Antifa - Antifascist Action
Antifa, short for anti-fascists, is an umbrella term for a far-left-leaning movement with no designated leadership that is opposed to far-right ideologies. Some of its members confront neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups at demonstrations. There are antifa groups, but antifa itself is not a group.
The word Antifa refers to the German term "Antifaschistische Aktion," which translates to "anti-fascist action." It originated in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, when left-wing activists and groups opposed the rise of National Socialism during the politically turbulent times of the German Weimar Republic. It was proclaimed in 1932 by the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), however, not as an organization, but as a collective movement against the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). The Antifa movement's logo shows two flags, one tilted to the left and one to the right. The red flag is said to represent socialism and communism, while the black flag is meant to symbolize anarchism.
Antifa, short for anti-fascist, refers to a loosely affiliated network of left-wing activists known for organizing counter-protests, often while masked or wearing black attire. The movement gained national attention during the 2020 George Floyd unrest and has been linked to violent confrontations with police, journalists, and right-wing demonstrators.
Anti-fascist groups, or “Antifa,” are a subset of the anarchist movement and focus on issues involving racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism, as well as other perceived injustices. Today’s antifa takes the name from the German Communist Party (KPD)’s street fighting group established in 1932, Antifaschitische Aktion. The Reds got some media attention, in the escalating street violence which helped the Nazi street fighters - the SA - Sturmabteilung (German: “Assault Division” or "Storm Detachment").
For East Germany, [the German Democractic Republic - GDR], antifascism was a central element of its national self-image and became an integral part of everyday political life. Immediately before or after the invasion of the Allied troops in Germany and the defeat of the Third Reich in May 1945, anti-fascist forces in Germany developed an abruptly increased activity. In almost all the cities of the Soviet Occupation Zone (SBZ), especially in the industrial areas of the south of the zone and the Berlin area, anti-fascist committees were formed, with a considerable number of members. Most of the Antifa committees (or similar organizations) began to clean up the administrations and businesses of Nazis independently, without instructions from the Soviet Militia Administration (SMAD).
They drew on the slogans and orientation of the prewar united front, adopting the word “Antifa” from the last-ditch attempt to establish a cross-party alliance between Communist and Social Democratic workers in 1932. The alliance’s iconic logo, devised by Association of Revolutionary Visual Artists members Max Keilson and Max Gebhard, has been since become one of the Left’s most well-known symbols - the two flags representing the Communists and Socialists. The post-War circles were not spontaneous instances of solidarization, but the result of Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Communist Party (KPD) veterans reactivating prewar networks.
The leadership of the KPD pressed for the implementation of its concepts in 1945, and thus for the rapid dissolution of the Antifa committees. Rarely, in the modern era, has a state so strongly and so exclusively derived its political legitimation from its foundational myth as the GDR. In the Eastern bloc and especially in the GDR, antifascism was a kind of state religion and propaganda weapon in the Cold War. Today Antifascism sounds old-fashioned. Nevertheless, a part of the Antifa scene remained faithful to the term.
The Antifa movement, which in the 1980s developed in West Germany in response to the drifts of neo-Nazis and right-extremist skinheads. From the term "antifascism", the catchy-short slogan "Antifa" was distilled. It sounds aggressive and is also meant. One of the most frequently scanned and sprayed slogans is "Antifa is called attack!" And so it goes with fists and stones against right-wing extremists and policemen, now and then also with fire bottles against vehicles of neo-Nazis.
Individuals, groups and organizations associated with the "Antifa" ideology have carried out numerous acts of violence internationally in recent years.
- In Germany, the "Hammerbande" group, which is linked to the "Antifa" ideology, committed violent attacks against 18 victims between 2018 and 2020 alone, as a result of which some victims were in a life-threatening condition. Despite the actions of the German authorities, groups linked to the "Antifa" ideology have continued their violent actions in recent times, including stabbings and attacks on politicians in front of the national parliament.
- In France, during 2023 and 2024, several violent attacks were committed in the Toulouse area by members of the group "Offensive Révolutionnaire Antifasciste", which is linked to the "Antifa" ideology.
- In Italy, since the 2010s, the actions of groups and movements linked to the "Antifa" ideology have led to open street violence in several cases (Milan in November 2014, Bologna in February 2018, Turin in November 2024).
- In addition to the acts of violence committed in other European states, the incomprehension and indignation of the Hungarian people was particularly provoked by those that directly affected Hungarian citizens and Hungarian institutions.
- Between 9 and 11 February 2023, members of foreign groups linked to the "Antifa" ideology committed egregious acts of violence at 5 locations in Budapest. Despite the decisive action and measures taken by the Hungarian authorities, the authorities of other European Union Member States refused to surrender several of the suspects. There is also a perpetrator in whose case the Hungarian criminal proceedings against him had to be suspended on the grounds of his mandate as a Member of the European Parliament.
- On 26 January 2024, the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin building was severely damaged by a group linked to the "Antifa" ideology due to the authorities' decisive action against their comrades who committed violent crimes in Hungary.
- On February 9, 2024, members of groups linked to the "Antifa" ideology broke into the building of the Honorary Consulate of Hungary in Venice.
- On 13 November 2024, the Hungarian House in Brussels and those attending a book launch were violently attacked From persons linked to the "Antifa" ideology.
- On 4 March 2025, Hungary's ambassador to Athens was attacked in Athens for the sole reason that the Hungarian authorities had acted against members of groups that committed violent acts linked to the "Antifa" ideology.
- In May 2025, groups linked to the "Antifa" ideology launched violent attacks on the Brussels office of the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC).
On 26 September 2025, just four days after President Trump’s executive order, the Hungarian Official Gazette issued a decree establishing a new list of national terrorist organisations – previously non-existent – declaring Antifa and the allegedly linked German group Hammerbande as terror organisations, making it the first in Europe to directly follow Trump’s footsteps. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjárto also sent a letter to the European Union (EU) Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas on 20 September, urging for the addition of “the Antifa movement to the EU list of terrorist organisations” and to “impos[e] the necessary restrictive measures on groups and individuals connected to it”.
Other calls have also been made towards the EU, with the Spanish far-right party Vox advocating for Brussels to consider Antifa a terrorist organisation and starting a petition. Poland’s main opposition party, the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), called for Antifa’s designation and announced they were submitting a request to Prime Minister Donald Tusk for Poland to table an EU designation.
A motion was also filed within the European Parliament, on 1 October by far-right Belgian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Tom Vandendriessche (Patriots for Europe, PfE), along with 79 other MEPs from 20 different countries, calling for a resolution to declare Antifa a terrorist organisation. This follows similar attempts by far-right MEPs in previous years, notably in 2023, to no avail. Parliamentary motions have no binding power on these issues – as the Council of the EU is the only European pillar with the authority to designate terrorist actors as such. Still, such motions may be used to set an agenda and influence subsequent debates.
Washington designated four European Antifa organizations as terrorist groups, the US State Department announced on Thursday. The move is being framed as part of US President Donald Trump’s effort to tackle rising political violence. In September 2025, the Trump administration had labeled the self-described anti-fascist movement in the USA as a domestic terrorist organization following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The State Department specified that the organizations that will receive the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) label include Antifa Ost in Germany, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and two Greece-based groups, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. All four were also designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) next week. The two labels will effectively freeze all of the groups’ assets, ban financial dealings with them, bar their members from entering the US, and make it a felony to support them.
The department noted that Antifa Ost had carried out multiple attacks against individuals in Germany between 2018 and 2023 and had also been linked to assaults in Budapest in February 2023. Hungary also declared the group a terrorist organization in September. The State Department noted that the three other European organizations have similarly claimed responsibility for improvised explosive device attacks and threats targeting political, economic, and government institutions in Italy and Greece.
In his September 2025 designation of Antifa as a terrorist organization, Trump described the network as a “militarist, anarchist enterprise” that seeks to overthrow the US government. His directive instructed federal agencies to use all available legal authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any illegal operations involving Antifa or those acting on its behalf, including prosecuting individuals or entities that provide material support.
Antifa Ost
Antifa Ost (also known as Antifa East and Hammerbande) is a Germany-based militant group. Antifa Ost conducted numerous attacks against individuals 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. On September 26, 2025, Hungary declared Antifa Ost to be a terrorist organization and added the group to its national anti-terrorism list.
On November 13, 2025, the Department of State announces the designation of Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and the intent to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), effective November 20, 2025.
The US State Department warned that the designations came with consequences for any US-based person or entity that did business with the four groups. “Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk,” the State Department said in its statement. ”Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.”
On 22 September 2025, Trump issued an executive order saying he would designate the left-wing group as a “domestic terrorist organisation”. “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,” Trump said in the order. “It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals.”
That designation could potentially render antifa-related activity illegal. Providing “material support” for designated “terrorist” groups is a crime under federal law. However, since antifa is not a cohesive group, there is no way of identifying the financiers of the movement, as it comprises several autonomous groups with varied funding sources, which are often not made public. Experts have also raised concerns about the First Amendment right to free speech and association under the US Constitution, arguing that Trump’s designations could dampen left-wing activism. “Speaking of ‘antifa’ in the singular is misleading and plays into Trump’s efforts to repress the left,” historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told Al Jazeera in September 2025.
Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI)
FAI/FRI is a militant anarchist group that primarily operates in Italy with historical self-proclaimed affiliates across Europe, South America, and Asia. FAI/FRI declares the necessity of the revolutionary armed struggle against nation states and “The Fortress Europe.” Since 2003, FAI/FRI has claimed responsibility for threats of violence, bombs, and letter bombs against political and economic institutions, including a courthouse and other “capitalist institutions.”
On November 13, 2025, the Department of State announces the designation of Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and the intent to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), effective November 20, 2025.
The US State Department warned that the designations came with consequences for any US-based person or entity that did business with the four groups. “Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk,” the State Department said in its statement. ”Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.”
On 22 September 2025, Trump issued an executive order saying he would designate the left-wing group as a “domestic terrorist organisation”. “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,” Trump said in the order. “It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals.”
That designation could potentially render antifa-related activity illegal. Providing “material support” for designated “terrorist” groups is a crime under federal law. However, since antifa is not a cohesive group, there is no way of identifying the financiers of the movement, as it comprises several autonomous groups with varied funding sources, which are often not made public. Experts have also raised concerns about the First Amendment right to free speech and association under the US Constitution, arguing that Trump’s designations could dampen left-wing activism. “Speaking of ‘antifa’ in the singular is misleading and plays into Trump’s efforts to repress the left,” historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told Al Jazeera in September 2025.
Armed Proletarian Justice
Armed Proletarian Justice is a Greek anarchist and “anti-capitalist” group that has attempted and conducted improvised explosive device (IED) attacks against Greek government targets. Armed Proletarian Justice claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the Greek riot police headquarters in Goudi, Greece on December 18, 2023.
On November 13, 2025, the Department of State announces the designation of Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and the intent to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), effective November 20, 2025.
The US State Department warned that the designations came with consequences for any US-based person or entity that did business with the four groups. “Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk,” the State Department said in its statement. ”Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.”
On 22 September 2025, Trump issued an executive order saying he would designate the left-wing group as a “domestic terrorist organisation”. “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,” Trump said in the order. “It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals.”
That designation could potentially render antifa-related activity illegal. Providing “material support” for designated “terrorist” groups is a crime under federal law. However, since antifa is not a cohesive group, there is no way of identifying the financiers of the movement, as it comprises several autonomous groups with varied funding sources, which are often not made public. Experts have also raised concerns about the First Amendment right to free speech and association under the US Constitution, arguing that Trump’s designations could dampen left-wing activism. “Speaking of ‘antifa’ in the singular is misleading and plays into Trump’s efforts to repress the left,” historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told Al Jazeera in September 2025.
Revolutionary Class Self-Defense
Revolutionary Class Self-Defense is a Greek anarchist and “anti-capitalist” group. The group links its actions to broader political and social issues and cites opposition to “capitalist structures,” “state repression,” and solidarity with Palestine. Revolutionary Class Self-Defense claimed responsibility for two IED attacks targeting the Greece Ministry of Labor (February 3, 2024) and the Hellenic Train offices (April 11, 2025).
On November 13, 2025, the Department of State announces the designation of Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and the intent to designate all four groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), effective November 20, 2025.
The US State Department warned that the designations came with consequences for any US-based person or entity that did business with the four groups. “Persons that engage in certain transactions or activities with those designated today may expose themselves to sanctions risk,” the State Department said in its statement. ”Notably, engaging in certain transactions with them entails risk of secondary sanctions pursuant to counterterrorism authorities.”
On 22 September 2025, Trump issued an executive order saying he would designate the left-wing group as a “domestic terrorist organisation”. “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,” Trump said in the order. “It uses illegal means to organize and execute a campaign of violence and terrorism nationwide to accomplish these goals.”
That designation could potentially render antifa-related activity illegal. Providing “material support” for designated “terrorist” groups is a crime under federal law. However, since antifa is not a cohesive group, there is no way of identifying the financiers of the movement, as it comprises several autonomous groups with varied funding sources, which are often not made public. Experts have also raised concerns about the First Amendment right to free speech and association under the US Constitution, arguing that Trump’s designations could dampen left-wing activism. “Speaking of ‘antifa’ in the singular is misleading and plays into Trump’s efforts to repress the left,” historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, told Al Jazeera in September 2025.
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