[Podcast] The return of Erik Prince - The comeback of America’s most infamous mercenary

Nov 1st 2025

"Erik Prince, America’s most infamous mercenary, is back.

"Mr Prince rose to prominence during the war on terror as the founder of #Blackwater, a private military company. The firm earned over a billion dollars providing armed personnel to various branches of the US government before becoming implicated in a number of scandals. In 2007 its contractors killed 14 Iraqi civilians, including a nine-year-old child. The massacre made Mr Prince the face of the Iraq fiasco. He sold the company and disappeared from the public eye.

"But in recent months Mr Prince has reemerged. He has popped up in some of the most dangerous, contested places in the world, from Ukraine to Haiti to the DRC. They are places the Trump administration is interested in too.

"For the Weekend Intelligence the Economist’s Africa Correspondent, Tom Gardner, flew to Cape Town to meet with Prince, the mercenary in CEO’s clothing. Prince is defiant after his years in the political wilderness. And he’s spying some big opportunities. The global mercenary business is on the brink of a new boom. States, across Africa and beyond, are fracturing. The international system is fraying. With UN peacekeepers drawing down, from Mali to Congo to Lebanon, mercenaries of different stripes can expect to fill the void."

Read more / listen:
https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2025/11/01/the-return-of-erik-prince

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/YYhBY

#Blackwater
#ErikPrinceColonialism
#SilencingDissent
#USPol #Project2025 #CriminalizingActivism
#ClimateActivists #NoDAPL #Crapitalism
#Fascism #Trump #ChristoFascist
#CorporateFascism #SilencingDissent #ClimateActivists #Activists #NoDAPL #CriminalizingDissent
#CrackdownOnProtests #AntiProtestLaws #CorporateFascism #CorporateColonialism
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #ErikPrinceColonialism #Academi #TripleCanopy #SilencingDissent #ErikPrinceIsAWarCriminal

So, the #FlagBurning stuff is BULLSHIT! #MAGA-types desecrate the #AmericanFlag ALL THE TIME! For instance, you're not supposed to wear the flag on your ass or let it fly in tatters! These idiots don't even follow proper flag protocol!!! How many of them "retire" their flags properly? I learned this stuff in scouts! This is just another excuse to arrest people who #protest!!! Like COMBAT VETERANS!!!

#CriminalizingDissent #Crackdown #USPol

UN #HumanRights chief criticises UK #PalestineAction ban

by Sam Francis
July 25, 2025

" 'The UK government's ban on Palestine Action is a 'disturbing' misuse of counter-terrorism legislation, the United Nations' human rights chief has warned.

"Volker Turk urged the government to lift the ban on the group, calling it 'disproportionate and unnecessary.'

"Earlier this month, Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK Government under the #TerrorismAct2000 after activists claimed responsibility for spraying two military aircraft with red paint causing an estimated £7m worth of damage.

"The decision is currently being challenged in the High Court with a judgment due at the end of the month. The Home Office has been contacted for a comment.
Palestine Action ban 'abuse of power', court told

"The ban means that membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

"More than 170 people have been arrested since the ban was introduced, under the #TerrorismAct of 2000.

"Turk, who has been the UN's high commissioner for human rights since 2022, said the ban 'appears disproportionate and unnecessary'.

" 'It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association,' Turk said.

" 'As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law.' "

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjxjpl8g0do

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ElL2Z

#UKPol #WorldPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #FreeGaza #EndTheGenocide #HumanRightsViolations

Feds Criminalize Aiding #Protests Against #ICE

The #Trump administration is targeting nonviolent acts like identifying masked agents and handing out #PPE in support of LA’s #AntiICE movement.

Akela Lacy
July 23 2025

Excerpt: " 'Roving patrols' operating without reasonable suspicion and denying access to #lawyers violated the Fourth and the Fifth Amendments, the judge wrote. 'What the federal government would have this Court believe — in the face of a mountain of evidence presented in this case — is that none of this is actually happening.'

"Now, those accused of helping the anti-ICE movement are facing prosecution or investigation. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted a man after he handed out #FaceShields to people protesting ICE in Los Angeles two days after President Donald Trump deployed the #NationalGuard.

"#AlejandroOrellana, 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to aid and abet civil disorders. According to a grand jury indictment, the face shields were 'advertised as designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris.'

" 'Alejandro Orellana’s arrest for distributing supplies is an outrageous violation of #CivilRights and should be a wakeup call to people everywhere,' said California attorney Thomas Harvey.

" 'This appears to be a targeted, political attack on resistance to a military incursion on our communities,' Harvey said. 'Distributing supplies to protesters is not a crime. It’s a critical role to help keep people safe — especially in the face of some of the most violent police repression I’ve seen since the #Ferguson uprising.' "

https://theintercept.com/2025/07/23/feds-criminalize-protests-masked-ice/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/sQii5

#ACAB #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #CivilRightsViolations #Authoritarianism #USPol #WeKeepOurselvesSafe #WeKeepEachOtherSafe

I'm not sure if this passed. Knowing the evil entrenched in Washington, I suspect it went through...

'Must cover the costs': Trump directs DOJ to 'enforce' a rule of civil procedure and seek security #bonds from '#activist' groups that win injunctions against the government

Colin Kalmbacher Mar 7th, 2025

"The memo, on its own terms, aims to curb the power of 'activist organizations fueled by hundreds of millions of dollars in donations' and 'activist judges' by pushing back against 'frivolous litigation.' "

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/must-cover-the-costs-trump-directs-doj-to-enforce-a-rule-of-civil-procedure-and-seek-security-bonds-from-activist-groups-that-win-injunctions-against-the-government/

#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #CriminalizingJournalism #Fascism #Authoritarianism #Corporatocracy #CorporateColonialism #NoDAPL #NoKXL #StandWithStandingRock #EnvironmentalJustice

Three #AntiProtestLaws recently passed in #Arizona, #Kentucky and #Texas

Source: https://www.icnl.org/usprotestlawtracker/

Arizona
HB 2880: Banning #protest #encampments on #campus

Bars protest encampments on the campuses of state colleges and universities. Under the new law, individuals or groups that establish an “encampment” are no longer lawfully present on campus for the purpose of speech protections under Arizona law; they are criminally liable to prosecution for trespass; and they are liable for any damage they cause, including the "direct and indirect costs" of removing the encampment and "restoring" campus. The new law defines “encampment” as “temporary shelter” installed on campus and used to stay overnight or “for a prolonged period of time.” The law requires colleges and universities to order individuals to dismantle and vacate any encampment; if the individuals refuse to comply, the institution is required to take disciplinary action and report the individuals to local law enforcement for trespassing. The sponsor of the new law said that it was motivated by #ProPalestine protests on college campuses.
Full bill text:
https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/83353

Status: enacted

Introduced 12 Feb 2025; Approved by House 3 March 2025; Approved by Senate 30 April 2025; Signed by Governor Hobbs 7 May 2025

Issue(s): #CampusProtests, #Trespass, Camping

Kentucky
HB 399: New penalties for protesters at the capitol

Creates serious new criminal offenses that can cover #PeacefulProtesters at the state capitol, as well as anyone who “conspires” with or otherwise supports them. The first new offense applies to someone who enters the capitol, or impedes access to the capitol by a legislator or legislative staff, with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business—regardless of whether legislative business was in fact “impeded.” “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. It is a Class B misdemeanor (punishable by up to 3 months in jail) for a first incident, and a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year in jail) for subsequent incident. The law creates a second, more serious offense for someone who engages in “disorderly or disruptive conduct” inside the Capitol with intent to disrupt or impede legislative business, if their conduct in fact “disrupts” or “impedes” the legislature’s business—even momentarily. As written, the offense could cover a demonstrator who shouts a single chant during a legislative hearing. “Conspir[ing]” to engage in such conduct or “facilitat[ing]” another person to engage in the conduct is subject to the same penalties as actually engaging in it. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by up to one year in jail) for the first incident, and a Class D felony (up to 5 years in prison) for third and subsequent incident. Prior to passing the bill, lawmakers added an amendment which provides that the law will not be construed "to prohibit... [a]ssembly in traditional public forums, including but not limited to the Capitol rotunda and outdoor areas of the Capitol grounds." While helpful, the amendment does not immunize all peaceful protest activity that the law could potentially punish, including protest organizing. When he vetoed the bill (later overridden), Governor Beshear noted the risks it poses to lawful #FirstAmendment activity.
Full bill text:
https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/25rs/hb399.html

Status: enacted

Introduced 6 Feb 2025; Approved by House 7 March 2025; Approved by Senate 13 March 2025; Vetoed by Governor Beshear 25 March 2025; Veto overridden 27 March 2025

Issue(s): Protest Supporters or Funders, Police Response

Texas
#SB2972: New restrictions on #CampusProtests

Requires public colleges and universities to adopt new limitations on campus protests that among other things would ban protest encampments, limit protesters’ ability to wear a mask, and restrict vigils and other demonstrations at night. Under the law—which revises Texas’s 2019 law on campus speech—all public colleges and universities in the state must have policies that among other things prohibit: a) erecting tents or otherwise “camping” on campus; b) wearing a mask or other disguise while engaging in “expressive activities” on campus with certain intent, including intent to “intimidate others;” c) engaging in “expressive activities” between 10pm and 8am; d) engaging in “expressive activities” in the last two weeks of a school term by inviting speakers or using sound amplification or drums; and e) using sound amplification while engaging in “expressive activities” during class hours if it “intimidate[s] others.” Preexisting provisions of the law define “expressive activities” broadly as “any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment,” including but not limited to assemblies, protests, speeches, carrying signs, or distributing written material. As such, colleges and universities would seemingly be required to ban all kinds of expression between 10pm and 8am, from conversations in the dining hall to someone sending a text or wearing expressive clothing. The law repeals a provision in the 2019 law that established all common outdoor areas of campus as traditional public forums where anyone could engage in First Amendment activity, and replaced it with a provision authorizing the governing boards of schools to designate select areas as public forums.
Full bill text: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB2972

Status: enacted

Introduced 14 Mar 2025; Approved by Senate 14 May 2025; Approved by House 28 May 2025; Signed by Governor Abbott 20 June 2025

Issue(s): Campus Protests, Face Covering, Camping

#USPol #CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #AntiProtestLaws #TexasProtestLaws #KentuckyProtestLaws #ArizonaProtestLaws #ClothingBans #CollegeCampusProtests #MaskBans #EncampmentBans

Arrests made in #ParliamentSquare as pro-#PalestineAction protests held across #UK

Dozens of #protesters assembled in central #London on Saturday afternoon

Sami Quadri, Megan Howe, July 19, 2025

"Fifty-five people have been arrested for displaying #placards in support of proscribed group Palestine Action, Met Police has said.

"Demonstrations are taking place in cities including London, #Manchester, #Edinburgh, #Bristol and #Truro after the group was officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation two weeks ago.

"Dozens of protesters assembled in Parliament Square on Saturday afternoon holding white placards that read: 'I oppose #genocide, I support Palestine Action.'

"Some demonstrators were led away in handcuffs, while others were carried off by officers. In a post on X, the Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers have moved in and arrests are taking place.'

"Police said the 55 people arrested were arrested under Section 13 of the #TerrorismAct 2000.

"The Met had previously said around 70 people were arrested at similar protests in Parliament Square over the past two weekends.

"#DefendOurJuries, the group coordinating the campaign, claims a total of 120 people have now been arrested across the UK.

"The force warned that anyone expressing support for Palestine Action was likely to be arrested, adding that officers were also monitoring for chants such as 'death to the #IDF', led by punk-rap duo #BobVylan at #GlastonburyFestival.

"The ban, under the #TerrorismAct2000, makes it a criminal offence to be a member of or show support for the group — with a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in prison. Wearing a badge or #TShirt bearing the group’s name now carries a potential six-month jail term.

"Palestine Action co-founder #HudaAmmori is seeking to challenge the ban, with a hearing to determine whether a judicial review can proceed set to take place at the High Court on Monday."

Source:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/arrests-made-in-parliament-square-palestine-action-protests-uk-b1239025.html

#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #IsraeliWarCrimes
#BibiIsAWarCriminal #UKProtestLaws #AntiProtestLaws #UKPol #EnglandPol
#WorldPol #Authoritarianism #SilencingFreeSpeech

Met warns against supporting proscribed groups ahead of #London #protests

Officers to monitor chants and conduct at #PalestineCoalition and counter-protests in Westminster

Joe Hadden
Friday 18 July 2025

"The Metropolitan Police has warned that anyone showing support for proscribed organisations during planned protests in London this weekend could face arrest under #terrorism laws.

"An increased police presence is expected in Westminster on Saturday when a number of demonstrations are due to take place, including a large-scale march by the Palestine Coalition and a static counter-protest by Stop the Hate.

"The Met said it also anticipates further protest activity in support of the recently proscribed group #PalestineAction, which is now banned under the #TerrorismAct.

"Seventy people were arrested at similar demonstrations in #ParliamentSquare over the past two weekends, and the location of any action this Saturday is yet to be confirmed.

"Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who is leading the policing operation, said officers are experienced in managing events of this nature but warned that those who use the protests as an opportunity to express support for proscribed groups risk serious legal consequences.

" 'This Saturday’s Palestine Coalition protest is the first large-scale event of its kind since the proscription of Palestine Action and I want to make sure the implications of that change in the law are fully understood,' he said.

" 'Nobody will be committing an offence by simply supporting the Palestinian cause, taking part in the march or carrying flags, banners or other signs providing they don’t stray into hate speech or other offences.

" 'However, those who see this as an opportunity to test the limits of the law by expressing support for Palestine Action, whether at a standalone protest or as part of the Palestine Coalition protest, will likely be committing an offence and will very likely be arrested.'

"He added: 'I would urge those people to consider the seriousness of being arrested under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances – that such an arrest is likely to have for their future.'

"Mr Adelekan also said the force is continuing to investigate '#OffensiveChanting' that took place at #GlastonburyFestival and has been repeated at recent protests in London.

"He said officers would assess chants at Saturday’s protest 'based on the specific circumstances' – noting that words shouted generally during the march may not constitute an offence, but could do so if directed at individuals in a way likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

" 'At previous protests, the area between the main march and any counter protest has seen the most heated exchanges. Officers will be particularly alert to conduct, including chanting, in this area and will be working with stewards to ensure crowds keep moving past this point,' he said.

" 'Where they become aware of behaviour that crosses the line from protest into criminality they will intervene and take appropriate action.'

"He said the best way for protesters to stay within the law is to avoid 'threatening, abusive and insulting language' or any support for banned groups. [!!!]

"The Palestine Coalition march will begin at #VictoriaEmbankment and proceed via #WestminsterBridge, #YorkRoad, #WaterlooBridge, #TheStrand, and #Whitehall, where speeches will be held."

Source:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-met-westminster-parliament-square-westminster-bridge-b2791807.html

#CriminalizingProtest #CriminalizingDissent #FreePalestine #GazaGenocide #IsraeliWarCrimes #BibiIsAWarCriminal #UKProtestLaws #AntiProtestLaws #UKPol #EnglandPol #WorldPol