Secretary of #State #MarcoRubio has invited senior ministers from more than 60 countries to a meeting next week about what the #Trump admin claims is a major peril — the “resurgence of transnational far-left terrorism,” acc/to documents reviewed by WaPo.

The meeting has prompted consternation among career & political #US officials, some European allies & independent analysts who do not see the threat in the same terms.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #FarRight #propaganda

Some #US officials…worry it is part of a #Trump admin effort to use powerful counterterrorism tools to crack down on US #activists they view as left-wing extremists.

Trump’s counterterrorism czar, [the #AltRight #FarRight #WhiteNationalist media personality & fraudster] #SebastianGorka, has had discussions with colleagues about using foreign #terrorism labels for #Antifa to justify going after Americans with links to the movement….

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment

A linkage to foreign terrorist groups “can unlock certain investigative tools,” such as #surveillance, said one #US counterterrorism ofcl, who like several other officials interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity….

…Some #Trump admin officials fear that a future Democratic administration could use the tactic against conservative activists, one admin ofcl said. [what goes around comes around]

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #FarRight

But achieving that status for #Antifa would be a stretch, experts say.

#US #law requires a group be foreign to be designated. “If it has any significant domestic presence, it cannot be designated,” said Jason Blazakis, who ran the #State Department’s designation process for 10 years before leaving in 2018.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

Elsewhere in the government, discomfort with the direction the admin is such that at meetings of #NationalSecurity ofcls from various agencies, some #intelligence analysts have declined to brief on #Antifa because they do not regard it as a serious counterterrorism threat, acc/to one person familiar with the matter.

Officials from some foreign governments…expressed dismay about the #Rubio invitation, citing what they call its vague aims & the short notice.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest

…Some said, too, they were unsure why they had been invited. “We don’t have antifa,” said one European diplomat.

“I don’t think we can find any reason why we would be interested in attending such an event,” said another.

“Our law enforcement authorities have not focused on left-wing terrorism because this is not considered a high priority threat in our country,” said a third.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

The invitation list…included most European nations, larger Latin American countries & several Asian states, including India, Indonesia & Singapore. The #State Department did not respond to a request seeking to understand how the list of invitees was drawn up.

#Trump has made no secret of his disdain for #Antifa, going so far as to issue an executive order in the fall branding it a “domestic terrorist organization,” a rhetorical label that experts say carries no legal weight.

#law #Constitution

That led to a criminal investigation that culminated last month in lengthy prison sentences given to several members of what prosecutors called an “antifa cell” — one defendant received 100 years — for their roles last summer in a protest outside an #ICE facility in Texas during which a police officer was shot. The person sentenced to 100 years was convicted of attempted murder.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

The others received prison terms of 30 to 70 years on charges such as rioting, providing support to terrorists & conspiracy to use & carry explosives. [so all #Jan6 offenders should suffer the same fate]

Defense attorneys called the prosecution politically motivated.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

#Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is a decentralized movement without a clear command structure or leader, reflecting a range of ideologies mostly on the political left, from anarchism to communism & everything in between. Unlike left-wing extremist groups of the 1960s & 1970s, such as Weather Underground, antifa does not issue manifestos or claim responsibility for actions.

#law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

@flyhigh
We shouldn't even let them use the word "antifa", because it hides what they are saying. Many people don't know it stands for anti-fascism, they think it is some kind of acronym or foreign word.

If anyone rants about "antifa", make them say out loud that they hate anti-fascists. Make them say out loud that they want fascism.