If this fascist regime is allowed to remain in power, everything that decent people have felt they could rely on to seek justice will be brutally shut down...every uplifting moral value will be reviled and repressed...every sphere of society will be remade, in terrible ways, in line with the male supremacist, anti-LGBT, white supremacist and anti-immigrant cruelty and the anti-scientific, health and climate destroying madness of the Trump fascist regime and the bloodthirsty ravings and depraved violence of fanatics heading “the department of war,” with the deranged maniac Trump having his finger on the nuclear button.

Every vision, and every active striving, for a better, more just world, for a future worth living in, will be violently suppressed and effectively foreclosed, at least for the foreseeable future. [Italics and boldface added.]

- Bob Avakian, Revolution #133, “Yes, this Trump/MAGA fascism is really that bad. And, if it is not driven from power soon, it will get far worse.”

On December 4, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an extremely dangerous memo to federal law enforcement agencies. The memo's subject is "Implementing National Security Presidential Memorandum-7: Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence." 

If you have been wondering when “the outlawing and crushing of dissent” part of fascism comes fully into force, read this memo. And if you want to do something—urgently—to prepare to fight against that and prevent it? Then not only read the memo, but read this article and get it out to others.

A major U.S. law firm, Arnold & Porter, described this memo from Bondi as "one of the most consequential internal directives in recent years—an aggressive operational blueprint directing federal law enforcement agencies to implement [Trump’s] National Security Presidential Memorandum-7..." This Justice Department memo "reshapes how domestic terrorism will be defined, investigated, charged, and resourced across the federal government.”

“The key message is unmistakable: federal law enforcement will target individuals, organizations, and funders whom the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) contends are ‘domestic terrorists,’ under a definition that links political violence to ‘anti-fascist’ ideologies.” (Boldface in original; italics added.)

Trump issued the National Security Presidential Memo-7 (NSPM-7) two months ago. At the time, we wrote this represented an "all-out attack on dissenters of all kinds, and on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution itself (the one that is supposed to guarantee freedom of speech and the right to protest.)"

Bondi’s memo takes this attack a step further in using NSPM-7 as legal justification for broad and extremely harsh repression of anti-fascist people, groups and actions—all under the cover of “fighting domestic terrorism.” Yet there is very little awareness of this among forces broadly opposed to Trump and very little coverage of it among anti-Trump commentators. 

In the Eyes of the Fascist Regime: Opposition to Fascism Equals “Domestic Terrorism”

The DOJ memo announces itself as “a focused strategy to root out all culpable participants—including organizers and funders—in all domestic terrorism activities.” (Note: "culpable" means blameworthy, which is a lower standard than guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.)

Reading this, you might wonder, “What is this ‘domestic terrorism?’” Is it the heavily armed ICE thugs marauding through cities, smashing car windows, tearing children from their parents, shipping people off to brutal concentration camp-like prisons in the U.S. or overseas? Is it the death threats that Republican politicians report besiege them if ever they deviate a few inches from the MAGA program? Is it the murderous mob of MAGA fascists who attacked the Capitol in 2021?

No, in the eyes of the MAGA fascist regime—and in the language of Bondi’s memo—"domestic terrorism” is opposition in any form and to any degree to their regime. “Domestic terrorism” includes “conspiracies to impede or assault law enforcement”—an obvious reference to the mass resistance of thousands of ordinary people, in Chicago and other cities, who sought to protect their immigrant neighbors from ICE thugs. It includes “picketing or parading with intent to obstruct the administration of justice”—i.e. political protest that is in any way “disruptive.” (This could clearly include nonviolent civil disobedience.) And it includes donating or in any other way helping people who are engaged in this so-called “domestic terrorism.”

Essentially, any serious protest can be labeled “terrorism” and will bring down the full force of the state to “root out the culprits.” (It is worth keeping in mind that the Trump regime justifies murder in the seas off Venezuela by claiming—without evidence—that the 80-plus victims were “narco-terrorists.” To them the label of "terrorist" justifies a death sentence without trial.)

Bondi Says “Terrorism” Is to Be Defined by Ideas, Not Actions

How does the regime’s Department of “Justice” identify domestic terrorists? Rather than reacting to an actual crime and seeking the actual perpetrators, the DOJ is going after ideologies that it claims are indications of terrorism, and aims to “dismantle” groups or criminalize people holding those ideologies. 

The memo’s section 1, “Defining the domestic terrorism threat,” states that the "animating principle” of the terrorists “is adherence to the types of extreme viewpoints on immigration, radical gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment.” A little further on Bondi expands on what she means by “anti-American sentiment.” She cites “opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology, anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, or anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; hostility towards traditional views on family, religion, and morality.”

We need to translate this from fascist-speak to get what is really meant. “Opposition to law and immigration enforcement” and “favoring mass migration” refers to movements against police murders of Black and brown people, against ICE’s brutalization of immigrants, and to white supremacy as a whole. “Radical gender ideology” is—among other things--the “radical” idea that trans people are human beings who deserve human dignity and rights. “Anti-capitalism” is opposition to ruthless exploitation and growing impoverishment. Anti-Christianity and opposition to “traditional” values could mean just being Muslim, or pro-science, or upholding women’s reproductive rights, or all of the above and more.

These are not random “offenses.” This is a fascist regime saying straight up: if you don’t go along with enforced Christianity, stripping of the rights of women and LGBTQ people, ruthless ethnic cleansing of nonwhite people, and unrestrained capitalism… if you can’t get with all this, then you may be a “terrorist” and can expect to be treated as such.

It is true that the memo claims to target “violence” inspired by these ideas, not the ideas themselves. It argues that the problem is that this ideology (anti-fascism) is the “clarion call” that “connects a recent string of political violence.” The memo even has a footnote that promises “No investigation may be opened based solely on activities protected by the First Amendment or the lawful exercise of rights secured by the Constitution....” 

But this is hypocritical nonsense and gaslighting. By repeatedly saying that anti-fascist ideologies are the linchpin of “domestic terrorism,” they make clear and make sure that the vast repressive powers of the U.S. government will be aimed at those who oppose fascism or hold to other dissident views. At this point they may not openly put people on trial for their ideas—but they definitely are promising to investigate, surveil, wiretap and harass people and groups with ideological views that run contrary to MAGA, and they almost certainly will find—or manufacture—something to charge them with.

Bondi’s Memo: “Operational” Not “Aspirational” (i.e., They Are Serious About This Shit)

Trump’s September NSPM-7, which revcom.us described at the time as “a launch event for focusing the vast repressive power of the U.S. government on disrupting, dismantling or destroying all opposition to the fascist regime”—put forward the same points as Bondi’s memo. The Bondi memo is the next concrete step in the process—it is laying out marching orders to a large and powerful state apparatus that they need to focus on uprooting these evil anti-fascists. This apparatus includes the Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Internal Revenue Service, and many other federal agencies as well as state and local authorities that are being drawn in. 

Here are some of the key measures defining the threatened crackdown:

• The memo requires that any suspicion of terrorism (note well—not “deeds” but “suspicions”) must be reported to the Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) for “exhaustive investigation.” And once begun, JTTFs are required to “map the full network of culpable actors involved” even if they have not broken any law.
• The memo calls for amping up the FBI’s “tip line” and establishing “a cash reward system for information that leads to the successful identification and arrest of individuals in the leadership of domestic terrorist organizations.” Spend five minutes on Twitter and you can see a steady stream of fascist accusations aimed at nonviolent protests accusing them of being "antifa terrorists." So this step should guarantee all kinds of “reports” requiring JTTF investigation.
• The memo requires federal prosecutors to charge the “terrorists” with “the most serious, readily provable offenses.” It includes a list of 25 statutes that can be the basis for “domestic terrorism” prosecutions, including the “picketing” charge mentioned earlier, and many other vague and/or petty charges. Prosecutors are then instructed (if there is a conviction) to seek the highest possible sentences, including what is known as the “terrorism enhancement,” which can lead to massive increases in a sentence.¹
• The memo orders a “retroactive review” of arrests and incidents that occurred over the past five years, for possible referral as terrorist crimes. This reflects the fact that terrorism has now been redefined to include many things that in the past were either minor crimes or not crimes at all.
• The memo directs the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaged in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism,” and to update the list every 30 days. In addition, the FBI and JTTFs are required to “disseminate an intelligence bulletin on Antifa and Antifa-aligned anarchist violent extremist groups” within 60 days, “describing the relevant organizations’ structures, funding sources, and tactics.” As we've written before: “'antifa' is not an 'organization'... —it is an orientation towards taking on fascists, racists, and various forms of injustice that many people, in particular youth, are attracted to. It is essentially an idea, the core of which is opposition to fascism." But they are attempting to use this label to lump together, surveil and criminalize all anti-fascist protest.

Conclusion

To sum up: Bondi’s memo concentrates a serious plan for imposing fascist order aimed at activists, liberal NGOs, dissident thinkers of many kinds and currents, and very likely scooping up anyone who posts something on social media that MAGA doesn’t like. 

The Bondi memo requires frequent “progress reports” from agencies, as a means of driving this repression forward rather than losing steam. It is also drawing more and wider forces into its web. 

This memo almost certainly foreshadows a major leap in repression. This can neither be brushed off and treated as empty threats, nor can we allow ourselves and all the decent people opposed to this fascism to be preemptively scared into submission. Such moves—if people are mobilized to understand the threat they pose—could politically backfire on the fascists. 

But that only happens if consciousness is raised about the real danger of these moves and if standards are adopted in the movements against Trump that “an injury to one is an injury to all,” with individuals and organizations standing with anyone under attack. Given the propensity for gossip, snark, red-baiting and other damaging attacks within the movements of opposition, these standards will have to be fought for, very likely in real time. Winning that battle could ultimately spell the difference between the possibility of the very dark night pointed to in the quote from Bob Avakian or taking the counter-offensive and moving forward to actually drive out this regime.

Right now, way too few people are aware of this, let alone talking about it and planning how to respond. 

This must change, urgently.