The administration of US President Donald Trump is stepping up efforts to coordinate an international response to what it defines as a resurgence of left-wing extremism with cross-border ties.
In this context, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sent invitations to senior-level ministers from more than 60 countries for a meeting expected to take place next week in Washington.
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As The Washington Post reported, the conference will focus on what the Trump administration calls the “revival of transnational far-left terrorism.” But the initiative has prompted mixed reactions both within the US administration and among some European partners, who do not see this phenomenon as a high-priority threat.
According to the report, some US officials have raised concerns that counterterrorism tools could be used by the administration to target American activists linked to the anti-fascist movement known as Antifa.
Sources told the newspaper that the administration’s counterterrorism coordinator, Sebastian Gorka, has discussed the possibility of designating Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization. According to experts, such a decision would give US authorities broader investigative powers, including the use of advanced surveillance tools.
However, legal experts and former officials from the US State Department stress that such a classification would be very difficult legally, because US legislation requires an organization to be based outside the United States in order to be designated a foreign terrorist organization. Meanwhile, Antifa is regarded as a decentralized network with a presence primarily within US territory.
Invitations to the summit have been sent to most countries in Europe, several Latin American states, as well as Asian countries such as India, Indonesia and Singapore.
The Washington Post writes that some European diplomats have expressed surprise at the invitation, emphasizing that in their countries left-wing extremism is not seen as the main threat to national security. Some of them have suggested that the relevant ministers may not attend the meeting because of packed diplomatic schedules.
The July 16 meeting is expected to serve as another signal of the Trump administration’s shifting approach to security and terrorism issues, while the debate over how radical political movements should be handled remains intense both in the United States and among its allies.
