A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #365 - Antifascism - Repression: Banning "Antifa, " the Fascist Fantasy (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Banning "Antifa." This is the latest obsession of reactionary 
governments worldwide. These efforts have intensified recently in the 
United States with the signing in late September of a presidential 
decree by Donald Trump designating "Antifa" as a terrorist organization.
It doesn't matter that such an organization doesn't exist as such, or 
that American law doesn't allow for the designation of domestic 
terrorism. The important thing is the publicity, to make a strong 
impact, and above all, to maintain the vaguest possible definitions to 
attack any type of opponent. Make no mistake, however ridiculous the 
idea of designating as terrorist an organization that doesn't exist in 
itself may seem, the slightest opposition to the government can quickly 
be labeled Antifa, and therefore punished by the full force of the 
repressive apparatus.

This is the example that reactionary governments in the rest of the 
world, and particularly in Europe, are now following. It will come as no 
surprise to see Orban's Hungary follow the United States' lead just four 
days later and add "antifa ideology" to a list of terrorist 
organizations (sic). This can lead to financial sanctions, deportations, 
or re-entry bans, among other things. This is not Hungary's first 
attempt at such a move; the country has previously convicted several 
antifa activists, including MEP Ilaria Salis, whose parliamentary 
immunity was ultimately upheld by a single vote on October 7, 2025. 
Others have not been so fortunate and remain in Hungarian prisons.

Meanwhile, in Belgium, the president of one of the largest right-wing 
parties, the Reformist Movement (MR), called for the dissolution of the 
antifa movement, which he described as "the greatest danger to our 
democracy." A bill tabled by the Minister of the Interior, also a member 
of the MR party, to ban and dissolve radical movements will soon be 
examined. In the Netherlands, a non-binding motion was passed by 
parliament, initiated by Geert Wilders, leader of the far right, to ban 
and dissolve "Antifa."

Following this, a Belgian far-right MEP tabled a proposal in the 
European Parliament to classify "Antifa" as a terrorist organization. 
France itself is not lagging behind, having dissolved the anti-fascist 
organization Jeune Garde in June 2025. All these measures are justified 
by invoking the "violence" deployed by Antifa movements, with the aim of 
discrediting them and making the public accept the increased repression. 
This argument is flawed, since many far-right groups exhibiting 
heightened violence go unpunished. It is only because antifascism 
opposes reactionaries, authoritarians, and fascists that it is 
designated as the enemy.

Although Charlie Kirk's killer had no connection to the antifa movement, 
Donald Trump signed an executive order on September 22, 2025, 
designating the "Antifa" movement as a terrorist organization.

Gage Skidmore
These various dissolutions, bans, or designations as terrorist 
organizations may not all be legally successful, but it is certain that 
the repression of antifascist movements will continue. By designating 
"Antifa" as an entity and attaching all kinds of demands to it 
(feminism, antiracism, LGBTQ+ rights, anticapitalism, etc.), it is easy 
to label anything and everything as antifa, and therefore to consider 
these demands as terrorist as well.

This repression of antifascism goes hand in hand with the repression of 
transgender rights. While the mechanisms obviously differ, the 
demonization of both is accompanied by accusations of deviating from 
conservative and fascist values.

Thus, the ability to accuse any opponent of terrorism will undoubtedly 
have media repercussions, stifling all antifascist discourse, but above 
all, it will allow for the punishment of a wide range of activists 
through expedited legal proceedings and even harsher sentences. Any 
suspicion of complicity will also be potentially punished, and will 
affect more moderate organizations whose demands fall under the vague 
catch-all term "Antifa." This is therefore a global offensive, partly 
coordinated, and one that will surely spread throughout the world to 
strengthen state power and gradually erode fundamental freedoms. It is 
imperative for the antifascist movement to take this threat seriously 
and prepare for it.

Bart Everson

How we wish the antifascist movement were as powerful in reality as it 
is in the minds of reactionaries.

A sprawling organization with considerable resources, capable of 
significant disruption, even threatening the very existence of 
governments, according to some justifications. But we know that the 
antifascist movement, or rather movements, are multifaceted, more or 
less organized, and unfortunately in decline. While repression will make 
organizing antifascist struggles increasingly difficult, we must not 
despair. While we should expect nothing from the antifascist struggle in 
the courts or parliaments, we must continue the work within our 
organizations, our counter-powers, and throughout all our communities. 
It is imperative to "defeat fascism everywhere," as UCL calls for in one 
of its 2025 congress resolutions.

This begins with strengthening our means of protection, whether 
political, legal, digital, or otherwise, as our sister organization in 
the United States, Black Rose/Rosa Negra, mentions in the interview 
published on page 9 of this newspaper[1]. But it is also imperative to 
continue mobilizing. This is how the antifa movement can grow and resist 
these attacks. In all the countries where it has been banned, antifa 
movements do not disappear. They simply have to adapt. Strengthening 
solidarity and coordination between organizations and collectives, 
locally as well as internationally, is crucial. The enemy is organizing; 
it is our turn to continue doing the same.

Sano (UCL Marseille)

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[1]"Black Rose/Rosa Negra: 'State threats make some more reluctant to 
act'", Alternative libertaire no. 365, November 2025.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Repression-Interdire-Antifa-le-fantasme-fasciste
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