Kristi Noem Compares Anti-Fascist Activists to Mara Salvatrucha, Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIS
During a White House roundtable discussion, Kristi Noem on Wednesday compared antifa to MS-13, Hamas, the Iran-backed group and the Islamic State, calling 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 Isis, as the Lebanese militia, as Hamas, each one of these, they are just as dangerous,” Noem said. “Their goal is to dismantle our society, similar to other extremist groups we have confronted for decades.”
The discussion featured rightwing social media journalists including Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt among others who cover antifa protests.
Several organizations mentioned by the secretary – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are formally designated terrorist organizations that hold land, operate military wings, have hierarchical leadership and have executed large-scale assaults such as bombings, abductions and targeted killings.
Specialists in radical movements have long described the anti-fascist movement, in comparison, 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 activists who participate in demonstrations, some of which has included damage to belongings and public clashes.
This meeting comes after an executive order signed in September classifying anti-fascist activists as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Days before the announcement, Joe Biggs previously convicted and later pardoned for his role on January 6 wrote on social media: “Who’s ready to go ANTIFA hunting? Since I am acquainted with several individuals.”
