Recently, President Trump said that the United States would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization. It remains to be seen whether he will carry through with this statement, as he has often stepped back from policy initiatives announced via Twitter, but there could be unintended consequences of doing so prematurely. It is not clear what role Antifa has played in recent protests and how that provides a transparent rationale for why it should be designated as a terrorist organization. Such an action could also raise further questions about the definitional value and apolitical nature of the U.S. terrorist organization list. Using recent demonstrations as the impetus for such a designation could further fuel extremist violence and undermine the U.S. legal framework for counterterrorism investigations.
Extremists of all stripes feed off conspiracy theories, and events over the last few days have all the makings of a good one. Unanswered questions abound about the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests and riots. In Minnesota and Pittsburgh, questions have been raised about whether protests were hijacked by organized groups who instigated violence to escalate events. However, multiple theories have been put forth as to who — including whether both far-right and far-left extremists — are involved.
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