So, this article outlines what the nominee for director of #HomelandSecurity has planned for #SilencingDissent in the US...

From 2019: South Dakota Governor #KristiNoem Caves on Attempted Efforts to Silence #PipelineProtesters

ACLU, October 24, 2019

"South Dakota’s governor and attorney general today backed down from their unconstitutional attempts to silence pipeline protestors. In response to a lawsuit we filed alongside the ACLU of South Dakota and the Robins Kaplan law firm, the state has agreed to never enforce the unconstitutional provisions of several state laws that threatened activists who encourage or organize protests, particularly protests of the #KeystoneXL [#KXL] pipeline, with fines and criminal penalties of up to 25 years in prison.

"The settlement agreement reached today and now headed to the court for approval is an important victory for the right to protest. It comes soon after a federal court temporarily blocked enforcement of the pieces of the laws that infringed on First Amendment protected speech, and makes the court’s temporary block a permanent one.

"The laws include the #RiotBoostingAct, which gave the state the authority to sue individuals and #organizations for 'riot boosting,' a novel and confusing term. The court warned against the laws’ broad reach, noting that the laws could have prohibited:

- Sending a supporting email or a letter to the editor in support of a protest
- Giving a cup of coffee or thumbs up or $10 to protesters
- Holding up a sign in protest on a street corner
- Asking someone to protest

"Under the First Amendment, that is impermissible.

"The court rightly recognized the stakes of this case. And it put these #AntiProtest efforts in perspective, asking 'if these riot boosting statutes were applied to the protests that took place in Birmingham, Alabama, what might be the result?' The answer: 'Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference could have been liable under an identical riot boosting law[.]'

"Indeed, South Dakota’s unconstitutional anti-protest efforts echoed the suppression of past social movements. From the start, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem called on 'shut[ting] down' 'out-of-state people' who come into South Dakota to 'slow and stop construction' of the pipeline. Her harmful calls were reminiscent of government attempts throughout our history to delegitimize and minimize significant #SocialMovements as the work of 'outside agitators,' including Reverend #MartinLutherKingJr.

"South Dakota’s quick and costly retreat (they’ll have to compensate plaintiffs for attorney’s fees under the settlement agreement) should serve as a lesson for other legislatures considering similar efforts to silence dissent.

"In the last few years, we have witnessed a legislative trend of states seeking to criminalize protest, deter political participation, and curtail freedom of association. These bills appear to be a direct reaction from politicians and corporations to some of the most effective tactics of those speaking out today, including water protectors challenging pipeline construction, Black Lives Matter, and those calling for boycotts of Israel. These legislative moves are aimed at suppressing dissent and undercutting marginalized and over-policed groups voicing concerns that disrupt current power dynamics.

"But the First Amendment guarantees people the right to voice their opposition. This includes our clients — four organizations (the #SierraClub, #NDNCollective, #DakotaRuralAction, and the #IndigenousEnvironmentalNetwork - #IEN) and two individuals (#NickTilsen with NDN Collective and #DallasGoldtooth with Indigenous Environmental Network) — all of whom are protesting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and encouraging others to do the same.

"Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline may be imminent. Pre-construction activities resumed this month, and a hearing on the new Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the pipeline, which will serve as the basis for approval of any future permits, is coming up next Monday.

"With the laws we challenged proclaimed unenforceable, protesters and protectors no longer have to worry about incarceration or fines as they protest against the construction. That is, at a minimum, how democracy should work."

https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/south-dakota-governor-caves-on-attempted-efforts-to-silence-pipeline-protesters

#WaterProtectors #CriminalizingDissent #BigOilAndGas #CorporateColonialism #Fascism #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivists #StandWithStandingRock #FirstAmendment

So yeah. We're up against #ErikPrince and his forces now. You know, the folks who weaponize #cropdusters, espouse #killerdrones, and want to spy on everyone! YIKES!
#BigBrother is #BigOilAndGas and #Oligarchy
#ErikPrinceColonialism #CorporateColonialism #CorporateFascism!

OpEd: Why #MAGA Loves #Russia and Hates #Ukraine

Feb. 8, 2024
By David French

"In 2021, The American Conservative’s Rod Dreher praised a #Putin speech condemning the West and said that Putin and #Hungary’s #ViktorOrban were 'completely clear and completely correct on the society-destroying nature of #wokeness and postliberal leftism.' (It should be noted that Dreher has nonetheless unequivocally condemned Putin’s invasion.) A 2022 exchange between Steve Bannon and #ErikPrince, the founder of private military contractor #Blackwater, was even more illustrative. Bannon hosted Prince on his podcast shortly after Putin’s invasion and proclaimed Putin 'anti-woke.' Prince replied supportively that the people of Russia 'still know which bathroom to use.' And Bannon kept the thought alive, asking, 'How many genders are there in Russia?'"

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/opinion/why-maga-loves-russia-and-hates-ukraine.html

#Transphobia #ChristoFascism #ErikPrinceColonialism #CorporateColonialism #Fascism #TigerSwan #NoDAPL #HumanRights #EnvironmentalJustice #LGBTQ

I listened to a very informative YouTube video today (and looked up some stuff). Oh boy...! A LOT to unpack. We all have some decisions to make soon. Life or death stuff (unless the courts or congress does the right thing). After what I've heard and read today, I am convinced that #Trump is a #Putin asset, as is #TulsiGabbard and #ErikPrince. And their goal is to suppress the #Resistance. And it seems that #BillClinton, #BarackObama and #JoeBiden did NOTHING to prevent what Trump is attempting to do, even though they could have... (And don't get me started as to why they didn't codify #RoeVsWade or #EqualRights or a number of other things when they had the chance...) Anyhow, I'll try to remember to use #USPol, but I might forget. But yeah... Wow... Where to even begin... (Maybe I'll start with the YouTube video)
#Fascism #AuthoritarianRule #Oligarchy #CorporateColonialism #VeryBad!

[Thread] Unfortunately, South Dakota #HB1258 was defeated [which would have put more restrictions on #LithiumMining]... And I knew Burgum would betray #NativeAmericans (even though he promised not to).

‘Unleashing American Energy’: Mining and Drilling Accelerated Under Trump Administration

By Angelica (Angie) Solloa • February 12, 2025

"You may have heard that #DebHaaland (Laguna Pueblo) transitioned out of her role as the US Secretary of the Department of Interior and announced her candidacy for Governor New Mexico. Her successor, former North Dakota Governor #DougBurgum, is steadfast in carrying out Trump’s Executive Order 14154 '#UnleashingAmericanEnergy' which aims to accelerate #mining and drilling on federal and #TribalLands.

"On February 3rd, Doug Burgum released this document which outlines all the revoked projects and programs intended to protect land and the people; giving a pathway for #MiningCompanies to hit the ground running across Turtle Island.

"In the #BlackHills, the #SacredLands of the #Lakota Peoples’, mining and drilling companies aren’t hesitating to cash out. Currently, South Dakota House Bill 1258 is under consideration by the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, where it will come to a vote this Thursday, February 13th. Community members and citizens of the area were given just six days’ notice.

WHAT IS HB 1258?

"The passage of South Dakota House Bill 1258 would hold lithium mining to the same standards and laws as silver and gold. Under the current law, lithium mining is treated like mining for sand and gravel, and there are not enough protections for human #health, #food systems, #water, #wildlife, and the #land.

"HB 1258 would offer more accountability and appropriate processes for mining companies that would better protect the land, the people, and the economy of the #Ȟesápa. #NDNCollective, alongside partner the #BlackHillsCleanWaterAlliance, collaborated to spread the word as fast as possible, calling on relatives to swiftly take action ahead of Thursday, February 13th."

Read more:
https://ndncollective.org/unleashing-american-energy-mining-and-drilling-accelerated-under-trump-administration/
#ProtectTheBlackHills #ProtectTheSacred #DefendTheSacred #NoMiningWithoutConsent #EnvironmentalRacism #DrillBabyDrill #WaterIsLife #LandIsLife #LeaveItInTheGround #CorporateColonialism #USPol #NoLithiumMining #DefendMotherEarth

Boo hiss...! #Israel’s #Netanyahu signals he’s moving ahead with #Trump’s idea to transfer #Palestinians from #Gaza

By MATTHEW LEE and NATALIE MELZER
Updated 5:05 PM EST, February 16, 2025

JERUSALEM (AP) — "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday signaled that he was moving ahead with U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, calling it 'the only viable plan to enable a different future' for the region." [BULLSHIT!!!]

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-02-15-2025-1cf8b3cb7622489c368c610f85e51e35?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#BibiIsAWarCriminal #Colonialism #FreePalestine #ForcedRelocation #Genocide #CorporateColonialism

My guess is that #BuuNygren found an investor in Herr Trump! "Oh, you'll invest in our casino-resort? We won't oppose uranium transport and whatever else you want to do."

From October, 2024: "#NavajoNation President #BuuNygren signed a business site lease agreement that now enables the Navajo-owned Horseshoe Bend Holdings, LLC, to seek investors to build a world-class resort on more than 421 acres overlooking Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon and the Colorado River 9.5 miles downstream of Lake Powell."

https://opvp.navajo-nsn.gov/navajo-president-buu-nygren-approves-lease-for-700-million-horseshoe-bend-development-called-model-for-navajo-tourism/
#CorporateColonialism #Corporatism #Colonialism

#Tribes, #environmentalists gather forces against Amazon’s #Northwest #nuclear plan

Amazon’s push for small modular nuclear reactors [#SMR] is just the latest development in decades long fight over #NuclearEnergy

By Antonio Sierra (OPB)
Jan. 7, 2025

"Chuck Johnson was 25 years old when he helped bring Oregon’s nuclear energy industry to a sudden halt.

"Fresh out of college, Johnson helped lead signature gathering and field organizing to pass Ballot Measure 7, which banned all new nuclear power plants in the state until the U.S. had a federally licensed permanent disposal facility. When Oregon’s only nuclear energy facility was closed in 1992, the measure effectively ensured that nothing would take its place unless major changes happened.

"For decades those changes seemed unlikely, but a new push by the power-hungry tech industry has reignited interest in nuclear energy in the region.

"Amazon announced in October that it is partnering with Energy Northwest to develop and build nuclear reactors in southeast #WashingtonState that would power its #DataCenters in #Umatilla and #Morrow counties. Amazon would work with its partners to develop and roll out a novel technology – small modular nuclear reactors – without brushing up against the limits of Measure 7 because the reactors would be north of the #ColumbiaRiver.

"For Amazon, SMRs would allow the tech and e-commerce giant to harness the immense, low-carbon [sic] power potential of nuclear energy while staying true to its climate goals, and avoiding the safety and environmental concerns that have plagued traditional reactors. More than 40 years after passing Measure 7, Johnson isn’t convinced.

"'If you can’t get rid of the waste produced by these plants, it’s irresponsible for us to – for the sake of some electricity right now – leave this legacy to future generations,' he said.

"Johnson is a part of a group of environmentalists, academics and American Indian tribes who are gathering force against a nuclear energy revival in the Northwest.

"Nuclear energy opponents argue that SMRs are simply a new coat of paint on the industry’s old problems. Like traditional reactors, they say that SMRs aren’t economically feasible and risk exposing people to #NuclearRadiation in a region still recovering from its World War II legacy."

Read more:
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/07/tribes-environmentalist-amazon-northwest-smr-nuclear-reactor-energy/
#NoNukesForAI #NoNukesForBezos #AmazonCorporation #NoNukesForTechBros #NoNukes #NativeAmericanActivism #AntinuclearActivism #NoNukesForBigTech #BigTech #AWS #Downwinders #CorporateColonialism

[Thread] From Chapter 8 of #KleeBenally's book, #NoSpiritualSurrender - #IndgenousAnarchy, #InDefenseOfTheSacred:

The AIM Song of Anguish

"Though my family was skeptical of, and kept AIM at a distance, I grew up singing the AIM song. I've sung it at actions throughout the world, my grandma Roberta would always want to sing it, her barely audible voice at the drum belying her fierce power, I've sung it with both #RussellMeans (confronting the racist #ColumbusDay parade in Denver) and with #DennisBanks (too many times to recall) and faceless and nameless warriors on many frontlines. Though its provenance is not known, the story I recall that it was spiritual gift to rally AIM warrior during the liberation of #WoundedKnee.

"In analyzing #IndigenousPower and #DirectAction, it's vital to examine the context of strategies, tactics, and State repression that comprises the ongoing legality of #IndigenousResistance, particularly with the historically vital force of the American Indian Movement (AIM).

"Though there are many examples, #LeonardPeltier's false imprisonment for the alleged murder of two #FBI agents in 1975 and the clouded assassination of #AnnaMaePictouAquash are important markers.

"Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash, a strong #Mikmaq warrior with AIM, was found murderd in 1974 in Wanblee on the #PineRidge reservation in 'South Dakota'. Pictou-Aquash is also a symbol of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women [#MMIW], Girls, Trans, and #TwoSpirit movement today.

"Accusations of her murder first pointed to the FBI and later, as AIM members revealed how paranoia of infiltrators had gripped the leadership intensely, rumors surfaced that AIM had her killed. This was a time when bad-jacking (making someone look like a snitch or informant even though they aren't) tactics by feds as part of #COINTELPRO was proving to be an effective tactic against revelutionary groups."

Pages 179-180, #KleeBenally, #NoSpiritualSurrender

#IndigenousAnarchy
#Ecosystem
#DefendTheSacred
#CorporateColonialism #FreeLeonardPeltier #AnnaMaePictouAquash #AnnaMaeAquash #ACAB

[Thread] Random excerpts from #KleeBenally 's book, #NoSpiritualSurrender

The Enemy of #MotherEarth

"From Mother Earth to our bodies, in a #capitalist system everything that can be reduced to a commodity will be. As long as it can be sold, bought, or otherwise exploited, nothing is sacred. So long as the lands (and by extension our bodies) are viewed this way we will have conflict, as #capitalism is the enemy of Mother Earth and all that we hold to be #sacred.

"In its base definition, capitalism is an economic and political system based on an unregulated or 'free' market, private property, competition, and limited government intervention. But the definition obscures the reality that capitalism is based upon extreme social #exploitation and dispossession, #EcologicalDestruction, #hyperindividualism and #materialism, and its history is rooted in #WhiteSupremacy, #cishetereopatriarchy, #genocide, and #slavery.

"To be anti-capitalist is not enough, anti-capitalist propositions rooted in #industrialism and #extractivism are just as invested in #ecocidal (therefore anti-Indigenous) economies. Killing the Earth is killing Indigenous existence, #Colonizers must religiously convince themselves and others that the world is already dead to justify their ongoing violence against the Earth and existence. In the face of global ecological ruin, some attempt to further convince themselves that killing the Earth just a little bit less is an appropriate response."

Pages 136-137

#IndigenousAnarchy #Ecosystem #DefendTheSacred #CorporateColonialism

#Ghana hollows out #forests and green protections to advance #mining interests

Malavika Vyawahare
28 Aug 2024
via @mongabay

Key points:

- The Ghanaian government has significantly ramped up the approval of mining permits under legislation passed in late 2022, intensifying concerns about runaway environmental damage.

- The country is already the top #gold producer in #Africa, but much of the mining is done in #forest reserves and other #biodiverse #ecosystems.

- The government has long cracked down on artisanal illegal #GoldMiners, but activists say the real damage is being wrought by #industrial operations, both legal and illegal.

- A debt default in 2022 has seen #Ghana lean even more heavily on its gold to mitigate the crisis, prompting warnings that such a policy is neither #economically nor #environmentally #sustainable.

Read more: https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/ghana-hollows-out-forests-and-green-protections-to-advance-mining-interests/

#ApampramaReserve #HeritageImperial #WaterIsLife #SaveTheForests #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #C&GAleska #GoldMining #GSBA #LithiumMining #BodiForestReserve #IMFLoans #WorldBank #IMFLoanSharks

#BernieSanders on the Worldwide #Oligarchy

'We are in a struggle between a progressive movement that mobilizes around a shared vision of prosperity, security and dignity for all people, against one that defends oligarchy and massive global income and wealth inequality'

March 23, 2022

"f you watch the corporate media, you'll often hear the word '#oligarch' preceded by the word '#Russian.' But oligarchs aren't uniquely a Russian phenomenon or a foreign concept. No. The United States has its own oligarchy.

"Today, in the United States, the two wealthiest people own more wealth than the bottom 42 percent of our population – more than 130 million Americans. And the top one percent now owns more wealth than the bottom 92 percent. During the last 50 years there has been a massive transfer of wealth in our country, but it’s going in the wrong direction. The middle class is shrinking while the people on top are doing better than ever.

"Further, in terms of the global economy, there is no question that we are seeing a huge and destructive increase in income and wealth inequality. While the very, very richest people become much wealthier, ordinary people struggle and the most desperate starve.

"While massive levels of inequality existed before the rise of COVID, that situation has become much worse over the past two years.

"Today, around the world, the wealthiest 10 multi-billionaires now own more wealth than the bottom 3.1 billion – almost 40 percent of the world’s population. Unbelievably, the wealth of these ten multi-billionaires has doubled during the pandemic, while the income of 99 percent of the world’s population has declined. The oligarchs spend huge amounts of money buying fancy yachts, mansions and great paintings while 160 million people throughout the world have slipped into poverty. According to Oxfam, global income and wealth inequality has led to the deaths of more than 21,000 people each and every day throughout the world as a result of hunger and the lack of access to healthcare. Yet the world’s 2,755 billionaires saw their wealth go up by $5 trillion since March 2021 – increasing from $8.6 trillion to $13.8 trillion.

"But it’s not just the increased income and wealth gap between the very rich and everyone else. It’s a growing concentration of ownership and brute economic and political power. Something which is not talked about much, either in the media or political circles, is the reality that a handful of Wall Street firms, Black Rock, Vanguard and State Street, now control over $21 trillion in assets – roughly the GDP of the United States. This gives a tiny number of CEOs enormous power over hundreds of companies and the lives of millions of workers. The result: in recent years we have seen the ultra-wealthy significantly increase their influence over media, banking, health care, housing and many other parts of our economy. In fact, never before have so few owned and controlled so much.

"Add it all together and what you see is a nation and world trending very strongly toward oligarchy – where a small number of multi-billionaires exercise enormous economic and political power.

"So, in the midst of all of this, where do we go from here?

"Clearly, while we face oligarchy, COVID, attacks on democracy, climate change, the horrific war in Ukraine and other challenges it is easy to understand why many may fall into cynicism and hopelessness. This is a state of mind, however, that we must overcome – not only for ourselves, but for our kids and future generations. The stakes are just too high, and despair is not an option. We must come together and fight back.

"What history has always taught us is that real change never takes place from the top on down. It always occurs from the bottom on up. That is the history of the labor movement, the #CivilRights movement, the women’s movement, the #environmental movement and the #GayRights movement. That is the history of every effort that has brought about transformational change in our society.

"That is the struggle we must intensify today.

"We must bring people together around a progressive agenda. We must educate, organize and build an unstoppable grassroots movement that helps create the kind of nation and world we know we can become. One that is based on the principles of justice and compassion, not greed and oligarchy.

"We must never lose our sense of outrage when so few have so much and so many have so little.

"We must not allow ourselves to be divided up based on the color of our skin, where we were born, our religion or our sexual orientation.

"The greatest threat of the billionaire class is not simply their unlimited wealth and power. It is their ability to create a culture that makes us feel weak and hopeless and diminishes the strength of human solidarity.

"Yet, as a result of the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the extraordinary courage and solidarity of the Ukrainian people, countries throughout the world are waking up to the fact that there is a global struggle taking place between autocracy and democracy, between authoritarianism and the right of people to freely express their views.

"Now is the time to build a new progressive global order that recognizes every person on this planet shares a common humanity and that all of us – no matter where we live or the language we speak – want our children to grow up healthy, have a good education, breathe clean air and live in peace.

"What we are seeing now is not just the incredible bravery of the people in Ukraine, but thousands of Russians who have taken to the streets to demand an end to Putin’s war in Ukraine, knowing that it’s illegal to do so and that they will likely be arrested and punished.

"We have seen the courage of working people here in our country who are coming together to take on corporate greed and organize for better wages, benefits and working conditions.

"Sisters and brothers, right now we are in a struggle between a progressive movement that mobilizes around a shared vision of prosperity, security and dignity for all people, against one that defends oligarchy and massive global income and wealth inequality.

"It is a struggle we cannot lose. And it is one that we can overcome, as long as we stand together."

https://portside.org/2022-03-23/bernie-sanders-worldwide-oligarchy

#GlobalOligarchy #GlobalPol #USPol #StillSanders #Corporatocracy #CorporateColonialism #CorporateFascism #Autocracy #WealthInequality #Oligarchs

#RSN: The Deadly Fight for #EnvironmentalJustice in #Honduras

The assassination of #Honduran #WaterDefender #JuanLópez offers a chilling reminder of the threats local leaders face in the most dangerous region in the world for #EnvironmentalActivists.

by Giada Ferrucci / NACLA
22 October 24

"On September 14, 2023, Juan Antonio López, a prominent environmental defender, anti-corruption activist, and community and faith leader in Tocoa, Honduras, was murdered. He was in his car after attending a religious event at a local Catholic church when an unidentified hitman shot him multiple times. Due to previous death threats and harassment linked to his defense of the Guapinol River, López had received precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the same measures that failed to protect fellow environmental defender Berta Cáceres from being killed in 2016.

"López’s assassination has sent shockwaves through the region, a chilling reminder of the violence and impunity that threaten environmental activists across Latin America and globally. His murder also reflects a disturbing pattern of attacks on those who dare to challenge economic and political powers in Honduras, a country that consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous in the world for environmental activists. These risks are especially pronounced in highly militarized areas like the Aguán Valley, where López lived, a resource-rich epicenter of land grabs and conflicts along the north coast. Dozens of Aguán environmental defenders have been systematically targeted, threatened, and murdered for more than a decade.

In 2023, 18 environmental defenders were killed in Honduras, the highest number per capita of any country in the world, according to Global Witness. Among the victims were three fellow Guapinol defenders: Aly Magdaleno Domínguez Ramos, Jairo Bonilla Ayala, and Oquelí Domínguez Ramos. In López’s case, authorities have arrested the alleged hitman and an accomplice.

"The Honduran state’s failure to protect López despite IACHR protective measures speaks to the broader issue of impunity and lack of political will to safeguard those who defend natural resources and human rights in the face of powerful economic interests. His murder also highlights systemic corruption, recently laid bare by scandals involving drug traffickers and high-profile political figures. In short, López’s assassination is part of a wider global crisis of relentless violence and persecution targeting activists who stand up to mining, logging, and other extractive industries."

Read more / support:
https://www.rsn.org/001/the-deadly-fight-for-environmental-justice-in-honduras.html

#ReaderSupportedNews #IACHR #ExtractiveIndustries #Mining #Logging #LandDefenders #WaterIsLife #GuapinolRiver #BertaCáceres #HumanRights #AlyMagdaleno #DomínguezRamos #JairoBonillaAyala #OquelíDomínguezRamo #Capitalism #Greed #Corruption #CorporateColonialism

Just Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for taking part in slow march

Stephen Gingell, 57, thought to be first to receive prison sentence under new Public Order Act

by Damien Gayle
Fri 15 Dec 2023

"A #ClimateActivist has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful #SlowMarch protest on a London road.

"The sentence handed to Stephen Gingell, 57, is thought to be the first jailing under a new law that critics say makes anyone walking in a road liable for prosecution for 'interference with key national infrastructure'.

"#Section7 of the #PublicOrderAct2023 bans any act that prevents newspaper printing presses, power plants, #oil and #gas extraction or distribution sites, #harbours, #airports, #railways or #roads 'from being used or operated to any extent', with a potential penalty of 12 months in jail.

"Gingell, a father of three from #Manchester, was one of about 40 supporters of #JustStopOil who spent about 30 minutes marching on #HollowayRoad in north #London at about 4pm on 12 November, the climate campaign group said.

"He pleaded guilty to breach of section 7 at a hearing that same month at Wimbledon magistrates court. On Thursday, his case was transferred to Manchester magistrates court, where he was sentenced to six months.

"Just Stop Oil has been campaigning since 2022 for the UK government to stop all new fossil fuel production. The campaign’s 'guerrilla tactics' were cited by the Home Office when it introduced the Public Order Act’s tough new #AntiProtest measures to parliament.

"Police began using section 7 to tackle Just Stop Oil’s protests at the end of October, arresting 60 people taking part in a march in Parliament Square. In a campaign of slow march protests carried out by the group between then and 4 December, 470 of the group’s supporters were arrested 630 times, with about half of those arrests under the new law.

"A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a law drafted by the #FossilFuel lobby, was introduced in April by Priti Patel, and covers ‘interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure’. It seems this government has now made walking down the road, walking on the public highway an illegal act that is worthy of imprisonment.

"'How many fathers will be imprisoned before those planning to kill us are stopped? New oil and gas will see millions upon millions lose their homes, livelihoods and lives. Protected by the government, by failed politicians, by the police, those committing genocide continue to walk free, those protesting the killings are banged up. Whose side are you on?'

"The human rights organisation Liberty criticised Gingell’s sentencing. Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: “It is shocking to see such harsh sentences handed down to protesters. This is yet another unnecessary and draconian law introduced by a government that is hell-bent on discouraging people from standing up for what they believe in. It is a clear attempt to silence people and for the government to hide from all accountability.

"Protest is a fundamental right, not a gift from the state. Government should be protecting our right to protest, not criminalising it.'"
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/15/just-stop-oil-activist-is-first-to-be-jailed-under-new-uk-protest-law?share=jetpack-whatsapp

#BigOilAndGas #WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent #DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest

[Film] The #ApacheStronghold defending #sacred #OakFlat land from a #CopperMine

The Real News Network
May 21, 2024

"In the heart of the #Arizona high desert lies a battle for the soul of the land. The ancient, sacred grounds of #Apache #Native territory are under threat from a looming giant — a massive copper mine that promises riches for the locals, and a pathway to the so-called green transition. But, as is often the case, it comes at a cost.

"The #SanCarlosApache tribe calls it Chi’chil Bildagoteel; English speakers call it Oak Flat. It sits on a mountainous plateau within a 17.3-kilometer oasis in the #TontoNationalForest. #RioTinto and #BHP, two of the world’s biggest mining companies, have staked their claim here through a joint venture called #ResolutionCopper. For over 10 years they’ve been lobbying governments for the right to build a colossal mine that would cover roughly 7,000 acres of surface area, and extend more than a mile into the ground.

"The only thing that stands in their way is the #resistance of the Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit community organization of #Natives and non-Natives uniting to counter ongoing #colonization, defend holy sites and protect freedom of religion, which was created to protect Chi’chil Bildagoteel.

"A short film by #BrandiMorin and #GeordieDay for #RicochetMedia. Support for this journalism provided by #CulturalSurvival."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCIGlv0xu_U

#ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto #CopperMine #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
#WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
#ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
#IndigenousNews
#Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism

#Lakota #Historian #NickEstes on #Thanksgiving, #SettlerColonialism & Continuing #IndigenousResistance

#DemocracyNow, November 28, 2024

"Lakota historian #NickEstes talks about the violent origins of Thanksgiving and his book Our History Is the Future. 'This history … is a continuing history of #genocide, of settler colonialism and, basically, the founding myths of this country,' says Estes, who is a co-founder of the Indigenous resistance group The Red Nation and a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe."

Watch / listen / read transcript: http://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/28/nick_estes_thanksgiving

#PrayerMarch #Resistance #OurHistoryIstheFuture #IndigenousResistance #Activism #Capitalism #CapitalismMustDie #CorporateColonialism #Colonialism #ManifestDestiny #DoctrineOfDiscovery

[Watch] #NationalDayOfMourning 2024

#PlymouthMassachusetts, November 28, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/live/pdpBNKI31TA

#FreePalestine #FreeLeonardPeltier
#FreeGaza #WestBank #ClimateJustice
#DayOfMourning #NoDAPL
#LandBack #DefendTheSacred
#IndigenousClimateActivists #MMIWG
#TwoSpirits #NoPipelines
#LeaveItInTheGround
#ExtractiveMining
#NoMiningWithoutConsent
#WaterIsLife #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong
#LoveYourMotherEarth #ResistWhiteSupremacy
#CorporateColonialism #Capitalism

I knew Klee's grandmother, #RobertaBlackgoat -- and supported her with #MutualAid and telling her side of the story in the early days of the web. Rest in Power, Klee!
💔

#KleeBenally 'Carry On'

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews, April 9, 2024

"Klee, discussing resource extraction, and how the #NavajoTribalCouncil was created to sign #oil and #gas leases, quotes our friend, the gentle, soft-spoken farmer from Shiprock, who received his doctorate degree before passing, Larry Emerson.

"'There is no point in trying to #decolonize the Navajo government -- it was not right for us from the start. Its structure and process is a replica of the American system, and the American system appears to be edging toward the possibility of failure like the great #RomanEmpire.'

"Writing on these monsters, oil and gas extraction, and coal mining, Klee quotes #LouiseBenally of #BigMountain, his aunt, whose family spent their lives resisting coal mining, #ForcedRelocation, and the machinery of the tribal government.

"Louise said, 'The natural laws and the Indigenous Peoples were already here in a good relationship before the coming of the #colonial society who draws laws and boundaries. However, we #IndigenousPeoples will always have ties with these lands, we will continue to live that way with #nature and we will carry on.'

"Klee shares the words of his grandmother, Roberta Blackgoat, who never gave up the fight. 'The Coal they strip mine is the Earth's liver."
Although many have passed, and too many have died from broken hearts, there are those who live on, carry on.

"Klee writes, 'The remaining resisters to forced relocation have outlived the monster that was consuming our lands, stealing our water, and polluting our lungs.'

"Before passing, Klee described the monsters, the rage against the machine, and the ways of restoring balance and harmony. Klee Benally's book, 'No Spiritual Surrender: Indigenous Anarchy in the Defense of the Sacred,' can be ordered at: https://detritusbooks.com/products/no-spiritual-surrender-indigenous-anarchy-in-defense-of-the-sacred
at April 09, 2024

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/04/klee-benally-carry-on.html

#PeabodyCoal #BigMountainResistance #LandBack #LandBackNow #IndigenousPeoples #Dineh #NoUraniumMining #DefendTheSacred #EnvironmentalRacism #CulturalGenocide #Colonialism #CorporateColonialism #BigOilAndGas #RageAgainstTheMachine #IndigenousAnarchy #EarthDefenders #WaterIsLife

Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
Noah Hurowitz
November 10 2024

"Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire for revenge.

"On the campaign trail, he joked about being a #dictator on 'day one' in office, pledged to jail #journalists, and threatened to retaliate against political foes who he felt had wronged him.
Now, just days after he secured a second term in the White House, Congress is already moving to hand a resurgent #Trump administration a powerful cudgel that it could wield against ideological opponents in #CivilSociety.

"Up for a fast-track vote next week in the House of representatives, the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, also known as #HR9495, would grant the secretary of Treasury Department unilateral authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.'"

https://theintercept.com/2024/11/10/trump-nonprofit-tax-exempt-political-enemies/

#SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #FreePalestine #Activists
#NoDAPL #Section25 #Fascism #Greenpeace #Project2025
#Blackwater #ErikPrince
#CriminalizingDissent
#CrackdownOnProtests
#AntiProtestLaws
#Genocide #ClimateActivists
#ErikPrinceColonialism
#CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
#ClimateProtestors #CharacteristicsOfFascism

#StandingRock -- #Police gang broke hip of Comanche water protector, now Bismarck officer facing justice

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews, September 28, 2024

BISMARCK, #NorthDakota -- "When a gang of thirty law enforcement chased and pounced on Comanche water protector #EricPoemoceah -- Eric cried out in pain and told them they had broken his hip, but they laughed at him, and made him walk to an ambulance.

"Now, an appeals court has returned the case to the district court, as Eric seeks justice. It has been more than seven years after the Standing Rock camps were brutally cleared by law enforcement on Feb. 22, 2017."

[...]

#Commanche #WaterProtector #Poemoceah to police: "I know you have a job to do and a family to provide for, but why do it with protecting oil? That’s all we’re trying to do sir, is protect—protect the water. I know—I know you’re looking at me and I know you just shook your head yes because you have a heart. You have a soul and so do we know—you look like a very prayerful man. Why don’t—why don’t you be honorable and set down your badge in front of 6,100 people."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09/standing-rock-police-gang-broke-hip-of.html

#WaterIsLife #ACAB #BigOilAndGas #WaterProtectors #LandDefenders #StandWithStandingRock #PeacefulProtest #Pipeline #CorporateColonialism #EarthDefenders #CriminalizingDissent

#Toolkit: #Protest #safety tips from #Greenpeace

"Protest is a powerful strategy to demand #justice. Greenpeace has been holding and supporting protests around the world for nearly 50 years. Because of this, we’ve received requests and messages asking for advice on protest tactics, digital, and physical security against #militarized #police forces. While we have compiled this from a US point of view where this Greenpeace team is based, we hope some of what is here is helpful beyond the US.

"We are continuously learning, learning from mistakes, learning from each other. The #activists that make up our Greenpeace community, also come from many protest practices and methods, including #Indigenous-led resistance to #FossilFuel #extraction, the #ImmigrantRights movement, the Movement for Black Lives, [#BLM] and others. We wanted to share some of our learnings so that you can join us in protests that demand systemic changes from fighting for #ClimateJustice to dismantling #WhiteSupremacy. We support you and are fighting with you.

"We want to acknowledge that there are many different types of protest tactics, and that this is not an exhaustive list. We also want to acknowledge that communities of color, especially Black communities and other non-Black Indigenous and communities of color, are policed differently than white communities.

"When we protest we have an opportunity to demand the world we need and to understand how the issues we face are interconnected. As we fight for environmental justice, we show up for racial justice, Indigenous rights, immigrant rights, disability rights and more. While this guide focuses on protests, even if you are not able to join us in the street you can support those who are protesting by providing supplies, donating to bail funds, providing rides, having important conversations with your coworkers, friends, families, and neighbors.

"Also, we want to remind you that we are not your lawyers. This is not legal advice, any tips contained here are only to assist you in thinking through how to engage in protest activity. We urge you to connect with your local organizing and legal community for additional support."

https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/toolkits/protest-safety-tips-from-greenpeace/

#DigitalFreeSpeech #ACAB #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs

And how much economic damage is from climate change and pollution from #FossilFuels? #BigOil is the real criminal here!

#ClimateProtesters are taking action against Big Oil. UK courts are handing them prison terms akin to rapists and thieves

By Kara Fox, CNN
September 14, 2024

London CNN — "As #RightWing rioters attacked communities with #racist violence across parts of the UK last month, 22-year-old #ClimateActivist #CressieGethin sat in a prison cell.

"Her crime? Organizing a disruptive protest against new government-granted licenses to drill for oil — a planet-heating #FossilFuel — in the #NorthSea.

"In late July, a London court found #Gethin and four other members of the #JustStopOil activist group guilty of 'conspiring intentionally to cause a #PublicNuisance,' after recruiting protesters to climb structures along the M25 — a major ring road around London — bringing traffic to a standstill in parts over four days in November 2022.

"Prosecutors alleged that the protests, organized over a #ZoomCall, disrupted more than 700,000 drivers, caused economic damage of over £760,000 ($980,000) and racked up £1 million ($1.3m) in policing costs.

"Now Gethin and three others — Louise Lancaster, #DanielShaw and #LuciaWhittakerDeAbreu, who planned the disruption on the call — are serving four-year jail terms, while Just Stop Oil co-founder #RogerHallam was given five years. All are appealing.

"The sentences are believed to be the longest in the UK’s history for #nonviolent protest and were delivered under two new controversial laws that supercharged #policing powers to crack down on disruptive protests, even when they are peaceful.

"They place the act of planning a 'public nuisance' event, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, on a similar footing as #ViolentCrimes like robbery, for which punishments range from community service to 12 years’ jail, or rape, which is four to 19 years.

"The judge — who in court referred to the activists as '#extremists' — justified the long jail terms because all five activists had previously been convicted of one or more offenses in relation to direct action protest. Each were on bail for another set of proceedings when the Zoom call took place. He also noted people missed important doctor’s visits and funerals because of the protest.

"But activists like Gethin say their demonstrations are proportionate to the problem at hand — a rapidly warming world that threatens to transform life as we know it, through deadly #ExtremeWeather events and by pushing #ecosystems to their brinks. They are now battling the bolstered powers of the #police and courts to get their point across.

“'A very harsh sentence like this doesn’t make sense morally or legally — but it does make sense politically,' Gethin told CNN in a handwritten letter from HMP Bronzefield, a women’s prison just south of London’s Heathrow Airport.

"The laws have drawn criticism from the UN’s special rapporteur on #EnvironmentalDefenders, #MichaelForst, who said not only do they criminalize peaceful protest, but they are being enforced in 'punitive and repressive' ways."

Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/14/climate/uk-climate-protests-policing-laws-prison-intl/index.html

#BigOilAndGas #ClimateActivists #ClimateProtest #SLAPPs #CorporateColonialism #WaterDefenders
#ClimateDefenders
#EnvironmentalActivists
#SilencingDissent #SLAPPs #ClimateActivists #CorporateColonialism
#EarthDefenders #CriminalizingDissent #FreeSpeech #RightToProtest #BiodiversityNecessityDefense
#EarthDefenders
#SLAPPs #Fascism #CivilDisobedience
#Activism #ClimateStrike
#HumanRights #Article20 #2023PublicOrderAct #ClimateNecessityDefense #Corporatocracy #CorporateFascism #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe

Help support @UnicornRiot in their legal fight against #EnergyTransfer!

https://kolektiva.social/@UnicornRiot@mastodon.social/112872926450783039

#StandWithStandingRock #SLAPPs #NoDAPL #CorporateColonialism
#EarthDefenders #CriminalizingDissent #BigOilAndGas

#BreakingNews!

#EnergyTransfer's $300 Million Lawsuit Against #Greenpeace for #StandingRock #Resistance Delayed

By #BrendaNorrell, #CensoredNews
July 29, 2024

STANDING ROCK, #NorthDakota -- "Energy Transfer's $300 million #SLAPP lawsuit against Greenpeace and Standing Rock #WaterProtectors for the resistance to #DakotaAccessPipeline has been delayed until February, due to a 'massive document dump' by Energy Transfer, Greenpeace told Censored News today.

"Originally, our trial was set for July 29th, 2024 – but due to a massive document dump by Energy Transfer in June, Greenpeace filed a request to have the trial date pushed back. The judge agreed, and moved our trial to February 24, 2025 through March 28, 2025," Lindsay Bigda, communication director, Democracy Resilience Program at Greenpeace USA told Censored News today.
Responding to questions, Greenpeace said #RedWarriorSociety and other water protectors are named in the lawsuit.

"'Red Warrior Society is still named in the lawsuit and last week our lawyers presented arguments for why it shouldn’t be (because it is not the sort of entity that can be sued). The two individuals, #CodyHall and #KrystalTwoBulls, are also still named, but were never served. (Greenpeace entities are the only ones that were served and are actively litigating),' Bigda told Censored News.

"'Very few jurisdictions have made steps to prevent the corporate legal warfare waged in SLAPPs to #SilenceDissent and freedom of expression. The United States has long failed to uphold #HumanRights and #Indigenous leaders have had no choice but to leave their precious homelands; and use international diplomacy to implore all those who will listen for an end to the #extractive industry violence.'

"'Europe played a key role in the #colonization of the planet. Now let's see if she, her people, and jurisdictions, can help in undoing and healing that historic wound. #IndigenousPeoples must continue to engage with Europe to seek justice and #corporate accountability.'

"Standing Rock water protectors have been served subpoenas in the case from Energy Transfer, as it seeks out information. #UnicornRiot fought the subpoena in #Minnesota and won its case to protect its internal media files. However, Energy Transfer has now asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to reconsider its case.

"Greenpeace clarified the reason for the subpoenas that water protectors and Unicorn Riot media were served with.
'Unicorn riot was never named in the lawsuit. They received a third party subpoena, along with many other activist groups and individuals (these folks are not parties to the case; rather, they are third parties that Energy Transfer wants info from in its case against Greenpeace,)' Bigda told Censored News.

"Mercenaries #TigerSwan Spied without a License, Provided Info to Law Enforcement

"Red Warrior Camp was a focus of the mercenaries hired by Energy Transfer at Standing Rock in September of 2016, as revealed in the court-ordered spy documents released.
TigerSwan was found working in North Dakota without a license from 2016 through 2017. As a result, the North Dakota regulatory board ordered that TigerSwan's spy files be released. The Intercept now has over 50,000 of TigerSwan's spy documents at Standing Rock, as a result of a lengthy court battle. Energy Transfer, employer of TigerSwan, fought the release of documents in North Dakota court, but the North Dakota Supreme Court upheld the decision to release TigerSwan's documents in 2022.

"The TigerSwan aerial photos included #OcetiSakowin Camp, Red Warrior Camp, and the other camps. The spy documents reveal that a U.S. Border Patrol drone was included in the aerial #surveillance and #infiltrators were placed in the water protector camps at Standing Rock and elsewhere.

"Meanwhile, after Standing Rock, TigerSwan's CEO formed a new company. Syria says they are stealing #Syria's oil. CNN reported about the secretive contract and the new company.

#Palestinians Targeted for Surveillance by TigerSwan at Standing Rock

"As soon as a single #Palestinian activist showed up at an anti-Dakota Access Pipeline camp on the edge of the Standing Rock reservation in 2016, intelligence analysts for the mercenary security firm TigerSwan were on alert," by Alleen Brown, Drilled and co-published with the Center for Media and Democracy."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/07/energy-transfers-300-million-lawsuit.html

#ReaderSupportedNews #StandWithStandingRock #SLAPPs #NoDAPL #CorporateColonialism #EarthDefenders #CriminalizingDissent #BigOilAndGas #ErikPrince #Blackwater