Washington - The United States is toughening its stance against left-wing extremist groups in Europe. The US government under President Donald Trump has announced that it will classify several European groups, including „Antifa Italia“ and the German „Antifa-Ost“, as „terrorist“.
At the same time, President Trump is coming under pressure due to new revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Emails from the deceased financier show that he apparently believed he had blackmail material against Trump.
USA: Antifa groups on terror list
The US State Department announced that the groups from Germany, Italy and Greece will initially be listed as „Specially Designated Global Terrorists“ (SDGTs) and will be declared „Foreign Terrorist Organizations“ (FTOs) from 20 November.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the groups of „political violence and acts of terrorism“ as well as „undermining democratic institutions“. This puts them on a list with organizations such as Hamas, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah. The classification has far-reaching consequences: Potential assets in the USA are frozen, members are denied entry and business relationships are made a criminal offense.
The US is accusing the German „Antifa East“ of „numerous attacks“ between 2018 and 2023 against people they classify as „fascists“, as well as involvement in attacks in Budapest in February 2023. In Germany, charges are already pending against suspected members, in some cases for attempted murder.
New Epstein emails: „I'm the only one who can topple Trump“
Parallel to this political decision, new documents from the US House of Representatives„ oversight committee in the Epstein case are causing a stir. In an email, Jeffrey Epstein wrote about Donald Trump: “I am the only one capable of bringing him down."
The news points to a possible blackmail scenario. There is talk of research into Trump's financial documents and the offer of photos showing „Donald and girls in bikinis in my kitchen“. In another email that Epstein sent to himself, however, it says that Trump knew about sexual abuse of minors but never took part in it.
