Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is conducting an investigation into Screwston Antifa.
AUSTIN, Texas — A Houston-area Antifa cell is under criminal investigation by the Texas attorney general for possible involvement in aiding terrorism and doxing targets.
The Screwston Anti-Fascist Committee, which calls itself an organization, maintains a large online presence where it spreads radical propaganda, targets private citizens and law enforcement officers, and sells merchandise to bankroll its activities.
“Radical leftists have engaged in coordinated efforts to militantly attack our nation and undermine the rule of law,” Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement earlier this month. “Screwston and related groups have illegally doxed Texans and encouraged violent terrorism against fellow citizens.”
He added, “These deranged traitors will face the full force of law. No stone will be left unturned, and no tool will be left unused.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running to be a U.S. Senator for the state of Texas
The group uses a variation of the Antifa “iron front” logo as its branding. The three diagonal arrows — a symbol of organized militant Antifa groups — were originally associated with Germany’s Social Democrats during the Weimar Republic but have since been appropriated by Antifa’s contemporary manifestation.
Paxton’s press release alleges members of the Screwston Antifa cell were involved in the July 2025 Prairieland ICE facility ambush, in which a local police officer was shot in the neck in what authorities have described as a terrorist attack. 18 suspects who are part of the North Texas Antifa network have been federally and/or locally charged.
On Feb. 18, Screwston Antifa released a statement responding to Paxton’s announcement, claiming it has a constitutional right to organize — despite openly and violently rejecting the legitimacy of the U.S. legal framework and the nation-state itself.
“Our organization is being targeted by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton … This investigation by Paxton is a blatant act of intimidation against progressive and leftist organizations by the far right,” the group wrote. “The Screwston Anti-Fascist Committee maintains our right to protest and organize.
Screwston Antifa’s logo
The statement ended with a link expressing solidarity with the Prairieland terror suspects. Seven co-defendants have already pleaded guilty in federal court to providing material support to terrorism in what is the first federal Antifa terrorism case in history. The seven admitted to organizing behind an Antifa ideology. Nine additional co-defendants have started a federal trial this week in Fort Worth on terrorism, attempted murder and related charges. A mistrial was declared last week on the first day after a defense attorney engaged in misconduct during jury selection.
Left-wing media figures have long insisted Antifa is merely a non-organized “idea.” Yet Screwston Antifa repeatedly refers to itself as an “organization,” raises funds, sets membership criteria and coordinates activities — all hallmarks of structured militant operations.
Screwston Antifa previously posted a claim of responsibility for vandalizing a billboard shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks in Israel
Screwston Antifa had previously been open about financially backing extremist militant “startups.”
During the violent 2020 BLM-Antifa riots, the group launched what it called a “Houston Militant Funding Initiative.”
“We have made a lot of money selling shirts,” the group announced. “Much of these funds are fed back into printing costs and our own group fund. We do, however, want to pass on some of our excess funds to other militant pro-revolutionary groups in the Houston area.”
The application rules required groups to operate on the ground, refuse any cooperation with law enforcement and work toward revolution “by any means necessary,” including the abolition of the U.S. nation-state and the “capitalist mode of production.”
That was not an isolated incident. After the Prairieland terror attack, Screwston Antifa mobilized almost immediately to raise funds for the suspects, according to its online postings.
The group appears to generate revenue primarily by selling propaganda merchandise featuring violent imagery, including police vehicles engulfed in flames and graphics glorifying attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also sells trans-themed merchandise bearing its logo.
Screwston Antifa tabling at the San Antonio Anarchist Bookfair with extremist anti-government literature
Screwston’s online store uses WooCommerce as its payment gateway for PayPal, Venmo and Google Pay. WooCommerce, Venmo and Google have been contacted for comment.
In its “Points of Unity” section, which outlines its beliefs, Screwston Antifa explicitly rejects democracy in favor of direct confrontation and violence.
“Our organization does not and will never endorse political candidates of any kind, nor will we promote the act of voting as a solution to our problems,” the group wrote. “Fascism cannot be defeated through voting, it must instead be fought directly in the streets. The election of political representitives [sic] is not aligned with our goals or mission.”
Screwston Antifa sells merchandise to raise funds for its activities
Screwston Antifa is listed as a contributing author on It’s Going Down, an extremist Antifa-aligned online collective that has published communiqués claiming responsibility for acts of political violence and terrorism. In January 2020, a claim of responsibility for an attempted train derailment near Bellingham, Wash. was posted on the site. Far-left militants Ellen Reiche and Samantha Brooks were later federally convicted.
The group maintains an email address hosted by Riseup.net, a Seattle-based anarchist technology collective that provides encrypted communications services to vetted allied groups. Much of Riseup’s infrastructure is located outside the United States, complicating compliance with subpoenas in criminal investigations.
Screwston Antifa has maintained a steady presence at anarchist book fairs in Texas, where it solicits funding and distributes extremist literature.
One of its tabling stickers displayed at the San Antonio Anarchist Bookfair read, “Arm trans women; Disarm cops.” The group also distributed a pamphlet titled “9 Theses on Insurgency.” Antifa networks frequently rely on short ideological texts and incremental radicalization tactics to move sympathizers toward direct action and anti-government extremism. The model is used by the Muslim Brotherhood.
In September last year, President Donald Trump announced in an executive order that his administration would treat Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” A subsequent White House roundtable included journalists, such as this author, who have reported extensively on violent left-wing movements.
The U.S. State Department has designated four Europe-based militant Antifa groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations over their involvement in assaults, shootings and bombing attacks.
Screwston Antifa has been contacted for comment.
