Petition urging Trump to label Antifa a terrorist org has exploded online with overwhelming support

A petition calling for President Donald Trump to classify the anarcho-communist group known as “Antifa” as a terrorist organization has hit the benchmark of 100,000 signatures.

That means Trump is required to respond to it.

It went boom

The petition was created just four days ago, but the number of signatures on it has swelled to more than 160,000 as of Monday morning. The number of supporters continues to grow as it gets more media attention.

Petitions posted on the White House's website need 100,000 signatures within 30 days to generate a response from the president. It's not immediately clear when Trump will respond to this one.

What it seeks

Using the definition of terrorism, the petition's author wrote that Antifa — a nickname for anti-fascists —needs to be classified as a terrorist organization because it uses violence in pursuit of its political goals.

The petition says: "Terrorism is defined as 'the use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims.' This definition is the same definition used to declare ISIS and other groups, as terrorist organizations. AntiFa has earned this title due to its violent actions in multiple cities and their influence in the killings of multiple police officers throughout the United States. It is time for the Pentagon to be consistent in its actions – and just as they rightfully declared ISIS a terror group, they must declare AntiFa a terror group – on the grounds of principle, integrity, morality, and safety."

Antifa is a collection of haphazardly organized groups that are far left-wing and anti-capitalist. They advocate using violence against anyone who they believe is spewing "hate." They have become increasingly active over the last several years and were present at the "free speech" rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Boston this month.

What Trump should do

Using the definition of terrorism, Antifa is most certainly a terrorist organization. They are unabashed in their desire to use violence as a means to achieve their political goals.

If we continue to let Antifa influence impressionable young people, their influence and numbers will grow and the organization will become a much larger problem. It would be a wise decision to nip this problem in the bud while it's still relatively small.

The group has a right to express their political views. What isn't OK is their willing desire to use violence to squash dissenters.