One of the men goes for her phone. The other grabs at her hands. Ozturk screams. Shock and fear ripple through her voice. Two masked women join them, tugging at her backpack, peeling the straps from her shoulders. “I’m going somewhere, I need to call someone,” she pleads. “We’re the police. Relax,” one of the men says in response.

They surround her. Then, one by one, they pull their neck gaiters up to cover their faces. “You don’t look like police,” a voice off screen says. “Why are you hiding your faces?” The questions continue, but the figures don’t respond. Instead, they cuff Ozturk, cross the street, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She is gone.

  • Englishgrinn@lemmy.ca
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    8 months ago

    For the record, and I know I’m not the first to say it, this woman committed NO crime. She didn’t overstay a visa, she didn’t protest illegally. She wrote something the administration didn’t like.

    For that, she was arrested by 8 masked officers in the middle of the street, in broad daylight. She was thrown in the back on an unmarked SUV. She’s received no legal representation. No trial. Not even charges, because again, she committed no crime.

    Americans, you realize you’re watching the death of your rights and the rule of law, right? You have no illusions about the fact that you are defenseless? There is no longer any guardrail between you and an El Salvadoran prison camp. In something that reminds me very much of Stalin, an accusation is now a conviction.

  • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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    8 months ago

    Our inner child will refuse to believe this, but history has shown us that fascists cannot be stopped peacefully.

    Concealed carry might be our only real defense in the future

  • rational_lib@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Meanwhile Rubio is proudly bragging about revoking student visas entirely for pro-Palestinian speech. Marco Rubio is not the voice of reason in the white house, he’s an enemy of the Constitution.

    • tehn00bi@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      I mean, imagine if we sided with Castro government back in the 60’s, rubio’s family would have been sent to concentration camps.

  • kava@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    What was fascinating, or perhaps horrific is a better word, about the article that I didn’t know about is the brief mention of “The Canary Mission”

    Here’s from their about page:

    Canary Mission documents individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses and beyond. Canary Mission investigates hatred across the entire political spectrum, including the far right, far left and anti-Israel activists.

    Canary Mission is motivated by a desire to combat the rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses. We pursue our mission by presenting the words and deeds of individuals and organizations that engage in anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry on the far right, far left and among the array of organizations that comprise the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

    Essentially they gather dossiers on private individuals that they claim are anti-semitic. So, I looked up the woman that was taken off the street like a Ukrainian draft-dodger.

    https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk

    Rumeysa Ozturk engaged in anti-Israel activism in March 2024, in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023.

    Ozturk is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

    What was the anti-Israel activism, you ask? I figured it was some sort of protest. Sort of like the one in New York where they occupied a building.

    Nope

    On March 26, 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed published in the Tufts Daily newspaper titled: “Try again, President Kumar: Renewing calls for Tufts to adopt March 4 TCU Senate resolutions.” The authors urged “President Kumar and the Tufts administration to meaningfully engage with and actualize the resolutions passed by the Senate.”

    The op-ed referred to the passing of anti-Israel resolutions by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, which demanded the University “…acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, apologize for University President Sunil Kumar’s statements, disclose its investments, and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.”

    At Tufts university, the Community Union Senate (not really sure what this is. a student council or something) passed a 3/5ths majority resolution urging the president of the university to

    1. acknowledge the Palestinian genocide

    2. apologize for some statements, I don’t know what

    3. disclose its investments

    4. divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel

    She co-wrote an op-ed essentially demanding the president follow the resolution that was passed. That’s the “anti-Israel activism” she’s guilty of. I suppose that’s enough to be deported. Be careful out there guys. If you aren’t a citizen, shut up about your political views until you are. Because there are eyes out there watching everything you do. Even if you are… consider what you are doing. You may be making an enemy of a vindictive state that is willing to break the rules.

    Here’s the op-ed, in case you’re interested: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj

    These resolutions were the product of meaningful debate by the Senate and represent a sincere effort to hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law. Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide.

    Lock 'em up, I guess. If you believe that Palestinian civilians have a right to life then you are a terrorist-sympathizer in this administration’s opinion.

  • RumorsOfLove@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    For many years I was against punching nazis. It was time for debate. I am still against punching peaceful protestors.

    But secret police deserve more than a punch.

    • Bremmy@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      Nazis want to murder people for simply existing. We should always be for punching Nazis

      • RumorsOfLove@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        7 months ago

        Okay, please think about what happens next… Do you want to bring your fists to a gun fight? Do you think Nazis dont know how to use guns? Have you ever been in a fight? I havent.

        But there is some fantasy that you knock this guy out in one punch, you are surrounded by cheering crowds, they hoist you on their shoulders and take you away to a bar.

        In reality, a bunch of other Nazis, with actual weapons, immediately step in and take you and your friends to a black site.

  • Arthur Besse@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    The government revoked Tufts doctoral student Rumeysa Ozturk’s visa due to her pro-Palestinian activism, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who added the State Department may have revoked more than 300 student visas since the beginning of the second Trump administration.

    “It might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” Rubio said during a press conference in Guyana on Thursday.

    https://abcnews.go.com/US/tufts-students-visa-revoked-due-activism-rubio/story?id=120226954

  • fibojoly@sh.itjust.works
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    8 months ago

    Remember the outrage when stuff like that happens in China?
    Ever since living there a few years back, I keep saying how your two countries are so fucking similar, and it getting truer every day.

    • y0kai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 months ago

      I lived there 10 years ago and it felt entirely different at the time. Chinese people were afraid to discuss certain topics in public, which was not the case in the USA at that time, but yes, times have changed and it is becoming increasingly similar in the US.

      • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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        8 months ago

        Chinese people were afraid to discuss certain topics in public, which was not the case in the USA at that time,

        Try talking about unionizing at work and see how people react. Americans are terrified of discussing critical issues in places where it matters the most.

        Companies having the ability to destroy your life for having the wrong opinion is just as bad as a state doing it.