New laws that effectively criminalize dissent reflect the disgust of the right to politically active citizens.
Police detained participants of the rally who wear shirts with the slogan “Stop Armed Israel” during the pro -Polesie demonstration in Washington, Colombia District, November 19, 2024.
(Cela Gunes / Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Trump administration did not succumb to the court, reduced law firms and arrested the judges. In the second term, Trump we observe the most vulgar expressions of the long and multidisciplinary right -wing vessels. Thanks to this visible confrontation, the White House seems to eradicate any similarity of independence that the public can still attribute the judicial system and the legal profession.
The main commentators sounded correctly. The Ministry of Justice said the extensive executive authorities in a number of spheres, perhaps, most cool on law enforcement agencies, and lawyers calling and courts that view these authoritarian maneuvers play a vital role in Trump’s power check. When the government’s lawyers call legal powers in wartime to stretch the president’s powers to disappear for their nationality or Palestinians, elite legal institutions make an important line of defense.
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But historically, law firms and federal courts were not consistent and not fundamental in deterrent. Protest, public resonance and organized resistance – unlike courts and lawyers – more durable front lines in the fight against authoritarianism. For these reasons, we should not ignore an additional, long -standing campaign against the activity of public movement. Just as the right has grown its efforts to a business trip and remodel the state, it consolidates the profit in its offensive to suppress any opposition.
In recent decades of left -wing agitation, from Ferguson to standing rock to student camps, state houses and congress have changed criminal laws to give the police more power to stifle protests, arrest participants and fix them.
In Congress Introduced Senator Tim Shikha with Montana legislation To make it a federal crime “deliberately and intentionally” “violate work or construction or preventing work or construction” gas pipelines “. Another account It requires any person convicted of illegal activity on campus to perform any service appointed in Gaza. These federal bills mimic local efforts.
Although these laws are usually suitable, the goals of the legislators are clear: they want to scare anti -war and environmental activists. These laws have several key aspects: they criminalize disguise, fined student activity and expand the statutes of riots and terrorism. These laws are intended for prosecutors that hen This is for the police: they squeeze public life until there is a place to breathe.
“Riots”
The essence of charging is a group of people who cause public violations. The riot laws return to Britain of the 18th century, and they assisted the London police department in the world-echoing from political competitors who destroyed each other’s churches and property. Since then, city police officers have used these laws to suppress public protest, claiming often they are cruel and disturbing.
Riot laws, such as Rico Conspiracy and Laws, are focused on collective crime. That is, there are tougher punishments reserved for riot allegations, as the law views collective actions in public as more threatening than individual actions taken privately. Police and district lawyers often use human associations and closeness to establish their guilt, allowing law enforcement agencies to arrest, stop protest and interfere with such actions.
Over the past four years, the state has sought to expand the riot laws. In Missouri, the legislature examines the possibility of doing this crime Gather with more than six people And then break the law. As a group closely monitoring these events, the International Center for Non -Profit Legislation (iCNL) interpret“The participants of seven people committing a” peace violation “, blocking the pavement in a misconduct will face criminal charges.” In Wisconsin, Proposed law Maybe it refers to any assembly of three people, which is said to be a “clear and current danger” of property. The same law would consider a blog recording that called on readers to bring themselves to the tree as a testimony to the incitement of the riots as well as the crime. Finally, the Wisconsin law creates the right to sue all those who provide material support for people who were convicted of riots – deputy citizens to attack the public movement, such as sponsors and financial sponsors.
Organizers and groups of civil liberties Dumped riot laws in Florida and South Dakota with varying degrees of success. In Florida, Defenders of dreams He sued a new law. The group occupied the Florida Capitol within 31 days to demand that the legislation abolish its ground law after the jury was justified by George Zimmerman for the murder of Trevon Martin. Florida Supreme Court supported the Law post -jorge fogdHaving found that he contained enough guarantees to prevent unknown random people on the protests who had swept. The State Court felt that the law would be properly distinguished by violent and non -violent participants of the action and thus comply with the “historical understanding of the riots as a crime of violence”. But the doctrinal guarantees noted by the court –Masculine bad Or the requirement for the state to prove that a person intends to pursue “violent and petty hooliganism” with others – justified only in court, not when the police are arrested. Complex subtleties of written rules can do good problems with school exams, but they do not hold back the police.
On the other front of the state passed rigid anti -terrorist bills. In Western Virginia, ICNL offers that the proposed law can recover terrorism allegations against anyone who has never damaged the property and has not hurt anyone: “Someone who is peacefully involved in a non -violent but debate protest, if several people are harming property, may face” terrorism. ” Threatening a person. Figure those convicted of terrorism From the state, after the threat of accusation.
Dirty radicals
Even if these bills are never used, they reflect something ominous and difficult to regulate: aversion to politically active citizens. These laws dehumanize the left, be it activists of Palestine’s solidarity, endeavored or environmental organizers. West Virginia’s law reflects its authors who eliminate the goals. The accusation of the 61st Atlanta activists under Georgia Rika, where the Attorney General’s Attorney General deliberately appealed to the ideological opposition of militarization with a criminal plot, confirms the Ambareen of the right to dismantle progressive social movement. These laws are trying to intimidate people who are engaged in even minimally devastating political activities such as seat, demonstrations of the highway, throwing red cans in the offices of weapons and protest more widely. And they give police departments even more powers to arrest the participants of the rally.
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The legislators of the right -wing talks between the police, private property and public space. Laws are trying to normalize the extremely aggressive protection of property at the expense of expressive activity, pushing the limits outside the already repressive status -kvo. Several different constituencies united to support these bills.
After the standing rock Protests against Dakota Access pipeline in 2017, Fossil fuel industry Extended accounts for critical infrastructure, which have taken in more than a dozen states to criminalize the destruction of property, which are considered to be critical infrastructure, such as pipelines and construction equipment. In response to broad protests against the genocide of Israel, the heritage fund has launched a Palestine solidarity campaign from the progressive agenda, equating the cause of terrorism. Project Conservative Fund Esther outlines ways of punishment Palestinian activists who are criticized for using the “advantage of our open society”, in particular, a bill on rights. Meanwhile, police unions supported these bills as they give them more force to violently stop civil disorders. At the federal and state level there is an appetite to pursue groups engaged in direct actions and civil disobedience, and to Eliminate any of the legal restraint What regulates the police when they do it.
For progressives, especially in the Red States, this new climate must force us to consider other tactics and, in some circumstances, even exclude street protests. We need to be ready to create legal defense funds to protect the persecution. We need to offer a selection menu for public demonstrations: events for families on playgrounds, state education, which are held at some times, and the dates of protests that may provide civil disobedience – and all this is coordinated to create public pressure. This requires a strong ethics of mutual respect in different social movements that can have different theories of changes and risk calculations, but share the overall goal. This type of calibration is important for maintaining solidarity. Finally, we need to constantly talk about repression within the conservative legal strategy to destroy its opposition, not as honest efforts to ensure security. Speaking straight, the camps are not tough – the president is.
Chaos and the cruelty of the Trump administration reach new lows each week.
Trump’s catastrophic “Liberation Day” was inflicted by the world economy and created another constitutional crisis at home. Civilian officers continue to abduct the university students from the streets. The so-called “opponents” fly abroad in a mega-tour against the ruling of the courts. And SignalGate promises to become the first of many incompetence scandals that expose violent violence at the heart of the American Empire.
At the time when elite universities, powerful law firms and influential media capitulate Trump intimidation, Nation more determined than if -no one earlier to contain a powerful account.
Only in the last month, we have published a report on how Trump raises his program of his mass deportation to other countries, exposed the administration’s appeal to the lawsuits to comply with his repressive agenda, and strengthened the votes of brave activists aimed at universities.
We also continue to tell the stories of those who retreat against Trump and Musk, whether on the streets in the growth of protest movements, in the town halls across the country or in critical state elections – for example, a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race – which gives a model of confrontation and prove that Musk cannot acquire our democracy.
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