A recently released Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document titled “Domestic Terrorism Symbols Guide”* links common protest symbols to “terrorism” — another marker in a common theme of conflating militant protest for social justice with deadly terrorist violence within the United States. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Brennan Center have raised warnings about such documents, citing inadequate protections for people’s constitutional rights.
In the US, to be labeled a terrorist, you only need to be brown and intelligent. Being Arab or Muslim will get you the label according to right-wing media, including OAN and FOX News.
But these days, terrorist is less about indiscriminate killing to influence others politically, and more about having sentiments against an administration or against a common system. So if you’re anti-capitalist, or against US imperialism, terrorist is a title you can proudly wear, even if all that you do is legal and ethical.
That said, I’d encourage considering adding saboteur to anyone’s repertoire of skills and activist efforts. State agents have long crossed the lines of violence against the innocent in order to influence others, making themselves and the states they represent terrorists in the OG sense.