In Washington’s sights, in addition to the Italian Antifa, also two Greek groups and the German Antifa Ost. For US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “They undermine democratic institutions.”
“The State Department designates four Antifa groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.” With these words, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced the inclusion of the Italian anarchist group Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI) in the blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations starting from November 20th. With the United States “will continue to use all available tools to protect” the country “from these anti-American, anti-capitalist and anti-Christian terrorist groups”, the German Antifa Ost and two “violent” groups from Greece have also ended up in the White House’s sights.
The context
American President Donald Trump, after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September, accused Antifa groups of inciting political violence. The tycoon is not the first time he has targeted them: during his first mandate, he had already accused Antifa of fomenting violence after the killing of George Floyd. Returning to the present, on September 22 an executive order defined Antifa in the United States as a “terrorist threat” and “a domestic terrorist organization.” Nonetheless, it is unusual for Washington to target the anarchist and insurrectionary fringes of Western countries. In the press release relating to the case, Rubio reported that the decision is part of «the initiative aimed at dismantling self-defined “anti-fascist” networks, entities and organizations that use political violence and terrorist acts to undermine democratic institutions, constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms». And he explained: “Groups affiliated with this movement adhere to anarchist or Marxist revolutionary ideologies, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity.”
The effects
The United States applies measures against these organizations aimed at limiting their movements and their financial interests. In particular, members of the group are prohibited from entering American territory. Furthermore, “all property and financial interests of designated individuals or groups located in the United States are blocked.” It also becomes a crime to provide material support to these groups. And American citizens who maintain relationships “may expose themselves to the risk of sanctions.”
FAI/FRI
«The FAI/FRI is a militant anarchist group that operates mainly in Italy with historical affiliates in Europe, South America and Asia. The FAI/FRI declares the necessity of revolutionary armed struggle against the nation states and Fortress Europe” reads the note from the US Department of State. Which adds the ways in which it operates: «Since 2003, the FAI/FRI has claimed responsibility for threats of violence, bombs and explosive letters against political and economic institutions» and «other capitalist institutions». The FAI/FRI, a horizontal organization without a centralized structure, is known in Italy for having carried out the attacks against the Chilean and Swiss embassies in Rome in 2010. In 2012, one of its cells called Nucleo Olga, killed the manager of Ansaldo Nucleare, Roberto Adinolfi. The attack led to the conviction of Alfredo Cospito.
Antifa East
The US State Department claims that the German Antifa Ost, also known as the Hammerbande, carried out several attacks against those “perceived as fascists or members of the right-wing scene in Germany between 2018 and 2023”. He also recalls that the group “is accused of having conducted a series of attacks in Budapest in mid-February 2023”.
Reactions on Antifa Ost
The head of the Fratelli d’Italia-Ecr delegation in the European Parliament, Carlo Fidanza, spoke on the matter: «Guess what? Among the organizations recognized as terrorist by the USA there are also Ilaria Salis’ companions, those of the disgusting “Hammerbande” together with whom she was arrested and from whom she has never publicly distanced herself. We no longer expect anything from her, but who knows if at least two words of condemnation will arrive from the “institutional” left which has guaranteed her impunity.” Even the Hungarian government spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs, commented: «Antifa Ost is not an “activist group”: it is a terrorist organization! The U.S. State Department has officially designated four Antifa groups as global terrorist organizations, including Antifa Ost, the violent Antifa brigade that, along with the infamous Ilaria Salis, attacked innocent people in broad daylight in Budapest in February 2023.”
The two Greek groups
Two Greek groups are included in Washington’s blacklist: Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The first planted a bomb near the headquarters of the Greek riot police in Goudi in 2023. The second conducted an attack on the Ministry of Labor in Athens in 2024. And in April this year he detonated a bomb in front of the headquarters of the country’s main railway company, Hellenic Train.
