#scapegoating

Authorities in #Germany also did not see a significant threat. “The security authorities’ assessment is that the potential threat posed by the group has recently decreased significantly,” an Interior Ministry spokesperson told reporters in November, noting that #AntifaOst leaders & particularly violent members were either in custody or already convicted. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

Analysts say it can be difficult to categorize left-wing violence.…And though there is some upswing of #PoliticalViolence in the #US, “to date left-wing violent extremism has typically been less lethal than other forms of terrorism,” said Bruce Hoffman, senior fellow for counterterrorism at the Council on Foreign Relations. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

Undeterred, the #State Dept in mid-June sent a cable to >20 US embassies — from Argentina & Mexico to Italy & Albania — seeking information on far-left extremist groups, acc/to two people familiar with the matter. Several have responded, but none has indicated they concur with the #Trump admin’s assessment of the threat, one person said. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda

The designations of the 4 groups were met with skepticism among experts. “They’re very peculiar,” said Blazakis, who is now a professor at Middlebury Institute & teaches about violent #extremism. “Those groups have carried out acts of vandalism. They’ve harmed individuals. But they don’t have a casualty to their name.” #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

The others received prison terms of 30 to 70 years on charges such as rioting, providing support to terrorists & conspiracy to use & carry explosives. [so all #Jan6 offenders should suffer the same fate] Defense attorneys called the prosecution politically motivated. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

…The order was followed by the issuance of National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which directed the #DOJ to “investigate and disrupt networks, entities & organizations that foment political violence.” The document states that Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer engraved the bullets used in the killing with “so-called ‘anti-fascist’ rhetoric.” #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

But achieving that status for #Antifa would be a stretch, experts say. #US #law requires a group be foreign to be designated. “If it has any significant domestic presence, it cannot be designated,” said Jason Blazakis, who ran the #State Department’s designation process for 10 years before leaving in 2018. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump

#Rubio tries to enlist other nations in #Antifa fight, but some #allies recoil The secretary of state plans to convene foreign ministers in Washington next week. The event has unsettled some US & European officials. #law #Constitution #RightToProtest #FirstAmendment #NationalSecurity #scapegoating #FarRight #propaganda #trumpaganda #Trump