Thousands of residents in a small Chinese city took to the streets this month to demand accountability in an anti-bullying case. Unlike most protests in China, this one didn’t degenerate into violence—but it showed how the government continues to prefer suppressing dissent than addressing the grievances that fuel it.
Morocco’s security forces are using excessive force and mass arbitrary arrests to disperse Gen Z-led protests, Amnesty International says. They have arrested more than 400 people since 28 September and are targeting youth – many of whom are minors – with draconian legislation that criminalizes participation in gatherings deemed violent.
The home secretary will review current protest legislation to ensure powers are “sufficient and being applied consistently by police forces”. Senior officers will be able to consider the cumulative impact of repeated demonstrations on local communities and instruct organisers to move venues. But critics say the move is a clear attack on democracy.
In a recording leaked to POLITICO, lawyers running a training session for federal law enforcement officers deploying to protect besieged government property extolled the beauty of a strategy that civil liberties advocates warn is potentially unconstitutional. They suggested that the use of armed troops to protect federal buildings was not only necessary but also a good idea, arguing it would prevent demonstrators from “taking over” US property.
The president’s eagerness to show he can crack down on protesters evokes his yearslong flirtation with justifying violence against “evil forces” and admiration for foreign strongmen who squelch internal dissent. But a hands-on federal response is unlikely to discourage young activists from taking to the streets. And many of the tactics he’s deploying—from sending in the military to a ICE facility in suburban Chicago to bringing in riot gear—could trigger even more violence.
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