The Dutch parliament has passed a resolution calling on the government to declare antifa a terrorist organisation, following a similar announcement by former US President Donald Trump. The resolution, introduced by Geert Wilders' far-right PVV party, noted the US decision and urged the Netherlands to follow suit. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also said his country would take the same step.
In the European Parliament, Flemish nationalist MEP Tom Vandendriessche drafted a resolution backed by 79 MEPs from 20 countries, calling for antifa to be designated a terrorist organisation. Vandendriessche described antifa as "an international network that is supported, financed and protected by the system to fight the nationalist opposition with violence."
Experts, however, caution against such a designation. Jessica White, acting director of terrorism and conflict studies at the Royal United Services Institute, told the Guardian that antifa is not an identifiable group but a loose movement, making designation "very challenging, if not counterproductive." She added that security services would see "the least amount of value" in it, as focusing on actual acts of violence is more effective for prosecution.
The Hungarian government has claimed antifa is a "leftwing terrorist organisation" and a menace to its citizens. It cited the case of Ilaria Salis, an Italian activist who became an MEP in 2024 after 16 months of detention in Hungary on charges of assaulting far-right sympathisers. Salis narrowly survived an attempt by Hungary to remove her parliamentary immunity, with MEPs voting by a one-vote majority against the request. Salis told the Guardian that Hungary's use of the term "antifa" is a way of "stigmatising whoever dissents."
Martin Schirdewan, co-leader of the far-left group in the European Parliament, said criminalising anti-fascist groups "simply plays the tune of the far right" and is "restricting freedom of opinion" and "ultimately an attack on democracy itself." Europol's recent Terrorism Situation and Trend report does not use the term "antifa," but reports 21 attacks attributed to leftwing or anarchist violent extremism in 2024, nearly all targeting property in Italy and Greece.
