Its not just voting and abortion rights that are being targeted.

[Nexus2]

Wave Of 'Anti-Protest' Bills Could Threaten First Amendment

We're going to check in now on the record number of anti-protest bills that Republicans have introduced this year. Several have already become law. In Florida, for example, Governor Ron DeSantis signed what he calls anti-riot legislation. It includes new penalties for protesters and for local governments that decrease law enforcement budgets. In Oklahoma, drivers who unintentionally hit protesters now have immunity. Now these bills and others follow months of large scale, mostly peaceful demonstrations against police brutality. And these bills are raising red flags among First Amendment experts. Joining me now is Nick Robinson. He is a senior legal adviser at the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. Nick Robinson, welcome.

NICK ROBINSON: Thanks for having me.

KELLY: So we're just four months into the 2021 legislative season. How many bills have been introduced that would fit under this umbrella of anti-riot or anti-protest legislation?

ROBINSON: Since the killing of George Floyd this past May, we've seen over 90 anti-protest bills introduced in 35 states that undermine the right to peaceful assembly.

KELLY: And what are some of the common themes that you're seeing across these bills?

ROBINSON: Many of these bills increase penalties for obstructing traffic or sidewalks, which often happens during protests. So a bill in Tennessee that was enacted in August increased the penalty to a year in jail if protesters make it inconvenient to use a sidewalk. Many of them also expand anti-rioting laws. So in Florida, Governor DeSantis recently signed this major anti-protest bill into law, and one of the most controversial parts is how it defines rioting to potentially capture peaceful protesters who engage in no violence at all.

So for example, if you're, let's say, at a large protest and a handful of people decide to kick over trash can, you can potentially be arrested for rioting for just being part of that same crowd. And the penalties are extreme. So under the new law, rioting's a felony. And if there's more than 23 people in the crowd, it can be punishable by up to 15 years in jail. So these vague provisions and these really life-altering penalties can easily intimidate peaceful protesters.

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/30/992545210/wave-of-anti-protest-bills-could-threaten-first-amendment

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. All part of these fascists plan

They want full spectrum domination
And they'll pass horrible laws to destroy people.