WASHINGTON, D.C.: The United States on November 13 designated four groups in Germany, Italy, and Greece as global terrorists, accusing them of being "violent Antifa groups" as President Donald Trump steps up efforts against left-wing organizations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had labeled the Germany-based Antifa Ost as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist," along with three other groups in Greece and Italy, as part of Trump's push to confront what he calls Antifa's "campaign of political violence." Rubio said he also plans to list the groups as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations" from November 20 and warned that Washington would take action against other groups abroad.

According to Rubio, these groups embrace revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies — including anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian views — to justify violent attacks in the United States and overseas. He said the U.S. would continue using all available tools to deny resources to terrorists and pursue other Antifa-linked groups around the world.

Trump and his Republican allies have accused antifa supporters of fueling political violence following the September killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and amid protests against federal immigration authorities in cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, Oregon. Trump had threatened to target antifa during his first term and formally labeled it a terrorist organization in a September executive order.

Antifa, short for "anti-fascist," is a loose, decentralized movement with no formal leadership, according to a 2020 Congressional Research Service report.

The State Department said Antifa Ost was responsible for multiple attacks on people it "perceives as fascists or part of the right-wing scene" in Germany between 2018 and 2023, and accused it of carrying out several attacks in Budapest in February 2023.

Germany's foreign and interior ministries had no immediate comment. Germany's domestic intelligence agency identified Antifa Ost as a violent network in a 2024 report. Four people linked to the group were arrested between December 2023 and November 2024 for alleged attacks on people they viewed as right-wing extremists. While the arrests likely weakened the group, the report warned that its members continued to target the far-right AfD party, which has sought closer ties with the Trump administration.

Along with Antifa Ost, the U.S. also designated the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense in Greece as terrorist groups. The Italian prime minister's office declined immediate comment. A Greek official, speaking anonymously, said the government opposes all terrorism: "We are against any terrorist act and terrorist organization."

The Revolutionary Class Self-Defense group has said it carried out an April explosion at railway operator Hellenic Train, which caused minor damage and no injuries. The group also claimed responsibility for a 2024 attack on the labour ministry in Athens, which caused no injuries after police evacuated the area.

The State Department said Armed Proletarian Justice claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near the Greek riot police headquarters in Goudi in 2023.