Trump to declare Antifa a global terror org. Canada now faces a choice
Trump has declared his intention to designate Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization, a move announced during a roundtable discussion on the organized far-left extremist movement.
President Donald Trump has declared his intention to designate Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization, a move announced during a roundtable discussion on the organized far-left extremist movement.
The move could have implications for Canada and Antifa cells operating within the country.
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Trump hosted a livestreamed roundtable with cabinet members and journalists Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor and Brandi Kruse, all of whom have extensively covered the Antifa movement. Last month, Trump designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization, but Public Safety Canada did not indicate it would follow suit.
During the meeting, Ngo, who has been harassed and assaulted by Antifa on multiple occasions, asked Trump to designate the group as a foreign terrorist organization due to its international nature.
“Thank you so much for acknowledging Antifa and for directing your administration to treat them as domestic terrorists. It’s going to be really challenging because how they organize is that they are decentralized, autonomous, and they operate on deception,” Ngo told Trump. “We’re still to this day, told that they don’t exist, that it’s a figment of our imagination.”
Ngo recommended that the Department of Justice investigate charging Antifa with federal conspiracy.
“The State of California and San Diego County last year broke up an Antifa cell in San Diego, and I think maybe perhaps the State Department should designate Antifa — its international arm — as a foreign terrorist organization FTO.”
In response to a reporter, Trump decided to designate Antifa as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, citing its international reach and adherents.
Trump asked conservative media personality Jack Posobiec if he would “like to see it done” before deciding. Posobiec replied, “Yes, Mr. President. They have foreign links all across Western Europe, Middle East.”
“If you agree, I agree,” Trump said. “Let’s get it done.”
Trump asked White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller if he agreed with the proposed designation. Miller noted Antifa has “extensive foreign ties” and the designation was a “very valid step to take.”
The designation could have implications for Canada and Antifa-aligned individuals and groups in Canada.
Joe Adam George, a national security analyst with the MacDonald Laurier Institute, told True North that if the U.S. designated Antifa as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, Canada would “likely follow suit.”
“Both countries jointly designated Samidoun as a terror entity last year, so it won’t be an unusual step. Moreover, Canada’s listings process isn’t particularly rigorous, nor is there a solid methodology for choosing which groups should get listed, albeit it is a bureaucratic one,” Adam George said. “A single incident can be enough to get a group listed.”
The designation would likely become a point of contention in ongoing negotiations between the two countries if Canada did not follow suit.
“Antifa is problematic, in my view, no doubt, based on the trouble that they’ve created so far, it appears to be a liability, certainly, the Americans feel that way. Whether they meet that benchmark in Canada is a question for the authorities, depending on their methodology,” Adam George said. “But I don’t think that is going to really matter if the Americans do it, because obviously, all that goes out of the window, and it becomes mostly a political matter.”
He confirmed that designating Antifa as a Foreign Terrorist Organization means that the U.S. Department of Justice could impose criminal charges extraterritorially on individuals who “knowingly provide material support” to Antifa, whether they are in or tied to Canada.
The U.S. administration could also pressure Canadian law enforcement to take action or arrest individuals charged with terrorism offences.
The designation would also allow the U.S. government to block assets and prohibit “any U.S. person” from transacting with those deemed to be linked to terrorism. Individuals who may be operating in Canada could be put on a terrorist watchlist and be barred from entering the U.S.
The U.S. would not be legally allowed to make arrests or violently target those charged with terrorism offences in Canada and would still have to respect Canada’s sovereignty unless justified by self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Security Council mandate.
“I’m sure the US won’t go out of its way to go extraterritorial with their targeting, that’s for certain. I don’t expect them to do that,” Adam George said. “There is a possibility of the U.S. issuing an extradition or request to the Canadians to do that, which is why all of this to say, the Canadians might be forced also to designate Antifa as a terror group, simply because the Americans are doing it.”
YEP...
Canada has a choice.
It's Carney and the trained seals.
The choice will be the wrong one.
That is all the Lieberals are capable of making.
Bad and wrong choices.
Besides... Carney and gang want and need Antifa.
At least south of what used to be Canada something is now being done about these terrorists.
Remember..
Canada seems to love its terrorists.
Don't know where Canada has gone..
Perhaps visiting Waldo although I think Waldo has more principles than our Liberal Government and is likely much easier to find.
Of course Public Safety Canada would not declare Antifa a terrorist organization, they're their foot-soldiers and the reason they declared the Proud Boys a terrorist organization, who kept Antifa in check. Antifa is primarily well to do pimply faced college kids being 'impotent'.