Trump Administration Targets European Antifa Networks as Terror Organizations

The Trump administration is taking its strongest step yet against the global Antifa movement, officially designating four European radical leftist organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The move marks a major escalation in the White House’s campaign to dismantle what officials describe as a sprawling, violent, and transnational far-left extremist network.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designations Thursday, calling the groups “anti-American,” “anti-capitalist,” and “anti-Christian” violent cells that have carried out or threatened to carry out bombings, assaults, and coordinated attacks on political targets.

“Building on President Donald Trump’s historic commitment to uproot Antifa’s campaign of political violence, the United States will continue using all available tools to protect our nation from these terrorist groups,” Rubio said.

The four designated organizations are:

• Antifa Ost / Hammerbande (Germany) a militant group accused of physically attacking right-wing figures in Germany between 2018 and 2023, and carrying out coordinated assaults in Budapest in 2023. Hungary labeled the network a terrorist organization in 2025.

• FAI/FRI (Italy) a notorious anarchist collective known for bombings and letter bombs targeting courthouses, political institutions, and companies they deem “capitalist.” The group has claimed responsibility for attacks going back two decades.

• Armed Proletarian Justice (Greece) a violent anti-capitalist group linked to bomb plots and extremist agitation.

• Revolutionary Class Self-Defense (Greece) which admitted to carrying out IED attacks on Greece’s Ministry of Labor (2024) and Hellenic Train offices (2025).

Designation as an FTO means these groups are cut off from the U.S. financial system, any assets they hold in the United States are frozen, and American citizens are prohibited from providing them with material support.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), who has been leading congressional pressure to confront left-wing political violence, celebrated the move.

“I’m grateful to Secretary Rubio and the Trump Administration for working with me on this critical issue,” Schmitt said. “Each of these groups are violent cells in this transnational operation. Designating them is an important step to dismantling this subversive network of far-left extremism.”

Schmitt recently held a Senate hearing on coordinated leftist violence, featuring testimony from commentators and security experts including Daily Wire host Michael Knowles who highlighted the growing international infrastructure behind Antifa-linked extremism.

The crackdown follows President Trump’s September executive order declaring Antifa a terrorist organization and directing federal agencies to pursue any illegal activities carried out in its name, whether inside the United States or abroad. Administration officials say the designations are part of a multi-layered strategy to cut off funding, terror logistics, recruitment pathways, and cross-border coordination.

For years, European leaders have largely downplayed the threat posed by their homegrown anarchist and far-left groups even as U.S. and European security services documented bombings, street-level political violence, cyberattacks, and cross-border collaboration among extremists.

Now, Washington is making it clear that these networks will no longer be ignored and that America will not tolerate overseas extremist groups feeding political violence on U.S. soil.

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