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#ACAB
#RepublicOfGeorgia: New legislation directly threatens people's right to #protest and #FreeExpression
In a troubling shift toward #authoritarian governance, Georgia’s ruling party has enacted legislative reforms that drastically restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and proposed changes to restrict #media, public participation.
February 10, 2025
"The key changes obstructing people’s right to protest include:
- Expanded organisers' liability;
- Restrictions on spontaneous protests;
- Limitations on protests in enclosed spaces: Protests in closed spaces or buildings now require written consent from the property owner, significantly restricting #student and #workplace #demonstrations. This provision appears to be a direct response to recent protests on #UniversityCampuses;
- Expanded penalties for protest-related offenses: Petty #hooliganism fines have risen from GEL 500-1,000 to GEL 500-2,000 (from maximum approximately 350-700 EUR) , with imprisonment now up to 20 days instead of 15. Verbal insults towards #PoliceOfficers now carry fines of GEL 2,000 5,000 (approx. 700-1750 EUR) or up to 60 days’ imprisonment. Repeat offenses can result in a GEL 3,500-6,000 ( 1200–2100 EUR) fine and extended jail terms. Additionally, individuals accused of "disrupting public order" face severe criminal penalties, including up to 3 years in prison;
- New restrictions on symbolic protest actions: Covering one's face, possessing a laser or light-emitting device, or wearing clothing resembling police or military uniforms during assemblies are now punishable by fines of GEL 2,000 ( 700 EUR) or imprisonment up to 7 days. Such measures are expected to disproportionately impact younger protesters and student-led movements;
- #Broadened law enforcement powers: The Ministry of Internal Affairs now holds increased authority over protest regulation, including the power to block protests that allegedly threaten public order or constitutional stability. Authorities can now use '#EmergencyMeasures' to disperse gatherings, including mass #arrests and prolonged #detentions;
- Increased state control over protest logistics: Protesters are now required to ensure that demonstrations do not obstruct transportation routes. Organisers must take action within 15 minutes of a warning to remove roadblocks or temporary structures, failing which they will face criminal liability;
- Participation in protests previously dispersed by law enforcement is now classified as an offense, subjecting #demonstrators to legal consequences.
"Given that the median salary in Georgia in 2023 was GEL 1,238 (approximately 400 EUR), these fines represent a disproportionate financial burden on protesters, effectively discouraging civic engagement and public demonstrations."
#RightToProtest #AntiProtestLaws
#GeorgianLaws #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #HumanRights #RepublicOfGeorgia #GeorgianDream #FaceMasks #AntiMaskLaws #ProtestSponsors #ACAB #ExpandedPolicePowers #PoliceState #Authoritarianism #Fascism
#GeorgiaUSA - the same state that brought #CopCity!
#SandySprings passes restrictions on #protests, #canvassing and engaging with others without permission
Hayden Sumlin, April 4th, 2025
Excerpt:
"Police Chief DeSimone said the personal encroachment ordinance would assist public safety in Sandy Springs. He cited a case recently where two individuals silently walked across the City Green during the Oct. 10, 2023 'Stand in Solidarity with #Israel' vigil wearing 'Arab headdresses with two #Palestinian flags that walked into the crowd.'
" 'My guys had to grab them pretty quick and get them out of there; this ordinance will help us do that because they walked through there for only one reason, to intimidate,' DeSimone said.
"Councilwoman Reichel asked DeSimone if that meant his department, 'would arrest someone just for walking through a group of people?'
" 'Yes,' the police chief answered. 'If they were walking with a Nazi flag, under this ordinance we would arrest them. Palestinian flag, we would arrest them. Because they are doing it for only one reason and that is to intimidate the Jewish community.' [But it's okay for #ElonMusk and others in #Trump's circle to use Nazi salute? HYPOCRITES!]
"Councilwomen Reichel and Kelley pushed back on his comments about the ordinance and Palestinian people.
"At one point DeSimone asked Reichel, who is #Jewish, if she would consider it harassment for someone to walk by her with a Palestinian flag at a pro-Jewish event.
" 'I don’t think that would be harassing me. I mean, if they came up to me and started getting in my face or started pushing me, or started to physically touch me, that is harassing, yes,' she said. 'But I do believe in the #FirstAmendment and I believe in freedom of speech.' "
#Protesters rally for the fourth week against #Hungary’s law banning #LGBTQ #Pride events
The legislation, which prohibits events depicting homosexuality to those under age 18, has drawn comparisons to #Russia’s #AntiLGBTQ policies.
By The Associated Press
April 9, 2025, 1:58 PM EDT
BUDAPEST, Hungary — "Thousands of protesters rallied for the fourth week in Hungary’s capital on Tuesday, denouncing a new law passed by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s nationalist government banning LGBTQ Pride events.
"The legislation, fast-tracked through parliament in March, prohibits events depicting #homosexuality to those under the age of 18 and has drawn comparisons to Russia’s anti-LGBTQ policies. It comes as Orbán’s administration is increasingly accused of democratic backsliding ahead of national elections next year.
"The weekly protests in #Budapest have persisted, and on Tuesday, demonstrators filled the #ErzsébetBridge over the #Danube, demanding the withdrawal of the law. Some planned to remain on the bridge throughout the night and said there were plans to shut down all five central Danube bridges.
No violence was immediately reported.
"The law makes it an offense to hold or attend events such as Pride, which some legal experts and human rights groups say is #Orbán’s latest crackdown on Hungary’s #LGBTQ community and an arbitrary restriction on the #RightToAssembly."
#AntiLGBTLaws #RightToProtest #AntiProtestLaws #PrideParades
#HungarianLaws #ACAB #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingProtest #HumanRights
#SilencingDissent: The #Crackdown on #PeacefulProtest in #Europe
In our recently published Rule of Law report, Liberties’ members reported an increase in restrictions on the right to peaceful protest in all countries.
by Flore du Teilleul
April 10, 2025
Excerpt:
"The right to peaceful protest is essential to our democracies, allowing people to come together with a unified voice to support or oppose key issues. It serves as a powerful mechanism for individuals to hold their governments to account and is often the last resort when prior messages go unheard. However, politicians often perceive this right as a threat, especially when force of numbers demonstrates support for an issue.
"In our recently published Rule of Law report, Liberties’ members reported an increase in restrictions on the right to peaceful protest in all countries - from bans on individual protests to the disproportionate use of force by the police and legislative changes. A widespread trend emerged of restricted #ProPalestine protests and #EnvironmentalDefenders receiving particularly harsh penalties.
Bans on Protests
"Restrictions on various protest movements justified on public safety grounds were documented in many member states. In #Germany, the Berlin Assembly Authorities implemented a temporary blanket ban targeting pro-Palestine demonstrations. Initially, the ban targeted celebrations of the mass murder and pro-Hamas demonstrations but later extended to all pro-Palestinian protests. Similarly, in #Latvia, an unregistered #FreePalestine movement protest was banned after an assessment by the state security service that the event would, among other risks, harm the country’s international interests.
"The Estonian police banned a protest in support of #Palestinians, which was later declared unlawful by the administrative court. In #Hungary, Prime Minister #ViktorOrbán publicly prejudiced support for Palestinians by linking it with terrorism, equating solidarity with civilians victims to threats to the public order. As the fifteen attempts to organise protests were successively banned, the government and the Prime Minister re-asserted their power by deciding what can be demonstrated for, namely, topics in line with their political interests. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian government has repeatedly declared and extended the state of danger, allowing for the adoption of emergency decrees restricting, among other rights, the freedom to assemble. Both the Hungarian Supreme Court and Constitutional Court upheld the protest bans on the basis of public safety and security, legalising the practice of police-authorised restrictions in times of conflict.
"Further restrictions, including bans on #slogans and #signs during #demonstrations, sought to criminalise protesters. Several individuals were arrested or fined for displaying signs or slogans related to Palestine. In #Belgium, activists faced administrative sanctions for carrying a #PalestinianFlag or the #keffiyeh. Similarly, in the #Netherlands, attendees of an #ExtinctionRebellion demonstration were prohibited from mentioning the conflict in the Middle East. The enforcement of restrictions went as far as arrests, as Croatian activists were charged with misdemeanor after projecting a message in support of Palestine on a building across from the Israeli Embassy in Zagreb.
"In Hungary, a demonstrator faced criminal charges after wearing a gas mask and removing it after being asked by the police. In a worrying trend of criminalising protest activities, several activists were arrested and charged with sedition before an Extinction Rebellion demonstration in the Netherlands.
Disproportionate use of force by the police
"The criminalisation of environmental and pro-Palestine protesters was worsened by the violent repression of the police through excessive use of force. This was particularly notable in Sweden, where student encampments in support of Palestinians were forcibly displaced and participants were charged with criminal offenses. #PainGrips, water guns and #WaterCannons were used against environmental activists, pro-Palestinian and anti-immigration demonstrators in Germany, the #Netherlands and #Ireland.
"Environmental activists faced similar fates, The NGO ‘#FranceNatureEnvironnement’ reported concerns to the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders following the violent repression of protesters during a demonstration against the A69 highway. In #Sweden, a woman was dismissed from her job at the Swedish Energy Agency for participating in an environmental demonstration and a growing number of #EcoActivists were fined for participating in peaceful protests."
Read more:
https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/rule-of-law-2025-protests/45384
From 2023: Explainer: What are your rights to #protest in #Australia?
by Amal Naser
"Which states have criminalised protest and what forms of protest are criminalised?
"#HumanRights organisations have been increasingly critical towards some Australian states over new legislation which seemingly targets #EnvironmentalProtests in the midst of a global #Climatecrisis.
"There are dozens of protest regulations across many states, with five (#NSW, #Queensland, #SouthAustralia, #Tasmania and #Victoria) introducing forms of #AntiProtest regulation most recently. South Australia's new laws, passed just last month, increase maximum fines from $750 to $50,000 along with potential jail time, and were prompted by disruption of an #OilAndGas conference by protestors in early May.
"In the aftermath of protests which sought to block port operations and shut down economic action to draw attention to demands for climate action, the NSW Parliament passed legislation which could see protestors face up to a $22,000 fine and/or prison for a maximum of two years. The legislation targets individuals who block major roads and new tunnels and/or disrupt #port operations in major ports such as #Newcastle and #PortBotany.
"In 2022, Tasmania passed anti-protest laws by way of the Police Offences Amendment (Workplace Protection) Bill 2022 under the guise of protecting Tasmanian workers. Under these laws, any protestor who obstructs a workplace during protests could face up to 12 months in prison, the Human Rights Law Centre reported:
" '…community member protesting the destruction of #OldGrowthForests on a forestry site could face a penalty of over $13,000 or 2 years in prison; and An organisation supporting members of the community to protest could be fined over $45,000.'
"Similar laws were also passed in Victoria. #AntiLogging protestors who 'hinder, obstruct or interfere with timber-harvesting operations' can face up to 12 months in prison and/or a $21,000 fine. PVC and metal pipes which are often used in protest activities are now prohibited in working sites, with additional powers provided to police to search suspect individuals who are 'reasonably suspicious'.
"In 2019, on public safety grounds, Queensland passed legislation which bans locking devices as modes of civil disobedience. These are tactics used to make it difficult for police to remove protestors and are often used by protestors to lock themselves to property and #pipelines to prevent construction of environmentally-harmful projects. Protestors face up to two years in prison and/or a $6,000 fine. It was rationalised on the basis of activists lacing devices with 'butane canisters' and other devices which were harmful for law enforcement. However, there is no evidence of the use of these devices."
Read more:
https://www.humanrights.unsw.edu.au/research/commentary/explainer-what-are-your-rights-to-protest-australia
#PipelineProtestors #BigOilAndGas #BigLogging #ACAB #RightToProtest #SilencingDissent #ProtectTheForests #AustraliaAntiProtestLaws #RisingTide
#Australia: Proposed #AntiProtest Laws: Reviewing #Victoria's New Legislation
by lawyer Galbally Parker | Jan 14, 2025
"The proposed anti- protest laws include:
- Banning the flags and symbols of listed terrorist organisations in public, to give Victoria Police more powers and fill in any gaps in Commonwealth anti-Terror legislation. Listed terrorist organisations include #Hamas, Hezbollah and several other groups, including white nationalist and racist violent extremist (NRVE) right-wing groups.
- Banning the use of #FaceMasks at protests, which are being used to conceal identities and shield agitators from crowd-control measures like #capsicum spray. A mask ban in public demonstrations will focus on prohibiting the wearing of face coverings at protests and providing police with the power to require their removal. Exemptions would apply for legitimate health, religious or cultural reasons.
- Banning the use of glue, rope, chains, locks and other dangerous attachment devices that protestors use to cause maximum disruption and endanger others
- Introducing prohibited zones for protest (i.e., where places of worship are situated)
The proposed anti-protest laws, if legislated, will give police extensive enforcement powers."
Read more:
https://galballyparker.com.au/proposed-anti-protest-laws-a-review-of-victorias-new-legislation/
Der bayerische Verfassungsschutzbericht 2024 braucht von #ACAB zu Ulrike Meinhof gerade mal zwei Zeilen
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #WestVirginia - part 1
HB 5091: Heightened penalties for #protesters near #pipelines and other infrastructure
Increases the penalties and broaden offenses that could cover nonviolent protesters near pipelines and other infrastructure. The law amends West Virginia’s 2020 critical infrastructure law to remove the limitation that the law’s offenses could only occur on critical infrastructure property “if completely enclosed by a fence or other physical barrier that is obviously designed to exclude intruders, or if clearly marked with a sign or signs that.. indicate that entry is forbidden.” As a result, many more infrastructure sites are covered by the 2020 law’s trespass and tampering offenses, which carry significant penalties. The law also makes convictions for second and subsequent offenses of either the trespassing or tampering offenses a felony punishable by at least 2 and up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000-$15,000. The law increases the fine for a person who “vandalizes, defaces, or tampers with” equipment in a critical infrastructure facility that causes damage of more than $2,500, from $1,000-$5,000 to $3,000-$10,000. (As introduced, the bill made second convictions punishable by a minimum of 5 years and a fine of $100,000-$250,000, and increased the fine for tampering or vandalizing from $1,000-$5,000 to $25,000-$100,000.)
Full text of bill:
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=5091&year=2024&sessiontype=RS
Status: enacted
Introduced 25 Jan 2024; Approved by House 6 February 2024; Approved by Senate 4 March 2024; Signed by Governor Justice 26 March 2024
Issue(s): Infrastructure, Trespass
HB 4615: New penalties for protests near gas and oil pipelines
Heightens potential penalties for protests near oil and gas pipelines and other infrastructure. Under the law, knowingly trespassing on property containing a critical infrastructure facility is punishable by a year in jail and a $500 fine. Criminal trespass on critical infrastructure property with intent to "vandalize, deface, tamper with equipment, or impede or inhibit operations" of the facility is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $1,000 fine. Actually vandalizing, defacing, or tampering with the facility--regardless of actual damage--is a felony punishable by 5 years in prison and a $2,000 fine. An individual convicted of any of the offenses, and any entity that "compensates, provides consideration to or remunerates" a person for committing the offenses, is also civilly liable for any damage sustained. An organization or person found to have "conspired" to commit any of the offenses--regardless of whether they were committed--is subject to a criminal fine. The law newly defines "critical infrastructure facility" under West Virginia law to include a range of oil, gas, electric, water, telecommunications, and railroad facilities that are fenced off or posted with signs indicating that entry is prohibited.
Full text of bill:
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4615&year=2020&sessiontype=RS
Status: enacted
Introduced 30 Jan 2020; Approved by House 13 February 2020; Approved by Senate 7 March 2020; Signed by Governor Justice 25 March 2020
Issue(s): Civil Liability, Protest Supporters or Funders, Infrastructure, Trespass
HB 4618: Eliminating #PoliceLiability for deaths while dispersing #riots and unlawful assemblies
Reaffirms West Virginia's problematic law on rioting, and adds the West Virginia Capitol Police to those authorities who cannot be held liable for the deaths and wounding of individuals in the course of dispersing riots and unlawful assemblies. Under prior West Virginia law, the State Police, sheriffs, and mayors had authority to use means such as curfews and warrantless searches to disperse riots and unlawful assemblies; the law reaffirms and extends this authority to the Capitol Police. According to the law, if a bystander is asked to assist in the dispersal and fails to do so, he or she "shall be deemed a rioter." The law also adds Capitol Police to existing provisions eliminating liability if anyone present, "as spectator or otherwise, be killed or wounded," while the authorities used "any means" to disperse riots or unlawful assemblies or arrest those involved. The law was passed during a statewide strike by #WestVirginiaTeachers, thousands of whom protested in February 2018 at the #StateCapitol.
Full text of bill:
https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=4618&year=2018&sessiontype=RS
Status: enacted
Introduced 13 Feb 2018; Approved by House 22 February 2018; Approved by Senate 8 March 2018; Signed by Governor Justice 10 March 2018
Issue(s): Police Response, Riot
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests #TeachersStrike #ACAB
Completed 2023
Word Play Letters / Improv Sawtooth Stars
60" x 66.5”
#Quilt #Quilting #ACAB #InarticulateQuilter
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #Ohio
SB 53: New civil cause of action against #protesters and supporters
Would make protesters, #organizers, and funders civilly liable for damage and injury even if they did not personally cause it. Under the bill, someone whose property is damaged or who is injured as the result of a “riot” or “vandalism” offense could sue anyone who engaged in the offense. They could also sue “any person or organization who provided material support or resources with the intent that the material support or resources would be used to perpetuate” the offense. A civil suit under the bill could proceed regardless of whether the defendant was charged or convicted of committing “riot” or “vandalism,” and damages would include repairing the property or injury, as well as providing compensation for emotional distress, court costs, attorney’s fees, and “other reasonable expenses.” Ohio’s definition of “riot” requires only five people engaged in “disorderly conduct” with an unlawful purpose – to commit a misdemeanor, to impede a government function, or “hinder” the “orderly process” of administration or instruction at an educational institution. “Disorderly conduct” is likewise broadly defined as “recklessly caus[ing] inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another,” through means including “making unreasonable noise” or “hindering” movement of people on streets. As such, if the bill were enacted, participants in noisy or disruptive but nonviolent protests, as well as people and organizations that support them, could face expensive #lawsuits. The bill also bars government officials from limiting #LawEnforcement's authority to quell a "riot" or "#vandalism," or to arrest or detain individuals involved in either offense. The same bill was introduced as SB 267 in the 2023-2024 session.
Full text of bill:
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb53/documents
Status: pending
Introduced 28 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): Civil Liability, Protest Supporters or Funders, Police Response, Riot
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #RememberKentState #ACAB #RiotPolice
Grab ‘em: shop.blastbeatphemy.com
#pdxstickers #portlandstickers #blastbeatphemy #pdxslaps #pdx #pnw #portland #stickerslap #stickers #stickerbomb #eggshellstickers #stickerart #stickerdesign #digitalart #streetart #art #design #slaps #acab #antimusic #noise #antifascist
@The_Caretaker Or they will get antsy and gun you down. Especially if one is non-white. #ACAB
I'm sure my leadin hammering Trump will get some attention, but the military budget is already $880 billion!
The hard reality is that you don't get to 88% of a trillion dollar military budget without Democrats being a part of the problem!
DNC, RNC? Its all the same when it comes to military funding.
Both love funding genocide and wasting money on decades long strategic blunders.
But many in the community had feared for the boy’s safety for a long time.
For years before the man’s disappearance, his teachers, classmates, neighbors & his elementary school principal all believed he was suffering silently. They repeatedly called the Waterbury #Police & the #Connecticut Dept of #Children & Families [#DCF] to intercede for a child they said was so hungry that he ate from the trash & stole his classmates’ food.
Caught on camera: Unidentified men raid #Memphis home, scaring family
“The woman told FOX13 she wondered if the men were Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. She said her husband is an immigrant, but she is not with him anymore.”
https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/caught-on-camera-unidentified-men-raid-memphis-home-scaring-family/article_c487ba73-0d5b-4634-afa8-75cad168d491.html
#terrorists #acab #ice #gestapo
This doggo doesn’t go as hard as I was hoping, but this is pretty great. Even their dogs know they are bastards!
WATCH: K-9 Attacks Cop Who Brutally Slammed Black Man To Ground
Spartacus 