#characteristicsoffascism — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #characteristicsoffascism, aggregated by home.social.
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Fast forward to 2026...
#EFF - Lawmakers Must Act Now to Prevent #ArmedPoliceDrones
By Matthew Guariglia
June 26, 2026"This is not science fiction. It’s not premature. If towns, cities, states, or the federal government want to act to rein in the emergence of armed police drones and robots, we have precious little time. In the absence of substantial regulation around when and how domestic law enforcement in the United States can deploy force using drones, the companies that markets technology to law enforcement have been moving. It’s past time concerned people take notice. Cities should not procure weaponized drones or robots, and multi-purpose drones and robots should be restricted from causing harm.
"Since 2021, EFF has been advocating against the use of armed robots or drones by law enforcement. This call has become more urgent as companies are moving in to take advantage of the lax regulatory landscape.
"This month, two disturbing developments raised concerns that we might be on the verge of a larger trend of drone militarization. The first is that the CEO of Skydio, one of the most prolific vendors of police drones in the United States, signaled that the company has a more permissive attitude toward arming their drones in some contexts than many people expected. When asked on a podcast about the public perception that the company had restrictions around letting the military arm their drones, CEO Adam Bry said, 'This is an area where I’ve gotten some things wrong. We said some things previously that led folks externally and internally to believe that, for example, we would prevent the military from putting weapons on our drones […] It’s very easy to sit back in a Silicon Valley office and think that we’re very smart, that we know the technology, and the idea of using it for X, Y, or Z thing seems evil or bad, so we’re going to write a policy or ban people from doing it. I think that’s ultimately misguided.'
"Simply put: he is signaling that #Skydio will not implement restrictions on their customers’ use of their devices.
"Bry was specifically asked about the military arming drones but the question reveals a disturbing truth: whether police arm drones domestically is currently based more on the internal ethical commitments of companies than it is any laws created by elected officials. Combining Skydio’s huge amount of police contracts, including supplying entire fleets for Drone as First Responders ( #DFR ) programs, and the tendency of military technologies like #surveillance aerostats to get redeployed on U.S. soil, creates a real recipe for the emergence of armed police drones."
Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/06/lawmakers-must-act-now-prevent-armed-police-drones#SurveillanceState #DefundICE #DefundDHS #ArmedPoliceDrones #PoliceDrones
#ACAB #RoboCops #PredatorUAVs #PredatorDrones #UAVs #ICE #SurveillanceState #Fascism #WeaponizedDrones #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity
#CompliantTechnologies #CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol -
Drones have been on my radar screen (pun intended) for quite a few years...
Don’t Let Police Arm Autonomous or Remote-Controlled Robots and Drones
By Matthew Guariglia
July 16, 2021"It’s no longer science fiction or unreasonable paranoia. Now, it needs to be said: No, police must not be arming land-based robots or aerial drones. That’s true whether these mobile devices are remote controlled by a person or autonomously controlled by artificial intelligence, and whether the weapons are maximally lethal (like bullets) or less lethal (like tear gas). [Or #ElectricShockGloves !]
"Police currently deploy many different kinds of moving and task-performing technologies. These include flying drones, remote control bomb-defusing robots, and autonomous patrol robots. While these different devices serve different functions and operate differently, none of them--absolutely none of them--should be armed with any kind of weapon.
"Mission creep is very real. Time and time again, technologies given to police to use only in the most extreme circumstances make their way onto streets during protests or to respond to petty crime. For example, cell site simulators (often called ' #Stingrays ') were developed for use in foreign battlefields, brought home in the name of fighting 'terrorism,' then used by law enforcement to catch immigrants and a man who stole $57 worth of food. Likewise, police have targeted #BLM #protesters with #FaceSurveillance and #AmazonRing doorbell cameras.
"Today, scientists are developing an #AI enhanced #AutonomousDrone, designed to find people during natural disasters by locating their screams. How long until police use this technology to find protesters shouting chants? What if these autonomous drones were armed? We need a clear red line now: no armed police drones, period.
"There are already law enforcement robots and drones of all shapes, sizes, and levels of autonomy patrolling the United States as we speak. From autonomous #Knightscope robots prowling for 'suspicious behavior' and collecting images of license plates [ #FlockCameras ] and phone identifying information, to #BostonDynamic robotic dogs accompanying police on calls in New York or checking the temperature of unhoused people in Honolulu, to #PredatorSurveillanceDrones flying over BLM protests in #Minneapolis.
"We are moving quickly towards arming such robots and letting autonomous artificial intelligence determine whether or not to pull the trigger."
#ICESucks #SurveillanceState #DefundICE #DefundDHS #ArmedPoliceDrones #PoliceDrones
#ACAB #RoboCops #PredatorUAVs #PredatorDrones #UAVs #ICE #SurveillanceState #Fascism #WeaponizedDrones #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity
#CompliantTechnologies #CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol -
#EFF Says Lawmakers Have “Precious Little Time” to Stop #ArmedPoliceDrones, and the Skydio Reversal Is Why
Haye Kesteloo · Editor-in-Chief June 29, 2026
Excerpt: "Federal law governs shooting at drones, not drones shooting at people
"The regulatory gap EFF is pointing at is real and lopsided. Federal law is clear and well-tested on one direction of force: firing at a drone is a felony. As DroneXL reported this month, a man who fired a BB gun at a Lee County Sheriff’s Office drone is facing charges under 18 U.S.C. § 32, which treats a drone as an aircraft and carries up to 20 years in prison. The statute dates to 1956 and has been applied to drone cases for years.
"There is no equivalent body of law running the other way. No federal statute defines when a law enforcement drone may deploy force against a person, what counts as proportionate, or who is liable when a less-lethal effect injures a bystander. San Francisco became the first city to ban police from using deadly force via robot back in 2022, but EFF argues a single-city policy covering only robots, not drones, is not enough. A workable rule, the group says, has to cover both categories and explicitly prohibit any body harm. The asymmetry is the whole problem: the person on the ground who shoots at a police drone faces two decades in federal prison, while the drone that might one day deploy force against that person operates in a legal vacuum."
https://dronexl.co/2026/06/29/eff-armed-police-drones-skydio-legal-gap/
#PoliceDrones #ArmedPoliceDrones #ACAB #RoboCops #PredatorUAVs #PredatorDrones #UAVs #ICE #SurveillanceState #Fascism #WeaponizedDrones #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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Firm Tied to #KristiNoem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million #DHS Ad #Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rules for the taxpayer-funded campaign.
by Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan and Alex Mierjeski
November 14, 2025Excerpt: "No firm has closer ties to Noem’s political operation than the #StrategyGroup. It played a central role in her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial campaign. Corey Lewandowski, her top adviser at DHS, has worked extensively with the firm. And the company’s CEO is married to Noem’s chief spokesperson at DHS, Tricia McLaughlin.
"The Strategy Group’s ad work is the first known example of money flowing from Noem’s agency to businesses controlled by her allies and friends."
Read more:
https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group#USPol #Corruption #RexElsass #BenYoho #ChristoFascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism #PowerCorruptionAndLies
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It started with this...
March 2025, ‘More than brick and mortar:' DC begins removing ‘Black Lives Matter’ plaza near the White House
By ASHRAF KHALIL and JACQUELYN MARTIN
Updated 5:57 PM EDT, March 10, 2025WASHINGTON (AP) — "Starlette Thomas remembers coming down almost daily to the intersection of 16th and H streets, to protest police brutality and systemic racial iniquities during the summer of 2020.
"On Monday, the 45-year old Bowie, Maryland resident returned to the site of those protests to mourn the end of Black Lives Matter Plaza.
" 'I needed to be here today. I can’t just let this go away,' Thomas said, as jackhammers began tearing into the giant yellow letters in the street. Thomas discretely secured a chunk of pavement and said holding it made her feel conflicted.
" 'To walk away with a piece of that, it means it’s not gone,' she said. 'It’s more than brick and mortar.'
"Crews started work Monday to remove the large yellow '#BlackLivesMatter' painted on the street one block from the White House. D.C. Mayor #MurielBowser announced the change last week in response to pressure from Republicans in Congress. The work is expected to take about six weeks and the words will be replaced by an unspecified set of city-sponsored murals.
"The painting of those words was an act of government-sponsored defiance during President Donald Trump’s first term. The removal amounts to a public acknowledgement of just how vulnerable the District of Columbia is now that Trump is back in the White House and Republicans control both houses of Congress.
"Bowser, a Democrat, ordered the painting and renamed the intersection #BlackLivesMatterPlaza in June 2020. It came after days of chaotic protests at that location following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer; Bowser had clashed with #Trump over her handling of the protests.
"But now Bowser has little power to fend off encroachments on D.C.'s limited autonomy. Bowser said last week on X that, 'The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.' "
#WashingtonDC #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#FascismInTheUSA #USPol #FloridaPol #TrumpIsAFascist #TrumpIsABully #Racism #ErasingHistory -
#PensacolaFL will comply with state mandate to remove #BLM logo, but requests #FDOT help
Story by Jim Little, August 26, 2025
"Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said city workers will not remove the #BlackLivesMatterMural on A Street, but instead requested that FDOT remove the mural.
"Reeves said at his weekly press conference on Aug. 26 that he spoke with FDOT District Three Secretary Tim Smith on Aug. 24 about the demand by FDOT that the mural be removed or otherwise risk state funding.
" 'Given the city of Pensacola's resources, manpower, and that we have to meet a very tight deadline, and the very close proximity that this project in question is to the largest east-west corridor that the state runs, Cervantes Street, we respectfully request that FDOT handle the execution of this mandate,' Reeves said.
"Reeves said the request is not meant to be adversarial to FDOT, and he sent an official written response to the agency before the press conference stating the same thing.
"Reeves said he believes Smith understood the city’s position and expected that the state would remove the mural.
"Smith sent a letter last week on behalf of FDOT demanding that Pensacola remove the '#BlackLivesMatter' mural on North A Street within two weeks or the state will come and remove it. If the city didn't comply, it would also risk losing state #TransportationFunding."
#DeSantisSucks #CharacteristicsOfFascism
#FascismInTheUSA #USPol #FloridaPol #TrumpIsAFascist #TrumpIsABully #Racism #ErasingHistory -
#Protesters in #SouthFlorida to fight back against state orders to remove #RainbowCrosswalks
Walter Murphy, August 25, 2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — "Protesters are expected to hit the streets of South Florida Monday to fight back against state orders to remove rainbow crosswalks in places like #FortLauderdale, #MiamiBeach and #KeyWest.
"Four crosswalks in Fort Lauderdale are in the crosshairs of the Florida Department of Transportation.
"The state recently sent the city a non-compliance letter, demanding the different designs and murals be removed.
" 'It’s an attempt to try to erase the presence of anything to do with the #LGBTQCommunity,' Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said.
"The state sent similar letters to Miami Beach, Key West and #DelrayBeach, citing safety issues, but Trantalis says it has nothing to do with safety.
" 'It could be the gay community this year -- who knows what’s going to be next year,' he said. 'We don’t know where they are going to keep trying to eliminate the diversity of what represents Florida.'
"Two of the crosswalks in Fort Lauderdale on the state’s list are along Breakers Avenue at Terramar and Riomar streets.
"Another one is at East Las Olas Boulevard and Almond Avenue, and the final one is at Sebastian Street along A1A.
"That will be the site of one of two demonstrations against #FDOT’s order set for Monday night.
"Both protests were organized by #EricSwanson, who is better known as #MissBouvèé.
" 'A crosswalk doesn’t define us,' Miss. Bouvèé said. 'It’s the principle of the fact (that) it symbolizes a safe space for us.'
" 'I am outraged by the State of Florida’s decision to forcefully remove #PrideCrosswalks — symbols of love, support, and unity in our communities,' Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday.
" 'These vibrant installations are more than paint on pavement. They reflect the values we hold dear in Miami-Dade: respect, appreciation of fellow neighbors, and the fundamental right to live and love openly,' she said in a statement.
"The warnings to communities across Florida come after last week’s removal of a rainbow-colored crossing marking the 2016 massacre outside the #PulseNightclub in #Orlando, where 49 people were gunned down. It was painted over in the middle of the night by work crews, but has since been restored by a group of demonstrators."
"The issue has been simmering since a July 1 directive from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who gave U.S. governors 60 days to identify what he called safety improvements.
" 'Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,' Duffy said in a statement at the time.
"The Federal Highway Administration said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press that Duffy 'has made every state receiving federal dollars responsible for identifying hazards on their roads.'
:Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday amplified those comments, saying on X: 'We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.'
"A statement from FDOT said the agency has a duty 'to ensure the safety and consistency of public roadways and transportation systems.'
" 'That means ensuring our roadways are not utilized for social, political, or ideological interests,' it said.
Efforts to remove the crosswalks are 'clearly an #AntiLGBTQ push on behalf of both the federal government and the copycat version from the state government,' said Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County #HumanRights Council.
" 'They’re basically blackmailing municipalities, counties and states by saying if you don’t do this, we’re going to withhold funding,' Hoch said. 'It’s absolutely ridiculous.'
"It is unclear whether other states and communities outside Florida are being ordered to remove rainbow crossings, but Florida is often the vanguard nationwide in fights over what some call the culture wars of politics. Those include battles over the removal of #LibraryBooks deemed inappropriate by #DeSantis and other Republicans.
"In Key West, state transportation officials said that if pavement markings in its historic downtown aren’t removed by Sept. 3, 'the Florida Department of Transportation will remove them by any appropriate method necessary without further notice.' In a letter to Key West’s city manager, federal authorities also threatened the 'immediate withholding' of state funds if it finds 'additional violations.'
"The Aug. 15 letter to Key West leaders said that many local communities in Florida 'immediately began undertaking actions to ensure compliance.' It did not specify how many communities have cooperated or what steps they have taken.
"Miami Beach has also been ordered to remove its rainbow crosswalk on Ocean Drive by the first week of September."
#DeSantisSucks #GBLTQIntolerance #GBLTQErasure #CharacteristicsOfFascism #FascismInTheUSA #USPol #FloridaPol #TrumpIsAFascist #TrumpIsABully
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State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Utah
SB 173: Criminal penalties for protests that disturb legislative or other government meetings
Creates new potential penalties for individuals protesting convenings of the legislature or other meetings of government officials. The law expands "disorderly conduct" to include a person who recklessly causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm by making "unreasonable noises" at an official meeting or in a private place that can be heard at an official meeting. "#DisorderlyConduct" also includes obstructing #PedestrianTraffic at an official meeting or refusing to leave an official meeting when asked by law enforcement. The law also increases the penalty for disorderly conduct, such that it is punishable by a $750 fine on the first offense (an infraction), up to 3 months in jail if a person was warned to cease prohibited conduct (Class C misdemeanor), up to 6 months for a second offense (Class B misdemeanor), and up to 1 year for a third offense (Class A misdemeanor). Accordingly, the law could, for example, be used to penalize silent protesters who refuse to leave a legislative committee meeting. An earlier version of the bill explicitly made it unlawful to commit even a "single, loud outburst, absent other disruptive conduct, that does not exceed five seconds in length."
Full text of bill:
https://le.utah.gov/~2020/bills/static/SB0173.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 24 Feb 2020; Approved by Senate 5 March 2020; Approved by House 12 March 2020; Signed by Governor 30 March 2020
HB 370: New Penalties for Protests Near #Pipelines, #Roadways, and other #Infrastructure
**Note: This bill was amended prior to its passage, and provisions that would have covered peaceful protest activity were significantly narrowed.** As introduced, the bill would have created new potential criminal liability for protesters in many locations by criminalizing acts that "inhibit" or "impede" critical infrastructure facilities. The bill's original text had a sweeping definition of "critical infrastructure facility" that included highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, financial systems, and energy infrastructure including pipelines--whether under construction or operational. The bill created a new felony offense for "inhibiting," or "impeding" the facility, its equipment, or operation, such that protesters who intentionally inhibited or impeded the operation of a roadway or construction of a pipeline could have faced life in prison. Amendments to the bill substantially narrowed the offense, however. The enacted law criminalizes "substantially... inhibiting or impeding" the operation of critical infrastructure only if doing so "causes widespread injury or damage to persons or property." Amendments also narrowed the definition of "critical infrastructure facility," including by removing highways, bridges, transportation systems, food distribution systems, law enforcement response systems, and financial systems from the definition.
Full text here:
https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0370.htmlStatus: enacted with improvements
Introduced 3 Feb 2023; Approved by House 14 February 2023; Approved by Senate 28 February 2023; Signed by Governor Cox 14 March 2023
Issue(s): Infrastructure, #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests -
#HouseGOP Working to Push Through Bill That Would Let #Trump Shut Down #Nonprofits
#DemocracyNow, November 18, 2024
"On Capitol Hill, House #Republicans [and some #Democrats] are attempting once again to ram through #HR9495, a bill that would allow Trump and future presidents to effectively shut down nonprofits by labeling them a '#terrorist-supporting organization.' The measure could target #HumanitarianAid groups, #news outlets, #schools and countless #CivilSociety organizations. #Congress failed to fast-track the bill last week, falling short of a required two-thirds majority despite dozens of Democrats voting in favor along with Republicans. But the next vote, which could happen this week, would likely only require a simple majority.
"A coalition of groups said in a statement, 'This bill was designed to #criminalize organizations and #activists who oppose the U.S.'s unconditional support of #Israel's #genocide of #Palestinians and the slaughter of #LebaneseCivilians.' Signatories to the statement included the Council on American-Islamic Relations and #AmericanMuslimsForPalestine. #Oxfam criticized the bill, saying Trump could use it to silence and censor critics, curb free speech and target political opponents."
#StopHR9495 #USCongress #CrimininalizingDissent #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #Protestors #Activists #FreedomOfExpression #PressFreedom #USPolitics #SilencingDissent #FreePalestine #StudentProtestors #FreeSpeech #Clampdown #StopHR9495
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #Fascism
#Authoritarianism #ProjectEsther #Project2025 #NDAA #Authoritarianism