Kristi Noem Compares Anti-Fascist Activists to Mara Salvatrucha, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic State
At a White House policy meeting, the homeland security secretary this week compared the loose network of antifascist activists to the notorious gang, Hamas, the Iran-backed group and ISIS, describing the loosely affiliated street activists “just as dangerous” as designated terrorist organizations.
“They operate with the same complexity as Mara Salvatrucha, as the Tren de Aragua, as the Islamic State, as Hezbollah, as the Palestinian faction, each one of these, they are just as dangerous,” the secretary stated. “Their goal is to dismantle our society, similar to other extremist groups we have confronted for decades.”
The roundtable included rightwing social media journalists such as Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who cover anti-fascist demonstrations.
Some of the groups Noem cited – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are officially classified as terror groups that control territory, operate military wings, maintain command structures and have carried out mass casualty attacks such as explosions, kidnappings and targeted killings.
Extremism experts have long described the anti-fascist movement, in comparison, as having no centralized leadership, official membership or organizational structure, and it has generally been described by federal law enforcement as a loose network of campaigners who engage in protest activity, some of which has included damage to belongings and public clashes.
This meeting follows an executive order issued last month classifying anti-fascist activists as a “domestic terrorist organization”.
Days before the announcement, a Proud Boys leader who was convicted and then 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.”