We Must Protect Our Right to Dissent from MAGA Attacks
We may not always agree with certain protests, but protecting our right to do so is absolutely essential to keeping our democracy.
Our right to express non-violent dissent is core to our freedom of speech as Americans. But extremist MAGA politicians are trying to put limits on how and where we can protest.
This is extremely troubling. And dangerous.
Our friends at the Protect Dissent Network and Resonance just released messaging guidance that we can use when discussing this issue online and in private and public conversations. Below are some excerpts.
Context:
We march. We protest. We fight for our communities. For Black, Indigenous, and communities of color, protest is crucial for our survival as our needs and priorities aren’t often met by political leadership. Yet this freedom is under attack.
Hundreds of anti-protest bills have been introduced since 2017 in almost every state, a direct response by anti-democratic lawmakers to undermine powerful movements for justice. Dozens of these bills have been successfully defeated, but too many have been enacted into law. That’s why we can’t stop speaking out until all of us have a say over the policies and institutions that impact our daily lives.
Anti-protest bills are an unnecessary waste of public resources. Existing legislation already protects neighborhoods and property; these anti-democratic bills are simply aimed at silencing people for making their voices heard.
Guidance
Use Values-Based Language
As Americans we believe in freedom, fairness, and a better future. That includes our freedom to raise our voices to hold politicians, companies, and government accountable. Yet in recent years, certain politicians and powerful companies have backed hundreds of bills attacking the right to protest such as establishing costly fines or jail time for participating in protests. They want to silence opposition rather than be accountable to everyday Americans. We must come together to protect protest by doing exactly what these bills don’t want us to do: join together, organize, and make our collective voices heard.
Remind Audiences of the Proud History of Protest in America
MAGA Republicans recently proposed a bill that would make it a federal crime to block public roads or highways, even though there are already state laws against blocking traffic. When protesters block traffic, they are participating in the long American tradition of freedom of speech and civil disobedience. We now celebrate the stories of the powerful racial justice protests of the 1960s, like when Dr. King led the iconic 1965 march that blocked traffic and occupied the full width of a bridge in Selma, Alabama, or when protesters refused to give up their seats on buses, trains, and lunch counters. Civil disobedience has always been part of our country's political traditions - what's new is the effort to impose harsher penalties on protesters.
Frame the Importance of Protecting a Cornerstone American Freedom
Most of us are inspired by this nation’s long legacy of protest. From Civil Rights marches to farmworker boycotts to women's marches, we celebrate the brave people who fought for a better country for us all. But when we look back at U.S. history, we are reminded that protest movements were at odds with the people and institutions in power. The marchers in Selma didn't secure a permit; the farmworkers didn't ask for permission to go on strike. And yet it is because of their brave acts of dissent that we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we hold dear today. That's why it's important to protect protest by doing exactly what anti-democratic bills don't want us to do: come together, organize, and make our voices heard.
Describe These Bills and their Impacts
Over the past few years, dozens of bills have been introduced to criminalize protesting such as those that grant legal immunity to drivers who plow their cars into protests. Protesters have been physically attacked by drivers plowing their cars into protests in Iowa, Oklahoma, Virginia, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts. If these anti-protest bills gain traction and become law in more states, drivers who injure protesters will continue to be granted legal immunity. Nobody should be able to attack their fellow Americans just because they don’t like what they have to say.
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