Jeremiah Ellison, a Minneapolis city council member and the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, expressed support for antifa after President Trump threatened to designate the group as a terrorist organization.
“I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA,” Ellison tweeted on Sunday. “Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned businesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist THE ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US!”
I hereby declare, officially, my support for ANTIFA
Unless someone can prove to me ANTIFA is behind the burning of black and immigrant owned businesses in my ward, I’ll keep focusing on stopping the white power terrorist THE ARE ACTUALLY ATTACKING US! https://t.co/m6jxtDYmTi
— Jeremiah Ellison (@jeremiah4north) May 31, 2020
Hours earlier, Trump claimed that the United States will be designating the left-wing group as a terrorist organization after protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minnesota police custody, turned violent with some protesters destroying property, looting, committing arson, and clashing with police.
Attorney General William Barr said on Saturday that it appears that “many places” across the country were seeing violent protests spurred by “anarchic” and “far-left extremist groups.” He added that agitators were using “antifa-like tactics” and that many of them were traveling from out of state to participate in the protests.
Barr added on Sunday that the violence being “instigated and carried out” by “antifa and other similar groups” in connection to nationwide rioting is “domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.” He said the Justice Department will look into the “apprehending and charging the violent radical agitators who have hijacked peaceful protest and are engaged in violations of federal law.”
It is unclear whether the president has the legal authority to designate antifa as a terrorist organization.
