prairieland protesters collectively received 562 years in federal prison

 

✍️ Petition: NYT, CNN, WaPo Must Cover Prairieland as Silencing Dissent Add Your Name Nine people connected to a July 4th noise demonstration outside a Texas ICE detention center have collectively received 562 years in federal prison — the longest sentences ever handed down to a group of political anarchist defendants in U.S. history. Most received decades-long terms not for violence, but for attending a protest, wearing dark clothing, using an encrypted messaging app, or belonging to a book club. One man received 30 years for moving a box of zines — despite not attending the protest at all. A federal judge said openly at sentencing that he wanted to send a message to anyone with similar ideology. The prosecution called the Emma Goldman Book Club a terrorist front. The government's own expert witness defined antifa membership as believing in anarchism or non-authoritarian socialism. This is not a crime story. It is a political prosecution — and it is part of a deliberate, expanding pattern. Similar federal indictments have now been filed against activists in Minnesota and Spokane. University of Michigan protesters have been charged. A pro-Palestine activist received 19 years. The Trump administration's National Security Presidential Memorandum-7 explicitly launched what Stephen Miller described as an "all-of-government effort to dismantle" anti-fascist organizing. We call on The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, NBC News, ABC News, and other mainstream outlets to cover the Prairieland sentences — all 562 years of them — as what legal experts, the National Lawyers Guild, and the defendants' own supporters say they are: a coordinated government crackdown on dissent. The public deserves reporting that connects these prosecutions into the chilling pattern they form. Sign the Petition Now! Until next time, Harry from The Hound P.S. Do you know someone who would appreciate The Hound? If you can, forward this email and encourage them to subscribe! Let’s stay informed, together.

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