US President Donald Trump announced new measures against leftist groups on Wednesday after the murder of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, calling the anti-fascist movement «Antifa» a «terrorist organization».
«I am pleased to inform our many patriots in the USA that I declare „Antifa“ — a sick, dangerous, left-radical disaster — a major terrorist organization», — Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that he will «strongly recommend» an investigation into the sources of funding for «Antifa».
The legal force of Trump's statement is unknown. Moreover, legally such an «organization» does not exist, it is several groups. United into one movement, without a clear structure and hierarchy.
As Reuters writes, such a move has no legal basis and raises concerns about freedom of speech, given that adherence to ideology is generally not considered a crime.
Trump and senior officials have repeatedly accused leftist groups of creating an atmosphere of hostility towards conservatives before Kirk's murder. The day before, Vice President JD Vance stated that the White House is making every effort to ensure that «left-wing violence funding networks» are considered terrorist organizations.
Many believe that Trump is using Kirk's murder as a pretext for crackdowns on political opponents. Meanwhile, pressure is being exerted on those who talk about it. For example, ABC removed Jimmy Kimmel's show from the air due to remarks about Charlie Kirk's murder. As the agency writes, the decision followed the host's comments about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as well as pressure from Trump's supporters.
«The MAGA gang is desperately trying to portray that the kid who killed Charlie Kirk is somehow different from them, and they are doing everything to score political points», — the host stated on the program on September 15. After which he faced a wave of criticism, the host's monologue was condemned by the head of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr, calling on ABC to take action.