Difference between revisions of "Police state"

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==Features of police states==
 
==Features of police states==
 
Features of a police state include:
 
Features of a police state include:
*arrest or punishment of citizens for expressing their beliefs or opinions, especially for criticism of the regime or its leaders (criminalization of dissent)<ref name=naomiw>{{cite news| url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment| author=Naomi Wolf| title=Fascist America, in 10 easy steps| publisher=The Guardian| date=April 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wisegeek>{{cite web| url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-police-state.htm| author=J.E. Holloway| title= What Is a Police State?| publisher=wiseGEEK| date=October 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wp>{{cite web| url=http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/police-state/6401/| author=Will Potter| title=7 Examples of a “Police State,” and How They Are Appearing in the U.S.| publisher=Green is the New Red| date=September 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=bbc>{{cite web| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/controlstructurerev_print.shtml| title=The structures of control in the Nazi state| publisher=BBC| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
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*arrest or punishment of citizens for expressing their beliefs or opinions, especially for criticism of the regime or its leaders (criminalization of dissent)<ref name=naomiw>http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment</ref><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675|</ref><ref name=wisegeek>http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-police-state.htm</ref><ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref><ref name=wp>http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/police-state/6401/</ref><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref name=bbc>http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/germany/controlstructurerev_print.shtml</ref><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref>
*[[blacklisting]] of [[Dissident|dissidents]]<ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp>{{cite web| url=https://www.rutherford.org/files_images/general/Rise-of-the-American-Police-State-2010.pdf| author=Katherine Coleman, James Parker Gochenour, Kathryn Lawryszek, Nina Chandnani| title=The Rise of the American Police State| publisher=Rutherford Institute| date=May 2010}}</ref>
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*[[blacklisting]] of [[Dissident|dissidents]]<ref name=bbc/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp>https://www.rutherford.org/files_images/general/Rise-of-the-American-Police-State-2010.pdf</ref>
*arrest or punishment of citizens for organizing political or civic groups<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wp/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>
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*arrest or punishment of citizens for organizing political or civic groups<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref name=wp/><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref>
*disruption or intimidation of opposition groups<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/6520/chinamasa-tells-un-to-ban-ngo-funding.html| title=Chinamasa tells UN to ban NGO funding| publisher=The Zimbabwean| date=July 6, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://zambiadailynation.com/2013/08/25/pf-creating-police-state-says-muhabi/| title=PF creating police state, says Muhabi| publisher=Daily Nation| date=August 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.globalresearch.ca/occupy-infiltration-of-political-movements-is-the-norm-not-the-exception-in-the-united-states/29750| author=Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers| title=OCCUPY: Infiltration of Political Movements is the Norm, Not the Exception in the United States| publisher=Global Research| date=March 13, 2012}}</ref>
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*disruption or intimidation of opposition groups<ref>http://www.thezimbabwean.co/news/6520/chinamasa-tells-un-to-ban-ngo-funding.html</ref><ref>http://zambiadailynation.com/2013/08/25/pf-creating-police-state-says-muhabi/</ref><ref>http://www.globalresearch.ca/occupy-infiltration-of-political-movements-is-the-norm-not-the-exception-in-the-united-states/29750</ref>
*[[assassination|assassinations]] of political opponents<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
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*[[assassination|assassinations]] of political opponents<ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref>
*[[smear campaign|smear campaigns]] or [[blackmail]] of political opponents<ref name=naomiw/><ref name=wp/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*[[smear campaign|smear campaigns]] or [[blackmail]] of political opponents<ref name=naomiw/><ref name=wp/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
*police brutality or toleration of police brutality<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
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*police brutality or toleration of police brutality<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
 
*extrajudicial punishments (punishments not imposed by a court of law)<ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
 
*extrajudicial punishments (punishments not imposed by a court of law)<ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
*[[Kangaroo court|"kangaroo” courts]] which do not observe legal norms<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=bbc/>
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*[[Kangaroo court|"kangaroo” courts]] which do not observe legal norms<ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref name=bbc/>
*fabricating evidence against targeted individuals and charging them with crimes they did not commit<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*fabricating evidence against targeted individuals and charging them with crimes they did not commit<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
*militarization of the police or martial law<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.privacysos.org/police_state| title=What is a "police state"? Do we live in one?| publisher=ACLU of Massachusetts| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wp/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*militarization of the police or martial law<ref>http://www.privacysos.org/police_state</ref><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref name=wp/><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
*harsh punishment ([[execution]]s, [[torture]], long [[prison]] terms, huge fines, solitary confinement, or other mistreatment of prisoners)<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/>
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*harsh punishment ([[execution]]s, [[torture]], long [[prison]] terms, huge fines, solitary confinement, or other mistreatment of prisoners)<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/>
*harsh interrogations (beatings, torture, injury, threats against family members, etc.)<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html| author=Tom Whitehead| title=Spy chief: We risk a police state| publisher=The Telegraph| date=February 16, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>
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*harsh interrogations (beatings, torture, injury, threats against family members, etc.)<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref><ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html</ref><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref>
*[[Extraordinary rendition|secret detentions]] (disappearances) or detention of prisoners at secret locations<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref>
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*[[Extraordinary rendition|secret detentions]] (disappearances) or detention of prisoners at secret locations<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref>
*lack of accountability for violations of the laws or constitution by government employees<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html| author=Tom Whitehead| title=Spy chief: We risk a police state| publisher=The Telegraph| date=February 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*lack of accountability for violations of the laws or constitution by government employees<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
*[[False flag attacks|creating]] or [[war on terror|exaggerating a state of crisis]] to justify restrictions on citizens<ref name=naomiw/><ref name=kcjp/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
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*[[False flag attacks|creating]] or [[war on terror|exaggerating a state of crisis]] to justify restrictions on citizens<ref name=naomiw/><ref name=kcjp/><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref>
*[[mass surveillance|monitoring the activities or communications]] of citizens or groups who are not engaged in criminal activity<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.newsmax.com/US/government-surveillance-police-state/2013/07/23/id/516551| author=Bill Hoffmann and John Bachman| title=Attorney Whitehead: 'We Live in a Police State'| publisher=Newsmax| date=July 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html| author=Tom Whitehead| title=Spy chief: We risk a police state| publisher=The Telegraph| date=February 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
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*[[mass surveillance|monitoring the activities or communications]] of citizens or groups who are not engaged in criminal activity<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.newsmax.com/US/government-surveillance-police-state/2013/07/23/id/516551</ref><ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref><refhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html</ref><ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp/><ref name=wisegeek/>
*repression against political parties, civic groups or classes of targeted people<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*repression against political parties, civic groups or classes of targeted people<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
 
*random or mass searches, seizures, roadblocks or questioning<ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/><ref name=kcjp/>
 
*random or mass searches, seizures, roadblocks or questioning<ref name=wp/><ref name=bbc/><ref name=kcjp/>
*requiring citizens to carry internal passports or national identification cards<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html| author=Tom Whitehead| title=Spy chief: We risk a police state| publisher=The Telegraph| date=February 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*requiring citizens to carry internal passports or national identification cards<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/4643415/Spy-chief-We-risk-a-police-state.html</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
*[[censorship]] of the [[mass media]] and [[Corporate media/Deep state control|use of the media for government propaganda]]<ref name=naomiw/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
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*[[censorship]] of the [[mass media]] and [[Corporate media/Deep state control|use of the media for government propaganda]]<ref name=naomiw/><ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref name=kcjp/>
 
*breaking up non-violent public demonstrations or arresting the participants<ref name=kcjp/>
 
*breaking up non-violent public demonstrations or arresting the participants<ref name=kcjp/>
 
*government secrecy or government lying about its activities<ref name=naomiw/>
 
*government secrecy or government lying about its activities<ref name=naomiw/>
 
*restricting citizens freedom of movement within or in and out of the country<ref name=wisegeek/>
 
*restricting citizens freedom of movement within or in and out of the country<ref name=wisegeek/>
 
*monitoring the movements or financial transactions of citizens without probable cause<ref name=kcjp/>
 
*monitoring the movements or financial transactions of citizens without probable cause<ref name=kcjp/>
*confiscation of personal property<ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
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*confiscation of personal property<ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref>
*no elections or [[Electoral fraud|undemocratic elections]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm| author=Glenn McDonald| title=10 Signs You're Living in a Police State| publisher=Discovery News| date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html| author=Galip Dalay| title=EU Must React Stronger As Egypt Becomes a Police State| publisher=Huffington Post| date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia| author=Priscilla Franjul| title=Totalitarianism: Case Study–Stalinist Russia| publisher=CDA World History Wiki| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675| title=SS Police State| publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum| accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
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*no elections or [[Electoral fraud|undemocratic elections]]<ref>http://news.discovery.com/human/10-signs-you-live-in-a-police-state-130612.htm</ref><ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/galip-dalay/egypt-police-state_b_3829334.html</ref><ref name=bbc/><ref>http://cdaworldhistory.wikidot.com/totalitarianism:case-study-stalinist-russia</ref><ref>http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007675</ref>
  
There are many [[List of freedom indices|freedom indices]] which attempt to rate countries according to the amount of freedom they allow their citizens.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2010/12/annual-international-human-rights-ratings-announced/| author= Michael Kirk| title=Annual International Human Rights Ratings Announced| publisher=University of Connecticut| date=December 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world-2013/checklist-questions-and-guidelines| title=Checklist Questions and Guidelines| publisher=Freedom House| accessdate=October 25, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/ch3-an-index-of-freedom-in-the-world.pdf| title=An Index of Freedom in the World| publisher=Fraser Institute| date=2012| page=4}}</ref> States which fall at the bottom of these rankings have been described as countries "where basic political rights are absent, and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf| title=Freedom in the World 2013| publisher=Freedom House| date=2013| page=4}}</ref>
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There are many [[List of freedom indices|freedom indices]] which attempt to rate countries according to the amount of freedom they allow their citizens.<ref>http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2010/12/annual-international-human-rights-ratings-announced/</ref><ref>http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world-2013/checklist-questions-and-guidelines</ref><ref>http://www.fraserinstitute.org/uploadedFiles/fraser-ca/Content/research-news/research/publications/ch3-an-index-of-freedom-in-the-world.pdf</ref> States which fall at the bottom of these rankings have been described as countries "where basic political rights are absent, and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied."<ref>http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%202013%20Booklet.pdf</ref>
  
 
==War on terror==
 
==War on terror==

Revision as of 00:07, 9 August 2021

Concept.png Police state  SourcewatchRdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png 3
Policestate.png
Wikipedia terms a police state as a "fundamentally authoritarian" form of government, and cites examples of the Soviet Union and its satellites plus North Korea. No mention in the article of the 21st century global shift towards authoritarian policies lead by the USA, such as the removal of civil liberties and the use of universal surveillance or false flag terror.

A police state is a form of authoritarian government with a militarised police force. and minimal effective civil liberties. Police are used to terrorise the population and highs of corruption within government as top officials are effectively not subject the law. Since 2001, this term in increasingly used about the US and increasingly many "democracies" as they pursue the "war on terror".

Official Narrative

Wikipedia's official narrative - Paler states have more freedom
2012 Official statistics: #Prisoners per 100,000 - Paler states have less prisoners

Until mid 2014, the Wikipedia Police state page provided an exemplary illustration (right) of which governments the official narrative declares to be police states. As of February 2014 the results of The Economist's Democracy Index survey for 2010 were presented with the sole description "Democracy Index 2010" on the main page. The USA ranks as a "full democracy", at the opposite end of the spectrum from the "Authoritarian regimes" in Africa and the Middle East. This is an interesting contrast with the below list of #Features of police states and diagram of the worldwide incarceration rates.

Features of police states

Features of a police state include:

There are many freedom indices which attempt to rate countries according to the amount of freedom they allow their citizens.[49][50][51] States which fall at the bottom of these rankings have been described as countries "where basic political rights are absent, and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied."[52]

War on terror

Full article: War on terror

The "War on terror" is increasingly used as justification by governments introduction of a police state.

Rollback of Civil Liberties

Periods of detention without trial have been lengthened, the right to silence curtailed or completely removed and legal restrictions on searches increasingly ignored, sometimes without even attempt at due process. Secret or juryless trials are increasingly being discussed in UK and other countries, and in June 2014, it emerged that the UK government had been trying to carry out a major "terrorism trial" in secrecy, without even naming the defendants.[53]

US

Full article: US/Police state

The USA has over 700 prisoners per 100,000 citizens, the highest incarceration rate in the world. Around half of prisoners are locked up due to the "war on drugs" and thousands face life behind bars for non-violent offences.[54] US citizens are 100 times more likely to be killed by police than UK citizens.[55] Many commentators agree that USA is a police state.[56] In 2015, the Guardian reported discovery of a Chicago police "black site", where prisoners were held, off the books, for violent interrogation in which at least one fatality had occurred.[57]

Military hardware rollout

Full article: Militarization of Police
Mrap1.jpg

Particularly in US, domestic law enforcement is making increasing use of military hardware. In 2014 the US government announced that it would be equipping police forces with 13,000 Mine Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) units that were used in the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, while the LA police department announced it would start using unmanned aerial drones.[58][59] The Department of Homeland Security has similarly been stocking up on ammunition and has several bullets for every man, man and child in the USA, including hollow points bullets which are illegal for use on the battlefield, but well purposed for use in urban environments since they explode on impact, causing maximum target damage but minimum property damage.

External links

Cultural references

John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute sees The Prisoner as an allegorical depiction of a police state.[61]

 

An example

Page nameDescription
Inverted totalitarianism

 

Related Quotations

PageQuoteAuthorDate
Document:The First 9-11 Sceptic“We are going to see a great number of articles in the future from so-called experts and public officials. They will warn about more violence, more kidnappings, and more terrorists. Mass media, the armed forces, and intelligence agencies will saturate our lives with fascist scare tactics and 'predictions' that have already been planned to come true.”Mae Brussell1974
Bruce Schneier“It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.”Bruce Schneier2000

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Britain - Incipient Fascist Statearticle3 February 2011Derek Martin
Document:Conspiracy Theory meets Conspiracy FactArticle1 April 2020Michael BuergermeisterThis is all merely a bad dream, merely a dystopian nightmare. This has nothing to do with reality.
Document:The Essential Rules of Tyrannywebpage29 July 2011Brandon Smith
Document:We got ourselves a readerwebpage'Chuckyman'Solid insights into the march towards police state status in much of the Western world from someone who experienced them first hand in Northern Ireland


Rating

3star.png 8 November 2017 Robin  Thought provoking reading
A somewhat disorganised but fact packed page, which gives an angle on the concept never fond in the commercially-controlled media.
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References

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  3. a b c d e http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-police-state.htm
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  5. a b c d e f g http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/police-state/6401/
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