United We Fall TV - Louis Brandeis - Naomi Wolf - Geoffrey Mulgan - Georgia Pouliquen -
Thousands of protesters peacefully gathered in Seattle, Washington, to protest the World Trade Organisation, which was meeting in the city.
The police violently engaged the crowds using chemical and conventional weapons.
Hundreds were arrested and injured for peacefully exercising their rights to assembly and free speech. United We Fall, caption, PSTV 2010
They have a dream to dominate the world. ibid.
Real freedoms are eaten up a little at a time. While government controls are slipped on. While the real power is collected into a few hands. ibid.
They create order out of the chaos. ibid.
Fear of serious injury alone cannot justify oppression of free speech and assembly. Men feared witches and burnt women. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears. Louis D Brandeis
In ’70s America, protest used to be very effective, but in subsequent decades municipalities have sneakily created a web of ‘overpermiticisation’ – requirements that were designed to stifle freedom of assembly and the right to petition government for redress of grievances, both of which are part of our first amendment. Naomi Wolf
By international standards, many of the UK’s policies for civil society are exemplary. However, there are concerns about constraints on civil liberties – particularly restrictions on free assembly and about the rising tide of everyday regulation has seriously impeded community activity – from organising street parties to helping children. Geoffrey Mulgan
Every Saturday we go to demonstrate in Paris. Georgia Pouliquen, Alternative View 10 lecture, ‘The 21st Century French Yellow Vest Revolution, Youtube 1.11.49
I want to provide a testimony from France to the world about massive domestic oppression in my country France and violence of our government. ibid. Georgia’s video testimony
Yellow Vests are a humanist movement, a beautiful movement, and now we suffer massive domestic oppression … This is about freedom, and government commits violence of fundamental human rights here in France. ibid.
That’s not crowd control: that’s massive and bloody repression, and French government tries to hide the truth. ibid.
Macron passed a law to prevent us to demonstrate in the streets: now it’s an offence … We don’t have freedom of assembly any more. ibid.
A lot of young people lost an eye. ibid.
We have no choice: that’s a survival movement. ibid.