Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, who was an Antifa supporter and a suspect in the fatal shooting of a right-wing activist, Aaron J. Danielson, part of a pro-Trump caravan in Portland, Oregon, was killed by law enforcement agents on September 3, 2020.
President Donald Trump had announced that the far-left group Antifa would be designated as a terrorist organisation after massive protests following the death of George Floyd. The group made headlines in June last year when its members clashed with those of a far-right group, called Proud Boys in Portland.
The Movement
The Antifa movement began in the US in the 1980s and came into limelight following the election of President Trump in 2016, marked with violent protests and demonstrations. Typically dressed in black, its members often wear a mask at their demonstrations, and follow anti-capitalism. Causes like LGBTQ and indigenous rights attract their attention. Besides public counter-protests, Antifa members run websites that track white extremist and ultra-right groups.
The term ‘Antifa’ dates as far back as Nazi Germany. Etymologically, it is short for ‘anti-fascist’, a multiparty front initiated by the German Communist Party in 1932. Reinoehl is reported to have said that he had acted in self-defence as Danielson was about to stab him and his friend.
Courtesy: Indian Express