In a sweeping escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to confront Antifa‑linked extremism, the State Department on Thursday formally designated four radical leftist groups in Europe as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)—a move that significantly expands U.S. authorities’ reach over transnational far‑left militancy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designations, describing the targeted organizations as “anti‑American, anti‑capitalist, and anti‑Christian” networks operating in Germany, Italy, and Greece. Each group has been tied to violent attacks, bombings, or threats of political violence, according to U.S. intelligence assessments.
Today, building on @POTUS’s historic commitment to uproot Antifa’s campaign of political violence, the Department of State is designating four Antifa groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The United States will continue using all… https://t.co/9byS1nwo2m
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) November 13, 2025
Rubio said the designations build on President Donald Trump’s executive order last September, which classified Antifa as a terrorist organization and directed federal agencies to crack down on illegal activities carried out under its banner.
One of the newly designated groups is Antifa Ost—also known as Antifa East or Hammerbande—a militant German organization accused of a series of assaults on right‑wing figures between 2018 and 2023, as well as a 2023 attack in Budapest. Hungary formally labeled the group a terrorist network in 2025, laying the groundwork for international coordination.
The Informal Anarchist Federation / International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI), based in Italy, was also designated. According to the State Department, the group has claimed responsibility for threats, bombings, and letter‑bomb attacks targeting political, judicial, and economic institutions—including a courthouse—over the past two decades.
Two Greek organizations, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self‑Defense, rounded out the list. Both are described as anti‑capitalist groups linked to multiple bombing incidents. Revolutionary Class Self‑Defense has openly claimed improvised explosive device attacks on the Greek Ministry of Labor in February 2024 and the Hellenic Train offices in April 2025.
As a result of the designations, members of these groups are now barred from the American financial system, and any property or assets they hold in the United States are frozen.
The decision drew immediate praise from Sen. Eric Schmitt (R‑MO), who has repeatedly warned about the rise of far‑left political violence. Schmitt credited Rubio and the administration for targeting what he described as coordinated international extremist networks. His comments follow a Senate hearing he held last month on leftist violence, which featured testimony from commentator Michael Knowles.
As Rubio put it, the United States intends to “use all available tools” to confront the far‑left militant cells it views as part of a broader transnational operation—reflecting a policy approach that now extends well beyond America’s borders.
