Designation of groups from Italy, Germany and Greece labelled ‘ridiculous’ as experts say no active threat posed
Experts have told the Guardian the same anti-fascist groups the US state department recently named as foreign terrorist organizations and accused of “conspiring to undermine foundations of western civilization” barely qualify as groups, let alone terrorist organizations, and pose no active threat to Americans.
“The whole thing is a bit ridiculous,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, which tracks extremist movements worldwide, “because the groups designated by the administration barely exist and certainly aren’t terrorists.”
In a release put out earlier this month, the Trump administration, which has made no secret of its hatred for leftists in the US and abroad, named Antifa Ost in Germany, the Italy-based International Revolutionary Front, and two organisations in Greece – Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense – to its long list of designated terrorist organizations.
It’s a big club, anyone that’s not fascist is in it by default…
They named specific groups under the umbrella, though.
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The point isn’t to actually go after these specific tiny foreign groups. The goal is to brand any organization that’s labeled “Antifa” as a foreign terrorist group. There could be some non violent antifa group in Portland, with no ties to any foreign organization whatsoever. The DOJ can go in, arrest all members, and charge them with terrorism for being members of a foreign terrorist group. Would these charges actually stick in court? No. After years and tens of thousands in attorneys fees, the charges will be dropped. But the process is the punishment.
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Who said anything about foreign action? I just told you exactly what the purpose of this rule is. It’s to maliciously prosecute domestic peaceful protesters. This isn’t some farce or distraction. It’s the core purpose of the thing.
I think they just misread Portland for Poland. That’s where the misunderstanding lies.
Ah yes, I remember reading in history class about that time Stalin and Hitler signed a secret treaty to divide up the territory of the Portland metropolitan area. :D
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No you are confused. You can prosecute born US citizens for being a member of a foreign terrorist group.
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At this point, calling Trumpists “lunatics” is an insult to the moon. We need new superlatives to express the depths of how fucked up they are.
So you’re a terrorist if you’re not a facist because you hurt the facists feelings by peacefully protesting while they’re engaging in illegal state sanctioned terrorism
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If the shoe fits
Netanyahu, anyway.
Antifa Ost
What, why specifically them? Are we not good enough? Time to burn some cars, comrades!
(dear friends in the US administration: this is a joke.)
Foreign terrorist groups can be prosecuted, and the president has a much freer hand constitutionally going after foreign than domestic groups. There is no actual federal law to designate and go after domestic terrorist groups. But there is for foreign.
Here is the plan:
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Designate a handful of foreign branches of antifa as terrorist groups.
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If anyone in the US is a member of an antifa group, arrest them for being member of a foreign terrorist group, even if the group they are a part of is completely unconnected to the European groups.
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Make the defendants spend thousands of dollars and years of their lives fighting anti-terrorism charges, and get “arrested for terrorism” as part of their criminal records.
I wasn’t seriously asking why, I was pretending to be offended that antifascists from eastern regions of Germany (“Ost”) are supposedly more important than those from western regions :) this whole affair is obviously ludicrous and nothing but an excuse to persecute and intimidate their opponents.
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It is ridiculous. The countries these groups are in, which are advanced first-world democracies just like the US, say these groups are well under control and far less active than they were years ago. But even these “barely a group” European groups are far more formal and organized than any antifa-leaning organization in the US, the Trump admin just needed someone, anyone, to slap a terrorist label on.
It’s all right wing terrorism these days. FBI confirmed. Someone gave the keys to the terrorists and now they are calling the shots. Up is down, down is up.
Sort of like how “Al-Qaida in Iraq / Syria / etc” wasn’t a real organization, just a way of publicizing the War on Terror in a language Americans reflexively accepted.
We’re going to see random people persecuted as “Members of Antifa” in the same way we spied on and harassed anti-War Quackers and anti-Genocide college students by affiliating them with “terrorist groups”
Anti War Quackers (Bangkok protests)
Anti War Quakers
I can’t help but tease, I am from very prime Quaker territory, so I see the mix up constantly. 😜
Remember when the Trump administration designated a random gang named MS13 a major terror organization? What did that event lead to? What parallels can be drawn between that event and this event? Hmmmm
I know Lemmy is small, but barely exist? c’mon
Bist du Anti-Antifa, bist du FA!
If you’re anti Antifa, you are FA!
Fascism – by design – is all or nothing. There is no “just a little bit”. Either you are part oft the regime or against it.
I’m proud not be able to visit the US, because I’m pro democratic and therefor Antifa!
I’m proud not be able to visit the US, because
I’m able to visit, but I am absolutely unwilling to do so.
For the reasons you already mentioned.
There are three primary countries attempting to undermine western democracies. Vlad’s Russia, Xi’s China and Mango Mussolini’s USA. F-them all!
