I came across sources that claim that Republicans are trying to push for anti protesting laws. In the last couple months, there have been at least 10 new bills that have been filed by state legislatures that attempt to curb the right to protest.
Republican state (Colorado) Senate Jerry Sonnenberg has proposed a bill that would increase penalties for environmental protesters. It would consist of serving jail time as well as paying a fine that can go up to $100,000.
Legislators in North Dakota have also proposed a bill that would "allow motorists to run over and kill protesters, so long as the driver did not intend to kill them."
The people that want to pass these bills are Republican states. For example, Colorado has seen quite a few of protesters that are against fossil fuel industries. If these bills were passed, there would be no pressure on these industries to stop from causing harm to the environment.
Sources:
https://theintercept.com/2017/01/23/lawmakers-in-eight-states-have-proposed-laws-criminalizing-peaceful-protest/
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-states-laws-right-protest-free-speech-donald-trump-iowa-minnesota-north-dakota-black-lives-matter-a7562841.html
That is really interesting that you came across this, I haven't heard of these bills trying to be passed but that is very disappointing to hear. It is taking away from our freedom of speech and not allowing us to state what we believe. It could be possible that these bills are stemming from the riots and violence that many protests have caused but that is very doubtful. I hope that these bills don'y continue to go further.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the North Dakota one that was passed. That's almost too hard to believe.
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