Antifa ignites left-wing terrorism in Minneapolis

President Trump is blaming the far-left network known as antifa for the looting and rioting that has arisen during anti-police-brutality protests in cities across the nation over the past several nights. Trump has said he’ll label the movement a terrorist organization, though he legally cannot do that.

What is antifa?

Short for “anti-fascists,” antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning movements that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.

There is no hierarchical structure to antifa or universal set of tactics that makes its presence immediately recognizable, though members tend to espouse revolutionary and anti-authoritarian views, said Mark Bray, a historian at Rutgers University and author of “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.”

“They do different things at different times in different ways, some of which there is evidence of them breaking the law. Other times there is not,” Bray said.

Literature from the antifa movement encourages followers to monitor the activities of white supremacist groups, publicize the personal information of perceived enemies, develop self-defense training regimens and compel outside organizations to cancel any speakers or events with “a fascist bent,” according to a 2018 Congressional Research Service report.

People associated with antifa have been present for significant demonstrations and counterdemonstrations over the last three years, sometimes involving brawls and property damage.

They mobilized against a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 and have clashed repeatedly with far-right groups in Portland, Oregon, including at a rally last summer that resulted in arrests and the seizure of shields, poles and other weapons.

Trump tweeted Sunday, “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”

It’s not the first time he’s endorsed that approach. Trump tweeted a similar sentiment last summer, joining some Republican lawmakers who called for antifa to be designated as a terror organization following the skirmishes in Portland.

Amr Sobhi, says in the article “The Left as the Right: Why Do Extremists Hate Moderate?” It is despite the ideological difference between extremism in right and left groups, and both take the same approach, and are based on the same rankings.

He notes that while the left appears more contentious in accepting the idea of ​​spectrum and difference, for example accepting all gender and sexual orientations, and cultural peculiarities, it has recently been very similar to the religious right in its attempt to monopolize the value code and ready-made binaries, and almost a new religion.

Terrorism experts believe that the study of terrorism is the analysis of terrorism originating at home, which is more broadly defined as political violence from non-state actors, and arises through the emergence, rise, and extremism of groups of outlaws within the target country, and committing acts of violence For internal reasons.

Left-wing extremists know that they are groups that seek to defeat the existing state and social order by replacing democracy with a communist or anarchist one, and they tend to participate in social protests.

The forms of actions of left-wing extremists range from open incitement to covert, and partly dangerous, acts of violence, with isolated groups also accepting the injury of individuals.

Left-wing extremists participate in social and political debates and protests; In order to make their position more socially acceptable, gain new or sympathetic members, and use them to achieve their goals.