The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine
15 hours ago
- #Prosecutorial Overreach
- #Authoritarianism
- #Free Speech
- Federal prosecutors filed a new indictment related to a July 4 noise demonstration outside the Prairieland ICE detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, where a police officer was shot.
- The indictment includes charges against Daniel 'Des' Sanchez, a Dallas artist who wasn’t at the protest, for allegedly transporting 'Antifa materials'—zines and pamphlets—which are constitutionally protected free speech.
- The case reflects the Trump administration's efforts to criminalize left-wing activism, labeling 'Antifa' as a 'major terrorist organization' despite lacking legal basis for domestic groups.
- Sanchez’s prosecution is part of a broader pattern of using literature as evidence of criminality, seen in cases like the Georgia RICO indictment against Stop Cop City protesters.
- Journalists and activists face increasing legal threats, such as Maya Lau’s lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff’s Department for reporting on misconduct, and Project Veritas’s case for possessing Ashley Biden’s diary.
- The indictment against Sanchez and others cites anarchist zines as evidence, raising concerns about prosecutorial overreach and the criminalization of political ideologies.
- The framers of the Constitution protected press freedom to allow revolutionary ideas, contrasting with the current administration’s crackdown on dissent.
- Trump’s administration is accused of an authoritarian takeover, ignoring court orders, placing loyalists in key positions, and targeting critical news outlets.