President Donald Trump announced that his administration is giving “major consideration” to designating the far-left antifa movement as a terrorist organization, due to protests between right-wing demonstrators and Antifa in the city of Portland.
“Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION OF TERROR,’” President Trump tweeted. “Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job!”
Antifa, a collection of groups and individuals who confront whomever they deem “far-right” often with violent means, is known for spreading hate and fear. In fact, an ex-Antifa member is calling out the group, claiming that they are “trying to hurt” and “harass” and that its actions should be designated as “domestic terrorism.”
Gabriel Nadales, who joined the group in 2010 but now works with the conservative Leadership Institute, says its activists are a significant threat.
“Antifa sounds good,” Nadales said. “Antifa stands for anti-fascism and I joined thinking I was going to be doing something good but unfortunately, once you get into Antifa and you start realizing that what they’re doing is not right. They’re trying to hurt people; they’re trying to harass people. And you know, the reason I left Antifa was because I started asking questions and as soon as I asked questions, they started harassing me.”
Last week, law enforcement authorities in Portland warned residents to stay home to be safe, as the weekend rally was planned to put an “end to domestic terrorism,” with a focus on Antifa extremist groups. Officials feared that the rally would result in violence since it was known to attract both right-wing extremists and Antifa counter-demonstrators.
Before the rally, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler announce on Friday that he is confident “from a law enforcement perspective, we’re going to have all the tools and the resources and personnel we need.” The Mayor also said, “We support people’s rights to demonstrate, but we don’t care about who you are, or your politics are. If you engage in violence in this city, you will be held accountable.” There were more than 24 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies on hand in Portland to help local police monitor the protests. This also included the FBI and the Federal Protective Service.
The self-described anti-fascists threatened to confront the rally while far-right leaders urged their followers to show up in large numbers to protest the recent arrests of six members of right-wing groups. The confrontation was especially worrisome because many members of Antifa usually cover their faces with masks, making it harder to identify who they are.
Portland Police Lieutenant Tina Jones said that about 1,200 people attended the rally in Portland Saturday. These demonstrators represented both sides, and took part in around nine hours of protests and counter-protests. There were at least 13 arrests made and six people suffered minor injuries in the crowd. In addition, police officers in Portland made this statement about the rallies on Saturday, “We know there is the possibility that assaults, or other crimes occurred outside of the view of officers. Officers and detectives will be spending the hours and days ahead writing reports, conducting interviews and pursuing investigations.”
