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#criminalizingdissent — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #criminalizingdissent, aggregated by home.social.

  1. #HongKong 's #Tiananmen activists sentenced to up to seven years in prison

    by Koh Ewe, September 11, 2026

    "Three Hong Kong activists who organised annual vigils commemorating Beijing's 1989 crackdown on #TiananmenSquare protests have been handed prison sentences of up to seven years.

    "Two of the defendants - Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41 - were convicted last month of inciting others to subvert state power, under the city's controversial national security law.

    "A third defendant, Albert Ho, 74, had pleaded guilty in January.

    "For years, Hong Kong was one of the only places in Chinese territory where people could hold gatherings to mark the Tiananmen Square crackdown - a topic that is highly sensitive and heavily censored in mainland #China.

    "These gatherings were banned by Hong Kong's authorities in 2020, citing Covid-19 policies, but never resumed. That same year, the national security law, which makes illegal a wider range of dissenting acts, officially came into force.
    Authorities say the law is necessary to maintain stability, but critics argue it has eroded Hong Kong's autonomy and created a climate of fear.

    "Lee, Chow and Ho were charged in 2021. They faced up to 10 years in prison after their conviction.

    "On Friday, the court sentenced Lee to seven years in prison, while Chow was handed seven years and three months. Ho, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to five years in prison.

    "According to a court summary in August, Lee and Chow had 'incited other persons to organise, plan, commit or participate in acts by unlawful means with a view to subverting the state power', according to a summary on Friday.

    "Chow told the court in May the law itself was on trial.

    "Speaking to the BBC before her arrest in 2022, Chow said she was 'prepared to be arrested' and 'willing to pay the price for fighting for democracy'."

    Read more:
    bbc.com/news/articles/cvgyvk2d

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/16o4Z

    #WorldPol #NeverForgetTiananmen #TiananmenSquareMassacre #Authoritarianism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent

  2. #Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams

    One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”

    by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026

    "The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.

    "The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/news/anthropi

    #PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  3. #Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams

    One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”

    by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026

    "The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.

    "The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/news/anthropi

    #PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  4. #Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams

    One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”

    by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026

    "The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.

    "The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/news/anthropi

    #PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  5. #Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams

    One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”

    by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026

    "The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.

    "The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/news/anthropi

    #PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  6. #Anthropic Building a #PreCrime System to Surveil #AntiAI #Dissenters, Investigation Shows | Common Dreams

    One legal expert said that as AI companies “become more hated, there’s more pressure on them to over-disclose knowing that some of the people they identify for law enforcement shouldn’t be targeted.”

    by Brad Reed, September 9, 2026

    "The American Prospect on Wednesday published an investigation revealing that top artificial intelligence firm Anthropic is building a predictive surveillance system aimed at tracking activists who are opposed to advanced AI development.

    "The Prospect found that Anthropic last month issued a job posting seeking an intelligence specialist to “identify, assess, track, and investigate global threats including geopolitical instability, terrorism, crime, activism, nation-state targeting of the AI sector.”

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/news/anthropi

    #PreCrime #ThoughtCrime #AIResistance #ResistanceIsFertile #AISucks #CriminalizingDissent #TheResistance #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #HumanIntelligence #TechFascism #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  7. Trump Goes After Anonymous Email Provider in Italy. The Real Target Is Free Speech in the U.S.

    Trump designated an Italian web-hosting provider as a foreign “terror” group. It could take #antifascist sites in the U.S. offline.

    Matt Sledge
    August 28 2026

    "In the latest escalation of the Trump administration’s war on the left, the U.S. government’s designation of a popular antifascist webhosting provider as a terror group could shutter a swath of radical websites in the U.S.

    "Secretary of State #MarcoRubio and Treasury Secretary #ScottBessent announced Wednesday that they were targeting the Italy-based A/I Collective with terror sanctions. Federal law gives the Treasury Department broad discretion to apply the terror label to foreign groups.

    "A wide array of #anarchist, antifascist, and #FarLeft groups in the U.S. and abroad use the privacy-minded collective’s offerings, including an anonymous email service and its popular noblogs.org blogging platform.

    "The practice of designating an internet platform and service provider as a terror group — rather than those pursuing violence themselves — has 'huge' implications for the future free speech on the internet, warned Jillian York, the director of international freedom of expression at the #ElectronicFrontierFoundation.

    " 'They are going after the messenger,' York said. 'I don’t think that the members of the group would necessarily condone the actions of the people that they hosted. What they do condone is the freedom to host, the ability to be anonymous, the ability to be private.'

    "The A/I Collective told The Intercept that it is exploring its legal options to fight the sanctions, which block U.S. citizens and companies from providing the group with financial support.

    "In an unsigned statement, the group said that it denies the U.S. government’s allegations.

    " '#Antifascism and #anticapitalism are not #terrorism ,' the group said. '#Protesting is not terrorism. And everyone has the right to speak out and to struggle for #humanity.' " [And #MotherEarth ! ]

    Source:
    theintercept.com/2026/08/28/tr

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/4ETk2

    #FreeSpeech #AutisticiInventati #Solidarity #USPol #WorldPol #SolidarityWithAutisticiInventati #FreedomOfExpression #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #Fascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  8. She protested #ICERaids. Then agents showed up at her door

    by Meg Anderson, August 3, 2026

    "Early one morning this June, #TreasureThoreson was drinking coffee on her couch in #Minneapolis when she heard a knock at the front door.

    " 'I go and I see a woman standing there in office clothes, but with a Homeland Security vest over the top. And I see six more agents standing in my front yard,' Thoreson told NPR. "She said, 'We have a warrant for your arrest, for conspiracy.' "

    "Thoreson, a special education teacher, was still in her pajamas. The agent let her change clothes and hug her partner goodbye before taking her into custody.

    "The government charged Thoreson and 14 others with engaging in a conspiracy to impede federal agents — a conspiracy it says culminated in the use of blockades outside the Whipple Federal Building, which served as ICE's headquarters during the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota this past winter.

    "The government cited meetings and conversations on the encrypted messaging app #Signal as evidence. At the advice of her lawyer, Thoreson declined to comment on the specifics of the indictment.

    An increasing trend

    "The charges against Thoreson are part of an escalating trend. NPR reviewed court records from the last five years to examine how the federal government is wielding one specific charge: conspiracy to impede or injure an officer, which can carry a sentence of up to six years in federal prison.

    "The statute, which dates back to the Civil War, has historically been used infrequently. But since President #Trump took office last year, the Justice Department has charged more than three dozen people in at least 10 cases. All of them involve people protesting federal immigration enforcement.

    The government has also indicted nearly 50 people on #conspiracy charges in #Michigan, #Texas and #Minnesota using different legal statutes."

    Read more:
    npr.org/2026/08/03/nx-s1-58862

    #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #CriminalizingDissent #SilencingDissent #ICESucks #DefundICE #TrumpSucks #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity

  9. A #Redditor Criticized #ICE. #Trump Is Trying to Unmask Them by Dragging the Company to a #SecretGrandJury.

    An ICE summons to get the user’s identity failed. Advocates worry the move to a grand jury signals an escalation of the war on #dissent.

    By Ryan Devereaux, April 10, 2026

    "Social media giant #Reddit has been ordered to appear before a grand jury in Washington, D.C., as part of a federal effort to unmask anonymous online critics of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

    "According to a subpoena obtained by The Intercept, Reddit has until April 14 to provide a wide range of personal data on one of its users, whom U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been trying unsuccessfully to identify for more than a month.

    "Attorneys for the Reddit user say their client’s posts and their anonymity are squarely protected under the #FirstAmendment and that ICE’s use of a grand jury marks a disturbing escalation for the agency after seeing its previous efforts to investigate political speech quashed in court. The subpoena was issued by federal prosecutors in the capital after ICE’s effort to identify the same user failed in a Northern California federal court. (The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington declined to comment on the case.)"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2026/04/10/re

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/ckM2Z

    #USPol #CriminalizingDissent #ICESucks #Authoritarianism

  10. #ProtonMail Helped #FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘#StopCopCity#Protester

    by Joseph Cox
    Mar 5, 2026 at 3:36 PM

    A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the FBI.

    Read more:
    404media.co/proton-mail-helped

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/8cpN1

    #Doxing #USPol #WorldPol #SilencingDissent #Infosec #CriminalizingDissent #StopCopCitiesEverywhere

  11. #PamBondi Admits #DOJ Has a Secret #DomesticTerrorist List

    After the DOJ dodged questions for months, Bondi acknowledged in a House Judiciary Committee hearing that she had a list of targets under NPSM-7.

    Nick Turse
    February 12 2026

    Excerpt: "A November FBI internal report obtained by The Guardian revealed that there were multiple active FBI investigations related to NSPM-7 in 27 locations. The Intercept revealed on Thursday that the FBI appears to be investigating #ExtinctionRebellionNYC, a climate activism group, in an inquiry that could potentially be related to NSPM-7."

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2026/02/12/pa

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/OArt2

    #USPol #NPSM7 #SilencingDissent #Resistance #CriminalizingDissent #Authoritarianism #Fascism #EnvironmentalGroups #ProPalestineGroups #Antifa #ExtinctionRebellion #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  12. #Trump Calls His Enemies Terrorists. Does That Mean He Can Just Kill Them?

    From boat strikes to killings in the streets of Minnesota to NSPM-7, the White House leans on the word “terror” to justify its violence.

    Nick Turse, February 2 2026

    " ' #Terrorist ' is the word that the Trump administration employs to describe the victims of its most egregious acts of #StateViolence.

    "President Donald Trump has used the word 'terrorist' to justify the #ExtrajudicialKillings of civilians in the #CaribbeanSea and #PacificOcean. And his deputies used it to explain away the killings of #AlexPretti and #ReneeGood in Minneapolis by federal agents.

    " 'Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua #NarcoTerrorists,' Trump wrote following the initial boat strike on September 2, 2025. He said the attack 'occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters.'

    "Secretary of Homeland Security #KristiNoem said that Good and Pretti were guilty of '#DomesticTerrorism.' And top White House adviser #StephenMiller used similar language to describe both.

    "These killings were conducted thousands of miles apart by different agencies in very different contexts. But the connection between them could be more than semantic."

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2026/02/02/tr

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/7VepO#

    #USPol #ICESucks #DomesticTerrorist #CriminalizingDissent #TrumpSucks #MurderPatrol #BorderPatrol #DefundICE #DefundDHS #Resistance
    #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity

  13. “Terrorist”: How #ICE Weaponized 9/11’s Scarlet Letter

    #SpencerAckerman on how the politics of #counterterrorism led to ICE and #CBP completing their transformation into a #DeathSquad — and why the agencies are unreformable.

    The Intercept Briefing
    February 6 2026

    "The word 'terrorist' wasn’t coined on September 11, 2001, but the defining event of the early 21st century ushered it in as the United States’ go-to term for demonizing outsiders and dissenters alike. The so-called “war on terror” transformed the way the U.S. wields power at home and abroad, enabling mass surveillance and a crackdown on the right to free speech. It became reflexive for the U.S. to disparage immigrants and protesters as supporters of terrorism.

    "President Donald Trump has embraced this model and manipulated it for his own ends, as author Spencer Ackerman points out. The #Trump administration often peddles spurious accusations of #terrorism against the targets of its #ImmigrationRaids."

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2026/02/06/sp

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/7VepO

    #NineEleven #USPol #ICESucks #DomesticTerrorist #CriminalizingDissent #TrumpSucks #MurderPatrol #BorderPatrol #Profiling #RacialProfing #DefundICE #DefundDHS #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity

  14. Why Isn’t News of #Trump Building Vast #ConcentrationCamps Being Treated as a #NationalEmergency?

    History shows us that once a nation builds a #MassDetention apparatus, it never remains limited to its original targets. Wake up, people.

    by #ThomHartmann, Feb 05, 2026

    Excerpt: "The British originated the term '#ConcentrationCamp' to describe facilities where '#rebel' or 'undesirable' civilians were held in #SouthAfrica during the #SecondAngloBoerWar (1899–1902) to control and punish a #rebellious population.

    "They were facilities where the 'bad elements of society' were 'concentrated' into one location so they could be easily controlled and would lose access to society and thus could not spread their messages of #resistance against the #BritishEmpire.

    "Future generations of Americans—our children and grandchildren—won’t ask us whether #ICE followed civil detention statutes: they’ll want to know why we allowed concentration camps to exist in America at all.

    "The Germans adopted the term in 1933 when #Hitler took power and created his first camp for #communists, #socialists, #UnioLleaders, and, by the end of the year, Hitler’s #PoliticalOpponents. They Germanized the phrase into '#Konzentrationslager' and referred to the process of their incarceration as 'protective custody.'

    "The first camp was built at #Dachau just weeks after Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, and by the end of the year there were around 70 of them operating across the country."

    Read more:
    commondreams.org/opinion/why-i

    #USPol #WakeUpPeople #HistoryRepeats #Fascism #Authoritarianism #DetentionCenters
    #PrivatePrisons #CriminalizingDissent
    #SilencingDissent #CharacteristicsOfFascism #DepartmentOfHomelandInsecurity

  15. [Podcast] The return of Erik Prince - The comeback of America’s most infamous mercenary

    Nov 1st 2025

    "Erik Prince, America’s most infamous mercenary, is back.

    "Mr Prince rose to prominence during the war on terror as the founder of #Blackwater, a private military company. The firm earned over a billion dollars providing armed personnel to various branches of the US government before becoming implicated in a number of scandals. In 2007 its contractors killed 14 Iraqi civilians, including a nine-year-old child. The massacre made Mr Prince the face of the Iraq fiasco. He sold the company and disappeared from the public eye.

    "But in recent months Mr Prince has reemerged. He has popped up in some of the most dangerous, contested places in the world, from Ukraine to Haiti to the DRC. They are places the Trump administration is interested in too.

    "For the Weekend Intelligence the Economist’s Africa Correspondent, Tom Gardner, flew to Cape Town to meet with Prince, the mercenary in CEO’s clothing. Prince is defiant after his years in the political wilderness. And he’s spying some big opportunities. The global mercenary business is on the brink of a new boom. States, across Africa and beyond, are fracturing. The international system is fraying. With UN peacekeepers drawing down, from Mali to Congo to Lebanon, mercenaries of different stripes can expect to fill the void."

    Read more / listen:
    economist.com/podcasts/2025/11

    Archived version:
    archive.ph/YYhBY

    #Blackwater
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #SilencingDissent
    #USPol #Project2025 #CriminalizingActivism
    #ClimateActivists #NoDAPL #Crapitalism
    #Fascism #Trump #ChristoFascist
    #CorporateFascism #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #Activists #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests #AntiProtestLaws #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #CharacteristicsOfFascism #ErikPrinceColonialism #Academi #TripleCanopy #SilencingDissent #ErikPrinceIsAWarCriminal

  16. From 2024: #HumanRightsWatch - #Venezuela: Brutal #Crackdown on #Protesters, Voters

    Killings, #MassArrests Following Elections

    (Bogota) – "Venezuelan authorities are committing widespread #HumanRights violations against #protesters, #bystanders, #opposition leaders, and critics following the July 28, 2024, presidential election, Human Rights Watch said today. Concerned governments should push for independent verification of the electoral results and support international efforts to ensure accountability.

    "International observers have raised serious concerns about the July 29 announcement by Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) that #NicolásMaduro had been re-elected president. Following the announcement, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, in largely peaceful protests, to demand a fair counting of the votes. Human Rights Watch has documented that Venezuelan authorities and #ProGovernment armed groups known as '#colectivos' have committed widespread abuses, including killings, arbitrary detention and prosecution, and harassment of critics. On September 2, a judge issued an arrest warrant against opposition candidate #EdmundoGonzález for '#conspiracy,' 'incitement to #disobedience' and other crimes.

    " 'The repression we are seeing in Venezuela is shockingly brutal,' said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. 'Concerned governments need to take urgent steps to ensure that people are able to peacefully protest and that their vote is respected.'

    "Venezuelans voted in the presidential election in large numbers, despite irregular government actions and human rights violations in the lead-up to the election, including arrests of opposition members, arbitrary disqualifications of opposition candidates, and restrictions on Venezuelans #voting abroad. Several hours after polls closed, Venezuela’s electoral council declared that Maduro had won the election with over 51 percent of the vote. The Electoral Council has not released the tally sheets from the election, nor conducted the audits and citizen verification processes required by law.

    "The United Nations Electoral Technical Team and the #CarterCenter, which observed the elections, said the process lacked transparency and integrity, and questioned the declared result. They indicated that, instead, the precinct-level tally sheets that the opposition made public were reliable. The Carter Center noted that the tally sheets showed, with 81 percent of the votes counted, that #González had won the election by a significant margin.

    "Venezuelans have taken to the streets across the country, particularly in low-income areas traditionally supportive of the Chavismo movement, where many incidents of #repression have taken place.

    "Human Rights Watch received credible reports of 24 killings in the context of #protests from independent local groups, including Foro Penal, Justicia Encuentro y Perdón, Monitor de Víctimas, and Provea, or discovered them on social media. Human Rights Watch independently documented 11 of these cases, including by reviewing death certificates, verifying videos and photographs, and interviewing 20 people, including witnesses and other local sources. Many relatives, witnesses, and others were not willing to be interviewed because they feared #GovernmentRetaliation.

    "Human Rights Watch analyzed and verified 39 videos and 2 photographs of protests found on social media platforms or sent directly to researchers by people close to the victims, and by local organizations and journalists.

    "Researchers confirmed the exact locations where these videos were filmed; used information such as shadows, weather patterns, and upload dates to determine the time of day; and consulted with forensic pathologists and arms experts, who analyzed the injuries and weapons that were seen and heard.

    "According to Venezuelan authorities, they arrested over 2,400 people in connection with protests. The local pro bono group #ForoPenal recorded over 1,580 '#PoliticalPrisoners' who have been arrested since July 29, including 114 children. Prosecutors have charged hundreds with sometimes broadly defined crimes carrying harsh sentences, such as '#incitement to hatred,' '#resistance to #authority,' and 'terrorism.'

    "The government has also intensified its broader repressive tactics, cancelling passports of critics to prevent them from leaving the country, encouraging citizens to report on #demonstrators, and conducting abusive #raids, especially in low-income communities. On August 15, Maduro’s supporters in the National Assembly passed a law that grants the government #BroadPowers to control and shut down nongovernmental organizations [#NGOs]."

    Read more:
    hrw.org/news/2024/09/04/venezu

    #ElectionFraud #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Fascism #Authoritarianism #Crackdown #CriminalizingDissent #protesters #Protesting #BogusCharges #Murder

  17. #SilencingDissent: The #Crackdown on #PeacefulProtest in #Europe

    In our recently published Rule of Law report, Liberties’ members reported an increase in restrictions on the right to peaceful protest in all countries.

    by Flore du Teilleul
    April 10, 2025

    Excerpt:
    "The right to peaceful protest is essential to our democracies, allowing people to come together with a unified voice to support or oppose key issues. It serves as a powerful mechanism for individuals to hold their governments to account and is often the last resort when prior messages go unheard. However, politicians often perceive this right as a threat, especially when force of numbers demonstrates support for an issue.

    "In our recently published Rule of Law report, Liberties’ members reported an increase in restrictions on the right to peaceful protest in all countries - from bans on individual protests to the disproportionate use of force by the police and legislative changes. A widespread trend emerged of restricted #ProPalestine protests and #EnvironmentalDefenders receiving particularly harsh penalties.

    Bans on Protests

    "Restrictions on various protest movements justified on public safety grounds were documented in many member states. In #Germany, the Berlin Assembly Authorities implemented a temporary blanket ban targeting pro-Palestine demonstrations. Initially, the ban targeted celebrations of the mass murder and pro-Hamas demonstrations but later extended to all pro-Palestinian protests. Similarly, in #Latvia, an unregistered #FreePalestine movement protest was banned after an assessment by the state security service that the event would, among other risks, harm the country’s international interests.

    "The Estonian police banned a protest in support of #Palestinians, which was later declared unlawful by the administrative court. In #Hungary, Prime Minister #ViktorOrbán publicly prejudiced support for Palestinians by linking it with terrorism, equating solidarity with civilians victims to threats to the public order. As the fifteen attempts to organise protests were successively banned, the government and the Prime Minister re-asserted their power by deciding what can be demonstrated for, namely, topics in line with their political interests. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian government has repeatedly declared and extended the state of danger, allowing for the adoption of emergency decrees restricting, among other rights, the freedom to assemble. Both the Hungarian Supreme Court and Constitutional Court upheld the protest bans on the basis of public safety and security, legalising the practice of police-authorised restrictions in times of conflict.

    "Further restrictions, including bans on #slogans and #signs during #demonstrations, sought to criminalise protesters. Several individuals were arrested or fined for displaying signs or slogans related to Palestine. In #Belgium, activists faced administrative sanctions for carrying a #PalestinianFlag or the #keffiyeh. Similarly, in the #Netherlands, attendees of an #ExtinctionRebellion demonstration were prohibited from mentioning the conflict in the Middle East. The enforcement of restrictions went as far as arrests, as Croatian activists were charged with misdemeanor after projecting a message in support of Palestine on a building across from the Israeli Embassy in Zagreb.

    "In Hungary, a demonstrator faced criminal charges after wearing a gas mask and removing it after being asked by the police. In a worrying trend of criminalising protest activities, several activists were arrested and charged with sedition before an Extinction Rebellion demonstration in the Netherlands.

    Disproportionate use of force by the police

    "The criminalisation of environmental and pro-Palestine protesters was worsened by the violent repression of the police through excessive use of force. This was particularly notable in Sweden, where student encampments in support of Palestinians were forcibly displaced and participants were charged with criminal offenses. #PainGrips, water guns and #WaterCannons were used against environmental activists, pro-Palestinian and anti-immigration demonstrators in Germany, the #Netherlands and #Ireland.

    "Environmental activists faced similar fates, The NGO ‘#FranceNatureEnvironnement’ reported concerns to the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders following the violent repression of protesters during a demonstration against the A69 highway. In #Sweden, a woman was dismissed from her job at the Swedish Energy Agency for participating in an environmental demonstration and a growing number of #EcoActivists were fined for participating in peaceful protests."

    Read more:
    liberties.eu/en/stories/rule-o

    #RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #EuropeanLaws #Croatia #ACAB #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #EnvironmentalProtests #EnvironmentalActivists

  18. [Thread] State by State Pending and Recently Passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Arizona

    HB 2880: #Banning #protest encampments on campus

    Would bar protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities without prior authorization. Under the bill, individuals or groups that establish an unauthorized “encampment” would no longer be lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they would be criminally liable to prosecution for trespass and damaging public property; and they would be liable for “direct and indirect costs” of any damage “that resulted from the individual’s intentional or negligent conduct relating” to the encampment. The bill defines “#encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The bill would require colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate unauthorized encampments; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution would be required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The bill's sponsor said that it was motivated by #ProPalestine protests on college campuses.

    Full text of bill here: apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/Bill

    Status: ENACTED!

    Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025

    Issue(s): Campus Protests, #Trespass, Camping

    HB 2007: Harsh penalties for protesters who conceal their identity

    **Note: HB 2007 was signed into law following amendments that removed the most restrictive provisions.** As originally introduced in the House, the bill made it a felony to wear any kind of #disguise at a protest. The introduced bill broadly prohibited disguises, "whether partial or complete," that an individual wore at a protest, political event, or any other public event in order "to evade or escape discovery, recognition or identification." Under the introduced bill, police would have had authority to detain any individual wearing a disguise in order to verify his or her identity and determine if the person had committed a crime; violation of the disguise ban would have been a Class 6 felony, subject to one year in prison. The sponsor of the bill said it was inspired by clashes between police and protesters, some of whom were masked, outside a 2017 rally for President #Trump. Following widespread criticism, the bill was comprehensively revised to a single provision that would allow courts to consider it an aggravating factor, for sentencing purposes, if an individual wore a #mask or other disguise to hide their face while committing a criminal offense.

    Full bill text here: apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/Bill

    Status: enacted with improvements

    Introduced 21 Nov 2017; Governor Ducey signed it 23 March 2018 but the most problematic provisions were defeated.

    Issue(s): #FaceCovering

    #FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
    #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
    #CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws
    #StudentProtests #CampusProtests #FreePalestineProtests #Facemasks

  19. #HR1057: Penalties for #protesters on #InterstateHighways

    "Would create steep new penalties for #protesters deemed to be 'deliberately delaying traffic,' 'standing or approaching a motor vehicle,' or 'endangering the safe movement of a motor vehicle' on an interstate highway 'with the intent to obstruct the free, convenient, and normal use of the interstate highway.' The new federal offense would be punishable by up to $10,000 and 15 years in prison—a far harsher penalty than is the case under many states' laws, which generally already criminalize walking or standing on the highway. The bill provides an exception for 'any lawful activity' authorized by federal, state, or local law. However, it could still seemingly cover far more than 'blocking' the interstate, including a #PeacefulProtest on the shoulder of an interstate or a convoy-style, driving protest that slowed traffic. The sponsor of the bill made clear that it was in response to protesters. The same bill was introduced as HR 7349 in 2024.

    Status: pending

    Introduced 6 Feb 2025.

    Issue(s): Traffic Interference

    Press release by bill sponsor Rep. #MikeCollins (GA-10):
    collins.house.gov/media/press-

    Full text of bill:
    congress.gov/bill/119th-congre
    #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CiminalizingProtest #Section25 #JustStopOil #SlowMarch #CharacteristicsOfFascism

  20. Now this is very dangerous under #Trump. Think about everything folks have been saying about what's going on -- suddenly becoming ILLEGAL! Just like how #GeorgeSoros paid us all to take to the streets (did you get your check yet?)! But seriously, look what #EnergyTransfer are doing to #Greenpeace! Suing them for "reputational damage"! It's the same BS!

    From #Wikipedia's #AlienAndSeditionAct

    Sedition Act of 1798: "This law criminalized false and malicious statements about the federal government."

    Source:
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_an
    #CriminalizingDissent #1798AlienEnemiesAct

  21. #Quakers condemn arrests of #activists at meeting house

    March 30, 2025

    "The arrests of six female supporters of activist group #YouthDemand at a Quaker meeting house have been condemned by the faith group.

    "Quakers in #Britain said the arrests were the first at a meeting house and 'an aggressive violation'.

    "The Metropolitan Police said six people were arrested on Thursday evening at the Westminster Meeting House on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a #PublicNuisance.

    "The force said it came amid concerns there were plans to 'shut down' London during April using tactics such as road blocks.

    "Youth Demand said more than 30 officers were involved with making the arrests.

    "Paul Parker, of Quakers in Britain, said he could not recall anyone being arrested at a Quaker meeting house in living memory.

    "'The forceful removal of young people holding a protest group meeting clearly shows what happens when a society #CriminalisesProtest.

    "'#FreedomOfSpeech, assembly, and fair trials are an essential part of free public debate which underpins #democracy,' he said.

    "Police said a further five arrests for the same offence were made on Friday - four at addresses in #London and one in #Exeter.

    "Youth Demand, which is not affiliated with the Quakers, said the meeting was 'an opportunity to share plans for non-violent #CivilResistance actions' due to take place in April.

    "The group claimed a number of houses were also raided on Thursday and Friday as part of the operation.

    "Quakers in Britain said: 'Quakers support the right to non-violent public protest, acting themselves from a deep moral imperative to stand up against #injustice and for our planet.

    "'Many have taken non-violent direct action over the centuries from the abolition of #slavery to women's #suffrage and prison reform.'

    "The Met said the force understood the importance of the right to protest but added that Youth Demand had stated an intention to 'shut down' London in April.

    "'We have a responsibility to intervene to prevent activity that crosses the line from protest into serious disruption and other criminality,' a spokesman said.

    "On Thursday, officers raided a Youth Demand planning meeting where those in attendance were plotting their April action.

    "Six people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

    "A further five arrests for the same offence were made on Friday, 28 March. Four of the arrests were at addresses in London and one in Exeter.

    'Policing priorities'

    "Out of the 11 people arrested, 10 have been released on bail and one will face no further action.

    "Asked about the matter on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'I have made clear to the police this government's priorities for policing are reducing serious violence... and bringing back neighbourhood policing, those crimes in town centres like shoplifting.'

    "Youth Demand, which describes itself as a 'new youth resistance campaign fighting for an end to #genocide', began carrying out acts of #CivilDisobedience last year.

    "Its demands of the government include stopping all trade with #Israel and raising money from 'the #SuperRich and #Fossilfuel #elite' to pay damages for the effects of fossil fuel burning."

    Read more:
    bbc.com/news/articles/cj3x5j6g
    #UKPol #ThoughtCrime #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingActivism #PublicNuisanceLaws #Article20 #2023PublicOrderAct #Resistance #UKResistance #ProtectMotherEarth #FreePalestine #IsraeliWarCrimes

  22. #Trump takes aim at foreign-born college students, with 300 visas revoked

    Some students have been picked up off the street by immigration agents and held in detention centers, sometimes a thousand miles away from their homes, with little warning

    By Daniella Silva, Chloe Atkins, Julia Ainsley and Abigail Williams, March 27, 2025

    "Secretary of State #MarcoRubio said Thursday the State Department has revoked 300 or more #StudentVisas, as the White House increasingly targets foreign-born students whose main transgression seems to be #activism.

    "Rubio warned that the administration was looking out for 'these lunatics.' Around the country, #scholars have been picked up, in some cases by masked immigration agents, and held in #DetentionCenters, sometimes a thousand miles from their homes with little warning and often with few details about why they were being detained.

    "'It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas,' Rubio said at a news conference in Guyana, where he was meeting with leaders.

    "Many of those rounded up by Trump officials attended or were part of the pro-Palestinian movement that swept college campuses last year, and while the administration hasn’t said publicly why these students are being singled out over others, at least one sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appeared on lists made by far-right pro-Israel groups as targets for deportation.

    "And Trump allies, many in government again, telegraphed for months before he took office that they’d seek to deport students who openly advocated for Hamas or other U.S.-designated terrorist groups or after they participated in an unauthorized campus #protest and were suspended, expelled or jailed.

    "The detentions are a signal of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to clamp down on the actions of legal permanent residents, student visa holders and others who live and work legally in the United States, one that threatens to undermine a fundamental American right to #FreeSpeech and to assemble, experts and advocates said."

    nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump
    #USPol #ThoughtPolice #Authoritarianism #Orwellian #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Clampdown #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingActivism #RightToAssemble #FirstAmendment #USPol

  23. Looks like the American Association of University Professors agrees with me!

    #AAUP, Allies Sue over #Trump Policy of Arresting and Threatening to Deport #Students and #Faculty for #LawfulSpeech

    "The national AAUP; chapters at #Harvard, #Rutgers, and #NYU; and the #MiddleEastStudies Association today filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from carrying out large-scale arrests, detentions, and deportations of noncitizen students and faculty members who participate in #ProPalestinian #protests and other protected #FirstAmendment activities.

    "We believe that the administration’s ideological-deportation policy violates the First Amendment by targeting constitutionally protected speech that Americans have a right to hear and engage with. The policy has created a climate of fear and repression on campuses around the country. We are represented in the case by the #KnightFirstAmendmentInstitute at #ColumbiaUniversity, #AhilanArulanantham, and Zimmer, Citron & Clarke LLP.

    "Following executive orders issued by President Trump in January, the federal agencies that enforce immigration laws have arrested and detained several people associated with U.S. colleges and universities, including a legal permanent resident, on the basis of constitutionally protected speech and association.

    "Today’s filing argues that the ideological-deportation policy has created a climate of #repression and intense fear on university #campuses, 'terrorizing students and faculty for their exercise of First Amendment rights in the past, intimidating them from exercising those rights now, and silencing political viewpoints that the government disfavors.'

    "'The Trump administration is going after international #scholars and students who speak their minds about #Palestine, but make no mistake: they won't stop there. They'll come next for those who teach the history of #slavery or who provide #GenderAffirming health care or who research #ClimateChange or who counsel students about their reproductive choices. We all have to draw a line together—as the old labor movement slogan says: an injury to one is an injury to all,' says AAUP President Todd Wolfson.

    "'The First Amendment means the government can’t arrest, detain, or deport people for lawful political expression—it’s as simple as that. This practice is one we’d ordinarily associate with the most repressive political regimes, and it should have no place in our democracy,' says #JameelJaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute."

    Source:
    aaup.org/news/aaup-allies-sue-
    #RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #USPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #law
    #immigration #FreeSpeech #MarcoRubio #Trump #FreedomOfAssembly #Authoritarianism #Palestine #CriminalizingDissent #HigherEducation

  24. Statement of #IndependentTrialMonitors
    On Verdict in #GreenpeaceUSA Trial:

    "It is our collective assessment that the jury verdict against Greenpeace in #NorthDakota reflects a deeply flawed trial with multiple due process violations that denied Greenpeace the ability to present anything close to a full defense. Attorneys on our team monitored every minute of the proceedings and found multiple violations of #DueProcess that denied Greenpeace its right to a fair trial. The problems included a jury that was patently biased in favor of #EnergyTransfer, with many members working in the #FossilFuel industry; a judge who lacked the requisite experience and legal knowledge to rule properly on the complex #FirstAmendment and other evidentiary issues at the center of the case; and incendiary and prejudicial statements by lawyers for Energy Transfer that tried to criminalize Greenpeace and by extension the entire #ClimateMovement by attacking constitutionally-protected advocacy.

    "Our fear that this was an illegitimate #corporate-funded #SLAPP harassment case was confirmed by our observations.

    "We will be issuing a full report documenting these violations and larger flaws in the case in the coming weeks.

    "While the trial court verdict is in, the case is far from over. Greenpeace has a right to appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court and ultimately to the #USSupremeCourt. Our committee will continue its work monitoring this critically important case that raises troubling concerns for all advocates in the country."

    #MartyGarbus | #NataliSegovia | #JeanneMirer | #TerryCollingsworth | #StevenDonziger | #NadiaAhmad | #ScottWilsonBadenochJr. | #PaulPazYMiño | #AyishaSiddiqa | #WadeMcMullen | #KipHale | #SimonTaylor

    Read individual statements:
    trialmonitors.org/statement-of
    #NorthDakota #EnergyTransferPartners #StandWithStandingRock #NoDAPL #SLAPPs #ViewerSupportedNews #GreenpeaceUSA #SLAPPsLawsuits #CriminalizingDissent #NorthDakota #StandingRockSiouxTribe #StandingRockReservation #CorporateColonialism #BigOilAndGas #EnvironmentalRacism #WaterIsLife #KelcyWarren #ArrestKelcyWarren #ErikPrince #Blackwater #ACAB #FreeSpeech

  25. #WinonaLaDuke: #DAPLPipeline Lawsuit Against #Greenpeace Aims to Silence #Indigenous #Protests, Too

    #DemocracyNow, March 04, 2025

    "As the oil company Energy Transfer sues Greenpeace over the 2016 #StandingRock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, we speak with #IndigenousActivist Winona LaDuke, who took part in that historic uprising. LaDuke is an enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of #Anishinaabe who lives and works on the White Earth Nation Reservation and was among the thousands of people who joined the protests in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to protect water and Indigenous lands in North Dakota. She highlights the close links between North Dakota’s government and Energy Transfer and says that while the lawsuit targets Greenpeace, Indigenous water and land defenders are also on trial. 'North Dakota has really been trying to squash any kind of #resistance,' says LaDuke. 'If they can try to shut down Greenpeace, they’re going to shut down everybody.'"

    Watch / listen / read transcript:
    democracynow.org/2025/3/4/wino
    #ViewerSupportedNews #StandWithStandingRock #WaterIsLife #NoDAPL #KelcyWarren #Trump #BigOil #CorporateColonialism #BigOilAndGas #EnvironmentalRacism #StandingRock #SLAPPs #NoDAPL #WaterIsLife #SLAPPsLawsuits #SilencingDissent #ACAB #EnergyTransfer #UnicornRiot #CriminalizingDissent #ACAB #Blackwater #ErikPrince

  26. Trump allies circulate #MassDeportation plan calling for ‘processing camps’ and a private citizen ‘#army

    The group, led by #Blackwater veteran #ErikPrince, has close #Trump ties.

    By Dasha Burns and Myah Ward
    02/25/2025 05:55 AM EST

    "Prince declined to comment, and the other contractors and former immigration officials listed as key personnel in the document also declined to comment or could not be reached.

    "The founders of the new special entity called #2USV have a long history with the U.S. government. Blackwater was formed by Prince in 1996 to provide training services to law enforcement, military personnel and other government agencies. It gained widespread attention for its work in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing security services for U.S. officials and military personnel, with critics viewing its rise as a result of the U.S. military’s overextension in the Middle East.

    The military contractor came under scrutiny in 2007 following the #NisourSquareMassacre, when #Blackwater contractors opened fire and killed 17 Iraqi civilians and wounded 20 others — raising questions about oversight and accountability of private contractors. Several contractors were charged with manslaughter, and four were convicted in 2014. Trump pardoned them at the end of his first term in December 2020.

    "Trump’s pardon was just one example of the influence of Prince’s family during the first Trump administration. #BetsyDeVos, Prince’s sister, served as the president’s #Education secretary, while Prince used his Trump connections as he chased business ventures in the U.S. and abroad.

    "In 2018, he reportedly helped raise money for an effort to spy on progressives and Democratic organizations opposed to Trump." [As well as #DAPL #WaterProtectors!]
    politico.com/news/2025/02/25/d
    #Blackwater
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #SilencingDissent
    #USPol #Project2025 #CriminalizingActivism
    #ClimateActivists #NoDAPL #Crapitalism
    #Fascism #Trump #ChristoFascist
    #CorporateFascism #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #Activists #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests #AntiProtestLaws #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #CharacteristicsOfFascism #ErikPrinceColonialism #Academi #TripleCanopy #SilencingDissent #ErikPrinceIsAWarCriminal

  27. HT @antiaall3s

    "#DemocracyNow reports on #PegasusSpyware in cell phones this week. It is a reminder of how our friend #KleeBenally, Dine', was spied on by the Tohono O'odham Nation government as he protested the US Border Patrol, and the Salt River Project, and its role in poisoning Dine' with its coal-fired power plant."

    Spying on Activists -- Diné Klee Benally, #VicamYaqui, and #Zapatistas were Targeted

    by #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews, December 7, 2024

    "In Klee Benally's book [#NoSpiritualSurrender], he describes the surveillance, and the stingrays, portable equipment cops used to track cell phones without a warrant, and more.

    "Facebook was, and is, the favorite of law enforcement for tracking and surveilling with cell phones.

    "The spyware includes Israel's Pegasus which can't be detected..."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/12

    #SaltRiverProject #TohonoOodham #Israel #IsraeliWarCrimes #Activists #ACAB #StandWithStandingRock #CriminalizingDissent

  28. It's not over yet... A pox on #Harris for not speaking out against #IsraeliWarCrimes and alienating #ArabAmericans!

    House #GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives #Trump Unilateral Power to Kill #Nonprofits

    Dozens of #Democrats still support the bill — giving the Republican-controlled House plenty of breathing room to pass it next week.

    Noah Hurowitz
    November 15 2024

    "A controversial '#nonprofit killer' bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.

    "A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear that it could grant President-Elect Donald Trump legal tools with which to target his ideological foes, but Republicans are swiftly pressing ahead.

    "The #StopTerrorFinancing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any #nonprofit as a '#terrorist supporting organization' and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote.

    "The hearing was announced Thursday evening, just two days after 144 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill as part of a fast-track parliamentary procedure that required a two-thirds majority.

    "The bill, also known as #HR9495, has come under withering criticism from a broad coalition of organizations that say its sponsors are pushing it as a means of cracking down on free speech — particularly speech in support of #Palestine. In a joint statement earlier this week, a coalition of #ArabAmerican and #MuslimOrganizations pledged to continue to fight the bill.

    "'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 #Lebanese civilians,' read the statement, which was signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and others. 'We will continue to stand firm in protecting all organizations’ freedom to speak and operate without fear of political retribution.'

    "Offices for the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, through which the bill must pass, did not respond to requests for comment.

    "With #ProIsrael groups lobbying for the bill, it gained popularity among House Democrats, in part due to a provision providing tax relief to Americans held hostage abroad.

    "The reelection of Trump, however, galvanized opponents, including Rep. #LloydDoggett, D-Texas, who led the charge to reject the bill on Tuesday. Doggett doubled down on Thursday after learning of the newly scheduled Rules Committee hearing.

    "'In this mislabeled bill, House Republicans are hiding behind hostages,' Doggett said in a statement to The Intercept. 'Their rush to reconsider this bill is solely to offer Trump more and more power, while Trump’s nominees for key #NationalSecurity posts this week indicate how he will be using it.'"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2024/11/15/no

    #StopHR9495 #CriminalizingDissent #KristiNoem #Blackwater #ErikPrince #Fascism #Autocracy #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #AntiWarActivists #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #PeaceActivists #ClimateJustice #ClimateActivists #Protests #StandWithStandingRock #GazaGenocide #LebanonGenocide

  29. It's not over yet... A pox on #Harris for not speaking out against #IsraeliWarCrimes and alienating #ArabAmericans!

    House #GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives #Trump Unilateral Power to Kill #Nonprofits

    Dozens of #Democrats still support the bill — giving the Republican-controlled House plenty of breathing room to pass it next week.

    Noah Hurowitz
    November 15 2024

    "A controversial '#nonprofit killer' bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.

    "A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear that it could grant President-Elect Donald Trump legal tools with which to target his ideological foes, but Republicans are swiftly pressing ahead.

    "The #StopTerrorFinancing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any #nonprofit as a '#terrorist supporting organization' and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote.

    "The hearing was announced Thursday evening, just two days after 144 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill as part of a fast-track parliamentary procedure that required a two-thirds majority.

    "The bill, also known as #HR9495, has come under withering criticism from a broad coalition of organizations that say its sponsors are pushing it as a means of cracking down on free speech — particularly speech in support of #Palestine. In a joint statement earlier this week, a coalition of #ArabAmerican and #MuslimOrganizations pledged to continue to fight the bill.

    "'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 #Lebanese civilians,' read the statement, which was signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and others. 'We will continue to stand firm in protecting all organizations’ freedom to speak and operate without fear of political retribution.'

    "Offices for the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, through which the bill must pass, did not respond to requests for comment.

    "With #ProIsrael groups lobbying for the bill, it gained popularity among House Democrats, in part due to a provision providing tax relief to Americans held hostage abroad.

    "The reelection of Trump, however, galvanized opponents, including Rep. #LloydDoggett, D-Texas, who led the charge to reject the bill on Tuesday. Doggett doubled down on Thursday after learning of the newly scheduled Rules Committee hearing.

    "'In this mislabeled bill, House Republicans are hiding behind hostages,' Doggett said in a statement to The Intercept. 'Their rush to reconsider this bill is solely to offer Trump more and more power, while Trump’s nominees for key #NationalSecurity posts this week indicate how he will be using it.'"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2024/11/15/no

    #StopHR9495 #CriminalizingDissent #KristiNoem #Blackwater #ErikPrince #Fascism #Autocracy #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #AntiWarActivists #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #PeaceActivists #ClimateJustice #ClimateActivists #Protests #StandWithStandingRock #GazaGenocide #LebanonGenocide

  30. It's not over yet... A pox on #Harris for not speaking out against #IsraeliWarCrimes and alienating #ArabAmericans!

    House #GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives #Trump Unilateral Power to Kill #Nonprofits

    Dozens of #Democrats still support the bill — giving the Republican-controlled House plenty of breathing room to pass it next week.

    Noah Hurowitz
    November 15 2024

    "A controversial '#nonprofit killer' bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.

    "A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear that it could grant President-Elect Donald Trump legal tools with which to target his ideological foes, but Republicans are swiftly pressing ahead.

    "The #StopTerrorFinancing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any #nonprofit as a '#terrorist supporting organization' and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote.

    "The hearing was announced Thursday evening, just two days after 144 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill as part of a fast-track parliamentary procedure that required a two-thirds majority.

    "The bill, also known as #HR9495, has come under withering criticism from a broad coalition of organizations that say its sponsors are pushing it as a means of cracking down on free speech — particularly speech in support of #Palestine. In a joint statement earlier this week, a coalition of #ArabAmerican and #MuslimOrganizations pledged to continue to fight the bill.

    "'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 #Lebanese civilians,' read the statement, which was signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and others. 'We will continue to stand firm in protecting all organizations’ freedom to speak and operate without fear of political retribution.'

    "Offices for the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, through which the bill must pass, did not respond to requests for comment.

    "With #ProIsrael groups lobbying for the bill, it gained popularity among House Democrats, in part due to a provision providing tax relief to Americans held hostage abroad.

    "The reelection of Trump, however, galvanized opponents, including Rep. #LloydDoggett, D-Texas, who led the charge to reject the bill on Tuesday. Doggett doubled down on Thursday after learning of the newly scheduled Rules Committee hearing.

    "'In this mislabeled bill, House Republicans are hiding behind hostages,' Doggett said in a statement to The Intercept. 'Their rush to reconsider this bill is solely to offer Trump more and more power, while Trump’s nominees for key #NationalSecurity posts this week indicate how he will be using it.'"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2024/11/15/no

    #StopHR9495 #CriminalizingDissent #KristiNoem #Blackwater #ErikPrince #Fascism #Autocracy #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #AntiWarActivists #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #PeaceActivists #ClimateJustice #ClimateActivists #Protests #StandWithStandingRock #GazaGenocide #LebanonGenocide

  31. It's not over yet... A pox on #Harris for not speaking out against #IsraeliWarCrimes and alienating #ArabAmericans!

    House #GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives #Trump Unilateral Power to Kill #Nonprofits

    Dozens of #Democrats still support the bill — giving the Republican-controlled House plenty of breathing room to pass it next week.

    Noah Hurowitz
    November 15 2024

    "A controversial '#nonprofit killer' bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.

    "A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear that it could grant President-Elect Donald Trump legal tools with which to target his ideological foes, but Republicans are swiftly pressing ahead.

    "The #StopTerrorFinancing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any #nonprofit as a '#terrorist supporting organization' and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote.

    "The hearing was announced Thursday evening, just two days after 144 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill as part of a fast-track parliamentary procedure that required a two-thirds majority.

    "The bill, also known as #HR9495, has come under withering criticism from a broad coalition of organizations that say its sponsors are pushing it as a means of cracking down on free speech — particularly speech in support of #Palestine. In a joint statement earlier this week, a coalition of #ArabAmerican and #MuslimOrganizations pledged to continue to fight the bill.

    "'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 #Lebanese civilians,' read the statement, which was signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and others. 'We will continue to stand firm in protecting all organizations’ freedom to speak and operate without fear of political retribution.'

    "Offices for the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, through which the bill must pass, did not respond to requests for comment.

    "With #ProIsrael groups lobbying for the bill, it gained popularity among House Democrats, in part due to a provision providing tax relief to Americans held hostage abroad.

    "The reelection of Trump, however, galvanized opponents, including Rep. #LloydDoggett, D-Texas, who led the charge to reject the bill on Tuesday. Doggett doubled down on Thursday after learning of the newly scheduled Rules Committee hearing.

    "'In this mislabeled bill, House Republicans are hiding behind hostages,' Doggett said in a statement to The Intercept. 'Their rush to reconsider this bill is solely to offer Trump more and more power, while Trump’s nominees for key #NationalSecurity posts this week indicate how he will be using it.'"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2024/11/15/no

    #StopHR9495 #CriminalizingDissent #KristiNoem #Blackwater #ErikPrince #Fascism #Autocracy #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #AntiWarActivists #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #PeaceActivists #ClimateJustice #ClimateActivists #Protests #StandWithStandingRock #GazaGenocide #LebanonGenocide

  32. It's not over yet... A pox on #Harris for not speaking out against #IsraeliWarCrimes and alienating #ArabAmericans!

    House #GOP Moves to Ram Through Bill That Gives #Trump Unilateral Power to Kill #Nonprofits

    Dozens of #Democrats still support the bill — giving the Republican-controlled House plenty of breathing room to pass it next week.

    Noah Hurowitz
    November 15 2024

    "A controversial '#nonprofit killer' bill is back on track after it was blocked earlier this week.

    "A majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives rejected the bill on Tuesday out of fear that it could grant President-Elect Donald Trump legal tools with which to target his ideological foes, but Republicans are swiftly pressing ahead.

    "The #StopTerrorFinancing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any #nonprofit as a '#terrorist supporting organization' and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote.

    "The hearing was announced Thursday evening, just two days after 144 Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill as part of a fast-track parliamentary procedure that required a two-thirds majority.

    "The bill, also known as #HR9495, has come under withering criticism from a broad coalition of organizations that say its sponsors are pushing it as a means of cracking down on free speech — particularly speech in support of #Palestine. In a joint statement earlier this week, a coalition of #ArabAmerican and #MuslimOrganizations pledged to continue to fight the bill.

    "'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 #Lebanese civilians,' read the statement, which was signed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, American Muslims for Palestine, and others. 'We will continue to stand firm in protecting all organizations’ freedom to speak and operate without fear of political retribution.'

    "Offices for the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, through which the bill must pass, did not respond to requests for comment.

    "With #ProIsrael groups lobbying for the bill, it gained popularity among House Democrats, in part due to a provision providing tax relief to Americans held hostage abroad.

    "The reelection of Trump, however, galvanized opponents, including Rep. #LloydDoggett, D-Texas, who led the charge to reject the bill on Tuesday. Doggett doubled down on Thursday after learning of the newly scheduled Rules Committee hearing.

    "'In this mislabeled bill, House Republicans are hiding behind hostages,' Doggett said in a statement to The Intercept. 'Their rush to reconsider this bill is solely to offer Trump more and more power, while Trump’s nominees for key #NationalSecurity posts this week indicate how he will be using it.'"

    Read more:
    theintercept.com/2024/11/15/no

    #StopHR9495 #CriminalizingDissent #KristiNoem #Blackwater #ErikPrince #Fascism #Autocracy #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #AntiWarActivists #FirstAmendment #WaterProtectors #PeaceActivists #ClimateJustice #ClimateActivists #Protests #StandWithStandingRock #GazaGenocide #LebanonGenocide

  33. Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
    Noah Hurowitz
    November 10 2024

    "Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

    "On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
    Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

    "Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

    theintercept.com/2024/11/10/tr

    #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
    #NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
    #Blackwater #ErikPrince
    #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests
    #AntiProtestLaws
    #Genocide #ClimateActivists
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism #HR9495 #StopHR9495

  34. Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
    Noah Hurowitz
    November 10 2024

    "Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

    "On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
    Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

    "Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

    theintercept.com/2024/11/10/tr

    #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
    #NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
    #Blackwater #ErikPrince
    #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests
    #AntiProtestLaws
    #Genocide #ClimateActivists
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism #HR9495 #StopHR9495

  35. Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
    Noah Hurowitz
    November 10 2024

    "Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

    "On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
    Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

    "Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

    theintercept.com/2024/11/10/tr

    #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
    #NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
    #Blackwater #ErikPrince
    #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests
    #AntiProtestLaws
    #Genocide #ClimateActivists
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism #HR9495 #StopHR9495

  36. Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
    Noah Hurowitz
    November 10 2024

    "Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

    "On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
    Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

    "Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

    theintercept.com/2024/11/10/tr

    #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
    #NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
    #Blackwater #ErikPrince
    #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests
    #AntiProtestLaws
    #Genocide #ClimateActivists
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism #HR9495 #StopHR9495

  37. Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
    Noah Hurowitz
    November 10 2024

    "Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

    "On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
    Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

    "Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

    theintercept.com/2024/11/10/tr

    #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
    #NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
    #Blackwater #ErikPrince
    #CriminalizingDissent
    #CrackdownOnProtests
    #AntiProtestLaws
    #Genocide #ClimateActivists
    #ErikPrinceColonialism
    #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
    #ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism #HR9495 #StopHR9495

  38. How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

    by Chris Greenberg
    25 April 2023

    "Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

    "The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

    "#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

    "Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

    "But CorporateBullies beware!

    "In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

    "Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

    "What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

    "SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

    Read more:
    greenpeace.org/international/s

    #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas

  39. How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

    by Chris Greenberg
    25 April 2023

    "Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

    "The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

    "#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

    "Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

    "But CorporateBullies beware!

    "In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

    "Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

    "What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

    "SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

    Read more:
    greenpeace.org/international/s

    #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas

  40. How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

    by Chris Greenberg
    25 April 2023

    "Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

    "The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

    "#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

    "Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

    "But CorporateBullies beware!

    "In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

    "Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

    "What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

    "SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

    Read more:
    greenpeace.org/international/s

    #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas

  41. How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

    by Chris Greenberg
    25 April 2023

    "Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

    "The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

    "#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

    "Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

    "But CorporateBullies beware!

    "In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

    "Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

    "What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

    "SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

    Read more:
    greenpeace.org/international/s

    #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas

  42. How #corporate #SLAPP lawsuits endanger our rights and the #planet

    by Chris Greenberg
    25 April 2023

    "Hope creates the conditions for #ClimateAction. And climate action nurtures hope. Just as hope and action have a reinforcing relationship, so do fear and silence.

    "The #polluting #corporations who put #profits over people and the planet know this and they use their resources to intimidate, to instill fear, and ultimately to silence the people directly impacted by their short-sighted, extractive greed.

    "#SLAPPs, a type of abusive lawsuit, are a key tool used by corporate power to suppress #FreeSpeech and people power. These cynical lawsuits can force non-profit organizations like #Greenpeace International to divert precious resources away from campaigning for a more just and sustainable society. Perhaps even worse, SLAPPs can intimidate targets from challenging powerful corporations in the future.

    "Every SLAPP, regardless of the defendant, is an attack on everyone who believes in the power of free speech and the right to #PeacefulProtest. No one should be bullied for speaking up on behalf of people and the planet.

    "But CorporateBullies beware!

    "In a massive win for free speech, a US federal court recently dismissed a seven-year lawsuit brought by #ResoluteForestryProducts against a number of Greenpeace staff members and entities, including #GreenpeaceInternational and #GreenpeaceUSA. The #Canadian #logging company sued the Greenpeace defendants for CA $100 million in an attempt to silence and bankrupt them, after criticism of its #unsustainable #forestry practices.

    "Let’s take a closer look at SLAPPs so you can recognize them when you see them:

    "What does #SLAPP stand for? SLAPP stands for '#StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation '. These lawsuits are used by #corporations attempting to diminish or even stop public participation in civil society. SLAPPs often lack any kind of merit, and don’t need to result in a legal victory to achieve the outcome desired by corporate bullies.

    "SLAPPs waste time and cause financial and sometimes #PsychologicalHarm to targeted individuals and organisations who have to hire #lawyers and engage in costly #LegalBattles, sometimes to the point of facing bankruptcy. These lawsuits attempt to silence free speech and limit peaceful #dissent by using litigation as a tool for deterring non-violent protest and even documenting and bearing witness."

    Read more:
    greenpeace.org/international/s

    #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas

  43. Dozens indicted on Georgia racketeering charges related to ‘Stop Cop City’ movement appear in court

    by Kate Brumback, Nov 7, 2023

    ATLANTA (AP) — “Nearly five dozen people indicted on racketeering charges related to protests against a planned police and firefighter training facility near Atlanta appeared in court on Monday as their supporters rallied outside the courthouse.

    “Protests against the proposed training center — dubbed “Cop City' by opponents — have been going on for more than two years. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr obtained a sweeping indictment in August, using the state’s anti-racketeering law to target the #protesters and characterizing them as 'militant #anarchists.'

    “Demonstrators and #CivilRights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (#ACLU), have condemned the indictment and accused #Carr, a Republican, of levying heavy-handed charges to try to silence a movement that has galvanized #environmentalists and #antipolice protesters across the country.

    “All 61 people indicted were scheduled to be arraigned Monday, that is to have the charges against them formally read in court. Fifty-seven of them appeared, called in small groups before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams over a three-hour period, and each waived arraignment.

    “Four defendants failed to appear. One was believed to be in France and prosecutors didn’t have a good address for him. One was in federal immigration custody. Another who is not American and who had left the country tried to return twice in recent days to attend the hearing but was denied entry to the country, her lawyer said. A fourth simply didn’t show.

    “Most of the people who appeared had not yet surrendered at the Fulton County Jail to be booked on their charges. Some had recently reached agreements with prosecutors on a bond amount and conditions and others were still in the process of doing so.

    “Adams told them they had until 10 a.m. Tuesday, 24 hours after the start of the arraignment proceedings, to turn themselves in. If they fail to do so, she warned, a warrant for their arrest could be issued and any bond would be rescinded.

    “Adams instructed defense attorneys to provide the attorney general’s office with hard drives by Friday so they can receive copies of evidence in the case, known as discovery. Prosecutors are to finish copying and distributing that evidence to defense attorneys by the end of the year.

    “A final plea hearing will be set no later than the end of June, Adams said. She explained to the groups of defendants that if they want to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors they must do it by that date.
    “A couple of hundred supporters of the ‘#StopCopCity' effort rallied outside the courthouse in downtown Atlanta on Monday morning singing, chanting and waving signs.

    “Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other supporters say the 85-acre, $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities, and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers. Opponents have expressed concern that that it could lead to greater police #militarization and that its construction in the #SouthRiverForest will worsen #environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.

    “Protests against the project, which have at time resulted in violence and vandalism, escalated after the fatal shooting in January of 26-year-old protester Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as #Tortuguita. A prosecutor last month said he would not pursue charges against the state troopers who shot Paez Terán, saying he found that their use of deadly force was ‘objectively reasonable.'

    “Most of those indicted in August had already been charged over their alleged involvement in the movement. RICO charges carry a sentence of five to 20 years in prison that can be added on top of the penalty for the underlying acts.

    “Among the defendants: more than three dozen people who were previously facing domestic terrorism charges in connection to the protests; three leaders of a #BailFund previously accused of money laundering; and three activists previously charged with felony intimidation after authorities said they distributed #flyers calling a state trooper a
    'murderer' for his involvement in Paez Terán’s death.

    “Prosecutors have alleged a conspiracy that includes a wide variety of underlying crimes that range from possessing fire accelerant and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers to being reimbursed for glue and food for activists who spent months camping in the woods near the construction site.”

    pbs.org/newshour/politics/doze

    #DefendTheForest #ACAB #DefendWeelauneeForest #Fascism #Censorship #ClimateJustice #DirectAction #JusticeForTort #JusticeForTortugita #AtlantaGeorgia #EnvironmentalRacism #StopCopCitiesEverywhere #FreeAllForestDefenders #CriminalizingDissent #SilencingDissent

  44. Don’t Stop: Continuing the Fight against #CopCity

    Six More Months in the Movement to Defend the Forest
    2023-12-12

    "Starting in April 2021, people in #AtlantaGeorgia set out to defend #WeelauneeForest, where politicians and profiteers are attempting to build a police training compound known as #CopCity. Over the past two and a half years, this movement has given rise to one of the fiercest struggles in North America. Opponents of Cop City have repeatedly destroyed equipment and forced contractors to withdraw from the construction project, while the authorities have killed one #ForestDefender and pressed outlandish #racketeering charges against 61 more, including the members of a legal support collective."

    Read more:
    crimethinc.com/2023/12/12/dont

    #CriminalizingDissent #StopCopCity #DefendTheForest #ACAB #DefendWeelauneeForest #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #Censorship #Fascism #ClimateJustice #DirectAction #JusticeForTort #JusticeForTortugita #SilencingDissent