Washington:
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he is designating the left-wing group 'Antifa' as "a major terrorist organisation" and also warned that those funding it will be investigated "with the highest legal standards and practices".
This has happened days after Trump's close aide and right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
What is Antifa?
It is a secretive grouping of radical activists that has emerged in recent years. It is not known to have official leaders. Its members, often dressed entirely in black, protest against racism, far-right values and what they consider fascism, and say violent tactics are sometimes justified as self-defense.
Background
Antifa members view themselves as part of a protest tradition that arcs back to opposition groups in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy prior to World War II. US antifa activism traces its roots back to antiracists who mobilized in the 1980s while opposing the activities of racist skinheads, members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), and neo-Nazis.
Antifa groups in US
Antifa groups in the United States gained prominence following violent clashes between white supremacists and their opponents, including antifa supporters, in Charlottesville, VA, on August 12, 2017.