“Those who ban antifascism want fascism!” and other banners were seen in various stadiums and cities over the weekend of September 26-28. The reason was the classification of “Antifa” as a terrorist organization in both the USA and the Netherlands. Several groups from the Alerta Network expressed their solidarity with antifascists in both countries. In this article we would like to explain in more detail what this actually means. While the initial reaction: “there isn’t really such a thing as the Antifa” is correct, these de facto bans are clearly more than just symbolic politics.
The term Antifa originally stands for antifascist action. Historically, there was a founding congress of the movement at which the famous two flags were first displayed. This was prompted by an attack by National Socialists on a member of the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) in the parliament of the Weimar Republic. But no truly stable structure ever developed beyond this congress. Today Antifa is still not a rigid organization, but rather a movement under whose banner many different people come together and sometimes organize themselves into groups.
It’s well known that those who gather behind banners with the two flags at demonstrations, paint Antifa, AFA or the number 161 on walls or speak at rallies for their local Antifa group, may have completely different opinions. What they all have in common, at the very least, is a clear commitment to standing up against fascism.
Those who have banned it or want to ban it are of course aware that “Antifa” as a single organization does not exist. Their goal isn’t to genuinely fight a terrorist group: it’s about intimidation and creating a legal basis for suppressing dissenting opinions. Furthermore – as is so often the case – it’s also about shaping public perception and enabling new forms of harassment. The result is clear: if the people who fight every day for a better world in their organizations, groups and initiatives are no longer allowed to do so visibly or face even more repression, then the movement and thus the struggle against the growing shift to the right, will be weakened as a whole.
The tactic of labeling an entire (alleged) organization as dangerous, banning it and defaming it in the public eye has now been employed by the right-wing government of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and by Donald Trump. Trump’s New Right has consistently targeted “woke” anti-fascists in the US. The legal definition was deliberately kept vague to allow for the broad application of the term “anti-fascism” to as many groups as possible. The aim is to expand the scope of action against anything that does not suit them.
Attempts to ban Antifa have also been made in other countries. In Germany the AfD’s attempt to ban Antifa failed miserably in 2020 – which hasn’t necessarily deterred them from trying again and loudly demanding it. In 2023, several far-right politicians in the European Parliament called for Antifa to be added to the EU’s list of terrorist groups. Furthermore Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, said shortly after Trump’s announcement that “the time has come for us to classify organizations such as Antifa as terrorist organizations.”
The Budapest Complex also demonstrates that people engaged in antifascist activism are already frequently subjected to the full force of the law – and sometimes even beyond, as in the case of Maja’s illegal deportation.
“Those who fight Nazis, cannot rely on the state” – this statement by Holocaust survivor Esther Bejarano remains true. Whether in the Netherlands, the USA or anywhere in the world: Antifa remains necessary!
Alerta Network – 06.10.2025