What is Antifa?

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, as protests against racial injustice erupted around the country, the Trump Administration has been quick to lay the blame on this supposed, shadowy dark group called "Antifa." But how did being “anti-fascist” evolve into what the Trump Administration is now threatening to designate as a terrorist organization?

Neither the FBI nor the Department of Homeland Security have any intelligence to back up the President’s claim, and in the dozens of cases of individuals facing federal charges in connection with the protests, there is no mention at all in documents of any supposed “Antifa” links.  One thing we do know is that the Trump Administration’s labeling of “Antifa” has had ripple effects all the way to Illinois, where hoaxes are spreading panic in places like Sparta, Illinois.

Guests:

Russell Brandom, Policy Editor at The Verge.

Wes Enzinna, former Senior Editor at Mother Jones and Harper’s Magazine, and presently a Contributing Editor at Harper’s Magazine.

Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi.