By Daphne Psaledakis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Thursday designated four entities in Germany, Italy and Greece as global terrorists, accusing them of being “violent Antifa groups” as President Donald Trump takes aim at left-wing groups.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement he had designated German-based Antifa Ost as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” along with three other groups in Greece and Italy, in an effort to build on Trump’s “commitment to confront Antifa’s campaign of political violence.”
Rubio said he intends to also designate the groups as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” from November 20 and warned that Washington would target other groups around the world.
“Groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, ‘anti-capitalism,’ and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas,” Rubio said.
“The United States will continue using all available tools to protect our national security and public safety and will deny funding and resources to terrorists, including targeting other Antifa groups across the globe.”
TRUMP THREATENED TO PURSUE ANTIFA IN FIRST TERM
Trump and his Republican allies have accused antifa followers of fomenting political violence following the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and amid protests against federal immigration authorities in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
Trump threatened to pursue antifa during his 2017-2021 term in office, and in September called antifa a terrorist organization in an executive order.
Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is a decentralized movement without a clear structure, command hierarchy or leader, according to a 2020 Congressional Research Service report.
The State Department said Antifa Ost conducted numerous attacks against those it “perceives as ‘fascists’ or part of the ‘right-wing scene’ in Germany between 2018 and 2023 and is accused of having conducted a series of attacks in Budapest in mid-February 2023.”
The German foreign and interior ministries were not immediately available for comment.
In addition to Antifa Ost in Germany, Washington designated as terrorists the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front in Italy as well as Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense in Greece, according to a separate statement.
The Italian prime minister’s office said it had no immediate comment.
A Greek official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government works to minimize terrorist acts. “We are against any terrorist act and terrorist organization,” the official said.
The Revolutionary Class Self-Defense group said it carried out an April explosion at railway operator Hellenic Train. The explosion caused minor damage and no injuries.
The group also claimed responsibility for a 2024 attack on the labour ministry in Athens, which also caused no injuries after police evacuated the area following a warning.
The State Department said Armed Proletarian Justice claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the Greek riot police headquarters in Goudi in 2023.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Maiya Keidan and Christian Martinez; Additional reporting by Eleftherios Papadimas, Angelo Amante and Rachel Moreediting by Susan Heavey, Leslie Adler, Rod Nickel)
