nation following conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In this declaration, made via his Truth Social platform, he also called for investigations into those funding the movement.

Antifa, short for anti-fascist, is a decentralized network of activists and militants united primarily by opposition to fascism, racism, nationalism, white supremacy, and other far-right ideologies. Although often portrayed in mass media as a highly organized group, Antifa is more accurately described as a loose affiliation of local cells without centralized leadership. Its members tend to lean left politically, with many adhering to anarchist or communist principles.

The movement gained major attention during and after the Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 by a Minneapolis police officer. While the vast majority of these protests were peaceful, some saw outbreaks of violence, property damage, and looting. Thereafter, Antifa was frequently called out by political leaders and media as a key instigator of violent acts.

Antifa: Origins and ideology

Antifa's roots lie in anti-fascist movements historically opposed to authoritarian regimes and white nationalist groups. Today, Antifa activists focus on opposing far-right extremism, authoritarianism, homophobia, xenophobia, and racism. Many Antifa members also reject capitalism and broadly critique governmental systems.

Unlike traditional political organizations, Antifa is not a formal group with a centralized command but rather a widespread movement. Individuals and cells organize autonomously, often coordinating loosely through social media or encrypted communication platforms.

Symbols commonly associated with Antifa include a combined red and black flag, representing communist and anarchist traditions, respectively.

How does Antifa operate?

Antifa is known for a broad range of tactics, ranging from peaceful opposition to far-right rallies to direct confrontations involving property damage and physical violence. Common activities include:

• Researching and publicly naming far-right organizers ("doxxing").
• Organizing counter-protests at far-right events.
• Sometimes engaging in physical altercations with opposing groups.
• Wearing black clothing and face coverings as a covert means of identification and protection.
• Use of homemade weapons and sometimes explosives (notably in some rare, extreme instances).

However, the majority of Antifa activism reportedly involves nonviolent tactics such as online research, community organizing, and protest coordination.

Trump's crackdown on Antifa

Trump’s most recent designation of the group as a terror organisation on Wednesday, September 17, comes under heightened political divide in the nation. On his Truth Social, President Trump posted:

“I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

All throughout the Trump administration, Antifa has frequently been labeled as a domestic terror threat by officials and in public statements. Despite this rhetoric, federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have generally assessed white supremacist groups and far-right extremists as the primary domestic terror threat, rather than Antifa.

This designation, however, presents significant legal and constitutional challenges owing to Antifa's non-hierarchical organization and the protections afforded by the First Amendment regarding political protest and free speech.

Statistical context and violence data

A comprehensive dataset examining terrorist incidents in the United States from 1994 to 2020 reveals that left-wing extremists, which include those associated with Antifa, were responsible for a smaller share of domestic terrorist activities and fatalities.

According to the data, right-wing extremists accounted for approximately 57% of all terrorist incidents during this period. In contrast, left-wing extremists were linked to about 25% of these incidents. When it comes to fatalities, left-wing terrorism resulted in 22 deaths, whereas right-wing extremism caused a significantly higher number of fatalities—335 in total. Religious terrorists caused the highest number of fatalities overall, predominantly due to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

These figures highlight that Antifa and similar left-wing groups are active and have engaged in some violent confrontations. However, their role in domestic terrorism remains statistically small.

Antifa's decentralized nature makes it difficult to categorize straightforwardly. It is neither a formal organization nor a traditional political entity, but rather an ideology-driven network of activists united by anti-fascist opposition. This complexity leads to frequent misunderstandings and conspiracy theories, including unfounded allegations of foreign funding or orchestrated violence.