WASHINGTON. Non -profit groups with scattered missions are united in an alliance aimed at protecting each other if they become the goals of the wrath of President Donald Trump, this initiative says.
Referring to efforts in colloquial speech as a kind of “NATO for non -profit organizations”, groups plan to rally for armed non -profit organizations, offering strategic and legal support, releasing supporting statements and borrowed personnel that will help him to go afloat until the crisis will pass.
According to the supporters of Trump’s administrative actions, the military attack to attack one member state as an attack on everything that the network of non -profit organizations will serve as a stronghold against Trump’s administrative actions that destroy the work of groups that provide legal services and carry out freedom of speech.
The leader of this initiative Vanita Gupta, who held the position of a senior official of the Ministry of Justice in the administrations of Obama and Biden. She also worked in a number of civilian rights organizations, including as president and general director of the leadership conference on civil rights and human rights.
“The only way of this moment is with collective actions,” Gupta said in an interview with NBC News. “When you have an administration that is trying to force people to shut up people through Kudgel of the federal government, the only way is to work together.”
In some countries, she added that the practice of the government is to create “such great fear and such a frightening effect for organizations that perform critical work, that they are forced to spend 100% of their time for self -defense. Organizations know that their work on the support of the rule of law and the protection of vulnerable communities cannot stop. ”
Gupta and others proposed several details about how efforts will work or how many non -profit organizations will take part. But non -profit organizations are already demonstrating solidarity in the face of potential threats by the Trump administration.
One indicator appeared this week. More than 3,700 groups were signed on letter Convicing the administration because they called the campaign in order to “intimidate and shut up charitable groups through executive actions.”
“What you had was an unprecedented set of groups of large and small, of all different species, uniting with courage and force, to say that this is what we are for,” said the norm of Eisen, co-founder of the Democracy Fund, a non-partisan, professional organization.
One of Trump's repeated messages is that the United States is in the siege “From the inside” of its bordersHe portrayed the field “Radical left “ as criminals of political violence, although study Since last year, earlier on the website of the Ministry of Justice, he found that “the number of extreme right attacks continues to be ahead of all other types of terrorism and violent extremism on the household.”
Trump was clamped after his friend and political ally, Charlie Kirk, was killed during a performance at the University of Utah on September 10. He is fast accused the “radical left”, Although officials informed NBC News that they have Found “No evidence” From any connections between the left groups and the alleged shooter.
Two weeks after shooting Trump Signed Executive memorandum Under the name “opposition to internal terrorism and political violence has been organized.”
In the memorandum, it was associated with the murder of Kirk when calling for the “national strategy to investigate, pursue the essence and individuals participating in the acts of political violence and intimidation, designed to suppress legal political activity or impede the rule of law.” The Prosecutor General, IRS Commissioner, Minister of Treasury and others ordered to help.
The directive was open enough so that some non -profit officials were afraid that the Trump administration could close their work, incorrectly characterizing it as a criminal character.
Sarah Saadian, senior vice -president of state policy and campaigns in the National Council of non -profit organizations, said that “there is a huge fear among non -profit organizations.”
“The administration is trying to use this to make non -profit organizations shut up, cool their freedom of speech and intimidate them,” she added. “This creates a really dangerous precedent for this and future administrations for aiming at non -profit organizations, because they do not agree with their mission and to whom they serve.”
In response, the non -profit world produced open letter, A preliminary determination of the type of collective actions that can take “NATO for non -profit organizations”.
The signed vary to a large extent, emphasizing the depth of support. Some groups are focused on environmental reasons; Others advocate the rights of consumers and women, improved education or art.
“Of course, we definitely reject political violence. But we will not make words. ” The letter says. “Not a single president – a democrat or republican – should have the right to punish non -profit organizations simply because he does not agree with them.”
Joint actions are something like a unique approach to Trump. Others in Trump's crossroads collided with him on their own, either at the choice, or if necessary.
According to Gupta, the All-one strategy has grown due to the recognition that acting in isolation is useless. It is necessary to consider only the fate of law firms that contradict Trump.
Some firms have concluded transactions with the White House, which ordered them to fulfill millions of dollars in Free legal work For the causes, Trump supports. Others fought He is in court And prevailed.
View the episode unfolds, non -profit groups admitted that there is no potential to remain separate and allow the Trump administration to aim on them one after another.
“One of the most important things that we can do at this moment is clear that our sector is together unlike law firms, where some surrendered and were selected,” said Lisa Gilbert, a co-chair of a public citizen, a progressive consumer group.
In case of success in cooperative action, lawyers say that this can become a model for other parts of society.
“We hope that other sectors, if they become a goal of unfair mockery, will also be strong. And they can learn from this example, ”Eisen said.
