Kristi Noem Compares Anti-Fascist Activists to Mara Salvatrucha, Hamas, the Lebanese Faction and Islamic State
During a White House roundtable discussion, Kristi Noem on Wednesday compared antifa to the notorious gang, the Gaza-based organization, the Iran-backed group and ISIS, calling the decentralized protesters “equally threatening” as designated terrorist organizations.
“They are just as sophisticated as MS-13, as the Tren de Aragua, as Isis, as Hezbollah, as the Palestinian faction, as all of them, they are just as dangerous,” Noem said. “They have an agenda to destroy us, similar to other extremist groups we have confronted for decades.”
The discussion featured rightwing social media journalists including several prominent commentators and others who report on anti-fascist demonstrations.
Several organizations mentioned by the secretary – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are officially classified as terror groups that control territory, run armed branches, have hierarchical leadership and have carried out mass casualty attacks including bombings, abductions and targeted killings.
Specialists in radical movements have frequently characterized the anti-fascist movement, in comparison, as lacking a central command, official membership or structured hierarchy, and it has generally been described by federal law enforcement as a loose network of campaigners who participate in demonstrations, portions of which involve damage to belongings and street violence.
The roundtable comes after an executive order issued in September classifying antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Shortly prior to the declaration, Joe Biggs previously convicted and later pardoned for his actions during the Capitol events wrote on social media: “Who is prepared to pursue anti-fascist activists? Since I am acquainted with several individuals.”
