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At a White House policy meeting, Kristi Noem on Wednesday likened the loose network of antifascist activists to the notorious gang, the Gaza-based organization, Hezbollah and the Islamic State, describing the decentralized protesters “just as dangerous” as officially recognized terror groups.

“They operate with the same complexity as MS-13, as the Tren de Aragua, as the Islamic State, as the Lebanese militia, as Hamas, each one of these, they pose the same level of threat,” Noem stated. “Their goal is to dismantle our society, just like the other terrorists we have confronted for decades.”

The discussion included rightwing social media journalists such as Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Katie Daviscourt and others who report on anti-fascist demonstrations.

Some of the groups mentioned by the secretary – Hamas, Hezbollah and Isis – are officially classified as terror groups that control territory, run armed branches, maintain command structures and have executed large-scale assaults such as explosions, abductions and assassinations.

Extremism experts have long described the anti-fascist movement, in comparison, as having no centralized leadership, formal membership or structured hierarchy, and it has often been portrayed by federal law enforcement as a loose network of activists who participate in demonstrations, some of which has included property destruction and public clashes.

This meeting follows an executive order signed in September classifying antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization”.

Shortly prior to the declaration, Joe Biggs previously convicted and later pardoned for his actions during the Capitol events wrote on social media: “Who is prepared to pursue anti-fascist activists? Since I am acquainted with several individuals.”