College Republicans United at ASU is hosting an event inviting students to report those affiliated with antifa to federal authorities on Thursday at 11 a.m. near the Memorial Union in Tempe.
A newsletter from Republicans United Arizona, the parent organization of CRU at ASU, named Young Democratic Socialists of America at ASU and Benjamin Fong, a professor at the University, as associates of antifa.
"Our team will display verified information and public records of students previously convicted for Antifa-related crimes," the newsletter said.
Antifa, which is shorthand for anti-fascist, is an umbrella term that describes far-left-leaning militant groups that often resist fascists or neo-Nazis, especially at demonstrations.
The event follows President Donald Trump's designation of antifa as a domestic terror organization.
"Like the Trump administration, we believe that if you see something, say something," said Kevin Decuyper, who co-founded CRU at ASU in 2018 as a student and is now the chairman of the College Republicans United national organization.
CRU at ASU is not a registered student organization, according to a University spokesperson.
Decuyper said CRU at ASU will be showing the community how to report incidents to the federal terrorist watchlist at the tabling event.
"What these students are doing, standing up and simply asking people to help them identify violent people, is courageous," said congressional candidate Paul Reevs, who plans to attend the event. "We need that kind of leadership, and I want to support them when they do that."
As the father of former and future University students, Reevs said what happens on campus and the safety of the community is important to him.
"It's important for teaching civic engagement with the students, for supporting and helping law enforcement," Decuyper said. "We believe it's an important civic duty, and the goal is to prevent future violence from occurring."
CRU at ASU tabled in January for students to report classmates without legal status in the U.S. The event was met with hundreds of protesters and sparked backlash from Arizona politicians and much of the ASU community.
Decuyper said the group hopes this time around "we could reach the students directly without incidents of protesters."
READ MORE: Hundreds protest CRU at ASU event, in solidarity with immigrants and DACA students
Reevs said he was initially concerned about being met by another large protest but thought the last tabling event was a good example of "how we can have differing opinions and we don't have to resort to violence."
Isaac Burdge, a co-chair of YDSA at ASU and a senior studying chemical engineering, said the organization is not part of antifa, although the ideology and principle behind the group is anti-fascism. Burdge assumes the chapter is being targeted because of the "Socialist" part of their name.
Burdge was not surprised that CRU at ASU would host another event reporting students, but was surprised that YDSA was singled out because the two organizations have had little contact with each other.
They believe the upcoming event allows CRU at ASU to retaliate after last semester, "going after the groups they perceive as being responsible for their embarrassments," Burdge said.
CRU at ASU has had much smaller member turnout compared to events from other conservative organizations on campus. Burdge said it does not pose much of a threat.
"They don't seem to have any real backbone that would make me scared of their members," Burdge said.
The University did not comment about the upcoming CRU at ASU event.
Fong, the professor called out by Republicans United of Arizona, works at Barrett, The Honors College and as the associate director of the University's Center for Work and Democracy. Although the newsletter said Fong was the faculty adviser for YDSA, he said that was only the case before the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I do not condone or encourage violence of any kind, and neither do Barrett or the Center for Work & Democracy," Fong said in a written statement. "I have no connection to any 'Antifa' organization."
Correction: This story was updated on Oct. 21 at 5:40 p.m. to include that CRU at ASU is not a registered student organization.
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Senna James, Sophia Braccio and Ellis Preston.
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Emma Bradford is a junior studying journalism and mass communication and political science with a minor in business. She has previously worked at the Cronkite News Washington, D.C. bureau as a Politics and Money Reporter. Bradford is in her fourth semester with The State Press and on the politics desk.
