TRUMP SAYS HE’LL DESIGNATE ANTIFA AS TERROR GROUP

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday the U.S. government will designate anti-fascist group Antifa as a terrorist organization.

The announcement, made by Trump on Twitter, comes amid violent nationwide protests about police brutality following the death of a black man, George Floyd, while being seen on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Saturday “outside radicals and agitators” had hijacked protests in U.S. cities over the killing. It is not clear how many, if any, of the protesters participating in demonstrations across the country are from Antifa. John Harrington, head of Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, told a news conference Sunday that about 20 per cent of Saturday’s arrest records were for people outof-state, though he did not yet have the total for Saturday night’s arrests.

Other conservative politicians, such as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have made similar statements about Antifa.

It is also unclear whether the Trump administration is seriously pursuing the designation through formal channels, which would typically require co-ordination across multiple federal agencies.