While calls for anti-terrorism legislation and initiatives have been a mainstay in our political discourse for the past 20 years, they have recently surged in response to white supremacist violence.
However, experience has shown that rather than protecting the public, such legislation instead strengthens the State’s ability to police and oppress Muslim communities, communities of color, and individuals who speak out against State and corporate power.
More recently, law enforcement is weaponizing these anti-terrorism laws against community organizers and activists, most notably against 23 people charged with domestic terrorism last month after protesting the proposed “Cop City” police training facility in Atlanta.
This panel brings together organizers, lawyers, and activists who are at the front lines of this State suppression for a discussion about the ways the government weaponizes anti-terrorism laws to increase police power and fight protest and social movements.
