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Twenty Lessons on Fighting Tyranny from the Twentieth Century
Timothy Snyder

1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

2. Defend institutions. It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. So choose an institution you care about and take its side.

3. Beware the one-party state. The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections.

4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

5. Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges. Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor.

6. Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching around with torches and pictures of a Leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

7. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no.

8. Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

9. Be kind to our language. Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.

10. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

11. Investigate. Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you. Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad). Take responsibility for what you communicate to others.

12. Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.

13. Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

14. Establish a private life. Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the Internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble.

15. Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay.

16. Learn from peers in other countries. Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends abroad. The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.

17. Listen for dangerous words. Be alert to the use of the words extremism and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.

18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. Do not fall for it.

19. Be a patriot. Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come.

20. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.

#Democracy #USA #Tyranny #Canada #EU #Protest #Resist

https://scholars.org/contribution/twenty-lessons-fighting-tyranny-twentieth

@Snowshadow

#NWT Con candidate refused interview with @CBCNorth now backs out of @cabinradio debate. #Poilievre's #authoritarian party is silencing voices during the campaign. Imagine what kind of #Canada he would run. https://cabinradio.ca/230175/news/politics/cabin-radio-election-debate-set-for-april-10-conservative-backs-out/

#cdnpoli #cdnElxn #Election2025 #NeverVoteConservative #media #democracy

We are facing #Fascism because these #Billionaire #Oligarchs, all of them #TaxCheats, want to end freedom and #democracy. Don’t let them.
https://theplotagainstamerica.com/

"...if this is the end of #democracy, it’s been ending for a long time. And not just at Trump’s hands.

The central truth we keep missing — especially on the left — is that Trump is not an aberration. He’s a grotesque continuation. The playbook he uses was written by both parties over decades of eroding democratic norms, consolidating executive power, and circumventing meaningful checks on authority..."

#Trump’s Rule by Fiat a Bipartisan Legacy

https://consortiumnews.com/2025/03/28/trumps-rule-by-fiat-a-bipartisan-legacy/ #duopoly #goodcopbadcop

#codepink #freerumeysaozturk #usa #ice #immigration #tufts #democracy #discrimination #ramadan #muslim

Trump Orders States to Open Voter Files to Musk. Exec Order Will Cost 21 Million Their Vote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH2HJJtRck0

#voterRolls #10thAmendmendViolation #EO #Trump #Musk #Unconstatutional #VoterRollPurge #Democracy #Project25 #VotingRights

Been trying to anticipate wheather the next German coalition government [ #CDU #CSU #SPD ] will take the #fascist #Trump path, uphold #Democracy or do something in between.

And, trust me, it's a tough question. Can't share my dozens of links here but I found one (from Canada) who gives outsiders a pretty good oversight.

What speaks for the fascist path is the deep contempt of the CDU/ CSU for the #RuleOfLaw.

On the other hand, they respect parliamentary tradition.

https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/weidel-and-the-white-house-won-the-federal-elections-in-germany

🤔

only valid version of history. The regime isn’t just attacking facts — it’s going after the institutions that preserve them.

#Propaganda #Democracy #Totalitarianism

2/2

Democracy Now!:
"Kidnapped": 1,000+ Protest After Masked ICE Agents Abduct Tufts Ph.D. Student Rumeysa Ozturk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgFeYhaZPW0

#News #Politics #Democracy #Democrats #Trump #ElonMusk

#press #news #presse #aktuell #recht #politik #politics #germany #democracy #pressfreedom #ifg

" CDU &CSU wollen unter Verhandlungsvorsitz Amthors das Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG) abschaffen. Dieses garantiert Bürger*innen den Anspruch auf Zugang zu amtlichen Informationen & ist zentral für #Demokratie & #Pressefreiheit in #Deutschland . Es ist eines der wenigen Gesetze, die Regierungsverantwortliche in die Rechenschaft vor uns zwingen & sie kontrollierbar machen"

https://www.nd-aktuell.de/artikel/1190120.informationsfreiheitsgesetz-ausgerechnet-amthor-will-ans-transparenzgesetz.html

https://www.europesays.com/?p=1948822 Israel in crisis: The political, military issues ravaging the nation – Israel News #BenjaminNetanyahu #Conflicts #democracy #GazaHostages #Israel #IsraelHamasWar #NetanyahuTrial #Qatargate #RonenBar #ShinBet

The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement: Thursday: Protestors ask for the return of "detained" Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, a protest against #austerity in #Chicago, scenes from #Turkey, and more.

#TheContrarian #protest #RumeysaOzturk #Tesla #trump #democracy #oligarchy
https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-contrarian-covers-the-citizens

Robert McChesney, a #media scholar, #author, and co-founder of media advocacy #nonprofit #FreePress, died from cancer at 72

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/robert-mcchesney-obituary/

#journalism #journalist #democracy #academia #activism #obituary #RIP

Michael Savage : #BBC reporter arrested and deported from #Turkey after covering protests: Mark Lowen considered ‘threat to public order’ after reports on nationwide anti-government demonstrations

#Journalism #erdogan #protests #democracy #autocracy
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/27/bbc-reporter-mark-lowen-arrested-and-deported-from-turkey-after-covering-protests

For USAians, Saturday, April 5 is a day of action and mass mobilization.

This is challenging in a large country, where few live near the seat of power. It comes down to local planning and organization.

For most, you should be able to find a local demonstration where you can be with others and make yourselves heard.

https://handsoff2025.com/

#uspol #democracy #handsoff #April5

👏 Thank God for federal judges! Judge Howell rips the DOJ for attempting to get her thrown off a case challenging Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Cole.

“This strategy is designed to impugn the integrity of the federal judicial system & blame any loss on the decision-maker rather than fallacies in the substantive legal arguments presented”—Judge Howell.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/26/politics/beryl-howell-perkins-coie-trump/index.html #press #democracy

With some intrinsic flaws in dictators you can do whatever you want with the same outcome: unreasonable aggression and even self-harm. [sic #trump & #putin ]

There wasn't nor isn't anything that will prevent their aggression against democratic institutions since they view them as threat to their power.

#Politics #PoliticOfAggression #Democracy #Autocracy #MalignantNarcissism #Sociopaths #Gluttony #Greed #Oligarchy #Kleptocracy #Oppression #megalomania

As EU-US relations change Europe must stand firm for the DSA

The DSA is imperfect, it cannot fix everything. But the DSA is a shield to defend European democracy.

Jakob Ohme, LK Seiling and I argue this in Tech Policy Press ⬇️

#DSA #regulation #dataaccess #platforms #democracy

https://www.techpolicy.press/will-europe-sacrifice-the-digital-services-act-in-negotiations-with-trump/

“Don’t believe your eyes.” – Turkish state TV

Imagine the people who work there; imagine your whole sorry existence being the peddling of lies.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/26/its-disinformation-turkish-state-tv-avoids-any-coverage-of-mass-street-protests

#turkey #türkiye #erdoğan #insanHakları #demokrasi #humanRights #democracy #sansür #censorship

Nobody home this morning at the United States Institute of Peace web site.

Sabotage masquerading as patriotism.

Exhibit #12,273,493

#uspol #usip #democracy #authoritarianism

We cannot rely on the US to protect or nurture the commons. Think of the US as a giant shopping mall with guns. That’s it. That’s the whole philosophy right there.

We want to safeguard the infrastructure of civilisation, we have to do it ourselves here in the EU before it’s too late. And we can start by acknowledging our own failures and redoubling our commitment to fundamental rights and democracy (and not limit our own potential by having every single decision framed by the fucking “Single Market”).

You want to end up like the US? Then let’s keep going as we are. You want something different? We must invest in the commons, embrace our diversity, embrace equity, and move to an inclusive, post-capitalist existence.

It’s up to us. The bacteria in places we haven’t even visited yet that will survive long after we’ve made ourselves extinct – should that be the route we decide to take (because yes, it is a decision) – don’t really give two shits either way.

#EU #US #capitalism #fascism #humanity #humanRights #democracy #commons

I am somewhat horrified that this came from my country https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4960823 the authors of this genocide incitement need to consult a dictionary for the meaning of "combatant" and maybe read what international law actually says because the majority of this list are CIVILIANS https://download.ssrn.com/2024/11/8/4960823.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjELP%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQDlPnDTjbNb%2BUOwn4B4VabVjRV0UiYmEmZxWAunNCiPSAIhALh1uo6A2EX1rrFB0D4ldUpF0I1GFbZjrE1BOkRHGcm1Kr0FCBwQBBoMMzA4NDc1MzAxMjU3Igz8xhHeS%2FJn%2FbfchAMqmgVwlR2pkewHZaNDWgz2pabLL45sHtoy%2BRK7trlAIzlB3rSUzrEKbmvJB7PeeAnCs%2FE2Eqc8dhHSplwm8Uuxs5tC%2Byb6XigliZaBfvjvCGCRtN7K%2Fuz1Ey5LYGRodQOk984VYqbd1YVV0Xpqs0G%2FMm%2Fte3WKl91DAhg%2FS6G%2F75Gp%2BD0MwmSPE78W8oTSQgzKXiw0WdekZeqimbj%2FOy4goqFai0DDr6OMvRDA8Jp0MD8Wpr7xPo%2FLrSsQNdbdVKX0LfoA6GAowojf62Bqi6EsIq0n7v%2B9ksffCb6KrrHYzr8D36fzfdsJ4fHcW9d17Cr2sccbsjrv0f79VBdOuN0%2FDnOGHbkVjaYL6LD%2BKq%2FPTCjeRFqCKVhmmMnKBjzlDF%2F%2FIonFOf0G7dh5lcJ0JPqJ%2FpXRxq3jJEpQ0csfwEn6FSfV%2B2lr1N7wJC8SI5YhOS9NNDiOkeqG3zWd%2BTCtspYLT7vOB02fTNVgfGNsy4C4P0dkBtZR8N8sX%2FcgeBrTcSyWc0LtA421EgvzTZK4omhjhhQIHlSb2JkzNXzf4TAaogHZ%2FsI4Hy9APLO50tMyl9ZZkB3gsfhnkVZH%2BHEOAO4bL1SD7rp12yVhUO98zsTo6VYijHfvlc32jceAlMC4t4t0RhxL%2FzXRQqcSYNcZGO6xG7YI3ZE6pZj6Y0jCU6M0WtG4Ximxgq8jxsYH5o0XkJ%2BfRk003eMQ6Wb2GcTNZlDK9Hc8tw40YjnzeQtndx7Jyk%2BPEYwS1Au520ZP62GEYdw6Tzp9m6XUBYjeVayI9pZikzla%2BwAcHk7EWij87x4gzy609bgHg0ala8hn2Dk%2BTIB7RcWI%2FCRvVCQ%2B9Zt44%2FXdo5mTLe3kWKV0qsjXHSu0sifh%2Be2LI32HVpdTxQMwhPmLvwY6sAHOGdCtA97e%2BCMf5YGMLzDT3aXfiI4jU56APsCCjcJZhZplc3%2BZX2iogRg9ovw3NlbzCIyqjFZAtXplR%2BpK8A86VeAlvKbUZjHwSfXJWIKdfHijnuNOL2W2OKvXSH0kYYLTNh4tatcL7h6ONpUxMpcW0rpJZApkhQHEDTN%2Bpptc7mPzFgEEmO27pMxcrRdttB8oO%2BdtXBTlx1YWVHbEPOytJHHOdMTB%2Ftd4L2x%2F3l4ZCg%3D%3D&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20250325T194554Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUPUUPRWE5XLQ3GRX%2F20250325%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=6a06bf173b6649196d734bf645e325b8ae0271ce29b9985a3be3c6a6f7c1beb2&abstractId=4960823

particular highlights are Jamila al-Shanti, a 68 year old woman who was part of the political wing, and Ishmael Haniyeh who was negotiating hostage exchanges and ceasefires.

But even better "head of #UNWRA union" WTF!?

I don't know what Israel think they're doing, but nothing about "destroy Hamas" would be accepted if #Hamas did it to #Likud or #OtzmaYehudit

You can't claim to be pro #democracy and also think it's ok to #assassinate an entire political party!!

But maybe the "only democracy in the middle east" is more interested in "only" than "democracy"

Es ist unfassbar wie sich dieses Land, mit dieser Geschichte gerade entwickelt.

#Faschismus
#fckAfD
#Deutschland
#Politik
#democracy

You might be seeing images coming out of Turkey with huge protests against Erdoğan.

But who is Erdoğan?

Why, he’s our dear friend in the EU who we pay billions of euros to so he keeps the Brown people away from our shores, of course.

Hey @EUCommission, wanna wave to your BFF? Go on, don’t be shy!

👋

#Erdogan #Erdoğan #Turkey #Türkiye #fascism #faşizm #democracy #demokrasi #EU #refugees #EuropeanValues #Imamoglu #İmamoğlu

#Trump vuole costringere le persone che richiedono la #GreenCard o la cittadinanza ad un controllo dei loro account social per "identificare gli immigrati negli #USA che hanno “atteggiamenti ostili” nei confronti del governo."

"Questa politica avrebbe un impatto devastante sui richiedenti musulmani e arabi che cercano la cittadinanza statunitense e che hanno espresso sostegno per i diritti umani dei palestinesi".

#24marzo #democracy #Gaza #GazaGenocide

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/23/trump-immigrants-social-media-citizenship-green-card/

The Imperative of Solidarity in Response to Assaults on #Legal Services, #Universities, & Independent #Media

“If #journalists, #lawyers, & #academics are going to be able to play the role that they need to perform as bulwarks of #democracy & the rule of #law, they & their employers must begin to think & act in collective terms.“

https://www.justsecurity.org/109439/collective-law-firms-universities-media/

Turkey arrests AFP photographer as Erdoğan’s crackdown builds https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-afp-photographer-journalist-arrest-recep-tayyip-erdogan-crackdown-opposition-ekrem-imamoglu-istanbul/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication #Turkishpolitics #Corruption #Democracy #Elections #Politics #Courts #Mayors #Media

You think Melania is gonna convince him to resign?

You think his own cabinet is gonna 25th amendment him?

The only legal way to remove him is thru impeachment.

Anyone *not* demanding immediate impeachment for every single illegal act by the Fascist Regime is enabling lawless MAGA dictatorship.

#impeach #impeachment #NoKings #RaiseTheBar #PrimaryThemAll #DemandMore #uspol #USPolitics #journalism #media #socialmedia #MakeThemFight #Hardball #DoSomething #Jeffires #Schumer #Democracy #VichyDems

Protests in Turkey. Today's cartoon by Kamal Sharaf. More cartoons: https://www.cartoonmovement.com/search?query=&sort=created&order=desc

#Turkey #protests #Erdogan #democracy

In case you haven't noticed, or paid attention, or maybe been in a #TrumpVirus / #GQP #media induced coma....

>> The Trump administration is descending into authoritarianism

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/mar/22/trump-administration-authoritarianism

> From media to culture and the arts to the refusal to abide by court orders, we’re nearing ‘Defcon 1 for our democracy’, experts

#fascism #DOGE #Muskville #GQP #oligarchy #plutocracy #Project2025 #coup - Full-tilt war on #truth - #democracy - #respect for #law

"A Statement by Members of the Teachers College, #Columbia #University Faculty

The Attack on American #Education, ..

The intention of the Trump administration is clear. By gutting important systems of education, they can shape our thoughts and words, creating a new generation without the skills required to actively participate in our #democracy ...

We call on university leaders, on our #campus and beyond, to use all of the tools at their disposal, including collective efforts across the sector and litigation, to stand for academic #freedom, and for First Amendment rights of #freespeech, inquiry, and debate, and thus to stand for our democracy."

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZH3DuqmAZ17oMTztUtBRKzjJ36rtnhoCRK_DIjdLGoo/preview?tab=t.0#

At #TeslaTakedown in SF today, trying to be an ally, not an enemy, to our best friends and neighbors. I never would have imagined I would need this sign.

#Canada #Greenland #peace #freedom #democracy #self-determination

“ I am profoundly saddened and alarmed by @Columbia University and @PaulWeissLLP law firm's capitulation to the increasingly dictatorial Trump administration.

I cannot judge, because I do not have many of the relevant facts, the wisdom or necessity of the steps taken.

But this kind of bending of the knee by major institutions, if continued, threatens American democracy.

There is strength in numbers, and I hope across American universities and American institutions more

#press #democracy

Voting in capitalist democracies is like hitting the 'close door' button in an elevator. It doesn’t actually do anything, but it gives you a fleeting sense of control while the system takes you where it wants.

#democracy #comedy #politics

A sobering message from a history teacher:

“I’ve spent years teaching American and international government — from strong democracies like the UK to authoritarian regimes like russia and China.
But lately, the most alarming lesson comes from home.

2/ One thing I always tell my students:
#democracy doesn’t collapse overnight.
There’s no moment where a leader says, “I’m a dictator now.”
The fall is gradual. Legal. Publicly tolerated. And often cheered on by millions.

3/ Take Russia. #press

In order to save the Democratic Party, and by extension the U.S. of A, and the Western Alliance we have to unlearn all the dysfunctional lessons Nancy Pelosi taught us. Impeachment does NOT benefit the accused. Impeachment should NOT be avoided at all costs.

#RaiseTheBar #PrimaryThemAll #DemandMore #uspol #USPolitics #journalism #media #socialmedia #MakeThemFight #Hardball #impeach #impeachment #DoSomething #NoKings #NoDo #Pelosi #NancyPelosi #Democracy #VichyDems

I’ve been really struggling lately. The #immigration abuses, the attacks on and capitulation of #Media , law firms and institutions of higher learning, the dismantling of social safety nets, public #Education environmental protections, alliances etc. The #billionaires ‘ power grabs (even more pronounced now than usual) The clear intent to dismantle #Democracy …

… #america is a huge country but it’s beginning to feel claustrophobic.
#columbiauniversity #paulweiss #Trump