Will Potter: The shocking move to criminalize nonviolent protest

翻译人员: Samson Zhong 校对人员: Xing xing Sun

It was less than a year after September 11,

当时911事件尚未届满一年，

and I was at the Chicago Tribune

我还在《芝加哥论坛报》

writing about shootings and murders,

撰写关于枪击和谋杀的新闻

and it was leaving me feeling

在工作（中遇到的一些事情）让我觉得

十分阴郁沮丧。

pretty dark and depressed.

I had done some activism in college,

我大学时参加过社运，

so I decided to help a local group

所以决定帮助一个当地组织，

hang door knockers against animal testing.

以逐户塞传单的方式游说反动物实验。

I thought it would be a safe way

我以为这是比较安全的办法

to do something positive,

去做一些有意义的事情

but of course I have the absolute worst luck ever,

不过可以预见的是，我的运气糟透了，

and we were all arrested.

我们全遭逮捕。

Police took this blurry photo of me

警方还拍到我拿着传单，

holding leaflets as evidence.

这张模糊不清的照片就是罪证。

My charges were dismissed,

指控我的告诉后来撤销了，

but a few weeks later,

不过数周后，

two FBI agents knocked on my door,

二名联邦调查局探员登门告知，

and they told me that unless I helped them

除非我答应帮忙

by spying on protest groups,

监控抗争团体，

they would put me on a domestic terrorist list.

不然将被视为境内恐怖份子。

I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinch,

我很想说自己并未就此退缩，

but I was terrified,

不过当时我怕死了！

and when my fear subsided,

等到恐惧平复后，

I became obsessed with finding out

我忍不住想知道，

how this happened,

这到底是怎么回事。

how animal rights and environmental activists

为什么，拥护动物权和环保的人士，

从不伤害任何人，

who have never injured anyone

could become the FBI's number one

却成为联邦调查局榜上，

domestic terrorism threat.

头号境内恐怖份子

A few years later, I was invited to testify

几年后，我被要求在

before Congress about my reporting,

国会面前质证（判定我是境内恐怖分子）的报告。

and I told lawmakers that, while everybody

我告诉议员，

is talking about going green,

虽然人人都在谈环保，

some people are risking their lives

但有些人是冒生命危险，

to defend forests and to stop oil pipelines.

保护森林并遏阻油管架设。

They're physically putting their bodies on the line

他们用血肉之躯挺身挡在

捕鲸叉和鲸鱼间。

between the whalers' harpoons and the whales.

These are everyday people,

他们都只是普通人，

like these protesters in Italy

如同这些意大利的抗议人士，

who spontaneously climbed over

不假思索便爬过刺网围篱，

barbed wire fences to rescue beagles

from animal testing.

只为拯救一只米格鲁

免于沦为动物实验品。

And these movements have been incredibly effective

这些社会运动获得巨大的成功，

and popular,

且获得广大回响；

so in 1985, their opponents made up a new word,

所以1985年时，对手为他们扣上

eco-terrorist,

生态恐怖主义（Eco-terrorism）的名号，

to shift how we view them.

为的是改变外界观感，

They just made it up.

所以就编出这样一个称号。

Now these companies have backed new laws

这些公司向来支持立法，

like the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act,

像〈动物企业保护法〉（the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act）

which turns activism into terrorism

就认为社会运动者如造成营利损失，

if it causes a loss of profits.

将被视为恐怖份子。

Now most people never even heard about this law,

包括国会议员在内，

大多数人都不知道这项法律。

including members of Congress.

Less than one percent were in the room

因为众院通过此法的时候，

when it passed the House.

出席人数不到1%。

The rest were outside at a new memorial.

其余的当时在外参加

马丁路德金先生的纪念仪式，

They were praising Dr. King

as his style of activism was branded as terrorism

即使是他那样的社运方式，如果冠上动物权或环保的名义，

if done in the name of animals or the environment.

Supporters say laws like this are needed

新法支持者表示，这种法律的意义在于

遏制极端分子，

for the extremists:

the vandals, the arsonists, the radicals.

诸如极端份子、破坏狂、纵火者和激进份子。

But right now, companies like TransCanada

但目前像TransCanada等企业，

are briefing police in presentations like this one

正在让警察代表他们的权益

about how to prosecute nonviolent protesters

以侦办恐怖份子的方式，

as terrorists.

起诉和平抗议者。

The FBI's training documents on eco-terrorism

美国联邦调查局 有关生态恐怖主义的训练教材，

are not about violence,

内容非关暴力行为，

they're about public relations.

反倒偏向公关。

Today, in multiple countries,

在许多国家，

corporations are pushing new laws

企业们正在推动新法，

that make it illegal to photograph

禁止有人在旗下所属农场

animal cruelty on their farms.

拍摄动物受虐的情形。

The latest was in Idaho just two weeks ago,

最近加入行列的， 是两周前通过此法案的爱达荷州，

and today we released a lawsuit

而我们今天以法律诉讼形式，

challenging it as unconstitutional

质疑这项立法违宪，

as a threat to journalism.

因为这项立法将伤害新闻业。

The first of these ag-gag prosecutions,

这类所谓ag-gag法案实行后

as they're called,

因为这个法案首个被起诉的人

was a young woman named Amy Meyer,

是一名叫爱咪． 梅尔（Amy Meyer）的年轻女性。

and Amy saw a sick cow being moved

by a bulldozer outside of a slaughterhouse

当时她在大街上，

见到屠宰场外有人用堆高机，

as she was on the public street.

搬运一头病牛。

And Amy did what any of us would:

爱咪做了我们都会做的一件事，

She filmed it.

就是录像

When I found out about her story, I wrote about it,

我听闻此事便写了相关报导

and within 24 hours, it created such an uproar

24小时内便引发群情激愤，

that the prosecutors just dropped all the charges.

检察官才撤销所有告诉。

But apparently, even exposing stuff like that

不过显然接露这类事情

is a threat.

也被视为威胁；

Through the Freedom of Information Act,

通过｀《信息自由法》，

I learned that the counter-terrorism unit

我得知反恐单位

一直在监控我的文章，

has been monitoring my articles

and speeches like this one.

还有类似今天这样的演讲。

They even included this nice little write-up of my book.

另有一篇有关我著作的评论，

They described it as "compelling and well-written."

其中写到：「文笔不错且言之有理。」

(Applause)

（掌声）

Blurb on the next book, right?

可当下一本书的宣传了，对吧？

The point of all of this is to make us afraid,

这些手段就是要我们害怕，

but as a journalist, I have an unwavering faith

不过身为记者，

我始终坚信教育的力量，

in the power of education.

我们最有力的武器就是阳光。

Our best weapon is sunlight.

Dostoevsky wrote that the whole work of man

杜斯妥也夫斯基曾说，人终其一生

is to prove he's a man and not a piano key.

就是要证明自己是人而非琴键。

Over and over throughout history,

历史上屡见不鲜的是，

people in power have used fear

当权者不断利用恐惧，

to silence the truth and to silence dissent.

让真相与异议消音。

It's time we strike a new note.

现在该轮到我们发声了!

Thank you.

谢谢！

（掌声）

(Applause)