#criminalizingprotest — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #criminalizingprotest, aggregated by home.social.
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#RightToProtest is under attack in #England and #Wales, reports warn
#HumanRightsWatch and Justice say recent legislative changes have had a chilling effect and should be repealedby Haroon Siddique
Thu 8 Jan 2026"The right to protest is under attack in England and Wales with laws trampling over human rights protections and more oppressive restrictions in the pipeline, two major reports have warned.
"Both Human Rights Watch and the cross-party law reform organisation Justice say recent legislative changes have created a chilling effect on lawful protest and should be repealed. Their reports, simultaneously published on Thursday, also say that proposals for more curbs should be halted.
"They highlight the arrest of Republic #AntiMonarchy protesters during King Charles’s coronation, charges and arrests of #ProPalestinian demonstrators and long sentences for #ClimateProtesters as examples of the crackdown on the right to peaceful dissent.
"Fiona Rutherford, chief executive of Justice, said: 'Year by year, we see police powers grow, as our fundamental right to protest is treated more like a privilege. The law in this area has become dangerously unbalanced, empowering the state to silence voices it should be safeguarding. Reversing this trend is essential to restoring trust, protecting rights and preserving a healthy democracy.'
"Lydia Gall, a senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: 'The UK is now adopting protest-control tactics imposed in countries where democratic safeguards are collapsing. The UK should oppose such measures, not replicate and endorse them.'
"Both reports say that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the #PublicOrderAct 2023 were watershed moments, criminalising large amounts of previously lawful protest activity and placing a greater emphasis on preemptive containment of protest through criminal law.
The 2022 law granted police authority to impose conditions on public assemblies on grounds such as causing 'serious unease' or being 'too noisy', described by Human Rights Watch as 'vague and subjective'.
"Members of the public can be arrested for carrying items – described as innocuous by Justice – including cable ties, bike locks or glue, on suspicion that they may be used for 'locking‑on'."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/KORuE#CriminalizingProtest #SilencingDissent #EnvironmentalActivists #GazaGenocide #HumanRights #AntiProtestLaws
#RightToProtest #ACAB #UKPol #JustStopOil #PalestineAction -
Why #GiorgiaMeloni's '#AntiProtest' law has divided #Italy
Italy’s new security law, pushed through by PM Giorgia Meloni’s #RightWing government, is stoking nationwide outrage. From harsher protest penalties and a ban on cannabis light to legal cover for police, critics warn it criminalises dissent and threatens #CivilLiberties. Protests, international concerns and Senate drama have all followed
FP Explainers
June 5, 2025"A new security decree introduced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition government has divided Italy.
"Approved by the Senate with 109 votes in favour, 69 against, and one abstention, the legislation has sparked a backlash from opposition lawmakers, human rights bodies and legal groups, who argue that it undermines fundamental freedoms and disproportionately punishes marginalised communities.
"The decree expands legal authority for law enforcement, imposes stricter penalties on demonstrators, and introduces a variety of criminal provisions touching on #protests, public order, #cannabis regulation, and social #housing.
"While the government insists the law is a necessary measure to safeguard security, critics see it as a repressive attempt to #CriminaliseDissent and curb civil liberties in one of Europe’s major democracies."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/n6clN#WorldPol #ItalyPol #CriminalizingProtest #SilencingDissent #Authoritarianism #Fascism #HistoryRepeats? #AntiProtestLaws
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#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"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."
Read more:
https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/rule-of-law-2025-protests/45384#Sweden #Belgium #Netherlands #Estonia #ExtinctionRebellion #EnvironmentalDefenders #CriminalizingProtest #EnvironmentalActivists #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #HumanRights #RightToProtest #ACAB #Europe #WorldPol #EuroPol
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#Australia - #ProPalestinian group accuses #Queensland police of #'overreach' after '#FromTheRiverToTheSea' arrests
By Lottie Twyford
Thu 12 Mar, 2026"#StudentsForPalestine convenor Ella Gutteridge said she had never seen "riot police everywhere" at a student demonstration before yesterday's and believed they were present 'with the express purpose of using these laws'." 😱
#ACAB #AustraliaPol #AusPol #CriminalizingProtest
#AntiProtestLaws #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #GazaGenocide #WorldPol #IsraeliWarCrimes #Resistance #ResistGenocide -
How tight is the #RightToProtest?
From 418 arrests in 1977 to fresh clashes in Sydney: Debate over #Australia’s right to protest continues
"What many may not realise is that the right to protest in Australia is not protected by one simple law. It’s implied in the constitution under freedom of political communication and exists under international human rights law, which Australia has agreed to uphold. Only #Queensland, #Victoria and the #ACT explicitly protect the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression. And laws protecting the right to peaceful protest in Australia can be limited."
By Rhiannon Stevens
Sat 14 Feb, 2026" 'The day of the political street march is over,' Joh Bjelke-Petersen declared. 'Don’t bother to apply for a permit. You won’t get one. That’s government policy now.'
"A few weeks later, thousands of people defied then-Queensland premier Bjelke-Petersen’s proclamation and gathered in Brisbane for an #AntiUranium march.
"Ian Curr remembers an intense, unrelenting heat on that day nearly 50 years ago. It was 'boiling hot', the long-time #AntiNuclear activist says. So hot that when protesters sat on the road, arms linked in passive defiance, it was 'not very pleasant' because the tarmac was scorching. Other memories emerge from the haze: lines of police, three and four deep, surrounding protesters; a woman with tears streaming down her face who had just heard her partner was arrested.
"Fear swirled up spines and into the air. These were the years after the #Springbok tour #AntiApartheid protests had been violently suppressed.
"That afternoon in October 1977, 418 people were arrested and Queensland’s 'RightToMarch' movement quickly entered a new era. #CivilLiberties demonstrations continued until the ban — originally enacted to curb a growing anti-nuclear movement — was lifted two years later.
"Ross Gwyther was exhilarated seeing some 5,000 anti-nuclear marchers turn out that day. But the sensation was tempered by an 'intense fear because there’d already been many cases of #PoliceBrutality'.
"These were extraordinary times, as the Fitzgerald Inquiry would later attest. For Gwyther and many of the #ratbags, #activists and #CivilLibertarians of Queensland it was a defining moment. That era in Brisbane radicalised a lot of people, Gwyther says, who embarked on a lifetime of 'political activism, both through parliamentary politics or by grassroots politics'.
"These moments mark you, Curr says, turning to the events in Sydney this week. 'The people who saw that violence in Sydney, in 40 or 50 years, they will not forget it. In the same way I do not forget police brandishing batons and punching and throwing people into paddy wagons. It’s something you do not forget.'
"In the aftermath of last Monday’s protest against Israeli President #IsaacHerzog’s visit in #Sydney, shaky, chaotic videos began to emerge online. A man lies on tram tracks, restrained by officers who punch him 18 times. #Protesters are pushed, they struggle to their feet, crowds stumble around them. Men bowed in prayer are wrenched from their worship by police. A grandmother is in hospital with a spinal injury. She says she feared being suffocated in a stampede as she lay on the ground in agony. She alleges she was pushed over by police."
Read more:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-15/right-to-protest-fragile-police-powers-gaza-herzog/106331356#ACAB #AustraliaPol #AusPol #CriminalizingProtest #Australia #AntiProtestLaws #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #UraniumMines #WorldPol #IsraeliWarCrimes
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From 2022: #NSW Police Use #AntProtest Laws to Monitor Tour Groups
by Paul Gregoire & Ugur Nedim,13 Oct 2022
Excerpt: "#SilencingDissent
"Back in 2014, then NSW premier Mike Baird told a NSW mining industry dinner that his government was going to 'crackdown' on those who choose to break the law when they protest. And he singled out '#protesters who unlawfully enter #mining sites.'
"A little over a year later, the Coalition government followed through with the premier’s promise when it passed a series of harsh #AntiProtestLaws, under the Inclosed Lands, Crimes and Law Enforcement Legislation Amendment (Interference) Bill 2016.
"The legislation created the new offence of aggravated unlawful entry on inclosed lands. Section 4B of the #InclosedLand Protection Act 1901 provides that interfering, or attempts to interfere, with the conduct of a business on enclosed land can land a #protester with a fine of up to $5,500.
"Under the provisions of the bill, police were provided with additional powers to stop, search, detain, and seize the property of protesters, as well as being given the power to shutdown a peaceful protest if it is #ObstructingTraffic.
"And the bill also inserted a definition of #mine into section 201 of the #CrimesAct 1900, so that the offence of interfering with a mine includes #coal seam #gas exploration and extraction sites. This offence carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.
"The #WilpinjongThree
"Bev Smiles, Bruce Hughes and Stephanie Luce are the first people to be up on protesting charges since the laws were changed. In April last year, the three were arrested for protesting outside the #Wilpinjong #CoalMine in #Wollar.
"The three are up on charges of rendering a road belonging to a mine useless and hindering the working equipment belonging to a mine. These are both offences that carry the penalty of seven years imprisonment.
"When the trio appeared at Mudgee Local Court on February 9, the presiding magistrate rejected police claims that the Wollar-Ulan Road, where the defendants were arrested, actually belonged to the mining company.
" 'They have pleaded not guilty, and are awaiting a judgment on the case,' Mr Phillips explained. 'The outcome of that case will be important.” If the three have 'the book thrown at them' then it’s likely to discourage the protesting of coal mines in NSW."
#AustraliaPol #AusPol #CriminalizingProtest #NoMining #CoalMines #UraniumMines #Australia #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LandBack
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Why We Have to Fight Back Against ICE Protesters’ Terror Convictions
Since his first inauguration, Trump has been throwing charges at protesters and seeing what sticks. He always failed — until now.
Natasha Lennard, March 17 2026
Excerpt: "It started on President Donald Trump’s very first day in office in 2017. Over 200 #InaugurationDay #protesters were mass arrested and charged with hefty riot and conspiracy felonies for simply being present and wearing black at a rowdy demonstration.
"Since then, the government has sought and failed to convict left-wing activists on thin, unconstitutional claims of collective guilt.
"Just as the J20 prosecutions, as the inauguration cases were known, fell apart, so too did cases accusing dozens of participants in the Atlanta-based #StopCopCity movement of #DomesticTerrorism, #racketeering, and conspiracy.
"It became a pattern of sorts. Prosecutors on both the federal and state level throwing extreme and overreaching charges at leftists, based on infirm theories of collective liability, aiming to paint #antifascist, #AntiRacist movements as criminal terrorist networks. The evidence marshaled in these cases was consistently no more than typical #FirstAmendment-protected activity, like making protest signs, raising bail funds, or being present at a demonstration. The cases drained movement energies and resources.
Again and again, though, they failed."This was the pattern repeated in the malign, overreaching cases against protesters in #FortWorthTX. The #AntiICE activists had mounted a demonstration at a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement jail in nearby #Alvarado.
There were consistencies with other anti-protest cases. There had been some illegal activity outside the #PrairielandDetentionFacility last July, and a police officer was shot. The government latched onto these circumstances to build its strategy of criminalizing dissent through guilt by association."Even in conservative Texas, I didn’t think a jury would buy the government’s case that these defendants were 'North Texas Antifa Cell operatives' — an organization fabricated whole cloth by the Trump administration — who had orchestrated an elaborate ambush of the ICE facility.
" 'Most people looking at this case are still stuck on the shooting aspect, but the jury decided the shooting was beside the point,' a member of a support group for the defendants told me. 'The verdict is that a normal #NoiseDemo deserves to be called terrorism and people should spend potentially the rest of their lives in prison. The implications of this are obvious, and people should know that the DOJ is going to try this again.' "
Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/17/ice-protester-terrorism-convictions-trump-prairieland/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/uvx92#USPol #DomesticTerrorism #AntiICEProtests #Texas #ResistICE #SilencingDissent #AntiTerrorismLaws
#CriminalizingProtest #Resistance -
How new protest laws are impacting political demonstrations
More than a dozen states have passed laws regulating protests in recent years, raising concerns among free-speech advocates.
By Akilah Johnson,
January 2, 2026Excerpt: "While serving in the Florida state legislature, #RandyFine helped pass legislation that provides some protection under certain circumstances to drivers who hit #protesters blocking #roadways. In Congress, the Republican representative has introduced a similar bill — what he calls the '#ThumpThumpAct' — for drivers who may encounter protesters in other parts of the country.
" 'When the consequences for inappropriate behavior are severe enough, people will stop doing it,' Fine said. 'Blocking roads is a form of political terrorism. They should get run over.'
"Florida is one of more than a dozen states that have cracked down on protests in recent years, passing laws that often equate political demonstrations with riots in ways that #FirstAmendment experts say could be illegal.
"Since 2017, 23 states have passed at least 55 laws to address how and when people can protest, according to the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, which tracks such statutes. The laws do such things as mandate at least 30 days in jail for rioting — often loosely defined as a group involved in tumultuous or potentially violent behavior — restrict protests on college campuses, and imprison and fine people who block sidewalks, streets and highways.
"Some lawmakers like Fine want federal legislation that mirrors those efforts. Among the 16 pending federal bills are proposals to tighten restrictions on protesting near federal judges, jurors or court staff; strip #nonprofits of their tax status for certain #protest-related activities; and block people convicted of rioting from small business aid.
"First Amendment advocates warn that the patchwork of state laws, pending federal bills and court battles risk rewriting the rules of public demonstrations. There are already laws to prosecute violent behavior, making these new efforts unnecessary, they say.
There have been few arrests or prosecutions under the recently passed protest laws, but free-speech advocates say the measures can be used to control or dissuade would-be demonstrators." 'What we have consistently seen is lawmakers responding to protest movements by introducing new laws that restrict the #RightToProtest,' said Elly Page, senior legal adviser for U.S. programs at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law."
Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/01/02/anti-protest-laws-randy-fine/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/yyFNm#AntiProtestLaws #USPol #ProtestLaws
#Project2025 #Authoritarianism #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #BlockingTraffic -
#SB743: Steep penalties for #protests near places of worship
Creates sweeping, vaguely-defined new crimes that can cover peaceful protesters near any place where people are engaged in religious worship, or along routes to such places. The new law increases penalties and expands the scope of a preexisting offense for “willfully disturb[ing], interrupt[ing], or disquiet[ing]” an “assemblage of people met for religious worship.” Under the new law it is a serious misdemeanor to knowingly approach someone and engage in certain expressive activity, including chanting or holding signs, within 100 feet of a place where people are meeting for religious worship. The bill explicitly includes such conduct occurring on public sidewalks. As written, the offense could seemingly cover demonstrators who happen to be marching past a church or synagogue and encounter worshippers on the sidewalk outside, even fleetingly. The law also creates a serious misdemeanor for “obstructing in any manner” traffic along any highway within a mile of a place where people are meeting for religious worship. The offense does not require that an individual know or intend to impede access to such a place; as written, it would seemingly cover protest activity that slows highway traffic anywhere within a mile of any house of worship—or any other location where there is an “assemblage of people met for religious worship,” such as a prayer circle in a public park. The offenses are punishable by up to one year in jail and $500 for a first offense; subsequent offenses are a felony subject to up to two years in prison and $1,000. Lawmakers advanced the bill in 2025, but adopted it in emergency sessions in 2026 citing recent protests including one inside a church in St. Paul, MN.
Status: enacted
Introduced 25 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 27 March 2025; Approved by House 6 May 2025; Approved by Senate 4 February 2026; Signed by Governor Stitt 6 February 2026
Source:
https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/Full text of bill:
https://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb743&Session=2600#AntiProtestLaws #USPol #ProtestLaws
#Project2025 #Authoritarianism
#Fascism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest -
#NorthDakota - 'Mask bill' passes Senate
By Dave Thompson
Published April 10, 2025"The state Senate has passed a measure that would prohibit someone from wearing a mask or hood with an intent to hide their identity.
The bill – HB 1226 – applies when people commit crimes or gather in public places during a protest."
Source:
https://news.prairiepublic.org/local-news/2025-04-10/mask-bill-passes-senateFrom #USProtestLawTracker:
North Dakota
HB 1226: New criminal penalties for masked protestersCreates a serious new crime that can cover peaceful protesters who choose to wear a mask. The law makes it a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and $3,000, to wear a mask “with the intent to conceal the identity” of the wearer while “congregating in a public place with other individuals wearing a mask, hood, or other device that covers, hides, or conceals any portion of the individual’s face.” The bill exempts public gatherings to celebrate “Halloween, a masquerade, or other similar celebration,” but does not include exemptions for masks worn during protests, or worn for health, religious, or other reasons. As written, the law can cover a protester wearing a mask to avoid retaliation for their political speech, if there are other individuals in the crowd also wearing a mask—for instance, a medical mask to avoid spreading or contracting a contagious disease.
(See full text of bill here)Status: enacted
Introduced 13 Jan 2025; Approved by House 10 February 2025; Approved by Senate 9 April 2025; Signed by Governor Armstrong 23 April 2025
Issue(s): Face Covering
https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/
#AntiProtestLaws #USPol #AntiMaskLaws #ProtestLaws #Project2025 #Authoritarianism #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest
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Trump administration speeds up new rules that would make it easier to charge some protesters
By REBECCA SANTANA
Updated 4:19 PM EDT, November 6, 2025Excerpts: "The new rules empower officers from the #FederalProtective #Service [#FPS] to make arrests and charge people for actions near the federal property, and they include new rules regulating unauthorized use of #drones and tampering with digital networks.
"The Homeland Security news release gave some examples of conduct that the Federal Protective Service could now charge someone for, both on federal property and off, including wearing a #mask while committing a crime, #obstructing access to federal property and tampering with government IT systems like card readers.
"Spencer Reynolds, a former intelligence and counterintelligence lawyer at the Department of Homeland Security who’s now with the #BrennanCenter for Justice, a think tank, said Congress gave the Federal Protective Service the ability to work and carry out arrests off of federal property as necessary. But he’s concerned that the new regulations codifying these powers will be used as a way to target #protesters.
" 'I see this as being guidance to go after peaceful protests where they are happening in the vicinity or even not in the vicinity of federal property,' he said.
"In a report last year issued by the Brennan Center, Reynolds said the FPS expanded dramatically after Sept. 11 and that’s led to 'overreach under political pressure.' "
[...]"The Federal Protective Service is tasked with protecting federal properties. The agency used to fall under the U.S. General Services Administration, which is responsible for purchasing and managing federal real estate, but when the Department of Homeland Security was created in the aftermath of Sept. 11, the FPS was transferred to Homeland Security."
Full article:
https://apnews.com/article/federal-protective-service-rules-charge-protesters-trump-b6d1d5212d3064b2ea107b02ea9a5646#USPol #AbolishICE #AbolishDHS #DHS #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #Authoritarianism
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#AntiProtestLaws: #Alabama #SB247 – #AntiProtest Bill
Note: SB 247 went into effect on October 1, 2025
Latest Update: March 27, 2025
The #ACLU of Alabama opposes this.
"Summary:
Background: Senate Bill 247 prohibits protestors from organizing at or near a residence or a place of employment and using sound systems during protests at these locations. It also prohibits protestors from blocking entrances and exits to roads, places of employment, and residences. A “residence” is vaguely defined in the bill as any building that someone uses to live in while “place of employment” has no listed definition at all. The Governor’s mansion, for instance, would likely fall under the requirements for residences. Organizers could even be barred from protesting when they choose to organize in proximity to apartments or other residential areas. SB 247 would also permit municipalities to author and pass ordinances that limit the time or noise level of a protest that occurs in a residential area.
Our Position: We oppose SB 247. The ACLU of Alabama is committed to protecting First Amendment rights. That includes defending the right to protest for individuals across the state of Alabama. Senate Bill 247 attempts to exempt public officials from hearing the grievances of Alabamians, often expressed through protest when constituents are unable to inspire action in the State House. If SB 247 passes, it would add limitations on where protesters can organize and would violate the First Amendment rights of Alabamians."
Source:
https://www.aclualabama.org/legislation/sb-247-anti-protest-bill/Link to Bill Status:
https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/files/pdf/SearchableInstruments/2025RS/SB247-int.pdf#AlabamaLaw #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol -
Digging up some posts about #AntiProtest laws. I'll also check to see if there are any NEW laws on the books...
#AntiProtestLaws #CriminalizingProtest #SilencingDissent #USPol
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Such violent terrorists... smh!
Photo credit: Zoe MacDonald, Vermont Public
#ResistICE #SilencingDissent
#AntiTerrorismLaws #CriminalizingProtest #Resistance #USPol #VTPol #ACAB -
Will #DomesticTerrorism charges be brought against these #AntiICE #protestors?
#ICE enforcement action leads to #protest, violent clashes in #SouthBurlington, #Vermont
by Derek Brouwer, Liam Elder-Connors, Zoe McDonald, March 12, 2026
"A tense, day-long standoff outside a South Burlington, Vermont house ended Wednesday night with federal immigration agents removing three people inside and a series of violent clashes between police and hundreds of #activists who tried to impede the apprehension.
"It marked the first major confrontation between protesters and federal immigration authorities in Vermont. Federal law enforcement deployed #TearGas and #flashbangs on a normally busy street in the state’s second largest city to disperse the activists who had surrounded their vehicles. Roughly 60 local and state law enforcement officers were also on scene, though the departments sought to distance themselves from ICE’s conduct.
"The incident began when a man fled Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who had been surveilling a Dorset Street residence where he was staying.
"According to an ICE affidavit, the subject of the warrant was Deyvi Daniel Corona-Sanchez, a Mexico native who was removed from the United States in 2022, and later illegally reentered the country. In January, Corona-Sanchez was arrested by Middlebury police and charged with drunk driving, the affidavit says.
"Following a multi-vehicle crash, Corona-Sanchez escaped to a house on Dorset Street, authorities said.
"A growing number of protesters and police assembled outside throughout the day as immigration authorities waited for a criminal warrant to enter and arrest him.
"A neighbor, Richard Landsman, said an Ecuadoran family with two children had lived in the house for roughly a year. At one point in the afternoon, people helped a child leave the house; they were driven away.
"When the warrant came through after roughly nine hours, federal agents approached the front door with #TacticalGear and weapons drawn. They were supported by #VermontStatePolice troopers.
"Police wrenched away protesters blocking the front entrance and ICE agents broke down the door. Federal agents removed three people from inside, forcing them into an unmarked car. They attempted to drive off, but protesters linked arms and blocked the street. Confrontations ensued, and the agents eventually managed to drive off by running over a median and exiting via a driveway."
#ResistICE #SilencingDissent #AntiTerrorismLaws #CriminalizingProtest #Resistance #USPol #VTPol #ACAB
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I guess all #Goths are #Terrorists?
Wearing #AllBlack at #Protests Makes You Guilty of #Terrorism, Prosecutors Tell Jury
The Prairieland case is a major test of the Trump administration’s push to label “#antifa” protesters as #terrorists.
“They’re here asking you guys to put protesters in prison as terrorists.”
by Matt Sledge
March 12 2026,"Federal agents raiding the home of two alleged #antifa 'operatives' seized a telling piece of evidence, a defense attorney said during closing arguments in a landmark trial Wednesday.
"A printing press.
"That printing press was never presented to jurors. Still, the government has kept it locked away because it hated the #pamphlets and #zines it published, lawyer Blake Burns said.
"Burns represents Elizabeth Soto, one of nine defendants whose fates were in the hands of jurors as deliberations began Thursday. All are accused of roles during or after a late-night noise demonstration outside #PrairielandDetentionCenter, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Dallas that ended with a local police officer wounded by gunfire.
"The case has become a bellwether for the Trump administration’s crackdown on dissent from the left. The government charged people involved with the #AntiICE protest with a slew of charges, including attempted murder and terrorism counts that defense attorneys said are being used to #CriminalizeProtest.
" 'They’re here asking you guys to put protesters in prison as terrorists,' Burns, the defense lawyer, told jurors. 'That’s not happened before. And you are literally the only people in the world who can stop it.'
"During 10 days of testimony in a packed Fort Worth, Texas, courtroom, prosecutors bombarded jurors with images of radical zines printed on the press, anti-government internet memes, drawings of burning cop cars, and a video of an unidentified street brawl between far-left and far-right protesters.
"Prosecutors acknowledged those materials were protected by the #FirstAmendment but said they showed the roughly dozen people who assembled outside the ICE facility were steeped in antifa tactics.
"Eight of nine defendants on trial this month face material support for terrorism charges for wearing '#BlackBloc' clothes at the protest. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have hailed the first-ever use of terrorism charges against alleged antifa members."
Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/12/antifa-ice-protest-texas-trial-terrorism/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/UFFO9#USPol #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #Fascism #Authoritarianism #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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Meanwhile, #FarRight groups get a free pass. "Environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion says FBI is investigating it for terrorism" https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/18/extinction-rebellion-fbi-trump-environment #uspoli #TrumpRegime #FBI #environmentalActivism #activism #FreeSpeech #ClimateChange #CriminalizingProtest
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#PalestineAction protest arrests rise to more than 500
by Adam Hale, 8/10/2025
"The number of arrests at Saturday's demonstration in London in support of banned group Palestine Action has risen to 532.
"The Metropolitan Police said the majority of arrests - 521 - were for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action at Westminster's Parliament Square, and one at a Palestine Coalition march.
"Six arrests were for assaulting police officers, two for breaching Public Order Act conditions, one for obstructing a constable and one for a racially aggravated public order offence.
It was the biggest protest since the government proscribed the group in July under the #TerrorismAct, making membership of or support for it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison."The force previously said that the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last 10 years.
"The average age of those arrested was 54, and the most arrests - 147 of them - were of people aged between 60 and 69.
The Metropolitan Police said its counter terrorism team was now working on bringing charges against those accused of supporting Palestine Action."Over the coming days and weeks, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command will work to put together the case files required to secure charges against those arrested as part of this operation."
Some protesters chose to walk out quietly with officers, but those who refused to move or were lying on the ground were carried away
The protest, organised by Defend Our Juries, saw hundreds of people simultaneously pull out placards with the message "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action" when Big Ben chimed at 13:00 BST on Saturday.
Police started making multiple arrests at a time, working their way through the crowds, with those who refused to move being carried out by police to chants of "shame on you" directed at the officers.
Protesters whose details could be confirmed at temporary prisoner processing points nearby were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date, under condition not to attend future demonstrations related to Palestine Action.But 212 protesters who refused to provide their details or were found to have been arrested while already on bail were taken into custody.
Police said as of 13:00 on Sunday, 18 of them remained in custody but were expected to be released during the day.
The majority of arrests at the demonstration were of people aged 60 to 69
Security expert Lizzie Dearden told the BBC that the laws the protesters were arrested under "were not designed for a group of this nature or a group of this size".
"When [the Terrorism Act] was drafted in the late Nineties, the kind of terrorist group that was really being envisaged were groups like the IRA, al-Qaeda, armed militant groups that were operating often abroad.
" 'So the law is being applied in a completely new way.'
"Home Secretary #YvetteCooper thanked police for their response following the demonstration, and said the banning of Palestine Action was based on 'strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed' as well as 'plans and ideas for further attacks'.
" 'Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear - this is not a non-violent organisation," she said.
But charity #AmnestyInternational's chief executive Sacha Deshmukh described the mass arrests as "deeply concerning".
He said: "We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to #FreedomOfExpression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified.'"At the end of July, the High Court ruled that Palestine Action would be able to challenge its proscription.
"Lawyers for the group's co-founder Huda Ammori have argued that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has acted like a gag on legitimate protest.
The government says the ban is justified because it narrowly targets a group that has been organising serious criminality."Source:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjyyzlwk2goArchived version:
https://archive.ph/mTvNt#ThoughtCrime #UKPol #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #FreePalestine #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal
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UN #HumanRights chief criticises UK #PalestineAction ban
by Sam Francis
July 25, 2025" 'The UK government's ban on Palestine Action is a 'disturbing' misuse of counter-terrorism legislation, the United Nations' human rights chief has warned.
"Volker Turk urged the government to lift the ban on the group, calling it 'disproportionate and unnecessary.'
"Earlier this month, Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK Government under the #TerrorismAct2000 after activists claimed responsibility for spraying two military aircraft with red paint causing an estimated £7m worth of damage.
"The decision is currently being challenged in the High Court with a judgment due at the end of the month. The Home Office has been contacted for a comment.
Palestine Action ban 'abuse of power', court told"The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
"More than 170 people have been arrested since the ban was introduced, under the #TerrorismAct of 2000.
"Turk, who has been the UN's high commissioner for human rights since 2022, said the ban 'appears disproportionate and unnecessary'.
" 'It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,' Turk said.
" 'As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law.' "
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjxjpl8g0doArchived version:
https://archive.ph/ElL2Z#UKPol #WorldPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #EndTheGenocide #HumanRightsViolations
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Another #Goosestep toward full-on #authoritarianism !
This Bill Would Fine Social Media Companies $5 Million Every Day for Not Fighting '#Terrorism'
The #StopHateAct wants social media platforms to report their #moderation policies and outcomes to the government. And it’s not the only #censorial measure Rep. #JoshGottheimer wants.
Matthew Petti | 7.24.2025 5:25 PM
"The idea that the federal government even talked to social media platforms about their moderation was a major scandal. After the Twitter Files leak revealed that the Biden administration was privately leaning on one platform to suppress "misinformation," the courts blocked officials from communicating with social media companies for several months on free speech grounds.
"A bipartisan bill, however, would make it mandatory for social media companies to work with the federal government. The Stopping Terrorists Online Presence and Holding Accountable Tech Entities (STOP HATE) Act would require companies to provide triennial reports on their moderation policies—and violations they catch—to the U.S. attorney general.
"The bill requires companies to issue specific policies for groups the federal government designates as terrorists and the director of national intelligence to also begin reporting on terrorist usage of social media. Companies would be fined $5 million per day that they fail to comply.
"Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D–N.J.) and Don Bacon (R–Neb.) had first proposed the bill in November 2023. It died in committee at the time. Gottheimer and Bacon announced that they would be reintroducing the bill at a press conference on Wednesday alongside Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
" 'There is no reason why anyone, especially terrorists or anyone online, should access social media platforms to promote radical, hate-filled violence,' Gottheimer said at the press conference. He cited supportive social media comments about the May 2025 murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, and the AI platform Grok's sudden decision to declare itself 'MechaHitler' earlier this month.
"#Meta, the company that runs #Facebook and #Instagram, is already known to have a list of 'dangerous individuals and organizations' banned from the platform. When the list was leaked to The Intercept in 2021, it included around 1,000 entries taken straight from the U.S. government's foreign terrorist list, as well as various foreign and domestic entries sourced to private think tanks."
#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #SilencingCritics #SilencingDissent #Fascism #TrumpSucks #SocialMedia #Clampdown #Censorship #Decentralize #DecentralizeSocialMedia #CharacteristicsOfFascism
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Expect these to become illegal under the #TrumpRegime (if they aren't already)...
A #Demonstrators Guide to #ReinforcedBanners
And How to Use Them2025-06-16 via @CrimethInc
"This guide explores how to construct reinforced #banners that can function as a mobile #ShieldWall during demonstrations."To be clear, we do not encourage anyone to engage in illegal activity with banners or shields. We only offer these designs to satisfy the curiosity of historians."
#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #CommunityDefense #WeKeepOurselvesSafe #WeKeepEachOtherSafe #ACAB
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Feds Criminalize Aiding #Protests Against #ICE
The #Trump administration is targeting nonviolent acts like identifying masked agents and handing out #PPE in support of LA’s #AntiICE movement.
Akela Lacy
July 23 2025Excerpt: " 'Roving patrols' operating without reasonable suspicion and denying access to #lawyers violated the Fourth and the Fifth Amendments, the judge wrote. 'What the federal government would have this Court believe — in the face of a mountain of evidence presented in this case — is that none of this is actually happening.'
"Now, those accused of helping the anti-ICE movement are facing prosecution or investigation. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted a man after he handed out #FaceShields to people protesting ICE in Los Angeles two days after President Donald Trump deployed the #NationalGuard.
"#AlejandroOrellana, 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to aid and abet civil disorders. According to a grand jury indictment, the face shields were 'advertised as designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris.'
" 'Alejandro Orellana’s arrest for distributing supplies is an outrageous violation of #CivilRights and should be a wakeup call to people everywhere,' said California attorney Thomas Harvey.
" 'This appears to be a targeted, political attack on resistance to a military incursion on our communities,' Harvey said. 'Distributing supplies to protesters is not a crime. It’s a critical role to help keep people safe — especially in the face of some of the most violent police repression I’ve seen since the #Ferguson uprising.' "
https://theintercept.com/2025/07/23/feds-criminalize-protests-masked-ice/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/sQii5#ACAB #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #CivilRightsViolations #Authoritarianism #USPol #WeKeepOurselvesSafe #WeKeepEachOtherSafe
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I'm not sure if this passed. Knowing the evil entrenched in Washington, I suspect it went through...
'Must cover the costs': Trump directs DOJ to 'enforce' a rule of civil procedure and seek security #bonds from '#activist' groups that win injunctions against the government
Colin Kalmbacher Mar 7th, 2025
"The memo, on its own terms, aims to curb the power of 'activist organizations fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars in donations' and 'activist judges' by pushing back against 'frivolous litigation.' "
#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingJournalism #Fascism #Authoritarianism #Corporatocracy #CorporateColonialism #NoDAPL #NoKXL #StandWithStandingRock #EnvironmentalJustice
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Former #Greens candidate may lose sight after being arrested in #SydneyAustralia #protest at alleged #Israel technology supplier
Hannah Thomas, who ran against Anthony Albanese in the Sydney electorate of Grayndler, sustained facial injuries
Henry Belot, Fri 27 Jun 2025
"A former Greens candidate has been injured after allegedly resisting police arrest while picketing a business in Sydney’s west, with friends and family warned she may lose sight in her right eye.
"The protest, which attracted between 50 and 60 people, sought to stop pedestrian access to a business that was accused by protesters of 'supplying electroplating and surface coating services for a variety of applications including aerospace and defence technology' to Israel.
"The #Greens alleged the company was reportedly 'involved in providing plating services for various parts used in #F35 jets' used by the #IsraeliMilitary.
"According to police, officers issued a move-on direction to the protesters at about 5.30am on Friday.
"The force alleged the protest was 'unauthorised', as those involved had not given advanced notice nor submitted a #form that protected them from being charged under #AntiProtestLaws."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/JSDu0#selection-1359.0-1434.0#ACAB #ExcessiveUseOfForce #FailureToComply #Bureaucracy #AntiProtestLawsAustralia #SilencingFreeSpeech #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal #FreePalestine #NoWar
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#VictoriaAustralia’s draconian new #AntiProtest laws will have a chilling effect on #FreeSpeech — and won’t keep anyone safe
Far-reaching anti-protest measures and giving police more repressive powers only serve to increase the risk of escalating violence.
by Sarah Schwartz, Jul 9, 2025
"In response to the weekend’s attack on the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced she will forge ahead with new anti-protest measures and more #police powers.
"In doing so, she is following what has become the new normal for state governments across the country: using acts of racism and violence as a pretext to #ClampDown on unrelated democratic rights.
"Taking to the streets in peaceful protest is one of the main ways for people to come together and express our political views when our representatives aren’t listening to us. But this right is not without limits. Every person has a right to worship in safety. The attack on East Melbourne Synagogue was not a protest; it was an act of antisemitism. The suspect has been apprehended and charged with a multitude of criminal offences.
"Two other incidents over the weekend, the targeting of a business with ties to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a US-backed #Israeli organisation linked to the massacres of unarmed #Palestinians seeking aid — and a weapons company with links to the Israeli military, are also being referred to as justifying new laws. It is important not to conflate these actions against Israel with an attack against a Jewish place of worship. International human rights law, as well as our current laws, already place limits on protests that involve intimidation and violence.
"So what is actually being proposed in response? The Allan government is suggesting the creation of a new criminal offence for wearing a #FaceCovering at peaceful protests, banning 'dangerous attachment devices' (e.g. a #chain, a #BikeLock) — which have long been used in non-violent civil disobedience — and #criminalising peaceful protests around places of religious worship.
"The ban on face coverings would be a first in #Australia. It would mirror measures used in #authoritarian states that force people to submit themselves to various forms of #StateSurveillance.
"#VictoriaPolice has been using facial recognition software for years without any regulatory or legislative framework to prevent breaches of privacy. This technology, combined with a ban on face coverings at protests, would essentially amount to an obligation on behalf of individuals to submit to surveillance by the state, corporations and other groups that surveil protesters.
"Unless you’re a #MiningCompany spending hundreds of millions buying politicians’ favour or can wine and dine decision-makers, peaceful protest is one of the main ways for people to hold governments and corporations to account. Protests for the eight-hour workday, #WomensRights, #FirstNationsRights and the #AntiWar movement have led to significant improvements in all of our lives.
Know something?"Many people attending protests wear face coverings to protect their privacy and anonymity. For temporary migrants, the consequences of identification can include visa cancellation and detention. #FarRight groups, abusers of gender-based violence and other political groups have all been documented as engaging in doxing, surveillance and retaliatory violence against people identified at peaceful protests.
"Even with exemptions, a ban would mean that people who wear facemasks for reasons of health, disability status, or religious or cultural reasons would be at risk of police targeting and made to justify their use of a face mask.
"Adding new repressive police powers against peaceful protesters only serves to increase the risk of escalating violence at already heightened public demonstrations. People will not stop taking to the streets on issues they care about, even if the state tries to stifle their voices. Donald #Trump’s deployment of the #NationalGuard in response to protests in LA shows us how deploying more state force at protests increases rather than decreases the risk of violence.
"A ban on protests outside or within a certain proximity to places of worship would mean police could arrest those engaging in peaceful protests for a genuine, non-discriminatory purpose — for example, protests by survivors of #ClergySexualAbuse or by congregants against the political activities of their own religious institutions.
"It would also have the unintended consequence of rendering large areas of the state no-go zones for peaceful protest, due to the high number of places of worship. Similar laws in #NSW are already being challenged for their #unconstitutionality.
"Taken together, this suite of laws, which would provide police with extraordinary powers against people peacefully raising their voices against #injustice, would have a chilling effect, deterring #MarginalisedGroups from attending protests and exercising their rights to freedom of expression, which the Victorian government has sought to protect.
"Ultimately, banning face coverings at peaceful protests and banning protests outside places of worship would not have done anything to prevent what occurred over the weekend. Premier Allan knows this. Yet she is stuck in the same reactive law-and-order merry-go-round that saw NSW Premier Chris Minns enact fear-based, repressive anti-protest measures in response to what we now know was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy.
"Encouraging people to express their political views peacefully is the antidote to non-peaceful forms of protest and is something that all governments should be encouraging and facilitating. At times like this, we should be able to trust our politicians not to fuel division and panic through misguided and knee-jerk responses, but to take measures to address the root causes of racism and hatred."
#AntiProtestLaws #ProtestLawsAustralia #ACAB #SilencingFreeSpeech #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #Authoritarianism
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Three #AntiProtestLaws recently passed in #Arizona, #Kentucky and #Texas
Source: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/
Arizona
HB 2880: Banning #protest #encampments on #campusBars protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities. Under the new law, individuals or groups that establish an “encampment” are no longer lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they are criminally liable to prosecution for trespass; and they are liable for any damage they cause, including the "direct and indirect costs" of removing the encampment and "restoring" campus. The new law defines “encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The law requires colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate any encampment; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution is required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The sponsor of the new law said that it was motivated by #ProPalestine protests on college campuses.
Full bill text:
https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83353Status: enacted
Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025; Approved by Senate 30 April 2025; Signed by Governor Hobbs 7 May 2025
Issue(s): #CampusProtests, #Trespass, Camping
Kentucky
HB 399: New penalties for protesters at the capitolCreates serious new criminal offenses that can cover #PeacefulProtesters at the state capitol, as well as anyone who “conspires” with or otherwise supports them. The first new offense applies to someone who enters the capitol, or impedes access to the capitol by a legislator or legislative staff, with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business—regardless of whether legislative business was in fact “impeded.” “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. It is a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to 3 months in jail) for a first incident, and a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year in jail) for subsequent incident. The law creates a second, more serious offense for someone who engages in “disorderly or disruptive conduct” inside the Capitol with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business, if their conduct in fact “disrupts” or “impedes” the legislature’s business—even momentarily. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who shouts a single chant during a legislative hearing. “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) for the first incident, and a Class D felony (up to 5 years in prison) for third and subsequent incident. Prior to passing the bill, lawmakers added an amendment which provides that the law will not be construed "to prohibit... [a]ssembly in traditional public forums, including but not limited to the Capitol rotunda and outdoor areas of the Capitol grounds." While helpful, the amendment does not immunize all peaceful protest activity that the law could potentially punish, including protest organizing. When he vetoed the bill (later overridden), Governor Beshear noted the risks it poses to lawful #FirstAmendment activity.
Full bill text:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25rs/hb399.htmlStatus: enacted
Introduced 6 Feb 2025; Approved by House 7 March 2025; Approved by Senate 13 March 2025; Vetoed by Governor Beshear 25 March 2025; Veto overridden 27 March 2025
Issue(s): Protest Supporters or Funders, Police Response
Texas
#SB2972: New restrictions on #CampusProtestsRequires public colleges and universities to adopt new limitations on campus protests that among other things would ban protest encampments, limit protesters’ ability to wear a mask, and restrict vigils and other demonstrations at night. Under the law—which revises Texas’s 2019 law on campus speech—all public colleges and universities in the state must have policies that among other things prohibit: a) erecting tents or otherwise “camping” on campus; b) wearing a mask or other disguise while engaging in “expressive activities” on campus with certain intent, including intent to “intimidate others;” c) engaging in “expressive activities” between 10pm and 8am; d) engaging in “expressive activities” in the last two weeks of a school term by inviting speakers or using sound amplification or drums; and e) using sound amplification while engaging in “expressive activities” during class hours if it “intimidate[s] others.” Preexisting provisions of the law define “expressive activities” broadly as “any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment,” including but not limited to assemblies, protests, speeches, carrying signs, or distributing written material. As such, colleges and universities would seemingly be required to ban all kinds of expression between 10pm and 8am, from conversations in the dining hall to someone sending a text or wearing expressive clothing. The law repeals a provision in the 2019 law that established all common outdoor areas of campus as traditional public forums where anyone could engage in First Amendment activity, and replaced it with a provision authorizing the governing boards of schools to designate select areas as public forums.
Full bill text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB2972Status: enacted
Introduced 14 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 14 May 2025; Approved by House 28 May 2025; Signed by Governor Abbott 20 June 2025
Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Camping
#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #TexasProtestLaws #KentuckyProtestLaws #ArizonaProtestLaws #ClothingBans #CollegeCampusProtests #MaskBans #EncampmentBans
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Arrests made in #ParliamentSquare as pro-#PalestineAction protests held across #UK
Dozens of #protesters assembled in central #London on Saturday afternoon
Sami Quadri, Megan Howe, July 19, 2025
"Fifty-five people have been arrested for displaying #placards in support of proscribed group Palestine Action, Met Police has said.
"Demonstrations are taking place in cities including London, #Manchester, #Edinburgh, #Bristol and #Truro after the group was officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation two weeks ago.
"Dozens of protesters assembled in Parliament Square on Saturday afternoon holding white placards that read: 'I oppose #genocide, I support Palestine Action.'
"Some demonstrators were led away in handcuffs, while others were carried off by officers. In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers have moved in and arrests are taking place.'
"Police said the 55 people arrested were arrested under Section 13 of the #TerrorismAct 2000.
"The Met had previously said around 70 people were arrested at similar protests in Parliament Square over the past two weekends.
"#DefendOurJuries, the group coordinating the campaign, claims a total of 120 people have now been arrested across the UK.
"The force warned that anyone expressing support for Palestine Action was likely to be arrested, adding that officers were also monitoring for chants such as 'death to the #IDF', led by punk-rap duo #BobVylan at #GlastonburyFestival.
"The ban, under the #TerrorismAct2000, makes it a criminal offence to be a member of or show support for the group — with a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in prison. Wearing a badge or #TShirt bearing the group’s name now carries a potential six-month jail term.
"Palestine Action co-founder #HudaAmmori is seeking to challenge the ban, with a hearing to determine whether a judicial review can proceed set to take place at the High Court on Monday."
#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #IsraeliWarCrimes
#BibiIsAWarCriminal #UKProtestLaws #AntiProtestLaws #UKPol #EnglandPol
#WorldPol #Authoritarianism #SilencingFreeSpeech -
Met warns against supporting proscribed groups ahead of #London #protests
Officers to monitor chants and conduct at #PalestineCoalition and counter-protests in Westminster
Joe Hadden
Friday 18 July 2025"The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone showing support for proscribed organisations during planned protests in London this weekend could face arrest under #terrorism laws.
"An increased police presence is expected in Westminster on Saturday when a number of demonstrations are due to take place, including a large-scale march by the Palestine Coalition and a static counter-protest by Stop the Hate.
"The Met said it also anticipates further protest activity in support of the recently proscribed group #PalestineAction, which is now banned under the #TerrorismAct.
"Seventy people were arrested at similar demonstrations in #ParliamentSquare over the past two weekends, and the location of any action this Saturday is yet to be confirmed.
"Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who is leading the policing operation, said officers are experienced in managing events of this nature but warned that those who use the protests as an opportunity to express support for proscribed groups risk serious legal consequences.
" 'This Saturday’s Palestine Coalition protest is the first large-scale event of its kind since the proscription of Palestine Action and I want to make sure the implications of that change in the law are fully understood,' he said.
" 'Nobody will be committing an offence by simply supporting the Palestinian cause, taking part in the march or carrying flags, banners or other signs providing they don’t stray into hate speech or other offences.
" 'However, those who see this as an opportunity to test the limits of the law by expressing support for Palestine Action, whether at a standalone protest or as part of the Palestine Coalition protest, will likely be committing an offence and will very likely be arrested.'
"He added: 'I would urge those people to consider the seriousness of being arrested under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances – that such an arrest is likely to have for their future.'
"Mr Adelekan also said the force is continuing to investigate '#OffensiveChanting' that took place at #GlastonburyFestival and has been repeated at recent protests in London.
"He said officers would assess chants at Saturday’s protest 'based on the specific circumstances' – noting that words shouted generally during the march may not constitute an offence, but could do so if directed at individuals in a way likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
" 'At previous protests, the area between the main march and any counter protest has seen the most heated exchanges. Officers will be particularly alert to conduct, including chanting, in this area and will be working with stewards to ensure crowds keep moving past this point,' he said.
" 'Where they become aware of behaviour that crosses the line from protest into criminality they will intervene and take appropriate action.'
"He said the best way for protesters to stay within the law is to avoid 'threatening, abusive and insulting language' or any support for banned groups. [!!!]
"The Palestine Coalition march will begin at #VictoriaEmbankment and proceed via #WestminsterBridge, #YorkRoad, #WaterlooBridge, #TheStrand, and #Whitehall, where speeches will be held."
#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal #UKProtestLaws #AntiProtestLaws #UKPol #EnglandPol #WorldPol
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Supporters rally for #ProPalestinian #protesters arrested in #PortlandME
Aysia Reed,WGME
Thu, July 10th 2025PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) -- "The #MaineCoalitionForPalestine held a rally on Thursday outside of the Cumberland County Courthouse ahead of the criminal court arraignment of pro-Palestinian protesters who were arrested in Portland in May.
"Twenty protesters, ages 22 through 87, were arrested in May for blocking Commercial Street.
"Ten of those protesters were arraigned on Thursday morning while the remaining 10 will be arraigned later this month.
"The Maine Coalition for Palestine says they were bringing attention to the #genocide in #Gaza.
"The protesters were charged with class E misdemeanors for obstructing a public way.
"One of the people taken away in handcuffs was #BobSchaible, who's in his 80s [87 to be exact].
"He says this was his first time being arrested and said he would do it all over again to inspire action to get humanitarian aid to Gaza.
" 'Congress has to take a stand. We want the Portland people, more of them, to know what is happening,' Schaible said.
"Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights Chair Abby Fuller helped organize the protest in May.
" 'We have written our congressional representatives, we've called them, we've held rallies in the streets, we've done all kinds of things -- everything we can think of. And our government has not changed its policy of support for Israel,' Fuller said.
"Fuller was also arrested and charged with obstructing a public way."
#MaineResists #FreePalestine
#BibiIsAWarCriminal #IsraeliWarCrimes
#GazaGenocide #SilencingDissent #TrafficInterference #CriminalizingProtest #MainePol #Maine #HumanRightsViolations #HumanRights
#HumanRightsAreNeverWrong -
#ProPalestinian activists rally outside #PortlandME courthouse to support fellow #protesters
Morgan Womack, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Thu, July 10, 2025Jul. 10—"A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the #CumberlandCountyCourthouse on Thursday morning ahead of a court hearing for their peers who were arrested at a protest in May.
"More than a dozen people rallied with signs and a #PalestinianFlag as 10 people — half of the group that was previously arrested — awaited their arraignments. During their hearings, they each pleaded not guilty to one count of #obstructing a public way. The rest of the group will appear in court at a later date, the protesters said.
"Jamila Levasseur, 70, of #WaldoME, was one of the 20 people arrested in Portland on May 21 after police accused them of blocking the intersection of Commercial and Pearl streets near the U.S. Custom House. She said at the time that she'd be arrested as many times as necessary to bring attention to the widespread #starvation and ongoing #Israeli airstrikes in #Gaza.
"When appearing at the stand, Levasseur told District Court Judge Jed French that she was 'protesting against #genocide in #Gaza' before entering her not-guilty plea. She referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu's recent talks with President Donald #Trump, recognizing their joint strikes on #Iran and discussing plans for a 60-day #ceasefire that would halt Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
" 'Those are the #WarCriminals,' Levasseur said. 'We're not criminals.'
"Levasseur said she couldn't have anticipated that the war would still be going on 21 months after it began. She said she's thankful that a group of attorneys stepped forward to represent the protesters for free, and that the May demonstration in the Old Port attracted a new, larger crowd of supporters.
" 'More and more people are waking up, learning what's going on, horrified, and want to do something,' Levasseur said. 'The people we were arrested with, I didn't even know them all when we were arrested. ... It's not the usual suspects. It's just more ordinary people.'
"Levasseur and #AbigailFuller, 65, of Portland, were also arrested at a February 2024 protest on Franklin Street for obstructing a public way. Their charges in those cases have since been dropped.
"Fuller, who is also a lecturer at the University of Southern Maine, said she felt supported by the group of people outside the courthouse while walking into her arraignment. She pleaded not guilty and also told the judge she was protesting genocide when she was arrested.
" 'It feels good to be starting the process,' Fuller said. 'The Maine courts system takes a really long time, often, to get through, but this is the first step.'
"Fuller said she appreciates seeing new faces at protests, especially as airstrikes and shootings in the #GazaStrip continue, killing people attempting to receive #HumanitarianAid.
" 'Unfortunately, Palestinian deaths are not on the front pages of the newspaper anymore,' Fuller said. 'So, we're trying to keep that in the public eye.' "
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-palestinian-activists-rally-outside-224800107.html
#MaineResists #FreePalestine #BibiIsAWarCriminal #IsraeliWarCrimes #GazaGenocide #SilencingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #MainePol #Maine #HumanRightsViolations #HumanRights #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong