Opinion
Trump’s
Stifling
of
Dissent Reaches
a New
Level
By The
Editorial Board
The
editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by
expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate
from the newsroom.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/06/opinion/ice-minnesota-democracy-america.html
Feb. 6,
2026
The
crackdown on dissent and speech in Minnesota this winter follows a pattern that
is common in countries that slide from democracy to autocracy: A leader enacts
a legally dubious policy. Citizens protest that policy. The government responds
with intimidation and force. When people are hurt, the government blames them
and lies about what happened.
The New
York Times editorial board published an index in October tracking 12 categories
of democratic erosion, based on historical patterns and interviews with
experts. Our index places the United States on a scale of 0 to 10 for each
category. Zero represents the United States before President Trump began his
second term — not perfect, surely, but one of the world’s healthiest
democracies. Ten represents the condition in a true autocracy, such as China,
Iran or Russia.
Based on
recent events, we are moving our assessment of one of the categories — stifling
speech and dissent — up one notch, to Level 4:
The
wide-ranging abuses in Minnesota are the main reason for the change. The Trump
administration is conducting a military-style operation in an American city
under dubious pretenses. The stated goal is immigration enforcement, even
though the state is home to relatively few undocumented immigrants. The true
goal seems to be instilling fear in people who oppose Mr. Trump’s agenda.
Federal agents have killed two protesters, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and
assaulted and menaced others. The administration has made clear that the
abusers will face no accountability.
The
acceleration in the stifling of dissent and speech is broader than what’s
happening in Minnesota. Since late last year, the administration has also
widened its campaign of investigating perceived enemies, such as Jerome Powell,
the Federal Reserve chair. The Department of Homeland Security has used
subpoenas that no judge approved to demand information on critics. The F.B.I.
searched the home of a journalist who had exposed problems with the
administration’s policies.
Our
country is still not close to being a true autocracy. Many forms of speech and
dissent remain vibrant in the United States, in courts, in Congress, in the
media and on the streets. But Mr. Trump and his allies have restricted dissent
in fundamental ways. It is a violation of basic American values.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário