Following Donald Trump's call to designate the anti-fascist movement antifa as a terrorist organisation, far-right and nationalist parties in Europe have taken similar steps. The Dutch parliament passed a resolution urging the government to declare antifa a terrorist group, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced his country would follow suit. In the European Parliament, Flemish nationalist MEP Tom Vandendriessche drafted a resolution supported by 79 MEPs from 20 countries, describing antifa as an international network using violence against nationalist opposition.
Experts, however, characterise antifa differently. Jessica White, acting director of terrorism and conflict studies at the Royal United Services Institute, described antifa as a loose identity movement without a clear structure, making designation challenging and potentially counterproductive. She noted that security services would see little value in such a move, as prosecutions are more effective when focused on specific acts of violence rather than broad labels.
The Hungarian government has claimed antifa is a left-wing terrorist organisation threatening its citizens. However, Europol's recent terrorism report does not use the term 'antifa', attributing only 21 attacks to left-wing or anarchist extremism in 2024, all targeting property in Italy and Greece. Hungarian officials have cited cases of antifa members assaulting people, referencing Italian activist Ilaria Salis, now an MEP, who was detained in Hungary on charges of assaulting far-right sympathisers. Salis survived a bid by Hungary to lift her parliamentary immunity, with MEPs voting by a narrow margin to reject the request.
Salis told the Guardian that Hungary's use of the term 'antifa' is a way to stigmatise dissenters, adding that being anti-fascist means opposing Orbán's regime. Martin Schirdewan, co-leader of the far-left group in the European Parliament, condemned the criminalisation of anti-fascist groups as an attack on democracy and freedom of opinion. The push to designate antifa as a terrorist organisation highlights a growing alignment between Trump and European far-right leaders.
