Opinion | Turkey’s People Are Resisting Autocracy. They Deserve More Than Silence. https://www.byteseu.com/959114/ #Corruption(Institutional) #Democracy(TheoryAndPhilosophy) #Demonstrations #Ekrem #Erdoğan #Imamoglu #InternationalRelations #PoliticsAndGovernment #ProtestsAndRiots #RecepTayyip #RepublicanPeople'sParty(Turkey) #Turkey #UnitedStatesPoliticsAndGovernment
https://www.europesays.com/uk/53385/ Thousands stage populist protests, counter-rallies #CounterDemonstrations #CounterDemonstrators #demonstrations #EU #Europe #Germany #PoliceSpokesman #PopulistMovement #SecurityAgencies
I have arrived in #Serbia to discuss policing of #demonstrations and the working environment for civil society and #humanrights defenders with the authorities, the Ombudsman, international partners and civil society.
Today in Labor History April 25, 1960, the Korean army refused to shoot at professors, who had taken to the streets to protest the dictatorship, and its massacre of 130 students several days earlier. The April Revolution lasted from April 11-26. Overall, 186 civilians were killed and the government, which regained control, transitioned to the Second Republic.
Protesters Nationwide Rally Again to Condemn Trump Policies https://www.byteseu.com/937158/ #Demonstrations #DonaldJ #Politics #ProtestsAndRiots #trump
Georgia: New legislation directly threatens people's right to protest and free expression
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
The charges were among the most severe levied against participants in last year’s pro-#Palestinian #demonstrations on #college campuses. >3k people were arrested at college #protests & encampments in spring 2024, but they generally faced misdemeanor charges or saw their charges dropped.
Jeff Rosen, the DA for Santa Clara County, which includes the #Stanford campus, charged 12 protesters w/ #felony #vandalism & felony #conspiracy to #trespass.
State by State Pending and recently passed #AntiProtestLaws: #NewYork
S 6746: New penalties for protesters who wear a #mask
Would create a new criminal offense, “concealment of identity during a protest,” that would cover peaceful protesters who wear a mask while demonstrating. Under the bill, a person who wears a mask or facial covering that disguises their face “so as to conceal the identity of the wearer” while “involved in a lawful assembly, unlawful assembly, protest, or riot” commits the offense. The bill provides an exception for masks and other face coverings worn as protection from weather, for religious reasons, for medical purposes, or as a costume for a holiday or exhibition. While only a violation, the new offense would restrict individuals’ ability to protest lawfully while remaining anonymous, for instance to avoid retaliation.
Full text of bill:
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S6746
Status: pending
Introduced 21 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): #FaceCovering, Riot
S 5911: Heightened penalties for #riot and incitement to riot
Would enhance the penalties for first and second degree "riot" as well as "incitement to riot." Under New York law, "incitement to riot" is broadly defined, and could cover a person or organization found to have "urged" a group of people to protest in a "tumultuous and violent" way that is “likely to create public alarm”—regardless of whether such protest ever takes place or creates “public alarm.” The bill would make the offense a Class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, instead of a Class A misdemeanor.
Full text of bill:
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5911
Status: pending
Introduced 3 Mar 2025.
Issue(s): Riot
S 723: New criminal penalties for masked protesters
Would create two new crimes that could apply to masked protesters and people who support them. Under the bill, a person who is masked or “disguised by unusual or unnatural attire or facial alteration,” who engages in a protest or other public assembly with other masked or disguised people, commits the offense of “deceptive wearing of a mask,” a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail. The offense would likewise apply to anyone who “knowingly permits or aids” masked demonstrators who congregate in public. The offense does not require that an individual act unlawfully or have any intent to engage in unlawful behavior. A second offense, “aggravated deceptive wearing of a mask,” would apply to masked or disguised individuals engaged in a public assembly where property damage or injuries occur; the offense would be a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. (As drafted, the bill does not make clear whether an individual need personally cause the damage or injury, or merely be part of a group where such damage or injury occurs, to commit the offense.) The bill provides exemptions for masks or disguises worn for religious purposes, or in connection with a government-authorized “masquerade party or like entertainment.” If enacted, the bill would give law enforcement broad discretion to arrest individuals who wear masks or other disguise at a public protest, as well as anyone who seemed to be “aiding” them. The same bill was introduced as S 9194 in the 2023-2024 session.
Full text of bill:
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S723
Status: pending
Introduced 8 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): Protest Supporters or Funders, Face Covering
S 534: New penalties for protesters who block #traffic
Would create a new criminal offense that could cover #UnpermittedProtests and #demonstrations on #streets, #sidewalks, or near public buildings. According to the bill, a person participating in a protest without a permit who “obstructs” cars or pedestrians, or prevents people from entering or exiting buildings, commits a new offense of “aggravated disorderly conduct” if they intend “to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm” or are “recklessly creating a risk thereof.” The offense would be a class A misdemeanor, punishable by one year in jail and $1,000. As written, an individual in a spontaneous protest that blocks a sidewalk, “recklessly creating a risk” of inconveniencing people, would be guilty of the offense. The bill would also add the offense to the underlying offenses that can be charged as a hate crime under New York law, and allow individuals arrested for the offense to be held for bail. The same bill was introduced as S 8646 in 2024.
Full text of bill:
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S534
Status: pending
Introduced 8 Jan 2025.
Issue(s): #TrafficInterference
#FirstAmendment #CriminalizingDissent
#Authoritarianism #Fascism #Clampdown #CriminalizingProtest
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #AntiProtestLaws #PipelineProtests #MaskedProtesters #AntiMaskLaws
#ImpeachPOTUS47 #tRumpOrangeTurd
#AntiTrump ‘ #HandsOff !’ #protests erupt across the #US
"Thousands of #protesters gathered in #Washington, D.C., and across the U.S. on Saturday (April 5), part of some 1,200 #demonstrations that were expected to form the largest single day of #protest against #orangeturd Donald Trump and lonE #PresMusk since they launched a rapid-fire effort to overhaul #government and expand presidential authority" #pestcontrol
#CancelMusk
https://www.bangkokpost.com/video/world/2996839/anti-trump-hands-off-protests-erupt-across-the-us
https://www.europesays.com/1971551/ Thousands participate in ‘Hands Off!’ protests across Colorado and the country #ColoradoStateCapitol #demonstrations #HandsOff #Politics #protests #rally
Increased Police Presence Across Zimbabwe in Anticipation of Anti-Government Demonstrations #EastAfrica #Africa #Anticipation #AntiGovernment #business #currentevents #demonstrations #Economy #governance #increased #LegalandJudicialAffairs #news #police #politics #presence #SouthernAfrica #sports #trade #travel #Zimbabwe
https://tinyurl.com/2y95wpe9
These photos by Umit Bektas from the #Turkish #demonstrations go extra hard.
How #TeslaTakedown is bringing the fight to Musk
"Part of the reason people are coming out is because they feel it’s having a real impact on Elon’s pocketbook."
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/tesla-takedown-musk
"activists and regular citizens around the nation (and world) have been showing up to #Tesla showrooms to #protest Musk’s actions & #DOGE generally. What started as small #protests have grown to well-attended #demonstrations in many different states."
South Korea Protests Swell as Court Weighs President Yoon’s Fate https://www.byteseu.com/852352/ #DecisionsAndVerdicts #Demonstrations #Impeachment #MartialLaw #PoliticsAndGovernment #ProtestsAndRiots #SouthKorea #YoonSukYeol
#Turkey detains 37 over 'provocative' social media posts following arrest of #Istanbul mayor
Thousands rally outside Istanbul city hall for 2nd night over mayor’s arrest
by Mehmet Guzel and Susan Frazer, March 20, 2025
ISTANBUL (AP) — "Thousands of people gathered outside Istanbul’s city hall for a second consecutive night on Thursday to rally against the arrest of the city’s mayor, a prominent contender against President #RecepTayyipErdogan, which many view as a politically driven attempt to eliminate a key rival from the next presidential race.
"Mayor #EkremImamoglu was arrested after a dawn raid on his residence on Wednesday as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links, escalating a crackdown on opposition figures and dissenting voices. Several other prominent figures, including two district mayors, were also detained.
"The detention of a popular opposition leader deepened concerns over #democracy and sparked #protests in Istanbul and elsewhere, despite a four-day ban on #demonstrations in the city and road closures. "
https://apnews.com/article/turkey-istanbul-mayor-arrest-crackdown-imamoglu-eb2f5f0582a32e0c15f881b54fda2ffc
#TurkeyProtests #Authoritarianism #Resistance #WorldPol #SilencingDissent #Erdogan #ThisIsHowToProtest #TakeToTheStreets
Today there are huge #protests against the #corruption of the #government of #Serbia in #Belgrade.
Inform yourself a bit about this.
Feel free to add replies with articles, and live coverage to this post, so that I can also inform myself better regarding these #demonstrations for #democracy.
@ELS #demonstrations do actually work. But it’s indirect result. People are writing about it, people are reading it, opinions are be made. Etc. In the long run changes can get be realised. Most people think that policymakers must turn there views directly. That’s not how #demos work. Keep up the good work 
Tomorrow, March 14, 2025, veterans across the country will mobilize against Trump’s attacks on democracy, the VA, and the rule of law.
This mass mobilization, dubbed the Veterans March, is a direct response to a cascade of constitutional and moral crises under the Trump-Musk administration. From the gutting of veterans' healthcare and federal jobs to the open embrace of authoritarian erosions of our Constitutional order and the rule of law, MAGA Republicans have declared war on America's veterans.
There are going to be hundreds, if not thousands, of veterans from around the country descending on Washington, D.C., and gathering in state capitals nationwide. They are not marching as partisans, nor as members of any single political movement. They are marching as defenders of the oath they swore—to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. --Kristopher Goldsmith
https://onoffense.substack.com/p/veterans-march-constitution
#USPolitics #Veterans #14thAmendment #Demonstrations #Resistence
Plans for a Chinese Port in the Black Sea Roil Georgia Politics https://www.byteseu.com/824165/ #Anaklia(Georgia) #Bidzina #BlackSea #ChinaCommunicationsConstructionCo #Demonstrations #Georgia #Georgia(GeorgianRepublic) #GovernmentContractsAndProcurement #InternationalRelations #Ivanishvili #Ports #ProtestsAndRiots #RepublicOfGeorgia #Salome #zourabichvili
