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elgertam • today at 1:49 PM • 8 replies • view on HN

Didn't they get 450 years of jail time (spread among nine people IIRC) for attacking a government building with explosives and committing attempted murder?[0] If the start of your pattern of "police state levels of power, corruption and control" is people engaging in organized terrorism, (i.e. using violence for political ends) being convicted of terrorism offenses, then I guess I don't see it. Looks to me like some folks wanted to LARP as revolutionaries but with real bullets & explosives and were surprised the government's tolerance for that was limited.

[0]https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyedgnyn4mo


Replies

reactordev • today at 1:52 PM

Shot in the neck and lived. 420 years. Pretti filming peacefully and shot in the back. 0 years.

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cauch • today at 2:05 PM

The way you frame the event is very misleading after reading the article.

I know that idiots will argue that "attacking a government building with explosives and committing attempted murder" is "technically correct", but it is stupidity to not understand that it leaves out important nuances.

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uxp100 • today at 1:52 PM

The “explosives” being Fourth of July fireworks.

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tantalor • today at 1:58 PM

Listen to the NYT Daily episode about this.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/27/podcasts/the-daily/antifa...

tldr, the govt (not the court) decides whether it is terrorism or not, which elevates misdemeanor into decades long felony conviction.

The J6 crowd was not charged with terrorism.

so-gala-massey • today at 1:58 PM

Tolerance? Jan 6.

ledbettj • today at 2:00 PM

> Looks to me like some folks wanted to LARP as revolutionaries but with real bullets & explosives and were surprised the government's tolerance for that was limited.

Unless of course your guy ends up in power again and offers you pardons and reparations.

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rc-research • today at 2:10 PM

Attacking a government building with explosives is a stretch. They had fireworks on July 4th to stage a noise protest outside of the detention facility which got out of hand. The issue is that the government's case for 'material support for terror' mostly hinged on them wearing black and all being members of a signal chat [1] and handed down extraordinarily harsh sentences.

The government's case explicitly tried to throw the book at all involved (including 30 years for someone not even at the protest; for moving a box of anti-fascist literature) in line with new executive direction including NSPM-7[1][2].

The BBC article you linked takes many of the procecutor's statements at face value. Looking into this case more may illuminate how wide this survailance and punnishment net will be cast against the administration's political enemies.

[1]https://theintercept.com/2026/06/23/prairieland-texas-ice-pr... [2]https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/coun...

UncleMeat • today at 3:51 PM

"Explosives" in this case are "ordinary fireworks you can buy at a stand on the side of the road meant to be loud and annoying."