Kash Patel's 'Investigative' Promise: Targeting Dissent, Not Injustice
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports that Kash Patel, a former Trump aide, is promising more arrests in investigations related to protests in Minnesota, particularly focusing on individuals involved in a shooting during the unrest. This frames state action as a righteous pursuit of law and order against 'violence.' 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The US government has a long and
documented history of targeting domestic protest movements, often under the guise of national security. Operation COINTELPRO, exposed in 1971, saw the FBI systematically surveil, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt civil rights, anti-war, and Black Power organizations. This history includes assassinations and manufacturing division to neutralize movements like the Black Panthers. The language of
'investigation' often precedes state repression. Double Standard: While protests against state violence, especially from marginalized communities, are often met with heavy-handed policing, surveillance, and criminalization, far-right or state-aligned actions that include violence are frequently downplayed or even embraced. Compare the aggressive pursuit of protestors and 'domestic extremists'
after events like the George Floyd uprisings to the comparatively lenient approach taken against those involved in the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection, especially early on, where many were initially charged with minor offenses. Follow the Money: The 'law and order' rhetoric used by figures like Patel often serves to bolster budgets for police forces and intelligence agencies, which profit