Environmentalists Against War

ACTION ALERT: Laws Banning Protests Proposed in US and Canada

February 15th, 2022 - by Color of Change & William Thomas / WilliamThomasOnline

ACTION ALERT: Anti-protest Laws
Are Being Passed across the USA

Color of Change

(February 14, 2022) — You’ve taken action to defend our right to protest before, and we’re reaching out again because our right to protest is STILL under threat. It’s time for the Department of Justice to take action!

It’s been nearly two years since millions of people around the world took to the streets in historic numbers for what became the longest, largest, and most sustained movement to stand up for Black lives.¹ Our persistent, loud, and clear voices, as well as organizing efforts were instrumental in obtaining a modicum of accountability for George Floyd.

Since then there have been over 100 anti-protest bills proposed across the country! Thirteen of those bills have been passed,² and in 2022 already, several bills have been newly introduced or re-introduced.³

Some of the anti-protest laws proposed and passed actually grant immunity to drivers who run into protesters with their cars or use force against a protester like Kyle Rittenhouse did! This is reminiscent of state-sanctioned white mob violence of the post-Reconstruction era.

But we cannot be stopped and we cannot be silenced. From the March on Washington to the Black Lives Matter movement, civil unrest and protest are essential tools for our freedom and we will fight to protect them.

Join us in demanding the Department of Justice defends our Constitutional right to protest.

these laws, often backed by organizations affiliated with police unions, are an attempt to criminalize free speech, punish those who speak up for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, and offer specific protections for counter-protesters who harm us.⁴ In fact, police unions have advocated for anti-protest bills in 14 states, and bills proposed in at least 9 states include sponsorship from current or former law enforcement officers.⁵

Here’s just a sampling of some of what we’re up against:

Several laws include provisions that would strip people of public benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and unemployment benefits, if they are convicted.⁶These laws are trying to punish people by taking away their ability to feed and house their families!
A Tennessee law would make it a felony for demonstrators to camp at the state Capitol. The result? People would lose their right to vote.⁷
In Florida, Oklahoma, and Iowa, laws grant immunity to drivers who run into protesters with their cars.⁸
A proposed bill in Indiana would ban anyone who was convicted from getting a state job or running for elected office.⁹
And laws in states like Georgia include provisions that would create civil immunity for a “volunteer” who uses or threatens to use force against a protester. This is of extra concern following the Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty verdict, which has already emboldened others to violate protestors with impunity.

The Department of Justice has the power to make an impact by condemning these laws and supporting legal and advocacy efforts to fight them.

Many of these anti-protest laws also undermine our collective struggle for Black freedom by denying bail to those arrested until their first court appearance. This ensures more of our people are in jail.

As history has shown us, where racial justice protests flourish, anti-protest laws follow.¹⁰

It’s time we break the cycle of silencing and criminalization by demanding the Department of Justice fight for our right to protest.

Trudeau Intends to Invoke “Emergencies Act”
War Measures to Crush Protests

William Thomas / WilliamThomasOnline

On February 8, the Toronto Star asked:
“Was Ottawa right in declaring a state
of emergency due to the protests?”
In response, 92% of Canadians said “NO.”

CANADA (February 14, 2022) — If invoked, this never-before-used emergency act will grant extraordinary powers to a widely despised “prime minister” who has repeatedly appeared in blackface and once made a video of himself appearing as Adolph Hitler – before garnering only 1/3 of the popular vote in the last Federal snap-election.

From Rebel News, citing the CBC:
The legislation was designed to replace the War Measures Act, which defines a national emergency as an “urgent and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it.”

The Act, if invoked after Parliamentary review, will provide Trudeau with extraordinary 30-day powers enabling him to prohibit public assembly, travel, and the use of specific property. It will also allow his panicked regime to designate “protected places” and force privately-owned tow truck companies to provide their services. Or else.

Like his Dad, inciting these special powers also allow junior to call out the army “to restore order” after the Canadian Forces refused earlier orders from Trudeau to intervene.

Interesting how Trudeau can order harsh reprisals against Canadians exercising their Charter Rights to peacefully protest. But cannot end the mandates – as Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan Alberta and many European countries are doing. If our petulant child goes full dictator, a national strike is almost certain to follow.

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