United States of America - September 2025

In September, the President issued an executive order designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. It was followed by memorandum NSPM-7 on domestic terrorism and ‘organized political violence’. Congress has not established a legal basis for the government to classify domestic terrorism. Antifa (short for anti-fascist), is not an organized group, but an ideology related to radical and far-left beliefs. NSPM-7 selectively references incidents of political violence attributed to people with left-leaning ideologies, uses vague terms such as ‘anti-Americanism’ and ‘anti-Christianity’, directing Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate radicalization and the IRS to ensure no tax-exempt entities provide support to political violence or terrorism. The measures raised alarms over the use of broad terms that appear to target groups critical of the administration, and their impact on free speech and civil society.

Sources: The White House (1), The White House (2), ACLU, Washington Post, The Guardian, Axios, Brennan Center