Hundreds of thousands urge Donald Trump to label anti-fascists 'terrorists' in White House petition
'It is time for the pentagon to be consistent in its actions – and just as they rightfully declared ISIS a terror group, they must declare AntiFa a terror group'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hundreds of thousands of people have signed a petition calling on Donald Trump to "formally recognise" anti-fascists as terrorists.
The petition on the White House website urges the federal government to declare Antifa, a terror group, out of "principle, integrity, morality and safety".
Antifa, shorthand for antifascist organisations, refers to a loose coalition of decentralised, grassroots groups opposed to the many guises of fascism.
"Terrorism is defined as 'the use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims'," the petition reads. "This definition is the same definition used to declare ISIS and other groups, as terrorist organisations. Antifa has earned this title due to its violent actions in multiple cities and their influence in the killings of multiple police officers throughout the US.
"It is time for the pentagon to be consistent in its actions – and just as they rightfully declared ISIS a terror group, they must declare AntiFa a terror group."
It comes after the US President accused the "alt-left" of inciting violence during a tense standoff in the Virginian city of Charlottesville, between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters.
Mr Trump came under heavy criticism after he claimed there had been violence "on both sides" in the wake of the rally, which left one person dead after a white supremacist allegedly ploughed his car into a group of counter-protesters.
The far-right has repeatedly accused Antifa of provoking the violence seen in Virginia.
The belief of the majority of anti-fascist activists is centred around denouncing far-right views, but anti-capitalist and anti-establishment factions are also known to verge towards anarchy.
One image widely shared by far right circles that appeared to prove this last point showed an anti-fascist protester beating a police officer.
Many had shared the photo as evidence the far left had at least contributed to the Charlottesville violence.
But the image, which shows a man in an “Antifascist Action” jacket lashing out at an officer on the ground, was later found to be fake.
The photo was found to be from a 2009 demonstration in Athens, Greece, and in the original, there is no anti-fascist logo on the man’s jacket.
At the time of publication, the petition had received 144,046 signatures, surpassing the 70,000 needed to be eligible for an official response from the White House.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments