Tag: Attacks on democratic rights

U.S. Gov’t Attacks Free Speech, Right to Protest in Minnesota

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Justice Department Uses ‘Conspiracy’ Charges to Curtail Dissent. In one of the latest attacks on free speech and the right to protest, a federal grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted 15 people on felony charges related to protests against Operation Metro Surge last winter. The June 16, 2026, indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to criminalize its opponents. The case tests how far prosecutors can go to manufacture a criminal conspiracy based on group chats, social media posts, discussions of protest tactics, and efforts to protect privacy using anti-surveillance precautions.

Reinstate Professor Tom Alter! Defend Free Speech!

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On September 10, 2025, Dr. Tom Alter, a tenured professor of history at Texas State University (TSU) in San Marcos, Texas, was fired for remarks made at an online socialist conference, speaking in his capacity as a private citizen. Alter was terminated by TSU President Kelly Damphousse without even a hearing. This denial of due process was a clear violation of both Texas State University policy and Texas state law. In addition to providing the facts of the case, this article explains what can be done to support the campaign to reinstate Alter and defend free speech.

Columbia University Cracks Down on Pro-Palestinian Advocacy

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In this essay, Palestinian American scholar Rashid Khalidi describes how Columbia is gagging students and faculty who have opposed Israel’s mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, as university officials are moving further to the right under pressure from the Trump administration. The university became the epicenter of student encampments and other protests that swept the country last spring opposing the U.S.-backed Israeli war in Gaza and demanding that schools divest from businesses benefiting the Israeli regime.