#governments — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Soh Kam Yung @[email protected] · 2026-09-07 · 12:14 UTC

"[A]rchaeologist Gary Feinman of the Field Museum in Chicago […] own research shows that autocratic governments are not inevitable when populations grow larger — a variety of societies around the globe throughout history have done things differently."

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/society/2026/what-archaeology-reveals-about-rise-of-autocracy

#Archaeology #Societies #Governments

#archaeology #societies #governments

shonin @[email protected] · 2026-09-06 · 19:39 UTC

#Mastodon for #governments? – Digital Ramblings

https://kence.org/2023/11/25/mastodon-for-governments/

#mastodon #governments

Ashwin Dixit @[email protected] · 2026-08-19 · 10:22 UTC

Hello, fellow hackers,

I am a #whistleblower and have lost access to computing resources for the time being.

I have this code repository, almost ready. It forms the basis of a True Democracy. Basically, voters get to collectively make up the government’s budget. Government departments have to work within the budgets set by the people.

Could someone please clone, tweak, and deploy it to a public website?

This is a topical solution that will fix many issues we face today.

https://gitlab.com/purrperl/peoples-collaborative-budget

Thank you so much!

#hack #hacker #HackThePlanet #government #governments #democracy
#code #software #MutualAidRequest #perl #PerlHacker
#WebDeveloper #MAGA #democrat #republican #UsPol

#whistleblower #hack #hacker #government #governments #democracy

Ashwin Dixit @[email protected] · 2026-08-16 · 13:00 UTC

@collective_truth @RichardJMurphy @aral

Read the pinned post on my profile.

There are a few institutions that work in collusion to run people’s lives, and form the basis of the #Matrix.

1. #Schools
2. #Churches
3. #Governments
4. #Corporations
5. #Media
6. #Banks

Once I became a #whistleblower against the system, in 2023, #WellsFargo #bank would not give me my own money. They still have not.

( Details: https://whistleblower.lovestoblog.com/ )

It’s time for the biblical prophecy to come true, and the money lenders to be kicked out.

Here’s how:
https://rant.li/ashwin/visions-for-a-new-web

AlohaCoin v2 redistributes wealth, and brings about #degrowth

With full bellies, people have the courage to break free of the Matrix, and #disobey leaders. Political, religious, military, corporate leaders etc.

Little incentive for #crime, #war, #violence.

Please boost and spread the message!

#schools #churches #governments #corporations #media #banks

Wordmark @[email protected] · 2026-06-06 · 21:54 UTC

in #monopoly #capitalism = modern day #feudalism not #education or #intelligence earns most #money, no whoever owns #assets everyone else is dependant on = #exploitation = will ultimately lead to less #innovation + destruction of #mankind,, #rich vs #poor #inequality growing rapidly = #collapse of #society thank you

= no matter how #smart #people or #government are or act: will lose game to whoever prints #money and buys + owns the #assets (#bank, #centralbank)

the #solution: every Dollar or Euro or Pesos invested in your own #INDEPENDENCE from the #financesystem is well invested. #water, #food, #energy, DO IT NOW!

#taxdodgers like #apple #google #amazon + those that enable it #corrupt #governments #politicians that do nothing #jpmorgan + #centralbanks #bank #banks that do not finance #innovation #usa #china #germany #india #australia #france
#uk #luxembourg #switzerland #caymanislands #panama #gurnsey #cityoflondon will play this #game to the bitter #fascist end and beyond

#fascist #game #cityoflondon #gurnsey #panama #caymanislands

Alexandra Beekers 🏳️‍🌈🌍 @[email protected] · 2026-06-03 · 08:31 UTC

Contrary to what #neoliberals want to make us believe:
“There is no shortage of #money. The money exists. The investment need exists. What is missing is the political will to connect the two. #Governments deliberately choose not to act.”
#finance #economics #politics
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/06/03/there-is-no-shortage-of-money/

#neoliberals #money #governments #finance #economics #politics

Richard Michael Blaber @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 22:10 UTC

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/02/children-as-young-as-12-buying-and-selling-knives-and-weapons-via-the-internet. This is very concerning indeed, but locking more young people up for longer isn't the answer. Too often, #governments focus on #symptoms, & ignore the #causes of #social #problems.

#governments #symptoms #causes #social #problems

Sofia Florina @[email protected] · 2026-03-10 · 18:15 UTC

There are still quite a lot of people who think that whatever an authority, such as the government, says is accepted as true. Argumentum ad verecundiam or appeal to authority. Thankfully I'm not like that, especially since I'm knowledgeable and well educated.

#sofiaflorina #ソフィアフロリナ #authority #authorities #becritical #government #governments #thegovernment #appealtoauthority #logicalfallacy #fallacy #fallacies #itstrue #itistrue #thatstrue #thatistrue #reality #thereality #provemewrong

#sofiaflorina #ソフィアフロリナ #authority #authorities #becritical #government

Whinery @[email protected] · 2026-02-28 · 22:15 UTC

#LeaveX

Great to see that our #democratic #governments and institutions including #Germany and the #EU are still posting on the #AntiDemocratic #Farright and full of #facism platform #X about the #Iranian #regime and #IranWar.

When will our democratic governments and institutions leave X?

#Iran #merz #vonderLeyen #socialmedia

#leavex #democratic #governments #germany #eu #antidemocratic

stf @[email protected] · 2025-12-20 · 14:44 UTC

a few days ago a #dutch judge ruled #doorbell #cameras illegal if pointed at #public space. since then someone is paying a lot of #bots & #trolls in nl media to turn this into a "#privacy is going 2 far and impedes our #security". morons. it's not about the cameras themselves, but only about them pointed at public spaces. no one talks about how these doorbells are not owned by they houseowners but by #oligarchs and hostile #governments, who have city-wide networks now for tracking dissidents.

#dutch #doorbell #cameras #public #bots #trolls

General Strike Now @[email protected] · 2025-11-25 · 20:00 UTC

... General strike which is going to take place on 28-29 November 2025 under the slogan: “Say NO to the Meloni government's budget law – stand with ...

WFTU Solidarity Statement with the Strike in Italy 25 Nov 2025by central wftu The World Federation of Trade Unions, the militant voice of more that 105 million workers who live, work and struggle in 134 countries of the 5 continents, expresses its u…#wftu #solidarity #statement #strike #italy #nov #central #world #federation #trade #unions #militant #voice #million #workers #live #work #struggle #countries #continents #expresses #undivided #working #class #general #going #take #place #- #november #slogan #say #meloni #government #s #budget #law #stand #palestinian #people #stop #genocide #conscious #dignified #reaction #popular #strata #war #economy #preparations #reduce #resources #health #education #services #increase #precariousness #undermining #interests #pensioners #students #unemployed #international #class-oriented #union #movement #struggles #peace #immediate #end #wars #imperialist #intervention #affiliates #globe #fight #society #wealth #producers #will #allocated #produce #labor #toil #join #worker #just #demands #wage #permanent #stable #living #conditions #--- #dear #comrades #unione #sindacale #base #usb #salute #including #palestine #call #national #also #deeply #appreciate #long-lasting #unwavering #facing #resisting #israel #ongoing #years #settler-colonialism #apartheid #strikes #shed #bright #light #shameful #complicity #italian #corporations #enabling #illegal #occupation #palestinians #shown #power #inspired #many #across #dockworkers #called #september #october #recent #announced #well #disruptive #actions #preventing #stopping #military #cargo #ports #directed #genocidal #can #play #key #role #escalating #peacefully #disrupting #crimes #civil #large #response #meaningful #global #weekend #action #bds #welcomed #news #ceasefire #agreement #reached #however #continues #killing #starving #maiming #albeit #different #form #even #real #important #first #step #livestreamed #illegally #occupied #besieged #gaza #strip #without #massive #pressure #combined #trump-netanyahu #plan #constitutes #continuation #less #visible #us #hope #provoke #regional #outrage #boycotts #sanctions #repercussions #planned #annihilation #denial #refugees #rights #yet #won #needed #ever #begins #ending #serious #accountability #moral #legal #obligations #see #know #tide #turned #must #back #precisely #brought #wave #targeted #spain #t #rkyie #malaysia #colombia #slovenia #antigua #barbuda #governments #globally #isolated #internationally-wanted #prime #minister #recently #admitted #understood #desperate #attempt #relieve #isolation #save #-year-old #regime #settler-colonial #oppression #reasons #professional #urgently #renew #around #escalate #effort #colonial #calls #movements #put #center #adopt #highest #priority #mobilisations #express #liberation #self-determination #return #reparations #uphold #following #icj #rulings #starting #imposing #comprehensive #embargo #halting #sale #purchase #transfer #transit #parts #dual-use #items #ensuring #user #compliance #eni #halt #oil #petrol #launch #broad #intersectional #campaigns #compel #institutions #city #councils #universities #hospitals #etc #ethical #procurement #investment #policies #applicable #exclude #companies #knowingly #persistently #involved #grave #human #violations #particularly #humanity #forces #broader #economic #academic #cultural #sports #mahmoud #nawajaa #coordinator #committee #bnc #tras #el #anuncio #sindicato #syndicale #de #convocatoria #huelga #horas #para #pr #ximo #d #noviembre #frente #sindical #obrero #canarias #saluda #clase #obrera #italiana #sus #organizaciones #y #especialmente #organizaci #n #hermana #camaradas #fieles #nuestros #principios #manifestamos #todo #nuestro #apoyo #lucha #anticapitalista #apoyamos #esta #las #movilizaciones #que #dar #lugar #abrazo #fraternal #los #piquetes #autentica #vanguardia #saludo #asambleas #comit #muy #especial #juventud #trabajadora #convocada #abre #camino #toda #en #contra #presupuestos #guerra #militarizaci #econom #diferentes #pa #ses #sin #reservas #reivindicaci #inmediata #ruptura #concreci #palestina #libre #desde #rio #hasta #mar #les #deseamos #todas #suertes #fuerzas #todos #xitos #alguna #forma #sentimos #tambi #nuestra #viva #secretario #pol #tico #daniel #casal
Messaggi di solidarietà internazionale ad USB per lo sciopero generale del 28 novembre

#health #education #news #human #isolation #spain

General Strike Now @[email protected] · 2025-11-25 · 20:00 UTC

... General strike which is going to take place on 28-29 November 2025 under the slogan: “Say NO to the Meloni government's budget law – stand with ...

WFTU Solidarity Statement with the Strike in Italy 25 Nov 2025by central wftu The World Federation of Trade Unions, the militant voice of more that 105 million workers who live, work and struggle in 134 countries of the 5 continents, expresses its u…#wftu #solidarity #statement #strike #italy #nov #central #world #federation #trade #unions #militant #voice #million #workers #live #work #struggle #countries #continents #expresses #undivided #working #class #general #going #take #place #- #november #slogan #say #meloni #government #s #budget #law #stand #palestinian #people #stop #genocide #conscious #dignified #reaction #popular #strata #war #economy #preparations #reduce #resources #health #education #services #increase #precariousness #undermining #interests #pensioners #students #unemployed #international #class-oriented #union #movement #struggles #peace #immediate #end #wars #imperialist #intervention #affiliates #globe #fight #society #wealth #producers #will #allocated #produce #labor #toil #join #worker #just #demands #wage #permanent #stable #living #conditions #--- #dear #comrades #unione #sindacale #base #usb #salute #including #palestine #call #national #also #deeply #appreciate #long-lasting #unwavering #facing #resisting #israel #ongoing #years #settler-colonialism #apartheid #strikes #shed #bright #light #shameful #complicity #italian #corporations #enabling #illegal #occupation #palestinians #shown #power #inspired #many #across #dockworkers #called #september #october #recent #announced #well #disruptive #actions #preventing #stopping #military #cargo #ports #directed #genocidal #can #play #key #role #escalating #peacefully #disrupting #crimes #civil #large #response #meaningful #global #weekend #action #bds #welcomed #news #ceasefire #agreement #reached #however #continues #killing #starving #maiming #albeit #different #form #even #real #important #first #step #livestreamed #illegally #occupied #besieged #gaza #strip #without #massive #pressure #combined #trump-netanyahu #plan #constitutes #continuation #less #visible #us #hope #provoke #regional #outrage #boycotts #sanctions #repercussions #planned #annihilation #denial #refugees #rights #yet #won #needed #ever #begins #ending #serious #accountability #moral #legal #obligations #see #know #tide #turned #must #back #precisely #brought #wave #targeted #spain #t #rkyie #malaysia #colombia #slovenia #antigua #barbuda #governments #globally #isolated #internationally-wanted #prime #minister #recently #admitted #understood #desperate #attempt #relieve #isolation #save #-year-old #regime #settler-colonial #oppression #reasons #professional #urgently #renew #around #escalate #effort #colonial #calls #movements #put #center #adopt #highest #priority #mobilisations #express #liberation #self-determination #return #reparations #uphold #following #icj #rulings #starting #imposing #comprehensive #embargo #halting #sale #purchase #transfer #transit #parts #dual-use #items #ensuring #user #compliance #eni #halt #oil #petrol #launch #broad #intersectional #campaigns #compel #institutions #city #councils #universities #hospitals #etc #ethical #procurement #investment #policies #applicable #exclude #companies #knowingly #persistently #involved #grave #human #violations #particularly #humanity #forces #broader #economic #academic #cultural #sports #mahmoud #nawajaa #coordinator #committee #bnc #tras #el #anuncio #sindicato #syndicale #de #convocatoria #huelga #horas #para #pr #ximo #d #noviembre #frente #sindical #obrero #canarias #saluda #clase #obrera #italiana #sus #organizaciones #y #especialmente #organizaci #n #hermana #camaradas #fieles #nuestros #principios #manifestamos #todo #nuestro #apoyo #lucha #anticapitalista #apoyamos #esta #las #movilizaciones #que #dar #lugar #abrazo #fraternal #los #piquetes #autentica #vanguardia #saludo #asambleas #comit #muy #especial #juventud #trabajadora #convocada #abre #camino #toda #en #contra #presupuestos #guerra #militarizaci #econom #diferentes #pa #ses #sin #reservas #reivindicaci #inmediata #ruptura #concreci #palestina #libre #desde #rio #hasta #mar #les #deseamos #todas #suertes #fuerzas #todos #xitos #alguna #forma #sentimos #tambi #nuestra #viva #secretario #pol #tico #daniel #casal
Messaggi di solidarietà internazionale ad USB per lo sciopero generale del 28 novembre

#health #education #news #human #isolation #spain

General Strike Now @[email protected] · 2025-11-25 · 20:00 UTC

... General strike which is going to take place on 28-29 November 2025 under the slogan: “Say NO to the Meloni government's budget law – stand with ...

WFTU Solidarity Statement with the Strike in Italy 25 Nov 2025by central wftu The World Federation of Trade Unions, the militant voice of more that 105 million workers who live, work and struggle in 134 countries of the 5 continents, expresses its u…#wftu #solidarity #statement #strike #italy #nov #central #world #federation #trade #unions #militant #voice #million #workers #live #work #struggle #countries #continents #expresses #undivided #working #class #general #going #take #place #- #november #slogan #say #meloni #government #s #budget #law #stand #palestinian #people #stop #genocide #conscious #dignified #reaction #popular #strata #war #economy #preparations #reduce #resources #health #education #services #increase #precariousness #undermining #interests #pensioners #students #unemployed #international #class-oriented #union #movement #struggles #peace #immediate #end #wars #imperialist #intervention #affiliates #globe #fight #society #wealth #producers #will #allocated #produce #labor #toil #join #worker #just #demands #wage #permanent #stable #living #conditions #--- #dear #comrades #unione #sindacale #base #usb #salute #including #palestine #call #national #also #deeply #appreciate #long-lasting #unwavering #facing #resisting #israel #ongoing #years #settler-colonialism #apartheid #strikes #shed #bright #light #shameful #complicity #italian #corporations #enabling #illegal #occupation #palestinians #shown #power #inspired #many #across #dockworkers #called #september #october #recent #announced #well #disruptive #actions #preventing #stopping #military #cargo #ports #directed #genocidal #can #play #key #role #escalating #peacefully #disrupting #crimes #civil #large #response #meaningful #global #weekend #action #bds #welcomed #news #ceasefire #agreement #reached #however #continues #killing #starving #maiming #albeit #different #form #even #real #important #first #step #livestreamed #illegally #occupied #besieged #gaza #strip #without #massive #pressure #combined #trump-netanyahu #plan #constitutes #continuation #less #visible #us #hope #provoke #regional #outrage #boycotts #sanctions #repercussions #planned #annihilation #denial #refugees #rights #yet #won #needed #ever #begins #ending #serious #accountability #moral #legal #obligations #see #know #tide #turned #must #back #precisely #brought #wave #targeted #spain #t #rkyie #malaysia #colombia #slovenia #antigua #barbuda #governments #globally #isolated #internationally-wanted #prime #minister #recently #admitted #understood #desperate #attempt #relieve #isolation #save #-year-old #regime #settler-colonial #oppression #reasons #professional #urgently #renew #around #escalate #effort #colonial #calls #movements #put #center #adopt #highest #priority #mobilisations #express #liberation #self-determination #return #reparations #uphold #following #icj #rulings #starting #imposing #comprehensive #embargo #halting #sale #purchase #transfer #transit #parts #dual-use #items #ensuring #user #compliance #eni #halt #oil #petrol #launch #broad #intersectional #campaigns #compel #institutions #city #councils #universities #hospitals #etc #ethical #procurement #investment #policies #applicable #exclude #companies #knowingly #persistently #involved #grave #human #violations #particularly #humanity #forces #broader #economic #academic #cultural #sports #mahmoud #nawajaa #coordinator #committee #bnc #tras #el #anuncio #sindicato #syndicale #de #convocatoria #huelga #horas #para #pr #ximo #d #noviembre #frente #sindical #obrero #canarias #saluda #clase #obrera #italiana #sus #organizaciones #y #especialmente #organizaci #n #hermana #camaradas #fieles #nuestros #principios #manifestamos #todo #nuestro #apoyo #lucha #anticapitalista #apoyamos #esta #las #movilizaciones #que #dar #lugar #abrazo #fraternal #los #piquetes #autentica #vanguardia #saludo #asambleas #comit #muy #especial #juventud #trabajadora #convocada #abre #camino #toda #en #contra #presupuestos #guerra #militarizaci #econom #diferentes #pa #ses #sin #reservas #reivindicaci #inmediata #ruptura #concreci #palestina #libre #desde #rio #hasta #mar #les #deseamos #todas #suertes #fuerzas #todos #xitos #alguna #forma #sentimos #tambi #nuestra #viva #secretario #pol #tico #daniel #casal
Messaggi di solidarietà internazionale ad USB per lo sciopero generale del 28 novembre

#nuestra #tambi #sentimos #xitos #suertes #todas

Joseph Lim :mastodon: @[email protected] · 2025-10-09 · 08:25 UTC

#SriLanka battles wild jumbos to save #whiteelephant #airport
"The #PRC-funded & constructed airport, located in home constituency of fmr pres #Rajapaksa & named aft him, has failed to earn enuf since its 2013 inauguration. Te airport lies on a #migratory route for #birds.. Attempts by successive #governments to privatise te US$210mil project hv failed.. Te 1st foreign #airline to operate fr the facility was #AirArabia but it pulled out aft 6 weeks of scheduled services"🤦‍♂️
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-battles-wild-jumbos-to-save-white-elephant-airport

#srilanka #whiteelephant #airport #prc #rajapaksa #migratory

Joseph Lim :mastodon: @[email protected] · 2025-10-09 · 08:25 UTC

#SriLanka battles wild jumbos to save #whiteelephant #airport
"The #PRC-funded & constructed airport, located in home constituency of fmr pres #Rajapaksa & named aft him, has failed to earn enuf since its 2013 inauguration. Te airport lies on a #migratory route for #birds.. Attempts by successive #governments to privatise te US$210mil project hv failed.. Te 1st foreign #airline to operate fr the facility was #AirArabia but it pulled out aft 6 weeks of scheduled services"🤦‍♂️
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-battles-wild-jumbos-to-save-white-elephant-airport

#srilanka #whiteelephant #airport #prc #rajapaksa #migratory

Joseph Lim :mastodon: @[email protected] · 2025-10-09 · 08:25 UTC

#SriLanka battles wild jumbos to save #whiteelephant #airport
"The #PRC-funded & constructed airport, located in home constituency of fmr pres #Rajapaksa & named aft him, has failed to earn enuf since its 2013 inauguration. Te airport lies on a #migratory route for #birds.. Attempts by successive #governments to privatise te US$210mil project hv failed.. Te 1st foreign #airline to operate fr the facility was #AirArabia but it pulled out aft 6 weeks of scheduled services"🤦‍♂️
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-battles-wild-jumbos-to-save-white-elephant-airport

#srilanka #whiteelephant #airport #prc #rajapaksa #migratory

Joseph Lim :mastodon: @[email protected] · 2025-10-09 · 08:25 UTC

#SriLanka battles wild jumbos to save #whiteelephant #airport
"The #PRC-funded & constructed airport, located in home constituency of fmr pres #Rajapaksa & named aft him, has failed to earn enuf since its 2013 inauguration. Te airport lies on a #migratory route for #birds.. Attempts by successive #governments to privatise te US$210mil project hv failed.. Te 1st foreign #airline to operate fr the facility was #AirArabia but it pulled out aft 6 weeks of scheduled services"🤦‍♂️
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka-battles-wild-jumbos-to-save-white-elephant-airport

#airarabia #airline #governments #birds #migratory #rajapaksa

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬 @[email protected] · 2024-12-10 · 20:35 UTC

#PokémonGo Data ‘Adding Amplitude to War Is Obviously an Issue,’ #Niantic Exec Says
A Niantic executive said he could see #governments and #militaries buying Niantic #geospatial #AI trained on player data, but the company said it’s still early days.
https://www.404media.co/pokemon-go-data-adding-amplitude-to-war-is-obviously-an-issue-niantic-exec-says/

#pokemongo #niantic #governments #militaries #geospatial #ai

Mark @[email protected] · 2024-10-02 · 11:03 UTC

End the Chaos of First Past the Post

No party has won a majority of the #vote in almost a century, yet due to the voting system we have near-constant single party #governments setting the rules for everyone.

Our #parliaments never represent the views of the public

https://action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/3782/petition/

#democracy #ProportionalRepresentation #PR #FPTP #elections #FairVotes

#fairvotes #elections #fptp #pr #proportionalrepresentation #democracy

Pēteris Danijel @[email protected] · 2024-06-04 · 13:50 UTC

CW: uspol,socialmedia

@StevenSaus are #governments, serious world bodies, or even decent people still on such gross dirty & despicable cesspit!?

#elonmusk #desperation #mentaldisorders #thetrilliondollarrace #moneyslaves #twitter #x #socialmedia #internet #trappedworld

#trappedworld #internet #socialmedia #x #twitter #moneyslaves

DoomsdaysCW @[email protected] · 2023-12-25 · 17:34 UTC

#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

#lawsuits #activists #slapps #corporations #governments #atlanta