Precedent-Setting, Antifa-Related Foreign Terrorist Designations Amplify Risks For U.S. Tax-Exempt Organizations

For the first time, the Trump administration has designated entities as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) because of their alleged ties to Antifa. These recent designations carry potential enforcement risks and consequences for U.S. tax-exempt entities, which we discuss in detail below.

Background

On November 13, 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated four European groups — Antifa Ost, based in Germany; Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, a primarily Italian group; and Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense, both Greek organizations — as FTOs because of their alleged ties to Antifa and involvement in threats and attacks against political and economic institutions in Europe. The designations mark the first time that the U.S. government has labeled groups allegedly affiliated with Antifa activism abroad as FTOs. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also designat