Kristi Noem Compares Anti-Fascist Activists to Mara Salvatrucha, the Palestinian Militant Group, Hezbollah and Islamic State
At a White House policy meeting, the homeland security secretary this week compared antifa to the notorious gang, the Gaza-based organization, the Iran-backed group and ISIS, describing the decentralized street activists “just as dangerous” as designated terrorist organizations.
“They operate with the same complexity as MS-13, as the Tren de Aragua, as the Islamic State, as the Lebanese militia, as the Palestinian faction, each one of these, they are just as dangerous,” Noem stated. “Their goal is to dismantle our society, just like the other terrorists we have confronted for decades.”
The roundtable included conservative online reporters including Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who cover anti-fascist demonstrations.
Several organizations Noem cited – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are officially classified as terror groups that control territory, operate military wings, maintain command structures and have carried out mass casualty attacks including bombings, abductions and assassinations.
Specialists in radical movements have long described the anti-fascist movement, by contrast, as lacking a central command, formal membership or structured hierarchy, and it has generally been described by federal law enforcement as a decentralized movement of campaigners who engage in protest activity, portions of which involve property destruction and street violence.
This meeting follows an executive order issued in September classifying antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Days before the announcement, a Proud Boys leader previously convicted and later pardoned for his role on January 6 posted on X: “Who is prepared to pursue anti-fascist activists? Since I am acquainted with several individuals.”
