Wearing Black to a Protest Is Not Terrorism. Protect the First Amendment.

On March 13, 2026, a federal jury in Fort Worth convicted nine people on terrorism charges tied to a July 4 protest outside an ICE detention center. Prosecutors told the jury that wearing black clothing to a demonstration qualified as “material support for terrorism.” One defendant was convicted for moving a box of political pamphlets. The FBI’s own 2018 investigation of Dallas-area antifa groups found “no potential criminal violations or priority threats to national security.” That evidence never reached the jury. AG Bondi has said these prosecutions will continue. Federal agents are now investigating nonprofits for suspected ties to domestic terrorism. Defense attorneys and legal scholars warn this verdict gives the government a template to criminalize protest itself. If you think this only targets people you disagree with, look at Marjorie Taylor Greene. She voted with Trump 98% of the time. She pushed to release the Epstein files. Trump called her a “low IQ traitor.” She resigned after receiving death threats against her son, with subject lines quoting the president’s own words. She told CBS the reason other Republicans stay quiet: “They’re terrified to step out of line.” When wearing black to a protest carries a terrorism charge and the president’s closest ally gets destroyed for asking about a child sex trafficking case, no one is safe. We demand you act to protect the right to protest, oppose the use of terrorism statutes against political speech, and hold this administration accountable for weaponizing federal law enforcement against dissent. Party doesn’t matter here. The First Amendment does.