DHS Tells Police That Common Protest Activities Are 'Violent Tactics' [View all]
The Department of Homeland Security is urging local police to consider a wide range of protest activity as violent tactics, including mundane acts like riding a bike or livestreaming a police encounter, WIRED has learned.
Threat bulletins issued during last months No Kings protests warn that the US governments aggressive immigration raids are almost certain to accelerate domestic unrest, with DHS saying theres a high likeliness more Americans will soon turn against the agency, which could trigger confrontations near federal sites.
Blaming intense media coverage and backlash to the US military deployment in Los Angeles, DHS expects the demonstrations to continue and grow across the nation as protesters focused on other issues shift to immigration, following a broad embracement of anti-ICE messaging.
The bulletinsfirst obtained by the national security nonprofit Property of the People through public records requestswarn that officers could face assaults with fireworks and improvised weapons: paint-filled fire extinguishers, smoke grenades, and projectiles like bottles and rocks.
At the same time, the guidance urges officers to consider a range of nonviolent behavior and common protest gearlike masks, flashlights, and camerasas potential precursors to violence, telling officers to prepare from the point of view of an adversary.
Protesters on bicycles, skateboards, or even on foot are framed as potential scouts conducting reconnaissance or searching for items to be used as weapons. Livestreaming is listed alongside doxxing as a tactic for threatening police. Online posters are cast as ideological recruitersor as participants in surveillance sharing.
One list of violent tactics shared by the Los Angelesbased Joint Regional Intelligence Centerpart of a post-9/11 fusion networkincludes both protesters attempts to avoid identification and efforts to identify police. The memo also alleges that face recognition, normally a tool of law enforcement, was used against officers.
https://www.wired.com/story/dhs-tells-police-that-common-protest-activities-are-violent-tactics/]