Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday requesting the FBI include a new subsection to its list of extremist ideologies with Antifa included.
“The point of my letter is simple,” Banks said in a statement. “Antifa employs violence to coerce Americans into silence.”
“As a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I am intimately familiar with the tactics of terrorist groups and how they employ fear/violence to silence political enemies,” Banks added. “To my great surprise, we are witnessing similar style tactics right here in our country. The FBI must take this threat seriously.”
Throughout Banks’ letter to Wray, he outlined several instances in which members of Antifa have physically attacked people, property, and buildings.
A portion of Banks’ letter reads:
Given the rise in terrorist activities by Antifa members, and the organization’s presence in several major American cities, it’s my suggestion that the FBI add a subsection that properly encompasses Antifa’s political goals as openly broadcasted by its leaders on their social media platforms.
This subsection would be fittingly titled “Anti-1st Amendment Extremists.” Antifa often describes itself as a ‘counter protest’ organization with the stated goal of suppressing fascist speech, political demonstrations, and media. Conveniently, Antifa has redefined fascism to include anyone who disagrees with their opaque political agenda. What that agenda is exactly is imprecise by design—their central aim is to silence any and all moderate and conservative politics or ideologies.
Last month, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced a resolution that would label Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization.”
In a tweet last week, President Donald Trump floated the idea of labeling the far-left activist group Antifa a terrorist organization.
“Consideration is being given to declaring ANTIFA, the gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats, a major Organization of Terror (along with MS-13 & others),” Trump wrote.
Consideration is being given to declaring ANTIFA, the gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs who go around hitting (only non-fighters) people over the heads with baseball bats, a major Organization of Terror (along with MS-13 & others). Would make it easier for police to do their job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2019
He added, “Would make it easier for police to do their job!”
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