FBI Plans for Violence After Ferguson Ruling

Says Protester Violence Will Pose a Threat to Protesters

The FBI is gearing up for the “likely violence” in the wake of the Ferguson ruling, following announcements yesterday that the governor declared a state of emergency to deploy the National Guard.

The FBI bulletin, oddly, warns that protesters will likely use the ruling as a pretext for violence against the government, and that the violence also poses a threat to “constitutionally protected activities,” which presumably means the protesters themselves.

The FBI’s prediction of violence goes well beyond Ferguson, or even metro Saint Louis, and predicts that attacks are likely “nationwide.” In response to the FBI bulletin, police nationwide are gearing up to target “sympathizers” of the protesters.

The FBI is predicting, with serious criticism, that the protesters will be “equipped with tactical gear/gas masks or bulletproof vests to mitigate law enforcement measures.”

By mitigating law enforcement measures, they mean the protesters will be wearing vests so they don’t get killed when shot, and gas masks to avoid suffocation during the near constant volleys of tear gas police are planning to lob at them. In any other context these would be considered defensive measures, but with officials planning another bloody crackdown, they see any limitations on their ability to shoot/gas people as inherently aggressive.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.