#Queensland is implementing an #authoritarian #regime which further enhances #state control at the expense of fundamental civil #liberties.
#Quotes #Defense #Liberties #JusticeWarren
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of one of those liberties which make the defense of our nation worthwhile. -Earl Warren, jurist (19 Mar 1891-1974)
NGO-#Bericht: #Italien untergräbt gezielt die #Demokratie: #Italien sei ein klares Beispiel für eine „demokratische Rezession“. Diese Einschätzung geht aus dem #Bericht der Bürgerrechtsorganisation Civil #Liberties Union for Europe hervor, die der italienischen #Regierung Untergrabung von Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Angriffe auf die #Medienfreiheit vorwirft. https://www.euractiv.de/section/europa-kompakt/news/ngo-bericht-italien-untergraebt-gezielt-die-demokratie/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=dlvr.it
"Concerned at the UK Government’s intentions to review the #HumanRights framework and #JudicialReview we have come together to state:
While every system could be improved, and protecting #rights and #freedoms for all is a balancing act, our #HumanRightsAct is a proportionate and well-drafted protection for the fundamental #liberties and #responsibilities of everyone in this country.
The Act guarantees the rights to #FreeSpeech and expression, to life, to #liberty, to security, to privacy, to assembly, and to #FreedomOfReligion or belief. It prohibits torture and guarantees fair trials and the #RuleOfLaw.
Judicial review is an indispensable mechanism for individuals to assert those rights and freedoms against the power of the state." https://humanrightsact.org.uk/
How to Take Action on #Inauguration Day and Beyond
#Project2025 is a federal policy agenda and a blueprint for a radical restructuring of the executive branch that threatens to strip away our vital civil #rights and civil #liberties.
#civilrights #civilliberties
https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/how-to-take-action-on-inauguration-day-and-beyond
Is it just me, or is there an entire army on the #OrangeSite dedicated to defending absolutely reprehensible behavior from #BigTech companies? I don't understand the motivation for seemingly ordinary people to defend activities that egregiously invade into and erode their personal #liberties. Or is there some other motivation that we're not aware of?
Dublin's Liberties has a new street - Fordham's Lane - taking it's name from a much older laneway in the same location that has long since disappeared.
Good to see a bit more pedestrian permeability being introduced in the area.
#SLAPPs In Europe: How The #EU Can Protect Watchdogs From #AbusiveLawsuits
In their new policy paper, #Liberties and other rights and #pressfreedom groups explain why abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) against watchdogs and journalists threaten #democracies in Europe and what governments and the EU should do tackle it.
by Linda Ravo
January 13, 2022
"The European Commission is set to shortly unveil its proposal for EU-wide measures against SLAPPs. In a new policy paper published today, Liberties and other rights and press freedom groups which form the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (#CASE), explain what SLAPPs are, how big of a threat they are to watchdogs in Europe, and propose what governments and the EU should do tackle the problem.
Censorship by litigation
"Citizens are supposed to be in charge of their democracies. #Watchdogs like #journalists, #rights #defenders and #activist groups are key to enable citizens to get informed, shape their opinions, and keep an eye on people in power to make sure they do what is best for all of us.
"As we explain here, SLAPPs (an acronym which stands for 'strategic lawsuit against public participation'), are a form of abuse of law and justice that #corrupt politicians and powerful #businesses across Europe increasingly make use of to #harass, #bankrupt and intimidate #journalists, activists and other watchdogs into silence. Helped by expensive and unscrupulous law firms, they sue them on grounds of meritless and abusive claims with the purpose of shutting down acts of public participation, including public interest journalism, #PeacefulProtest or #boycotts, #advocacy, #whistleblowing, or simply speaking out against abuse of power."
https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/slapp-case-submission/43948
An impressively large #CloudedFunnel #fungus in the #Liberties #woodland at #WWTCastleEspie. This one was over 30cm wide 
The sweeping #redstate drive to roll back #CivilRights & #liberties
by Ron Brownstein
Since 2021, #Republican-controlled states have passed a swarm of #laws to restrict #VotingRights, increase penalties for #public #protest, impose new restrictions on #transgender youth, #BanBooks, & limit what #teachers, #college #professors, & #employers can say about #race, #gender, & #SexualOrientation.
#AbortionRights
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/09/supreme-court-republican-civil-rights/675265/
"No one with the temperament to win a campaign should be in charge of anything. It’s the most obvious rule in the world. No one who likes power should ever have it."
-- The Diplomat (2023 series)
