Trump and Congress can put an end to ‘civil terrorism.’
Left-wing radicals have made a habit of chanting “death to America” and “glory to the resistance” led by Iran and its terrorist proxies. The First Amendment protects their right to do so, and it should.
But it doesn’t protect them from punishment for crimes: blocking roads, occupying campus spaces, vandalizing property, stealing and burning government-owned American flags, and even assaulting law enforcement. Hundreds of these incidents have been documented and publicized, often by the activists themselves. In response, many Americans have called on elected officials to capitulate to the radicals rather than crack down. I call this pattern “civil terrorism.”
The reason authorities’ responses to this civil terrorism have been so inadequate is that some officials fear they’ll be pegged as anti-free-speech. Others assume the radicals will stop once they realize they’re alienating rather than persuading their fellow citizens. Civil terrorists’ go-to crimes are also usually misdemeanors, which are rarely a priority for prosecution.
Continue reading the entire piece here at the Wall Street Journal (paywall)
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Tal Fortgang is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He was a 2023 Sapir Fellow.
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