Protesting is not terrorism, it is a right
More than 150 organizations and entities of the civil society together with more than 200 personalities from different sectors participate in the presentation of the unitary and transversal manifesto of the civil society that wants to show their rejection to the accusations of terrorism by the Audiencia Nacional against 11 people, investigated in the case against Tsunami Democràtic, as well as a show of solidarity with all of them.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, but is part of a growing global trend in which a disproportionate and extensive use of the regulatory framework is used to persecute, silence and criminalize social and political movements, as well as different expressions of the right to protest.
For all these reasons, today we say that protesting is not terrorism, protesting is a right that we want and will continue to exercise. The case of Tsunami Democràtic alerts us of the dangerous precedent that can be generated if the cause continues forward, endangering democratic principles and the rule of law, as well as a large number of movements and organizations.
In the report “Don’t call me a terrorist when I’m not” it warned that false accusations of terrorism by states against democratic movements and human rights defenders are a global phenomenon and contribute to the rise of authoritarianism.
It is necessary to continue protecting freedom of expression and the right to protest to ensure that we can enjoy the rest of human rights, and because freedom of expression contributes to the debate on matters of general interest and the scrutiny of public and private powers.