Signs you're a dangerous terrorist: using Signal, moving zines

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Link: Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison, by Sam Levine in The Guardian<br>This is an outrageous litmus test for the freedom to protest in America:<br>“A group of Texas protesters convicted of terrorism charges received unusually harsh sentences of at least 50 years in prison on Tuesday in a closely watched case that was widely seen as a test case of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on dissent.”<br>Let’s be clear: a few of the protesters were out of bounds. One fired an AR-15 at the police, which goes beyond legitimate protest into inciting violence (and maybe even deliberate provocation). I would never condone that kind of activity.<br>But these sentences far outstrip anything that’s been given to anyone on the right wing: the leader of the Proud Boys, as this article notes, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. One protester wasn’t even present, but was sentenced to 30 years for moving some zines:<br>“The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was not at the protest, but was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record after prosecutors said he moved leftwing zines and other materials at the request of Rueda, his wife, after she was arrested. Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.”<br>Many of the protesters had guns and were part of a gun club. They all possessed them legally. I personally wish there was not a right to bear arms and think that their ubiquitous presence in America makes everyone less safe, but the right to own them is enshrined in the Second Amendment. Instead, other “evidence” was used to infer that they planned violence, including this specific argument that should give everyone pause:<br>“[…] including their decision to communicate and auto-delete messages on Signal, an encrypted messaging platform widely used among activists, journalists and other citizens wary of government surveillance.”<br>Collectively, the justice department argued that these convictions are proof that anti-fascists are terrorists, which should also give us pause. The precedent here is obviously very dangerous for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and democracy in America.

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Ben Werdmuller explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. Always independently published, reader-supported, and free to read.

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