The Protest-Industrial-Complex Isn’t Peaceful, It’s “Civil Terrorism” …

Ilya Shapiro and Jesse Arm of the Manhattan Institute authored an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, unveiling a plan for the federal government to take decisive action against the rogue permanent protest industry—comprising some Marxist groups and professional agitators—waging continuous color revolutions that have brought chaos to American cities. 

“Americans instinctively understand that what happened in Los Angeles wasn’t peaceful organizing or messy democracy. Such unrest invites criminal mayhem and political violence, or what our Manhattan Institute colleague Tal Fortgang has described as “civil terrorism.” It’s often perpetrated by agitators who hide behind masks,” Shapiro and Arm wrote. 

What’s clear is that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to peaceful protest—it does not shield anonymous social justice warriors and paid demonstrators affiliated with anti-American, Marxist movements, some of whom are funded by dark money NGOs and even entities based in countries deemed foreign adversaries. These bad actors appear to be waging a form of hybrid or irregular warfare aimed at sowing chaos within the U.S. The two authors from the Manhattan Institute argue for “stronger enforcement of existing state antimasking laws and new federal action.”

Shapiro and Arm state the urgent need for modernizing antimasking statutes to criminalize masking while committing crimes or obstructing public order.

Their approach is outlined here:

• First, the Justice Department should direct federal prosecutors to pursue enhanced sentences for masked criminals. Federal guidelines allow sentencing enhancements for obstruction of justice or premeditated conduct. A masked assault can lead to a two-level sentence increase, making it more likely that violent offenders serve real time.

• Second, the Homeland Security Department should deploy Federal Protective Service officers to respond to masked protesters on federal property. DHS is already empowered to secure federal buildings and grounds. New regulations prohibit the use of masks to avoid identification while breaking the law on federal property. That authority now needs to be enforced aggressively.

• Finally, the administration should make prosecution of federal crimes committed by masked offenders a priority. These offenses include assaulting a federalized National Guard member and damaging federal property. They already are federal crimes, but the added presence of a mask should be treated as a red flag and an aggravating factor. Prosecutors should move swiftly and law enforcement should make arrests public.

The two emphasized: “These measures wouldn’t criminalize protest, chill dissent or limit protected speech. They would send a clear signal: If you hide behind a mask to commit a crime or intimidate others, the federal government will hold you accountable.” 

They added: “Americans have every right to protest their government, but not to do so anonymously while terrorizing others and flouting the law.” 

Earlier this week…

Watch: Rent-A-Protester CEO Rejects $20 Million Contract To Stage Anti-Trump Protests https://t.co/3q5CxYpYB3

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) July 16, 2025

And read this…. “The Rise of Civil Terrorism” … 

The messaging in the op-ed suggests a coming crackdown in the NGO sphere, especially the ones that are dark-money-funded, far-left-aligned NGOs, backed by opaque funding sources, including leftist billionaires and entities based in countries classified as foreign adversaries.