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The Manhattan Institute's push to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is a threat to free speech and protests in the United States. The organization's "civil terrorism" theory is based on the idea that protests and demonstrations can be used to intimidate or coerce civilians, much like terrorist acts do. This effort is part of a larger trend of suppressing progressive and left-wing movements, often under the guise of combating terrorism or extremism.
The Manhattan Institute's "civil terrorism" theory posits that acts of nonviolent disobedience are a form of terrorism, intended to intimidate or coerce civilians. Efforts by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies aim to suppress free speech and protests in the United States. Bills such as HB 331 in Utah and similar legislation in Arizona would create felonies for acts like blocking a roadway or trespassing during a protest, with penalties of up to 18 months in prison. The push is part of a broader effort to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans and exacerbate distrust of government institutions. Civil liberties groups and lawmakers have criticized the "civil terrorism" theory as a thinly veiled attempt to suppress dissent and limit protester expression.
The recent push by the Manhattan Institute, a prominent right-wing think tank, to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies that would carry 18-month prison sentences, is part of a broader effort to suppress free speech and protests in the United States. The organization's "civil terrorism" theory, which posits that acts of nonviolent disobedience are a form of terrorism, has been espoused by its legal policy fellow, Tal Fortgang, who has written extensively on the topic.
According to Fortgang, acts of civil disobedience, such as blocking a roadway or trespassing during a protest, can be considered "civil terrorism" when they are committed in large numbers and with the intent to intimidate or coerce a population into adopting certain policies. This theory is based on the idea that protests and demonstrations can have a disproportionate impact on civilians, much like terrorist acts do.
The Manhattan Institute's efforts to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies are part of a larger trend of suppressing free speech and protests in the United States. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of using laws and regulations to suppress progressive and left-wing movements, often under the guise of combating terrorism or extremism.
In Utah, for example, the state legislature recently passed HB 331, which reclassifies minor protest-related crimes as felonies that would carry 18-month prison sentences. The bill was ghostwritten by the Manhattan Institute and has been touted as a way to crack down on "lawless" protests and demonstrations.
Similarly, in Arizona, a similar bill is currently awaiting a vote in the state Senate. The bill would create felonies for warning people of an imminent arrest, adding "rioting" to the state racketeering statute, and upgrading obstruction of a lawful arrest to a felony.
The push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is part of a larger effort to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans. The organization's "civil terrorism" theory is based on the idea that protests and demonstrations can be used to intimidate or coerce civilians, much like terrorist acts do.
This theory has been criticized by civil liberties groups and lawmakers who argue that it is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress free speech and protests in the United States. In Arizona, for example, state senator Catherine Miranda has called the bill "an attack on all our First Amendment rights—the right to assemble, to free speech, to petition our government."
Miranda also noted that if passed into law, the "civil terrorism" bill would make it a felony for two or more people to block a public thoroughfare for either pedestrians or vehicles. This provision has been criticized by civil liberties groups as an attempt to suppress dissent and limit the ability of protesters to express themselves.
The push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is also part of a larger effort to equate left-wing protests with terrorism. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of using laws and regulations to suppress progressive and left-wing movements, often under the guise of combating terrorism or extremism.
This trend has been particularly pronounced in Arizona, where lawmakers have introduced a series of bills aimed at suppressing protests and demonstrations. One such bill would create felonies for warning people of an imminent arrest, adding "rioting" to the state racketeering statute, and upgrading obstruction of a lawful arrest to a felony.
The push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is also part of a larger effort to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans. The organization's "civil terrorism" theory is based on the idea that protests and demonstrations can be used to intimidate or coerce civilians, much like terrorist acts do.
This theory has been criticized by civil liberties groups and lawmakers who argue that it is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress free speech and protests in the United States. In Utah, for example, Governor Spencer Cox signed HB 331 into law, which reclassifies minor protest-related crimes as felonies that would carry 18-month prison sentences.
The passage of this bill has been criticized by civil liberties groups, who argue that it is an attempt to suppress dissent and limit the ability of protesters to express themselves. In Arizona, state senator Catherine Miranda has called the bill "an attack on all our First Amendment rights—the right to assemble, to free speech, to petition our government."
Miranda also noted that if passed into law, the "civil terrorism" bill would make it a felony for two or more people to block a public thoroughfare for either pedestrians or vehicles. This provision has been criticized by civil liberties groups as an attempt to suppress dissent and limit the ability of protesters to express themselves.
The push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is also part of a larger effort to undermine the democratic process in the United States. By attempting to suppress free speech and protests, the organization is effectively limiting the ability of Americans to hold their elected officials accountable for their actions.
This is particularly concerning given the current political climate in the United States, where there is already a growing distrust of government institutions and a sense of disillusionment with the democratic process. The push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is part of a larger effort to exacerbate these feelings and undermine the very foundations of American democracy.
In conclusion, the push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is a concerning development that highlights the organization's efforts to suppress free speech and protests in the United States. The "civil terrorism" theory espoused by Fortgang and other Manhattan Institute officials is based on the idea that protests and demonstrations can be used to intimidate or coerce civilians, much like terrorist acts do.
However, this theory has been widely criticized by civil liberties groups and lawmakers who argue that it is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress dissent and limit the ability of protesters to express themselves. The passage of bills such as HB 331 in Utah and similar legislation in Arizona are part of a larger effort to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans and exacerbate the growing distrust of government institutions.
Ultimately, the push by the Manhattan Institute to reclassify minor protest-related crimes as felonies is a concerning development that highlights the organization's efforts to undermine American democracy. As such, it is essential that lawmakers and civil liberties groups take action to protect the First Amendment rights of Americans and ensure that protests and demonstrations remain a fundamental part of our democratic process.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Manhattan-Institutes-Civil-Terrorism-Agenda-A-Threat-to-Free-Speech-and-Protests-ehn.shtml
https://www.wired.com/story/the-manhattan-institute-helped-kill-dei-now-its-coming-for-protests/
Published: Tue Jun 2 05:35:03 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
