Category Archives: Antifa

The FBI is investigating far-left Antifa radicals linked to violent attacks around the country, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told Congress on Thursday.

Mr. Wray was asked his views on whether Antifa, a leftist radical group that has triggered violent attacks in several U.S. cities, is an organized group.

We consider Antifa to be more of a movement, Mr. Wray said during an appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. There are certainly local and regional nodes, individuals who self-identify with Antifa who commit violent attacks, citing that as their motivation. And we have a number of predicated investigations into such individuals.

Antifa, he added is a real thing. It is not a fiction.

Mr. Wrays remarks appeared to step back from earlier comments suggesting the group was less of a threat. Last year, Mr. Wray testified that Antifa was viewed by the FBI as more an ideology than an organization.

We take anarchist, violent extremism, much of which associates with the Antifa movement extremely seriously, Mr. Wray said later in the hearing, adding that it is something we investigate very aggressively.

The number of investigations into Antifa violence dramatically increased over the past three years, Mr. Wray said, without elaborating.

Last year we had more arrests in the anarchist/extremist space than in the past three years combined, he said.

The lack of organization and structure of the group does not mean that they are any less dangerous, or less threatening, he said.

Antifa radicals have been spotted at protests in Minnesota over the recent apparent accidental shooting death of Daunte Wright by now-resigned police officer Kimberly Potter.

The shadowy Antifa radicals often are dressed in black hoodies and backpacks and in some cases helmets. They often carry shields that have been used in often violent protests.

Many of the Antifa protests took place last summer following the death of George Floyd in police custody, when Minneapolis was set ablaze by rioters.

Antifa radicals espouse anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and anti-state views while adhering to a number of left-wing and communist ideologies. The group was especially active in opposing the Trump administration. Antifa radicals also used violent protests to oppose conservative speakers on college campuses and elsewhere.

Beginning in January, the FBI shifted a large amount of its investigators and investigative resources into probing the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The FBI has made scores of arrests and has resorted to social media to appeal for help from the public in identifying rioters at the Capitol.

Critics have charged the FBI has not devoted the same emphasis on investigating Antifa, a group that has terrorized several cities with violent attacks on government buildings and in the case of Portland, Oregon, created a police-free autonomous zone that sought to carve out a sovereign enclave.

Asked by Rep. Mike Turner, Ohio Republican, whether Antifa as an organization is engaged in coordinated training, financing, directions and logistics in conducting its attacks, Mr. Wray said: We have seen individual instances in small regional nodes of people coming together to train in some cases.

Antifa, however, has no major national structure, relying instead on local nodes for its operations, Mr. Wray said.

Mr. Wray said the FBI is probing into how the movement is financed but declined to provide details.

Thats something we continue to investigate, he said.

Mr. Turner said Antifa members have been deployed for protests throughout the United States.

Weve seen them burning federal buildings, self-professed members claiming to be members of Antifa, he said.

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FBI investigating Antifa for violent attacks, Director ...

Heavily armed protesters wearing riot gear and waving antifa flags descended on Oregons Capitol Sunday, resulting in at least three arrests.

A rioting #antifa militant was nearly run over by a truck at the Oregon state capitol in Salem. #Antifa have gathered there today with weapons. They're throwing rocks at vehicles passing by. Police are not getting involved, journalist Andy Ngo tweeted, accompanied by video of the scene.

As many as 200 armed rioters gathered outside of the Salem Capitol building on Sunday, reportedly in response to the conservative "Oregon Freedom Rally" that was planned to take place.

At one point, a rioter allegedly attacked a mans truck, and the man pulled out a gun and was arrested, Ngo reported.

Police have said reports were filed that cars passing the building were hit with balloons filled with paint and that drivers had green lasers pointed at them.

Police warned residents to avoid the area, and they also sent out an audible warning telling the protesters they were taking part in an event that didn't have a permit.

"Exit the roadway and obey all laws," they said. "Failure to do so may result in arrest. Stay on the sidewalks and exit the roadway."

The scene unfolded after advertisements for the conservative rally were sent out last month to honor those who "fought for our freedoms." Antifa then began circulating its counterprotest, Fascist Free 503, to stop the right-wing protest. Police said it had diverted freedom rally protesters away from the Capitol before 4 p.m. Antifa members dispersed by 6 p.m.

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At least three were arrested and face charges of disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and pointing a laser.

Protests and riots plagued cities across the nation last summer and into 2021 following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Portland and Seattle saw the most destruction caused by left-wing rioters, with billions of dollars in damages caused to public and private buildings and businesses in those cities and others.

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'Heavily armed' antifa rioters descend on Oregon Capitol ...

While insurrectionists attacked police officers and broke windows at the US Capitol in a desperate bid to derail American democracy, former president Donald Trump's aides were trying to get him to blame the entire event on Antifa, according to a new book.

Journalist Michael Wolff describes the scene in his new book, Landslide, which documents the closing days of the Trump presidency, including the Capitol riot.

According to Mr Wolff's reporting, published in New York Magazine, Mr Trump was more concerned with continuing his crusade to prove that the election had been stolen from him, and was so single-mindedly focused on his goal that he almost seemed aloof to the severity the insurrection.

"The president, though, was digging in his heels. He remained singularly focused on the electoral challenge and had blinders on to everything else at least, that was how everybody was rationalizing something close to his total failure, willful or not, to understand what was going on," Mr Wolff wrote.

The author explained that even among Mr Trump's inner circle, allies like his daughter Ivanka viewed the riot as more of an "optics issue" than a violent attack on democracy.

Eventually that perspective morphed. By 3pm, about an hour after the first Trump supporters breached the Capitol, the then-president and his allies were trying to put distance between themselves and the attacks.

Ivanka Trump wrote a tweet around 3.15, calling the rioters "American Patriots, and asking them not to attack law enforcement officers. But even calling them patriots showed some level of support for the insurrectionists, so she deleted the tweet.

Mr Trump's staff debated for more than an hour whether he should address the public. All the while, police battled against the rioters as the nation's lawmakers were evacuated and taken to shelter.

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC

(AFP via Getty Images)

According to Mr Wolff, there were three prevailing views among Mr Trump's staff: that the president should say nothing, that he should something, and that saying something could potentially make things worse.

Eventually the former president's aides presented him with a pair of tweets written in his voice that he could use to address the riot while distancing himself from it.

"Bad apples, like ANTIFA and other crazyed leftists, infiltrated today's peaceful protest over the fraudulent vote count. Violence is never acceptable! MAGA supporters embrace our police and the rule of law and should leave the Capitol now!" the first tweet said.

"The fake news media who encouraged this summer's violent radical riots are now trying to blame peaceful and innocent MAGA supporters for violent actions. This isn't who we are! Our people should head home and let the criminals suffer the consequences!" the other said.

Both tweets had the hallmarks of the administration; lying, scapegoating and a refusal to acknowledge its failures.

However, neither impressed Mr Trump, who reportedly prefers to author his tweets himself.

The then-president reportedly did not believe the riot was as bad as the news was reporting. While some of his supporters, like Ashli Babbit and Rosanne Boyland, were taking their last breaths, Mr Trump was insistent that the riots were just media hype.

Eventually Mr Trump issued another tweet, this one written by Dan Scavino, calling for peace among the rioters.

(AFP via Getty Images)

"I am asking for everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!" Mr Scavino wrote, as Mr Trump.

Though Mr Trump did not immediately run with the "Antifa" scapegoat, other Republican lawmakers leapt at the chance to exonerate their constituents by invoking boogeymen.

Later on 6 January, the Congress reconvened to finish the electoral vote count. During that time, Congressman Matt Gaetz claimed that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They were masquerading as Trump supporters and in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group Antifa.

Mr Gaetz was met with audible boos from his fellow lawmakers as he lied directly to their faces and to the American public watching the event.

In the days after the riot, far-right media outlets also tried to push narratives claiming the rioters were actually leftists. Several publications noted that one of the rioters who was spotted at the Capitol wearing furs and buffalo horns with his face painted had actually attended Black Lives Matter and environmental justice events in Arizona, suggesting he was actually a leftist.

It later was revealed that the man in question was the "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley, a dedicated supporter of both the QAnon conspiracy theory and Mr Trump.

To date, investigators have found no evidence that the violence at the US Captiol on 6 January was perpetuated by another other than supporters of Mr Trump.

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Trump aides considered trying to blame Antifa for Capitol riot while it was underway, new book claims - The Independent

Antifa militants attacked police in Portland, Oregon, after news broke of a deadly police shooting forcing the department to quickly announce that it was a white male to prevent riots, according to police and reports.

At least 50 protesters, most dressed all in black and carrying anti-fascist signs, gathered at a Motel 6 late Thursday where police shot a suicidal man who charged at them with a screwdriver, The Oregonian said.

The mob began yelling, throwing items at officers, and attempting to interfere with the investigation, Portland Police Bureau said in a release, with videos showing many chanting the anti-police phrase Fk 12.

One officers baton was grabbed and she was being pulled toward the crowd and someone from the crowd pepper-sprayed an officer, the force said.

At least one police vehicles tires were punctured and a window was broken, the department said, sharing details of the damage.

In the middle of the mayhem, cops tried to dispel erroneous information being circulated on social media, with local journalist Andy Ngo saying that Antifa falsely claimed the deceased was a black or brown person in flyers.

We can confirm that the subject involved is an adult white male, the department stressed.

The officer who fired the fatal shot was black, and was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard practice, The Oregonian said.

Police have yet to identify the dead man, who police said was shot by officers responding to a welfare check.

Sources and witnesses told The Oregonian that he was suicidal and had charged at officers with a screwdriver after they attempted to get him to accept mental health help at a hospital. Ambulance crews were on the scene because of the initial suicide fears, the paper said.

Our officer encountered a very difficult and dynamic situation that no officer wants to face, Police Chief Chuck Lovell said at the scene.

I want to assure the community that were committed to a full, thorough and complete investigation, he said.

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Portland cops ID victim of fatal police shooting as 'white' to prevent Antifa riot - New York Post

America has a history of opposing education for Blacks. The enactment of HB 3979, which outlaws teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the White establishment carrying on their traditions. WHITE washing history.

The two state representatives and the state senator for Bell county voted for HB 3979. I guess thats our communitys values.

How can you teach Reconstruction without talking about race/racism? After the Civil War freedmen started electing male Black representatives.Within a generation the election laws were adjusted to prevent that.

How do you not teach the Lynch Law? Right here in Bell County on the courthouse lawn a Black man was tortured and hanged. His body was broken and mutilated and trophy souvenirs taken.

You cant teach the Constitution and leave out the 3/5ths compromise, and the 13th and 15th Amendments.

Are you going to leave out the American genocide of the Indigenous peopleon the Trail of Tears or the Navajo Long Walk?

How about the massacre of Cheyenne women, children and old men camped under a white flag of truce on Sand Creek, Colorado?

Then the militia mutilated their bodies and took trophy souvenirs. (I see a pattern of racism.)

We cant leave out the Asians. We have racism for every race. Theres the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Executive order 9066 (in 1942) for the internment of Japanese-Americans.

U.S. History, Government, and Social Studies cannot be correctly taught without addressing race and racism. It is woven into the fabric of America.

Cove reader says letter writer wrong to equate U.S. soldiers with Antifa

I see what Randy Broussard is doing in his letter of May 19. He is equating the brave military that fought the Nazis with the criminals and cowards of todays Antifa movement. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While they call themselves anti-Fascists, Antifa most closely resembles the Nazi Brownshirts with their common uniform, attempt to remain anonymous and wantonly destructive behaviors.

Antifa would feel perfectly comfortable with the Brownshirts as they destroyed Jewish businesses, burned books, and trashed the homes of those who opposed them.

Antifa would feel equally comfortable with the Maoists and Bolsheviks when they destroyed their own cultures. Antifa contributes nothing to the world and is destined for the trash heap of history.

In contrast, the American military in WWII would have stood firmly against Antifa and would have hated to be associated with them. The American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines really had two main objectives get the war over and get back to normal life. They didnt want to destroy the American way of life; they wanted to preserve it and participate in it.

They knew that, while the American way of life was not perfect, it was the best thing going. It still is.

I dare say that Americas military today would reject the title Antifa and any association with it. There is no comparison between these brave men and women and those cowards. Any attempt to make that comparison is simply a lie.

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Salado reader says history can't be taught without talking about race - The Killeen Daily Herald

Working to help raise awareness of cybersecurity risks in order to thwart future attacks, U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) introduced a bipartisan bill last week to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign.

Over the past few months, we have seen rampant cyberattacks across the United States that have disrupted business, increased consumer costs, and threatened our national security, Rep. Kinzinger said. As technological advancements increase and become more complex, it is critical that everyone is aware of the risks posed from cyberattacks and how to mitigate those risks for personal security.

The congressman introduced the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, H.R. 4055, on June 22, along with a group of cosponsors that included U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA). The legislation would require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to create a cybersecurity literacy campaign to increase awareness of cybersecurity risks among the American public, including best practices for preventing cyberattacks.

Two of the more high-profile, disruptive cyberattacks recently impacted critical infrastructure, including the Colonial Pipeline and a water treatment plant in Florida.

Cybersecurity attacks and data breaches are increasingly common, costing private companies and consumers billions of dollars and exposing the private information of countless Americans, Rep. Eshoo said. As attackers become more sophisticated, Americans must have the tools to identify risks and protect themselves from attacks.

A cyberattack happens every 39 seconds, the congressman noted on Facebook, and since the pandemic, cybercrime has increased dramatically.

I am proud to introduce this legislation with my colleagues and look forward to working on this effort to help thwart future cyberattacks on all Americans, Rep. Kinzinger said.

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Legislation to increase awareness of cybersecurity risks unveiled by Kinzinger - Ripon Advance

Commentary: Nearly six months later, what do we know about January 6?

Joe Bidens very comfortable election victory over Donald Trump remains untarnished by any serious accusation of fraud or error. Trumps fans struck out in dozens of lawsuits; their comical, costly attempt to have Arizonas vote re-audited by a biased and inexperienced group is embarrassing; and Trumps lawyers are getting sanctioned for their legally frivolous arguments. Sydney Powell faces serious disciplinary charges in several jurisdictions, and the New York Court of Appeals just suspended Rudy Giulianis license pending a final decision, rejecting Giulianis defense that hes no longer a danger to society because he promises to say nothing more about the election.

Many who entered the Capitol illegally have been charged with crimes. (None are from Antifa, as Trump fans initially swore.) This week, a woman pled guilty who did no violence and now thoroughly regretted encouraging those who did. Oathkeepers are pleading guilty and cooperating. While Trump supporters in public office insist Trump didnt encourage the violence, many of those who committed the violence are telling courts that Trump did urge and inspire them.

Sane Republicans (or politicians who felt they could afford to) have denounced Trumps continued obsessive campaign to undo the democratic election. Other Republicans have punished those Republicans for speaking up. Trump himself reportedly expects to be magically reinstated. (The Constitution provides no such process, and Trumpists still have never clearly identified any material fault in the process, so Trump may not actually expect any such thing, but may merely be trying to make sure the donations and attention keep flowing.)

Trumpists last-ditch argument seems to be that what happened wasnt technically an insurrection. Im unsure how much that label matters, but the Oxford Dictionary definition (a violent uprising against authority) would sure seem to apply. Blacks Law Dictionary gives,A rebellion, or rising of citizens or subjects in resistance to their government, . . .anycombined resistance to the lawful authority of the state, with intent to the denial thereof, when the same is manifested, or intended to be manifested, by acts of violence.

Congress,our governments lawful authority,was duly certifyingpresidential votes on the appointed day,January 6.Mr. Trump told people theyd lose their country if they didnt fight for it.Many marched straightfrom his speechto Congress and successfully interrupted the process. Combined?Some of the accused conspired with each other in advance,making very detailed plans.

Acts of violence? You betcha. Abundant video evidence shows violence to people and official documents; many of the accused came with special tools for violence. Only a retreat by outnumbered police saved us from more extensive violence. Still, one officer died after being attacked and another shot a woman who was trying, with many others, to gain access to Congresspersons. Officers were allegedly hit by a barricade, a flagpole, and a lacrosse stick with a Confederate flag on it. One woman wanted to shoot Pelosi in the friggin brain. Others shouted that Vice-President Pence should be hanged, and erected a gallows. Note the or intended to be. The officers who physically prevented intruders from contact with Congresspersons sure thought the mob intended violence.

Above all, we know that many elected leaders, who would be screaming for blood if Palestinian sympathizers or Black Lives Matter folks had done this, insist it was kind of like a picnic the tourists had.

No, this was no picnic.

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Accountability For the Insurrection Is Essential - KRWG

This article is part of a deep dive on the Jan. 6 riot in Washington and creeping authoritarianism in America. See all of our work here.

In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of then-President Donald Trumps supporters, a handful of Republican leaders were joined by a number of their voters in bestowing at least some culpability on Trump and the GOP in Washington.

Nearly six months later, Morning Consult polling has found that while the bulk of the overall electorate still shares that perspective, Republican voters appear to be following their leaders as they become increasingly likely to disassociate themselves, their party and Trump from the insurrection.

Since a Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted Jan. 6-7, the share of Republican voters who said Trump was at least somewhat responsible for the events that led to the Capitol attack fell 11 percentage points, to 30 percent, while the share who said the same of Republicans in Congress fell by a similar share, to 22 percent, in the June 18-20 survey. Both surveys were conducted among roughly 2,000 registered voters, with 2-point margins of error.

Republican voters are now more likely to blame President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for the events that led to the Capitol attack than they are Trump and GOP lawmakers, many of whom supported his false claims of widespread election irregularities. That stance puts them at odds with the broader electorate, whose views on the matter have gone virtually unchanged.

Whats happening isnt partisan polarization but asymmetric polarization, with Republicans separated from Democrats and independents on everything from whether the 2020 election results were legitimate, to assessments of how Trump handled and Biden is handling COVID, to views about how the economy is doing, said Amy Fried, the chair of the University of Maines political science department and the co-author of a new book probing conservatives distrust in institutions.

Hans Noel, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University whos studied political coalitions, parties and ideology, also highlighted the passage of time and a relaxing of intraparty condemnation of the now-former president.

Since the aftermath of Jan. 6 and Trumps second impeachment trial, his popularity has improved among the GOP voters nationwide, Republican candidates for the midterms have flocked to his properties in search of his endorsement and GOP leaders expressions of disapproval about his behavior following his loss to Biden have given way to efforts by some lower-level Republican lawmakers and influencers to downplay the Capitol attack.

There were a lot of Republicans criticizing Trump and the insurrection right after it, Noel said. Messages ranged from it was antifa to its no big deal to it was Trump and not us. Now, the messages are still mixed, but the ones that criticize Trump have faded.

Despite that messaging, the Republican Party has not been able to shrug off voters views that the Capitol attackers are representative of the overall GOP.

While voters have become less likely to agree that the Jan. 6 rioters are representative of Trump rather than the whole Republican Party, they are now more likely to say that the insurrectionists represent the GOP overall. Among Republicans voters, however, the share who pushed back on both statements increased notably especially the one regarding Trump.

But most voters have no illusions about whom the Capitols attackers were fighting for: 64 percent said the people who breached the Capitol were Trump supporters, down 6 points from January. That drop was driven by Republican voters, 45 percent of whom still agreed with the sentiment.

Among GOP voters, 27 percent said the rioters were opponents of Trump, aligning with some of the conspiracy theories propagating on the right that allege the presence of outside meddlers.

Leading Republicans have been working to shift the blame to groups like antifa or the FBI in conservative media, both those groups are frequently portrayed as anti-Trump, said J. Miles Coleman, associate editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Perhaps over the past several months, this message has sunk in with Republicans at large, which seems reflected in the polling here.

The survey also found Republicans are tired of hearing about the event. Six months later, 68 percent of GOP voters agreed with the statement that there has been too much focus on the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol, while half of the electorate disagreed.

Regardless of which side of that divide voters fall on, the country is about to hear a lot more about Jan. 6 as prosecutions start to move through the judicial system and a select committee launched last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) begins to carry out its own probe after Senate Republicans blocked the establishment of an independent, bipartisan commission.

Despite aligning with the statement that too much attention has been paid to Jan. 6, a 46 percent plurality of GOP voters said it was important that the federal government continue to investigate what happened six months ago, joining 9 in 10 Democrats and 67 percent of self-identified independents.

But that gap reflected across much of the survey probing voters views on an inarguably historic event six months later reflects something broader: Republican voters are less likely than others to say they were shaken by Jan. 6.

Just 1 in 5 Republican voters said the Jan. 6 attack has had a major impact on their worldview, ranking it at the bottom of a list of a dozen big moments in recent history. On the other hand, 2 in 3 Democrats said Jan. 6 had a major impact on their worldview, marking the biggest gap between the two parties on the question.

The implications of January 6th are still on their minds, Coleman said of Democratic voters. Contrast that to some right-wing media outlets, which are downplaying or trying to outright avoid mentioning it.

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Republican Voters Largely Want to Move On From Jan. 6. The Rest of the Country Doesn't - Morning Consult

Antifa: Definition and History:

The anti-fascist protest movement known as antifa gainednew prominence in the United States after the white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA, in August 2017. In Charlottesville and at many subsequent events held by white supremacists or right-wing extremists, antifa activists have aggressively confronted what they believe to be authoritarian movements and groups. While most counter-protestors tend to be peaceful, there have been several instances where encounters between antifa and the far-right have turned violent.

These violent counter-protesters are often part ofantifa (short for antifascist), a loose collection of groups, networks and individuals who believe in active, aggressive opposition to far right-wing movements. Their ideology is rooted in the assumption that the Nazi party would never have been able to come to power in Germany if people had more aggressively fought them in the streets in the 1920s and 30s. Most antifa come from the anarchist movement or from the far left, though since the 2016presidentialelection, some people with more mainstream political backgrounds have also joined their ranks.

These antifa sometimes use a logo with a double flag, usually in black and red. The antifa movement began in the 1960s in Europe, and had reached the US by the end of the 1970s. Most people who show up to counter or oppose white supremacist public events are peaceful demonstrators, but when antifa show up, as they frequently do, they can increase the chances that an event may turn violent.

Today, antifa activists focus on harassing right wing extremists both online and in real life. Antifa is not a unified group; it is loose collection of local/regional groups and individuals. Their presence at a protest is intended to intimidate and dissuade racists, but the use of violent measures by some antifa against their adversaries can create a vicious, self-defeating cycle of attacks, counter-attacks and blame.This is why most established civil rights organizations criticize antifa tactics as dangerous and counterproductive.

The current political climate increases the chances of violent confrontations at protests and rallies. Antifa have expanded their definition of fascist/fascism to include not just white supremacists and other extremists, but also many conservatives and supporters of President Trump. In Berkeley, for example, some antifa were captured on video harassing Trump supporters with no known extremist connections. Antifa have also falsely characterized some recent right wing rallies as Nazi events, even though they were not actually white supremacist in nature.

Another concern is the misapplication of the label antifa to include all counter-protesters, rather than limiting it to those who proactively seek physical confrontations with their perceived fascist adversaries. It is critical to understand how antifa fit within the larger counter-protest efforts. Doing so allows law enforcement to focus their resources on the minority who engage in violence without curtailing the civil rights of the majority of peaceful individuals who just want their voices to be heard.

All forms of antifa violence are problematic. Additionally, violence plays into the victimhood narrative of white supremacists and other right-wing extremists and can even be used for recruiting purposes. Images of these free speech protesters being beaten by black-clad and bandana-masked antifa provide right wing extremists with a powerful propaganda tool.

That said, it is important to reject attempts to claim equivalence between the antifa and the white supremacist groups they oppose. Antifa reject racism but use unacceptable tactics. White supremacists use even more extreme violence to spread their ideologies of hate, to intimidate ethnic minorities, and undermine democratic norms. Right-wing extremists have been one of the largest and most consistent sources of domestic terror incidents in the United States for many years; they have murdered hundreds of people in this country over the last ten years alone. To date, there hasbeen onesuspected antifa-related murder, which took place on August 29, 2020, in Portland, Oregon.

Antifa: Scope and Tactics:

Today's antifa argue they are the on-the-ground defense against individuals they believe are promoting fascism in the United States. However, antifa, who have many anti-police anarchists in their ranks, can also target law enforcement with both verbal and physical assaults because they believe the police are providing cover for white supremacists. They will sometimes chant against fascism and against law enforcement in the same breath.

While some antifa use their fists, other violent tactics include throwing projectiles, including bricks, crowbars, homemade slingshots, metal chains, water bottles, and balloons filled with urine and feces. They have deployed noxious gases, pushed through police barricades, and attempted to exploit any perceived weakness in law enforcement presence.

Away from rallies, they also engage in doxxing, exposing their adversaries identities, addresses, jobs and other private information. This can lead to their opponents being harassed or losing their jobs, among other consequences. Members of the alt right and other right wing extremists have responded with their own doxxing campaigns, and by perpetuating hateful and violent narratives using fake antifa social media accounts.

Because there is no unifying body for antifa, it is impossible to know how many members are currently active. Different localities have antifa populations of different strengths, but antifa are also sometimes willing to travel hundreds of miles to oppose a white supremacist event.

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Who are Antifa? - ADL

Antifa is an umbrella term to describe radical left-leaning militant groups that typically confront neo-Nazism and white supremacists at demonstrations.

Public and elected officials, including President Trump, have blamed antifa activists for violence at protests sparked by the death of George Floyd last week. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died last Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for several minutes.

HOW SHOULD AMERICA HANDLE ANTIFA?

But officials have said thatin parts of the country, what started as peaceful protests have devolved into organized riots.

Short for anti-fascists, antifa has no hierarchical structure 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.

Literature from the antifa movement encourages followers to pursue lawful protest activity as well as more confrontational acts, according to a 2018 Congressional Research Service report.

ANTIFA PROTESTS NEW YORK CITY POLICE, TRANSPORTATION

The literature suggests that followers monitor the activities of white supremacist groups, publicize online 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, the report said.

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

Trump and members of his administration have singled out antifa as being responsible for the violence at protests triggered by the killing of Floyd.

PROTESTS DRIVE DEMAND FOR TASER MAKER AXON'S LAW ENFORCEMENT PRODUCTS

On Tuesday, Trumps personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told FOX Business Maria Bartiromo the FBI has evidence that shows antifa's involvement.

This is an organized effort. I dont say its a strictly organized effort, but its organized, Giuliani said. Theyre communicating with each other, you know the FBI has a lot of the texts that show antifa's involvement. Theyre anarchists, theyre people who want to drive this government down.

In a pair of statements over the weekend, Attorney General William Barr described antifa-like tactics" by out-of-state agitators and said antifa was instigating violence and engaging in domestic terrorism" and would be dealt with accordingly.

At a White House appearance Monday, Trump blamed antifa by name for the violence, along with violent mobs, arsonists and looters.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters earlier in the day that antifa is a big element of this protest," though she deferred to the Justice Department on the question of how one could be identified as a member.

But it's unclear how big its involvement is.

Police stand near an overturned vehicle and a fire as demonstrators protest the death of George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, near the White House in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Bray said that although he believes people associated with antifa are participating in the demonstrations, it is difficult to establish how big of a role they're playing since there is no official roster of members and since the movement lacks the numbers to mobilize nationwide in such a dramatic, forceful way.

The radical left is much bigger than antifa much, much bigger and the number of people who are participating in the property destruction are much, much bigger than the radical left, Bray said.

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Little is known about who funds antifa activists, or how the groups get their resources. Antifa is not a single organization, and therefore, financial details, if any exist, are murky.

Earlier this week, Trump tweeted: The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization."

Asked Monday what legal authority the president would have for labeling antifa a terror organization, McEnany pointed to the existing statute under the U.S. criminal code that defines acts of domestic and international terrorism.

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Even if antifa is not a designated terror organization, FBI Director Chris Wray has made clear that it's on the radar of federal law enforcement.

He has said that while the FBI does not investigate on the basis of ideology, agents have pursued investigations across the country against people motivated to commit crimes and acts of violence "on kind of an antifa ideology."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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What is antifa and who funds it? | Fox Business