DOJ sues New Jersey Palestine activists under law usually used to protect abortion clinics
Washington DC - The Trump administration is using a law designed to protect abortion clinics and places of worship in order to target Palestine solidarity groups and activists.
The DOJ is launching a new civil rights lawsuit under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to target protesters who took part in a November 2024 demonstration outside the Ohr Torah synagogue in West Orange, New Jersey.
The complaint – filed in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey – claims the defendants engaged in threats of force, intimidation, and violent conduct directed at synagogue congregants.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation New Jersey and Muslims for Palestine New Jersey are named in the lawsuit, along with six individuals.
The allegations concern confrontations that took place during protests outside an event at the synagogue promoting the sale of property in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to Northjersey.com, a pro-Israel counter-protester pepper-sprayed one of the demonstrators while another hit him on the head with a flashlight, causing an injury that required stitches.
The Trump administration has sought to flip the script and paint the pro-Israel counter-protesters as the victims, claiming the Palestine activists "intended to interfere with the synagogue community's right to freely exercise their religion."
"These violent protesters meant their actions for evil, but we will use this case to bring forth good: the protection of all Americans' religious liberty," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a press conference on Monday.
DOJ seeks massive penalty for Palestine solidarity protesters
The FACE Act – signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994 – prohibits the use of physical force, threat of physical force, or physical obstruction at reproductive health facilities or places of religious worship.
The Trump administration announced in January that it would severely limit abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions, although it appears more than willing to use the law to go after pro-Palestine activists.
The DOJ is asking the court to fine each defendant $31,670 for the first violation of the FACE Act, and $52,786 for every subsequent violation.
Cover photo: Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP