C_Clayton_Jones
Diamond Member
âA coalition of global civil society organizations has downgraded the United Statesâ civic health rating from ânarrowedâ to âobstructed.â In a report released on Tuesday, Civicus, a non-profit that monitors civic freedoms in 198 countries, placed the US in its âobstructedâ category. The group cited a âsharp deterioration of fundamental freedoms in the country ⌠following a year of sweeping executive actions, restrictive laws and aggressive crackdowns on free speech and dissent.â
The shift comes just months after Civicusâs July assessment, which rated the US as ânarrowedâ â one step above âobstructedâ. Civicus assigns each country a score based on civic space conditions, using five classifications: âopenâ, ânarrowedâ, âobstructedâ, ârepressedâ and âclosedâ.
According to the group, an âobstructedâ ranking applies to countries where civic space is heavily contested. Civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements. âCitizens can organise and assemble peacefully but they are vulnerable to frequent use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies, including rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges,â the rating description said.
It added in regards to media: âThere is some space for non-state media and editorial independence, but journalists face the risk of physical attack and criminal defamation charges, which encourage self-censorship.â The report cited militarized crackdowns on protests in the US, pointing to Donald Trumpâs deployment of the national guard to Los Angeles and other cities, as well as the widespread use of ICE agents across gatherings and immigrant communities.â
www.theguardian.com
Trump Cult members will of course lie about this being âfake news,â lie that that Civicus is âanti-Trump.â
The fact is that this loss of freedoms in the United States is the consequence of the authoritarian Trump regime, which seeks to silence political opposition and dissent through threats and intimidation.
The shift comes just months after Civicusâs July assessment, which rated the US as ânarrowedâ â one step above âobstructedâ. Civicus assigns each country a score based on civic space conditions, using five classifications: âopenâ, ânarrowedâ, âobstructedâ, ârepressedâ and âclosedâ.
According to the group, an âobstructedâ ranking applies to countries where civic space is heavily contested. Civil society organizations still exist but state authorities undermine them including through illegal surveillance, bureaucratic harassment and demeaning public statements. âCitizens can organise and assemble peacefully but they are vulnerable to frequent use of excessive force by law enforcement agencies, including rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges,â the rating description said.
It added in regards to media: âThere is some space for non-state media and editorial independence, but journalists face the risk of physical attack and criminal defamation charges, which encourage self-censorship.â The report cited militarized crackdowns on protests in the US, pointing to Donald Trumpâs deployment of the national guard to Los Angeles and other cities, as well as the widespread use of ICE agents across gatherings and immigrant communities.â
US civic health rating downgraded after year of ârestrictiveâ Trump actions
Civicus, a non-profit that monitors global civic freedoms, moved the US from the ânarrowedâ to âobstructedâ category
www.theguardian.com
Trump Cult members will of course lie about this being âfake news,â lie that that Civicus is âanti-Trump.â
The fact is that this loss of freedoms in the United States is the consequence of the authoritarian Trump regime, which seeks to silence political opposition and dissent through threats and intimidation.
