2 hours agoThe US slides into dictatorship urges Facebook to investigate the account of activists fighting fascism (Video/Photo)
Periskopi(9 years ago)
(9 years ago)Two weeks ago, Lacy MacAule was shocked to open her e-mail box to find a message informing her that the US Department of Justice had asked Facebook to access her personal account. I had heard that Facebook was fighting this order of the American government, [...]
I had heard that Facebook was fighting this order from the U.S. government, but I certainly didn't have much thinking about this case”, recalls MacAule, a prominent activist and anti-fascist.
I didn't expect that email”, she told “Al Jazeera”, Transmission Periscope.
The US administration has issued three FacebookHOU directives to provide two activists' account information and a site linked to mass protests against the inauguration of right-wing President Donald Trump on January 20th this year.
The requested information includes all photos, videos, posts, private messages, video calls, billing information and other information between November 1, 2016, and February 9, 2017.
The account check point from the US administration was also Facebook. The activist Legba Carrefour and the page “split J20”, which has since been named “
MacAuley and Carrefour were spokespersons for the protests that were staged in the case of inaugurating President Trump, while “Divided J20” was a digital space where visitors discussed and organised demonstrations.
Prosecution Efforts
Last week, the DC chapter of the American Civil Freedom Union (ACLU-DC) submitted a request to the court, demanding that guarantees be removed.
MacAule, Carrefour and Emmelia Talarico, who managed the J20 Division, are being represented by ACLU-DC.
Scott Michelman, an old lawyer at ACLU-DC, described the ordinances as “a serious case of overcoming the prosecution”.
This is a deep invasion of privacy and is unconstitutional”, he told “Al Jazeera”.
It's a “fishing expedition, Michelman said. Perhaps what is most desperate is that they allow these activists to be investigated by the administration protesting”.
The sentences are related to demonstrations resulting in the mass arrest of more than 230 people who were in an anti-fascist bloc during the inauguration of Trump dealt.
MacAule, Carrefour and Talarico were not among those arrested.
During that march, the anti-fascists took to the streets of the capital. Some of them broke windows and painted walls and vehicles.
For its part, MacAule believes the ordinances are an indication that the US is “a very dangerous country”.
“We are in danger of heading towards fascism and authoritarianism”, she said./Periscopi/
