BLM is a neo-Marxist terrorist organization

The argument

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM) is a global organisation, active in the USA, UK, and Canada, who are working towards the eradication of white supremacy and racially-motivated violence carried out against Black communities by the state and others. The movement gained prominence following the death of George Floyd which caused global outcry and protests against police brutality. This event has been the driving factor in the organisation calling for the defunding of the police force, whose primary purpose is to in fact protect our communities. What underpins this argument is the idea that the Marxist ideology on which BLM was founded, in addition to the acts carried out by supporters of the organisation, serves to disrupt and wreak havoc upon American society. Most importantly, Marxism is anti-American and goes against the very idea of the American Dream and Capitalism, on which the USA was built. American federal law defines domestic terrorism as the realisation of acts which violate criminal laws and threaten human life with the intention to coerce the population, influence or coerce government policy. Since 2017, BLM campaigners have been responsible for the defacing and destruction of statues of prominent American figures, such as Robert E.Lee, as well as the looting and burning of businesses across the nation in the name of achieving racial equality. This is an attack on American heritage and culture, which should not be taken lightly, overlooked, or hidden under the guise of achieving racial equality. These acts violate laws and have put lives in danger which aligns with the legal definition of domestic terrorism. Consequently, there is no doubt that BLM encourages terror attacks and thus, is a terrorist organisation. Interpreting these acts of vandalism and arson with close reference to BLM’s Marxist grounding reveals their terrorist nature. The violence and calls to radically change approaches to public safety seek to uproot the current political system which is a threat to democracy and American heritage and values.

Premises

Counter-arguments

The BLM organisation has not been linked to any terror attacks and is not listed as a perpetrator group in the University of Maryland’s Global Terrorism Database. That said, BLM is not a terrorist organisation, but it is indeed founded on a Marxist ideology. It is worth noting that while looting and acts of arson occurred during protests, there is no way of knowing whether those who committed these crimes did so in support of BLM or whether they took advantage of an opportunity to tarnish the image of both the organisation and the movement. BLM encourages activism and not terrorism. Their aim, as stated by Co-founder Alicia Garza, is to shed light onto the failings of the state to protect Black lives and foster a truly democratic environment in which there is justice and in which we are all free. While it appears that the organisation aims to disrupt and uproot democracy in fighting for equality, we can raise the question of whether America is in fact a real democracy at all given the events that led to the establishment of the organisation and continued activism today.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The premise conflates two separate things. Some founders have described themselves as trained Marxists, but the organisation's published demands concern policing, prosecution and public investment rather than the abolition of private property — and in any case an ideology is not a criterion of terrorism under the statute the argument goes on to cite. [Rejecting P2] Attribution is the weak link. Vandalism, looting and arson occurred within protests involving millions of participants, and nothing here connects those acts to the organisation's direction. Property damage also does not by itself meet the statutory threshold, which turns on acts dangerous to human life. [Rejecting P3] The definition is quoted but never applied. Federal law requires acts dangerous to human life carried out with intent to intimidate a civilian population or coerce government policy, and no designation, prosecution or listing in the standard terrorism databases has been made against the organisation on that basis.