#environmentalactivists — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #environmentalactivists, aggregated by home.social.
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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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🚨 We all knew this would be coming... Don't like polluters? TOUGH SHIT! You're under arrest!!!
#FBI #Counterterrorism Agents Spent Weeks Seeking a #ClimateActivist — Then Showed Up at His Door
The visit suggests a possible FBI probe into #ExtinctionRebellionNYC as the Trump administration increases surveillance of #activist groups.
Jacqueline Sweet, February 12 2026
Excerpt: "Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, at least one of whom works on counterterrorism, went to the home of a former member of a #ClimateActivism group for questioning last week, potentially signaling a new escalation in the Trump administration’s promise to criminalize #nonprofits and #ActivistGroups as #DomesticTerrorists.
"Two FBI agents, one from New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, told a former member of Extinction Rebellion NYC they wanted to ask him about the group at his home upstate on Friday, an attorney for the group told The Intercept. The visit followed a prior attempt to reach him at his old address.
"The FBI’s apparent probe of Extinction Rebellion NYC comes as the Justice Department ramps up its surveillance of activists protesting immigration enforcement and the Trump administration creates secret lists of domestic enemies under Trump’s National Security Presidential #Memorandum7, or #NSPM7." 'I believe this to be a significant escalation of the criminal legal system against #XR and find it very troubling,' said Ron Kuby, the Extinction Rebellion attorney. 'This is usually the way we find out an actual investigation is underway and is often followed by other visits and other actions.'
"The former Extinction Rebellion member, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety, said that the visit came after a phone call in January from a special agent that he assumed was a scam.
" 'I was skeptical the phone call was really from the FBI, but after I declined to speak with the agent, she said that she was standing outside my door,' he said. She was actually at the activist’s former address, which he said made him additionally dubious. But last week, when the agents showed up at his current address, he said he saw the agent’s business card through his door."
Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2026/02/12/fbi-counterterror-extinction-rebellion/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/4Nq3X#USPol #ExtinctionRebellion #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #EPAFail #Polluters #Corporatocracy #CorporateColonialism #Oligarchy #EnvironmentalActivists #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ResistFascism #Authoritarianism #Fascism #Orwellian #ThoughtCrime #BigBrother #NineteenEightyFour #SilencingDissent #SilencingFreeSpeech #CorporationsAreTheRealTerrorists
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Why is violence against #EnvironmentalDefenders getting worse? Five things to know
Maxwell Radwin
11 Sep 2024"In January 2023, two men mysteriously disappear after speaking out against pollution from a controversial iron ore mine in Michoacán, Mexico.
"The following March, climate change protesters in Austria and Germany are beaten and pepper sprayed, and some have their homes raided by law enforcement.
"In September, a pair of youth environmental advocates are abducted by armed men and interrogated for days about their work fighting construction of a new airport in the Philippines.
"All across the world, environmental defenders continue to experience censorship, threats, physical attacks, kidnappings, disappearances and even death because of their work fighting climate change, deforestation, pollution and other environmental issues.
"Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, more than 1,500 environmental defenders have been killed for their work, according to Global Witness, a human rights and environmental NGO. The figures for 2023 look like more of the same. At least 196 people were killed last year defending the environment, up from 177 in 2022. And those figures are considered a low-end estimate."
#EnvironmentalActivists #WaterDefenders #EnvironmentalJustice #GlobalWitness #Mongabay #ReaderSupportedNews
#IACHR #ExtractiveIndustries
#Mining #Logging #LandDefenders #WaterIsLife #HumanRights
#Capitalism #Greed #Corruption
#CorporateColonialism #LatinAmerica #Phillipines #India #Indonesia #Honduras #DemocraticRepublicOfCongo #PublicOrderAct #SilencingDissent #HR9495 #CriminalizingDissent -
#RSN: The Deadly Fight for #EnvironmentalJustice in #Honduras
The assassination of #Honduran #WaterDefender #JuanLópez offers a chilling reminder of the threats local leaders face in the most dangerous region in the world for #EnvironmentalActivists.
by Giada Ferrucci / NACLA
22 October 24"On September 14, 2023, Juan Antonio López, a prominent environmental defender, anti-corruption activist, and community and faith leader in Tocoa, Honduras, was murdered. He was in his car after attending a religious event at a local Catholic church when an unidentified hitman shot him multiple times. Due to previous death threats and harassment linked to his defense of the Guapinol River, López had received precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the same measures that failed to protect fellow environmental defender Berta Cáceres from being killed in 2016.
"López’s assassination has sent shockwaves through the region, a chilling reminder of the violence and impunity that threaten environmental activists across Latin America and globally. His murder also reflects a disturbing pattern of attacks on those who dare to challenge economic and political powers in Honduras, a country that consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous in the world for environmental activists. These risks are especially pronounced in highly militarized areas like the Aguán Valley, where López lived, a resource-rich epicenter of land grabs and conflicts along the north coast. Dozens of Aguán environmental defenders have been systematically targeted, threatened, and murdered for more than a decade.
In 2023, 18 environmental defenders were killed in Honduras, the highest number per capita of any country in the world, according to Global Witness. Among the victims were three fellow Guapinol defenders: Aly Magdaleno Domínguez Ramos, Jairo Bonilla Ayala, and Oquelí Domínguez Ramos. In López’s case, authorities have arrested the alleged hitman and an accomplice.
"The Honduran state’s failure to protect López despite IACHR protective measures speaks to the broader issue of impunity and lack of political will to safeguard those who defend natural resources and human rights in the face of powerful economic interests. His murder also highlights systemic corruption, recently laid bare by scandals involving drug traffickers and high-profile political figures. In short, López’s assassination is part of a wider global crisis of relentless violence and persecution targeting activists who stand up to mining, logging, and other extractive industries."
Read more / support:
https://www.rsn.org/001/the-deadly-fight-for-environmental-justice-in-honduras.html#ReaderSupportedNews #IACHR #ExtractiveIndustries #Mining #Logging #LandDefenders #WaterIsLife #GuapinolRiver #BertaCáceres #HumanRights #AlyMagdaleno #DomínguezRamos #JairoBonillaAyala #OquelíDomínguezRamo #Capitalism #Greed #Corruption #CorporateColonialism
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The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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Wired: How to Protest Safely: What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid
If you’re planning on hitting the streets, here’s what you need to know.
by Louryn Stramp and Lauren Good
June, 2022"Reproductive rights in America have drastically changed. The US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, which opens the doors to states criminalizing abortion and blocking access to information about it. Certain legal experts note that the language used in the current draft from Justice Samuel Alito could further erode protections surrounding birth control, gay marriage, and interracial marriage, which implies additional civil rights are under threat.
"This guide to safe protesting was originally written in 2020 during the nationwide outcry over police brutality, which overwhelmingly targets Black people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade. Whether you’re marching for racial justice, reproductive rights, or climate conservation, our advice applies to most protests.
"If you're thinking about joining a protest near you, there are some crucial factors to consider: Police brutality is an abstract concept for some but a stark reality for others. Similarly, few people think about abortion access until they need it. There are ways you can contribute to police brutality causes or to abortion funds and independent clinics if you don't feel safe protesting or are otherwise unable to physically do so. You can also donate time to community groups, drop off supplies for protests, or contact local legislators.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
"That being said, protesting is a right of all Americans under the First Amendment (more on that below). Before you head out, you should know that police across the country have acted with unnecessary force, including driving vehicles through crowds, partially blinding a photojournalist, and macing children. The list goes on and on.
"If you still want to join in, we've gathered some advice, as well as a list of items you may want to bring with you. Be careful, and stay safe.
Table of Contents
- What to Bring (and Not Bring) to a Protest
- Before You Leave
- Know Your Rights
- While You're at the Protest
- What to Avoid
- What to Do If …
- After the ProtestRead more [paywall]:
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-protest-safely-gear-tips/Internet Archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230112051520/https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-protest-safely-gear-tips/#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs
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#Toolkit: #Protest #safety tips from #Greenpeace
"Protest is a powerful strategy to demand #justice. Greenpeace has been holding and supporting protests around the world for nearly 50 years. Because of this, we’ve received requests and messages asking for advice on protest tactics, digital, and physical security against #militarized #police forces. While we have compiled this from a US point of view where this Greenpeace team is based, we hope some of what is here is helpful beyond the US.
"We are continuously learning, learning from mistakes, learning from each other. The #activists that make up our Greenpeace community, also come from many protest practices and methods, including #Indigenous-led resistance to #FossilFuel #extraction, the #ImmigrantRights movement, the Movement for Black Lives, [#BLM] and others. We wanted to share some of our learnings so that you can join us in protests that demand systemic changes from fighting for #ClimateJustice to dismantling #WhiteSupremacy. We support you and are fighting with you.
"We want to acknowledge that there are many different types of protest tactics, and that this is not an exhaustive list. We also want to acknowledge that communities of color, especially Black communities and other non-Black Indigenous and communities of color, are policed differently than white communities.
"When we protest we have an opportunity to demand the world we need and to understand how the issues we face are interconnected. As we fight for environmental justice, we show up for racial justice, Indigenous rights, immigrant rights, disability rights and more. While this guide focuses on protests, even if you are not able to join us in the street you can support those who are protesting by providing supplies, donating to bail funds, providing rides, having important conversations with your coworkers, friends, families, and neighbors.
"Also, we want to remind you that we are not your lawyers. This is not legal advice, any tips contained here are only to assist you in thinking through how to engage in protest activity. We urge you to connect with your local organizing and legal community for additional support."
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/toolkits/protest-safety-tips-from-greenpeace/
#DigitalFreeSpeech #ACAB #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs
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Protecting #Activists from #AbusiveLitigation
#SLAPPs in the #GlobalSouth and How to RespondPUBLISHED: JULY 2020
"In #Thailand, an agricultural company files more than a dozen suits against at least 20 #defendants, targeting #workers, #journalists, and #activists who had spoken out against alleged #LaborAbuses at the company’s chicken farm. In #India, an association of #pesticide manufacturers brings a civil defamation suit against #journalists that had reported on the harmful #health and #environmental effects of pesticide use. In the #Philippines, a #mining company files suit against 85 defendants who had conducted a #PeacefulProtest near the company’s mining site, after the company’s own security forces used #lethal violence against the #protesters. In #SouthAfrica, an #Australian mining company files suit against environmental activists who had criticized a company mine during a lecture at a local university.
What do these suits have in common? They are all “#SLAPPs,” or “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation”: suits filed not to secure relief, but to use the risks and costs of litigation to defuse criticism and opposition and discourage the exercise of fundamental freedoms. SLAPPs have long been prevalent in the #Globa North, but SLAPPs are also being used in the Global South to silence activism.
"In Protecting Activists from Abusive Litigation: SLAPPs in the Global South and How to Respond, ICNL presents the first cross-regional survey of SLAPPs in the Global South, along with the first rigorous comparative analysis of anti-SLAPP policy responses undertaken in the Global North and the Global South. Our survey shows that SLAPPs pose a serious threat to the exercise of fundamental freedoms in the Global South, particularly for activists, civil society organizations, journalists, and community members who dare to criticize powerful entities.
"Our survey, which is far from comprehensive, has identified 82 reported SLAPPs filed in Thailand, India, the Philippines, and South Africa – the most fertile fields for Southern SLAPPs – as well as #Indonesia, #Malaysia, #Armenia, #SierraLeone, and #Honduras. Key features of SLAPPs in our sample include:
- Half of the cases in our sample (41 cases) involved criminal proceedings.
- The most frequent SLAPP targets in our sample were activists and civil society organizations (CSOs) (38 cases, or 46%); journalists and publishers (17 cases, or 21%); and leaders and members of local communities (15 cases, or 18%).
- Nearly all of the cases in our sample – 75 cases, or 91% – were brought by private companies or company officials, with 34 of these cases (41%) brought by mining companies and 28 cases (34%) brought by companies associated with agricultural operations."Where the cause of action or charge was reported, the suit was based at least in part on a defamation charge, either civil or criminal, in 66 of 75 cases (88%).
"Of the 33 suits in our sample brought as civil actions, claims in 17 cases (52%) exceeded 1 million USD, with the average claim exceeding 10 million USD."
Full article:
https://www.icnl.org/post/report/slapps-in-the-global-south-report
#HumanRights #Whistleblowing #DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas
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#SLAPPs In Europe: How The #EU Can Protect Watchdogs From #AbusiveLawsuits
In their new policy paper, #Liberties and other rights and #pressfreedom groups explain why abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) against watchdogs and journalists threaten #democracies in Europe and what governments and the EU should do tackle it.
by Linda Ravo
January 13, 2022"The European Commission is set to shortly unveil its proposal for EU-wide measures against SLAPPs. In a new policy paper published today, Liberties and other rights and press freedom groups which form the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (#CASE), explain what SLAPPs are, how big of a threat they are to watchdogs in Europe, and propose what governments and the EU should do tackle the problem.
Censorship by litigation
"Citizens are supposed to be in charge of their democracies. #Watchdogs like #journalists, #rights #defenders and #activist groups are key to enable citizens to get informed, shape their opinions, and keep an eye on people in power to make sure they do what is best for all of us.
"As we explain here, SLAPPs (an acronym which stands for 'strategic lawsuit against public participation'), are a form of abuse of law and justice that #corrupt politicians and powerful #businesses across Europe increasingly make use of to #harass, #bankrupt and intimidate #journalists, activists and other watchdogs into silence. Helped by expensive and unscrupulous law firms, they sue them on grounds of meritless and abusive claims with the purpose of shutting down acts of public participation, including public interest journalism, #PeacefulProtest or #boycotts, #advocacy, #whistleblowing, or simply speaking out against abuse of power."
https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/slapp-case-submission/43948
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas
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#Lawsuits Have Become the Weapon of Choice Against #Activists
Legal intimidation suits known as “#SLAPPs” are becoming the norm for private #corporations and #governments trying to silence those who speak out on matters of public interest.
by Katie Redford
July 17, 2023“On May 31, #Atlanta #SWAT teams with riot gear and battering rams broke down #MarlonKautz’s door. Police dragged Kautz and two colleagues to jail in their pajamas, charging them with #MoneyLaundering and charity fraud.
“Kautz, Adele MacLean, and Savannah Patterson, are volunteer board members of the #NetworkForStrongCommunities Inc., which was incorporated in 2020. Through it, they are able to raise funds for the #AtlantaSolidarityFund (#ASF). Since 2016, the fund has bailed out people arrested in #Georgia while exercising their First Amendment right to protest and helped them find legal help.
“Recently, the ASF has supported Atlanta activists who have been protesting a new $90 million police training center known as '#CopCity,' arguing that it will rob Atlanta of a #VitalGreenLung and increase inequality in surrounding neighborhoods. The state of Georgia, on the other hand, has charged dozens with 'domestic terrorism' for participating in largely peaceful protests.
“Georgia authorities claim that the money laundering charge is based on evidence of a fund transfer to another organization, but they haven’t shared any other details about their allegations. Magistrate Judge Altman, who presided over the bail hearing, described the state’s evidence as 'unimpressive,' reinforcing the defendants’ claims that the arrests are politically, not legally, motivated.
“Shortly after the arrest, Governor Brian Kemp announced that the state would go after everyone involved, and Attorney General Chris Carr tweeted that the funders of the bail and legal defense fund were next. As an executive director at a climate philanthropy who made charitable donations to the ASF for legal defense, I had to wonder: Was my door going to be battered down next?
“Some of the accused may have trespassed or destroyed property, but to charge protesters with 'domestic terrorism' and a legal defense fund with money laundering is a cynical political act that bears no relation to the misdemeanors alleged. Any American committed to democracy should be interested in making sure these charges lose in both the court of law and the court of public opinion.
“These charges seek to silence and stop opposition to an unpopular development project. They also telegraph a message to others in the state and nationwide: We will not tolerate lawful protest in Georgia. This strategy is known as strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPP), which is an intimidation lawsuit, typically used by private corporations against those who speak out on matters of public interest. Various state governments are increasingly deploying this tactic, too.
“SLAPPs don’t usually win in court, but that’s not what they’re intended to do. Instead, they set out to threaten activists and drain the financial resources of social movements. They often unfold as years-long wars of attrition, where corporations and governments with disproportionately large resources grind down the financial, emotional, and legal capacities of activists. The threat of such a suit—typically brought against individuals or groups that confront powerful people or institutions—discourages free speech and association, chilling democracy itself.
“As a lawyer on the front lines of climate justice activism, I witnessed firsthand how a SLAPP was used to weaponize the law against free speech and association. During the mass protests by Indigenous water protectors and environmentalists campaigning against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, SLAPPs were used widely.
“As #StandingRock became a global cause célèbre, the pipeline’s owners brought a $900 million #racketeering case against individuals and #NGOs like #BankTrack and #Greenpeace, alleging a vast global conspiracy to damage the company’s reputation and bottom line through fraud and #defamation.
“A federal court ultimately dismissed the lawsuit. But despite its eventual failure in court, the SLAPP tactic served its intended purpose: intimidation. #KrystalTwoBulls, one of the Standing Rock organizers that my organization represented, said that being sued tangled her up, practically and emotionally, in a legal battle that diverted her attention, taking her away from her work on the climate crisis and #Indigenous #LandRights.
“She began to #censor herself; she withdrew from her community and the movement, fearing that conspiracy allegations might extend to anyone she touched. And that, of course, is the point of these suits: to send out the message to either shut up or suffer the consequences.
“The case against #Kautz in #Atlanta similarly seeks to spark fear in activists and donors against supporting #FirstAmendment rights and legal defense. There is reason to believe that prosecutors may also be preparing #RICO charges against anti–Cop City activists, another dangerous use of the legal system to quell #grassroots movements.
“Since Standing Rock, over 20 states have passed '#CriticalInfrastructure' laws, which dramatically increase civil and criminal penalties related to protests at or near #FossilFuel projects. #DomesticTerrorism laws like that in Georgia have a similar intention: to weaponize the legal system against critics and stifle #DissentingVoices.
“I have no doubt that the majority of the domestic terrorism charges around Cop City will fail. But in the process, a political point will have been made, at the expense of the constitutional right to free speech. People protesting to protect the #environment and #climate will have been publicly accused of being harmful to America’s security, and they will have been forced to defend themselves—likely at exorbitant cost—against a 30-year jail sentence. Other potential activists will surely remember these charges when they consider whether it’s worth it to attend a concert, sit-in, or protest.
"The best strategy for stopping SLAPP suits in their tracks, whether they emanate from the private sector or are used by the state, is to keep speaking out, to support defamed activists, and to make the litigants pay a price. About 30 states have introduced legislation that protects against SLAPPs. And last year, #Jami Raskin introduced the #SLAPPProtectionAct of 2022 to #Congress. It must be reintroduced.
“My organization, #EquationCampaign, created a fund to provide lawyers and legal support for people who face this kind of legal retaliation for their environmental and climate work. I’m astonished at the wide range of people who need our help: from #farmers and ranchers to #journalists and #IndigenousActivists. All of them are on the receiving end of David vs. Goliath legal tactics that have long served powerful interests with near-endless resources.
“Absent federal protections, we all must be vigilant in the face of the egregious proliferation of #antiprotest laws and lawsuits.
“#Democracy and the future of this #planet require people to speak up. The law should serve—not silence—those of us who do."
https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/slapp-legal-intimidation-activists/
#ForestDefenders #DefendTheForest #StopCopCity #DirectAction #Fascism #RICO #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #EnvironmentalRacism #NoDAPL #DakotaAccess #StandingWithStandingRock
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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."
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas
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#Greenpeace Stands Up Against #SLAPPs And Wins
By Joe Mullin
April 26, 2023"The U.S. litigation system is meant to resolve serious disputes. Unfortunately, the high cost of litigation can be weaponized as a means of #harassment and #censorship. That’s become all too common, and the last few decades have seen the rise of what’s known as a #StrategicLawsuitAgainstPublicParticipation, or #SLAPP.
"At #EFF, as more speech of all types has moved online, we’ve seen SLAPPs proliferate over #DigitalSpeech. SLAPPs get filed against #protesters who oppose #OilPipelines, and regular people doing everyday things like sending #emails to local officials, or even posting an online review.
"Five years ago, together with Greenpeace and other environmental nonprofits, EFF helped create the #ProtectTheProtest coalition, or #PTP. It’s a group of nonprofits that supports its members and others in their fights against SLAPP lawsuits.
"One of the lawsuits that spurred the formation of PTP was #ResoluteForestryProducts v. Greenpeace. In this case, a #logging company claimed that Greenpeace’s advocacy for #CanadianForests amounted to a 'global #fraud' that should be punished under civil #RICO laws—U.S. federal laws that were originally intended to go after organized crime.
"Following a summary judgment hearing last week, the Resolute v. Greenpeace case has finally been put to rest, with a complete victory for Greenpeace. This baseless lawsuit, which lasted seven years, should never have been brought in the first place. We hope Greenpeace’s victory against #Resolute sends a strong message to corporate SLAPP plaintiffs—you won’t win, and your targets won’t stay silent."
Read more:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/greenpeace-stands-against-slapps-and-wins#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas
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Just Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for taking part in slow march
Stephen Gingell, 57, thought to be first to receive prison sentence under new Public Order Act
by Damien Gayle
Fri 15 Dec 2023"A #ClimateActivist has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful #SlowMarch protest on a London road.
"The sentence handed to Stephen Gingell, 57, is thought to be the first jailing under a new law that critics say makes anyone walking in a road liable for prosecution for 'interference with key national infrastructure'.
"#Section7 of the #PublicOrderAct2023 bans any act that prevents newspaper printing presses, power plants, #oil and #gas extraction or distribution sites, #harbours, #airports, #railways or #roads 'from being used or operated to any extent', with a potential penalty of 12 months in jail.
"Gingell, a father of three from #Manchester, was one of about 40 supporters of #JustStopOil who spent about 30 minutes marching on #HollowayRoad in north #London at about 4pm on 12 November, the climate campaign group said.
"He pleaded guilty to breach of section 7 at a hearing that same month at Wimbledon magistrates court. On Thursday, his case was transferred to Manchester magistrates court, where he was sentenced to six months.
"Just Stop Oil has been campaigning since 2022 for the UK government to stop all new fossil fuel production. The campaign’s 'guerrilla tactics' were cited by the Home Office when it introduced the Public Order Act’s tough new #AntiProtest measures to parliament.
"Police began using section 7 to tackle Just Stop Oil’s protests at the end of October, arresting 60 people taking part in a march in Parliament Square. In a campaign of slow march protests carried out by the group between then and 4 December, 470 of the group’s supporters were arrested 630 times, with about half of those arrests under the new law.
"A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a law drafted by the #FossilFuel lobby, was introduced in April by Priti Patel, and covers ‘interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure’. It seems this government has now made walking down the road, walking on the public highway an illegal act that is worthy of imprisonment.
"'How many fathers will be imprisoned before those planning to kill us are stopped? New oil and gas will see millions upon millions lose their homes, livelihoods and lives. Protected by the government, by failed politicians, by the police, those committing genocide continue to walk free, those protesting the killings are banged up. Whose side are you on?'
"The human rights organisation Liberty criticised Gingell’s sentencing. Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: “It is shocking to see such harsh sentences handed down to protesters. This is yet another unnecessary and draconian law introduced by a government that is hell-bent on discouraging people from standing up for what they believe in. It is a clear attempt to silence people and for the government to hide from all accountability.
"Protest is a fundamental right, not a gift from the state. Government should be protecting our right to protest, not criminalising it.'"
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/15/just-stop-oil-activist-is-first-to-be-jailed-under-new-uk-protest-law?share=jetpack-whatsapp#BigOilAndGas #WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent #DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest
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Crackdowns on peaceful #environmental protests should stop and give way to more social dialogue
02/06/2023
"By way of an example, in recent months peaceful environmental protesters were pepper sprayed by police in #Austria, manhandled and injured by riot police in #France, dispersed in #Georgia, and subjected to arrests and detention in #Finland, the #Netherlands, and #Serbia. Activists who blocked a street in the centre of #Munich were placed in preventive police detention for 30 days, made possible by legislation amended in 2021, and the homes of many climate protesters were searched across #Germany. In several European countries, courts have imposed prison sentences, with and without probation, as well as penalties of community service, on environmental campaigners. Environmental activists were also targeted by vexatious lawsuits – so-called #SLAPPS (strategic lawsuits against public participation), for instance recently in #Bosnia and #Herzegovina. In France, #Spain and the #UnitedKingdom, journalists and media workers were arrested, investigated and, in some cases, criminally charged in the context of environmental protests they were covering."
#Europe #WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent #DefendTheForest
#EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations
#Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch -
Prevent: Rise in #climate activists [in the #UK] referred to anti-terror scheme
Joshua Nevett - BBC News
Fri, December 22, 2023"In its Prevent report, #AmnestyInternational found some training materials listed environmental causes 'as potential forms of an ill-defined extremism that can lead to a referral'."
Full article:
https://news.yahoo.com/prevent-rise-climate-activists-referred-014912801.html#WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent
#DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists
#ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism
#EcoActivists #Censorship
#HumanRightsViolations
#Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy
#RightToProtest #SlowMarch -
LIBERTY'S PRACTICAL PROTEST GUIDE
"In the last few weeks, unprecedented numbers of people have taken to the streets all around the #UK to stand up for what they believe in. You might be one of them.
"Download #Liberty’s Practical #Protest Guide for useful protest tips like what to wear, how to stay safe and who to call if you find yourself in trouble.
"Liberty challenges injustice, defends freedom and campaigns to make sure everyone in the UK is treated fairly."
Web:
https://action.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/page/140640/petition/1?locale=en-GB#WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent #DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest #SlowMarch
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Another court challenge to #AntiProtest laws -- this one in the #UK
High court challenge to ‘constitutionally unprecedented’ UK anti-protest law
#NationalCouncilForCivilLiberties brings civil case to quash ‘back-door’ regulations making it easier for police to stop protests
By Daniel Boffey, November 29, 2023
"A new law making it easier for the police to put conditions on peaceful protests is 'constitutionally unprecedented' and unlawful, according to a claim filed at the high court in #London.
"The legal challenge from the National Council for Civil Liberties, also known as #Liberty, is seeking to have the controversial regulations quashed, given what the advocacy group describes as the #draconian consequences for fundamental rights.
"The former home secretary Suella Braverman used the government’s so-called #HenryVIII powers to lower the threshold for the police to impose restrictions on protests, allowing it where there is merely a 'more than minor' hindrance on people’s daily lives.
"The change, through a statutory instrument in the Lords, came after the chamber rejected the same change, proposed months earlier in a heavily debated and scrutinised new public order act. Peers do not by convention normally vote down statutory instruments.
"The manner in which the regulations are said to have been forced through parliament is said by lawyers acting for Liberty to 'represent a constitutionally unprecedented attempt on the part of the executive to achieve by the back door through delegated legislation what it was unable to achieve by the front'.
"There had been 'no reasonable justification' provided for using a statutory instrument to change the law, it is claimed, and there was inadequate consultation of those who would be affected.
"Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: 'We all want to live in a society where our government respect the rules, but time and again this government has done the opposite. The previous home secretary’s actions to sneak in rejected laws through the back door are a particularly egregious example of this.
“The wording of the government’s new law is so vague that anything deemed by police to cause ‘more than a minor’ disturbance could have restrictions imposed upon it. This has serious implications for everyone’s right to stand up for the things they believe in.
“These laws had been thrown out by parliament just months before the then home secretary introduced them. It’s shocking to see the government so flagrantly disregard our vital democratic checks and balances, and we’re determined not to let this stand.
“Our legal action is intended to stop this government’s flouting of the law in its tracks, and make sure that nobody – including our politicians – is above the law. It’s vital that they are not allowed to get away with it.'
"In the protest regulations brought into force on 14 June, 'more than minor' hindrances or delays are included in the definition of 'serious disruption' that is the threshold at which the police may impose conditions on a protest under the public order act 1986.
"The police are also allowed to take into account the cumulative effect of repeated protests when deciding whether the threshold had been met.
"The government has said the regulations are an attempt to deal with the activities of #JustStopOil and #ExtinctionRebellion, and that the language around 'more than minor' hindrances mirrors that in other new offences of ‘locking-on’ and ‘tunnelling’.
"The changes were nevertheless rejected by the House of Lords in February by 254 votes to 240 when they were put forward as amendments during the passage of the public order bill 2023, only for them to re-emerge in a statutory instrument.
"Regulations brought in by such means, known a Henry VIII powers in reference to the monarch’s preference for legislating directly by proclamation, are subject to minimal parliamentary scrutiny and decided on an 'all or nothing' basis without amendments.
"Between 1950 and 2017, only 0.01% of the total number of such instruments laid before parliament were rejected.
"Liberty’s legal challenge refers to supporting comments by the Lords’ secondary legislation scrutiny committee, which had been sufficiently alarmed to warn peers of 'constitutional issues' and told them it was 'not aware of any examples of this approach being taken in the past'.
"The legal challenge said it could not be right that parliament was 'treated as having provided [the] executive with a blank cheque to lower the applicable threshold by the back door and thereby sanction greater police interference with public assemblies and protests'.
"The government’s consultation is also said to have been limited to a roundtable chaired by the prime minister with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Metropolitan police service and the police and crime commissioners of the police forces whose areas include the M25 and national highways.
"A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The right to protest is a fundamental part of our democracy but we must also protect the law-abiding majority’s right to go about their daily lives.
"'That is why legislation is in place to clarify the definition of serious disruption and give police the confidence they need to clear roads quickly.
"'This legislation was voted on by both the House of Commons and House of Lords, following proper parliamentary procedure.'"
#WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent
#DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists
#ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism
#EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest #SlowMarch -
Police make 630 arrests of #climate #protesters in #London in one month
Liberty condemns ‘staggering and shocking’ statistic as #AntiProtest legislation is enacted
by Sandra Laville and Damien Gayle, December 4, 2023
"Police have made at least 630 arrests of peaceful protesters campaigning against new #OilAndGas production in the past month, as the authorities exploit new powers under the government’s anti-protest legislation.
"The mass arrests of more than 470 people – some individuals were arrested more than once – was condemned by #CivilRights group #Liberty as 'staggering and shocking'.
"The protests involve slow marching along roads and are a form of peaceful civil resistance analogous to the 'freedom' rides in the US in 1961, when individuals protested against segregated public transport, says #JustStopOil.
"Evidence gathered by the Guardian over the last four weeks reveals some people have been held in police custody for long periods after arrest.
"A 23-year-old was arrested within five minutes of joining a demonstration on 13 November, and held for 56 hours in custody before being presented to court, according to his testimony to the Guardian.
"A 19-year-old student was held for three nights in a London prison despite being given bail by a magistrates court. The student is considering a case of false imprisonment.
"The protests over the past four weeks coincided with the British government confirming in the king’s speech its plans to grant new #NorthSea oil and gas licences every year.
"Police are using new powers to make the #MassArrests under section 7 of the Conservative government’s Public Order Act 2023, which bans any action that 'interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure'.
"According to data gathered by Just Stop Oil and not disputed by the Metropolitan police, almost half of the arrests were carried out under #Section7. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to 12 months.
"The 19-year-old student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was held in a London prison for four nights after his arrest under section 7. After the first night in prison, he appeared by video link for a court appearance. He was bailed by the court, and should have been released. The student was held for a further three nights in a prison cell, according to testimony given to the Guardian.
"'I consider that I was illegally imprisoned over the three nights of that weekend and will be taking a case of wrongful imprisonment,' the student said.
"Another 19-year-old student who was arrested and also cannot be named for legal reasons, was held for 50 hours in a London police cell, from a Monday morning to Wednesday at 1pm.
"She was charged under section 7 of the act after 24 hours in custody, but held for another day-and-a-half in custody before being taken to court.
"'I remember asking for my medication, and I didn’t get it,' she said. 'I asked multiple times. One of the officers said: ‘Why didn’t you have it with you?’ I said: ‘I didn’t expect to be held for 50 hours in a cell.’ And the officer said: ‘What, after what you have done?’
"'Like I was a murderer or something, they just wanted me to feel bad.'
"Jun Pang, a policy and campaigns officer for Liberty, said: 'We all have the right to make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us. The staggering number of people arrested in recent weeks, many under this new legislation, shows just how sweeping and dangerous these powers are. It’s shocking to see hundreds of young protesters criminalised simply for standing up for what they believe in.'
"Scotland Yard said 630 arrests had been made of Just Stop Oil protesters since 30 October, and 328 people went on to be charged. The rest have been released on police bail.
"JSO data shows at least 276 people have been charged: at least 125 were charged with blocking key national infrastructure under section 7 and 125 with the lesser offence of wilful obstruction of the highway."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/04/police-arrest-climate-protesters-london
#SlowMarch #SlowMarches #BigOilAndGas #UK
#CriminalizingDissent #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations