The Homeland Security Secretary Compares Antifa to Mara Salvatrucha, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic State
At a White House policy meeting, the homeland security secretary this week compared the loose network of antifascist activists to the notorious gang, Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS, describing the loosely affiliated street activists “just as dangerous” as designated terrorist organizations.
“They operate with the same complexity as Mara Salvatrucha, as TDA [Tren de Aragua], as the Islamic State, as the Lebanese militia, as the Palestinian faction, each one of these, they are just as dangerous,” the secretary said. “They have an agenda to destroy us, similar to other extremist groups we’ve dealt with for many, many years.”
The discussion featured rightwing social media journalists including Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who cover antifa protests.
Several organizations mentioned by the secretary – the Palestinian, Lebanese, and jihadist factions – are formally designated terrorist organizations that hold land, operate military wings, maintain command structures and have executed mass casualty attacks including explosions, abductions and targeted killings.
Extremism experts have frequently characterized the anti-fascist movement, in comparison, as having no centralized leadership, formal membership or organizational structure, and it has often been portrayed by federal law enforcement as a loose network of campaigners who participate in demonstrations, portions of which involve damage to belongings and street violence.
This meeting follows an executive order signed last month designating anti-fascist activists as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Days before the announcement, a Proud Boys leader previously convicted and later pardoned for his role on January 6 posted on X: “Who is prepared to pursue anti-fascist activists? Because I know a few guys.”
