According to his critics, such a step is not possible because Antifa is not an organisation, but a collective term for numerous left-wing extremist groups.
As violent riots continue to engulf the US after the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American who died during a police arrest, the American president announced his intention to target the anti-fascist movement of the far left, including them in the list of terrorist organisations.
After congratulating the men of the National Guard, whose deployment he had ordered in Minneapolis after the first riots, for their “excellent work”, he castigated the “anarchists” and “antifas” and attacked journalists and the Democrats.
“The anarchists led by the antifas, in particular, were quickly subdued. It should have been done by the mayor from the first night, and there would have been no problem,” he wrote, before adding: “The United States will designate the ANTIFAs as a terrorist organization.”
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
Later that day, he retweeted conservative observer Tom Fitton, who said “The antifas have been engaged in terrorism and seditious conspiracies for years”.
Antifa has been engaging in terrorism and seditious conspiracy for years. But FBI and DOJ were too busy to care much, their leadership engaging in their own seditious conspiracy against the presidency @RealDonaldTrump. Glad to see that AG Barr is beginning to get back to basics.
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) May 31, 2020
The American president then called on elected Democrats to announce curfew measures, as was the case in Minneapolis, after the arrival of the National Guard. He also had a word for the media, which he said aroused “hatred and anarchy”. He added that they were “truly bad people”.
The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKE NEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
The National Guard should be deployed in other states and cities “before it’s too late,” Trump continued.
There have been violent protests in several US states for several days now. Despite curfews, demonstrators took to the streets for the fifth consecutive night. Rioters attacked the police, looted shops or set fire to buildings.
Secretary of Justice William Barr also said the violence could be attributed to “anarchist left-wing extremists”. Barr announced that the judiciary would hold those responsible to account.
“These Antifa people should better hope that the other side doesn’t even mobilize,” Trump said in an interview with the Daily Caller in 2018.
Beijing has meanwhile been following the events in the United States closely, seeing it as an opportunity to criticize the governance of Donald Trump who has recently launched a new Cold War with China.
In China, the media carefully covered the demonstrations which erupted in several cities to denounce the police violence. State television CCTV, in particular, showed images of the riots describing the “war zones”.
"Burn that flag!" chanted protesters as several American flags were set ablaze outside the White House as violent #protests triggered by the death of #GeorgeFloyd spread to more than 30 cities across the US. pic.twitter.com/teas8tV2lZ
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 31, 2020
The Global Times, close to the Chinese Communist Party, drew the parallel with the demonstrations in Hong Kong, recalling that Donald Trump had signed last November a law which supported the protest movement. Paradoxical behavior, the newspaper said, according to which Washington had better focus on the problems already existing in their own country.
The agency Chine Nouvelle published a photo of the riots in the United States, along with a comment, “C’est une belle image”, in reference to the formula used last summer by the Democrat US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, regarding a demonstration in Hong Kong.
Pelosi said the riots in Hong Kong were “a beautiful sight to behold”. Chinese netizens mocked US double standards and wished more “beautiful sights” of this kind in the US.