An excellent read about the possibility of #InsurrectionAct implementation (and if it happens, I'll expect both the border with Mexico AND the border with Canada to be hot-spots. And Maine is a border state...)

What to do if the #InsurrectionAct is invoked

With the Insurrection Act looming, now is the time to learn how it might unfold and the strategic ways to respond — including the power of ridicule.

Daniel Hunter, April 4, 2025

"With President Trump constantly flooding the zone, there’s a chance to think ahead about the possible implementation of the Insurrection Act. One of Trump’s presidential actions calls for the Secretary of Defense and Homeland Security to submit a joint report by April 20. The report will offer 'any recommendations regarding additional actions that may be necessary to obtain complete operational control of the southern border, including whether to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.'

"President Trump loves direct control and so it strikes me that invoking the Insurrection Act is very likely. This occasionally used provision empowers the president, with few legal limitations, to deploy U.S. military and federalized National Guard troops inside the country.

"Part of Trump’s power resides in constantly growing the myth he can get away with anything. Even when he loses or retreats, he buries the news cycle, with the goal of leaving people feeling more fear than awe. So, when we first hear about the Insurrection Act, it may trigger our alarmism. But better to face it now, before it comes, than learn about it on-the-fly.

"With that in mind, I’m going to walk through some mechanisms of the Insurrection Act, then offer lessons from previously held strategy sessions I took part in that played out various scenarios. I will also offer a few suggestions for activists about what to do about it.

What is the Insurrection Act?

"The Insurrection Act is a dusty law that has gone without updates for 200 years. The original text states: 'That in all cases of insurrection, or obstruction to the laws… the president of the United States [can] call forth the militia [or armed forces] for the purpose of suppressing such insurrection.' (Technically, it is now not just one law but a series of statutes in #Title10 of the U.S. code.)

"One might wonder what the law defines as an 'insurrection,' and it’s woefully undefined. Updated modern language merely calls it 'unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellions.' While the Supreme Court has upheld that the president alone can decide the meaning of these words, it reserved for itself a chance to review the constitutionality of the military’s actions. But the courts would have to enforce that provision."

[...]

"Humor is key for morale and exposing the vulnerability of the strongman image. When Russia effectively banned protests, activists in the Siberian city of Barnaul organized a 'toy protest.' Lego characters and tiny figurines took to the streets. (The humor only grew as the police clumsily 'arrested' all the figurines.)

"After Milošević accused the nonviolent movement Otpor! of terrorism, they organized 'terrorist fashion shows' — where regular folks stood up in their casual every-day wear. ('Clearly a terrorist — look at his glasses! He must be a reader.') Or after their offices were raided, they made a very public 'reentry' into their building with a moving van full of boxes. Media trailed them. As expected, police stopped the van and took the boxes. This turned to humiliation, as police lifted the boxes … and found them all empty, leaving Otpor! the opportunity to say: 'They are fearful of everything.' "

Read more:
wagingnonviolence.org/2025/04/…

#MartialLaw #USPol #WorldPol #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Authoritarianism #April20th #Fascism #MadKingTrump

#German #ClimateActivist faces expulsion from #Austria after ban

AFP Apr 7, 2025, Updated Apr 8, 2025

"Austria has banned a German climate activist for two years, she said on Monday, adding she would fight the decision, which could see her expelled from the Alpine EU member.

"#AnjaWindl, who has been living in Austria for seven years, became known for her #protests against #ClimateChange, including glueing herself on streets to stop #traffic with the #LastGeneration group.

"In a decision Windl received last week, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum issued the two-year ban, giving her one month to leave the country.
"The ban was issued after the German activist was found to pose a 'danger for the #PublicOrder and security', according to the decision seen by AFP.

" 'This is highly problematic from a democratic perspective,' Windl, a 28-year-old psychology #student, told AFP, adding she would appeal the ban.

" 'We are moving toward civilisational #collapse, and instead of holding those responsible accountable, it is those who have peacefully advocated for the preservation of our livelihoods" who are targeted, she said.

"Her lawyer, Ralf Niederhammer, said he did not know of any other political activist being banned from Austria. Windl faces no criminal charges, he added."

Read more:
homenewshere.com/national/news…

#CriminalizingDissent #TrafficInterference #CriminalizingProtest #ClimateActivism #AntiProtestLaws #GermanyPol #GermanAntiProtestLaws #Authoritarianism #Fascism #StudentProtesters #ClimateCatastrophe