After Trump, Hungary presses EU to label Antifa as "terrorist group"

Budapest [Hungary] September 21 (ANI): Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, has asked the European Union to declare Antifa a "terrorist" organisation, pointing to several violent incidents across Europe linked to the far-left movement.

Szijjarto posted on X, the letter he sent to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas demanding action. "Individuals and groups linked to the so-called Antifa ideology have carried out numerous terrorist attacks across the European Union, including in Germany, France, and Italy," he wrote.

"This violent far-left network has carried out brutal attacks across Europe, including in Budapest. To our great regret, suspects later avoided justice by finding refuge in EU states, " he said in the X post

Szijjarto cited the case of Italian activist Ilaria Salis, who he said "gained immunity after becoming an MEP".

Salis was arrested in Budapest in February 2023 along with others during a protest against a neo-Nazi commemoration. A year later, she was elected to the European Parliament, which ended her house arrest, as per Al Jazeera.

In the letter he wrote, "...several of the attackers subsequently found safe haven in EU Member States, which declined to extradite them to Hungary. In one particularly troubling instance, criminal proceedings had to be suspended after a suspect was granted immunity upon being elected to the European Parliament."

Szijjarto warned that the "Antifa movement constitutes a grave threat to the security of the citizens of the European Union and its Member states. It is therefore our shared responsibility to strengthen our collective response."

He also argued that the EU should align with the United States. "The government was convinced that on such a crucial matter, Europe must align its steps with the US, the leading force in the global fight against terrorism," he wrote.

"I respectfully propose that the European Union follow this example by adding the Antifa movement to the EU list of terror organisations and by imposing the necessary restrictive measures on groups and individuals connected to it."

Szijjarto mentioned in his letter that "the executive order issued by the President of the United States establishes the appropriate legal basis for such a step."

Trump on Thursday announced that he is designating the far-left, anti-fascist movement Antifa as a "major terrorist organisation", days after the fatal shooting of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk.

In a post shared on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described Antifa as a "sick, dangerous, radical left disaster" and called for a thorough investigation into individuals and organisations allegedly funding the group.

"I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Trump wrote.

The development comes in the wake of the killing of 31-year-old right-wing commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk, during an event in Utah on September 10. He was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University, as reported by The New York Times. (ANI)

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