Newark Protest Will Oppose Trump’s Controversial NSPM-7 ‘Terrorism’ Memo

The goal? To demand that local governments and police in New Jersey refuse to comply with

Issued in September, the presidential memo says that "heinous assassinations" and other acts of political violence in the United States have dramatically increased in recent years. To combat the violence, Trump is calling for federal law enforcement authorities and other agencies like the IRS to work together and disrupt its potential sources – including nonprofits, their donors and individual activists.

Trump's NSPM-7 memo calls for the

"Whether it be going back to the riots that started with Black Lives Matter and all the way through to the Antifa riots, the attacks on ICE officers, the doxxing campaigns and now the political assassinations – these are not lone, isolated events," White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller

"This is part of an organized campaign of radical left terrorism," Miller said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI would "follow the money," adding that law enforcement would "root out this new evil that is perpetrating our criminal activities across our societies."

The memo was issued just days after the president signed an

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Thousands of nonprofits

The Brennan Center for Justice

However, it doesn't mention the January 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021; a 2022 mass shooting at a New York grocery store that was

Meanwhile, the memo opens the doors to a wide interpretation of who is – or is not – a potential source of political violence, the Brennan Center for Justice says:

"Building on the Antifa executive order, which already targets a broad range of political speech, NSPM-7 directs federal agencies to prioritize investigations of a swath of identities and ideologies that it depicts as falling under "the umbrella of self-described 'anti-fascism.'" These include "anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality." This breathtakingly broad list easily encompasses everyone from labor organizers, socialists, many libertarians, those who criticize Christianity, pro-immigration groups, anti-ICE protesters, and racial justice and transgender activists, to anyone who holds views that the administration considers to be "anti-American."

Other advocates have

"On its face, NSPM-7 is chilling to read," the ACLU

"If anyone needed proof that 'terrorism' and 'political violence' are slippery and fraught categories subject to political, ideological and racial manipulation and bias – well, this is it," the nonprofit said.

While the memo is troubling, there are many constitutional safeguards in place that stand as a shield against Trump's orders, including the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment right to due process, and rights to equal protection under the 14th Amendment, the ACLU adds.

"A key thing to know is that the presidential memorandum does not create any new federal powers or crimes," the ACLU continues.

"The president cannot rewrite the Constitution by memo or otherwise," the nonprofit says. "No matter what the president says or tries to do through NSPM-7, the First Amendment constrains what federal agencies can do when it comes to punishing groups and people for exercising their rights to free speech, peaceful protest, and supporting causes by making donations. It also safeguards against viewpoint-based government discrimination, coercion and retaliation."

Critics of NSPM-7 also include the No Complicity NJ Committee, which is organizing the Nov. 12 protest in Newark.

Bob Witanek, one of the group's founders, said the memo falsely and secretly labels activists as "domestic terrorists." He also said the group is concerned about the use of artificial intelligence to accomplish the Trump administration's goals, including technology produced by Palantir Technologies, a Colorado-based company that specializes in data mining.

The company is co-founded by Peter Thiel, a campaign Read More: New Tech Tracks Immigrants For ICE, Protesters Tell NJ To Dump Company's Stock

"Our hearing on Nov. 12 could very well be the first organized action to denounce NSPM7 in New Jersey," Witanek said.

"Hopefully the powers that be will recognize the danger and do everything possible to keep New Jersey names off the NSPM7 illegal, secret and unconstitutional domestic terrorist list," he added.

The event will also denounce what organizers call the "ICE terror throughout New Jersey" and the "escalation toward war against the nations and people of Latin America," organizers said.

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