The Department of Homeland Security reportedly has formally classified the violence perpetrated by the leftist antifa as “domestic terrorist violence.” The DHS and the FBI have had their eyes on antifa — short for so-called “anti-fascists” — since well before the August 12 Charlottesville violence. As early as April 2016 federal authorities were warning of “anarchist extremists” who were primarily responsible for instigating violence at a range of public rallies. Antifa violence has been identified with its targeting of law enforcement, symbols associated with “the capitalist system,” racism, social injustice and fascism.

After antifa’s recent violent attack on a group of right-leaning protesters at a free speech rally in Berkeley, Mayor Jesse Arreguin asked the University of California at Berkeley to cancel its upcoming Berkeley Free Speech Week. The reason: fears of violence perpetrated by antifa thugs. Thus far the university has rejected the mayor’s request, stating, “We have neither the legal right [n]or desire to interfere with or cancel [conservative students’] invitations based on the perspectives and beliefs of the speakers.”

People can argue over whether officially designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization is helpful in combating its violence. But what is clear is that federal authorities are taking the threat of leftist violence seriously.