ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Will Potter - Investigative journalist
Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.

Why you should listen

Independent journalist and TED Fellow Will Potter is based in Washington, D.C.; his current work examines how whistleblowers and non-violent protesters are being treated as terrorists.

The author of Green Is The New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, Potter has extensively documented how non-violent protest is slowly being criminalized. His reporting and commentary have been featured in the world's top media outlets, including the Washington Post, NPR, Rolling Stone, El Pais, and Le Monde. He has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting, as the only witness opposing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act -- and he is a plaintiff in the first lawsuits challenging so-called "ag-gag" laws as unconstitutional.

Will has also lectured at many universities and public forums about his work, including Georgetown University, Harvard Law School, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. International speaking tours have included Germany, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Spain, and he was the international guest lecturer for Australia's 2014 animal law lecture series.

His reporting has overturned criminal prosecutions, and it has both been praised in Congressional reports and monitored by the Counter-Terrorism Unit.

More profile about the speaker
Will Potter | Speaker | TED.com
TED2014

Will Potter: The shocking move to criminalize nonviolent protest

Will Potter: Langkah mengejutkan kriminalisasi unjuk rasa damai

Filmed:
1,127,722 views

Pada tahun 2002, wartawan investigasi dan TED Fellow Will Potter memutuskan untuk istirahat dari pekerjaan tetapnya dan menulis tentang penembakan dan pembunuhan untuk Chicago Tribune. Dia membantu kampanye kelompok lokal menentang pengujian hewan: "Saya pikir ini cara aman untuk melakukan sesuatu yang positif," katanya. Sebaliknya, dia ditahan, dan mulailah perjalanan panjangnya di satu dunia di mana unjuk rasa damai dicap sebagai terorisme.
- Investigative journalist
Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Kurang dari setahun
setelah peristiwa 11 September,
00:12
It was lesskurang than a yeartahun after SeptemberSeptember 11,
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00:15
and I was at the ChicagoChicago TribuneTribune
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saat itu saya di Chicago Tribune
00:16
writingpenulisan about shootingspenembakan and murderspembunuhan,
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menulis tentang penembakan dan pembunuhan
00:18
and it was leavingmeninggalkan me feelingperasaan
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dan itu membuat saya merasa
00:20
prettycantik darkgelap and depressedmurung.
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cukup suram dan tertekan.
00:21
I had doneselesai some activismaktivisme in collegeperguruan tinggi,
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Saya dulu aktif di kampus,
dan memutuskan untuk membantu
kelompok lokal
00:23
so I decidedmemutuskan to help a locallokal groupkelompok
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00:25
hangmenggantung doorpintu knockersknockers againstmelawan animalhewan testingpengujian.
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menempelkan selebaran
menentang uji coba pada hewan.
00:27
I thought it would be a safeaman way
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Saya kira itu cara yang aman
00:29
to do something positivepositif,
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untuk melakukan sesuatu yang positif,
00:31
but of courseTentu saja I have the absolutemutlak worstterburuk luckkeberuntungan ever,
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namun nyatanya saya sangat sial,
00:33
and we were all arrestedditangkap.
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dan kami semua ditangkap.
00:36
PolicePolisi tookmengambil this blurryburam photofoto of me
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Polisi mengambil foto kabur saya
00:38
holdingmemegang leafletsselebaran as evidencebukti.
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sedang memegang selebaran sebagai bukti.
00:41
My chargesbiaya were dismisseddiberhentikan,
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Tuduhan saya dibatalkan,
tapi beberapa minggu kemudian,
00:43
but a fewbeberapa weeksminggu laterkemudian,
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00:44
two FBIFBI agentsagen knockedmengetuk on my doorpintu,
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dua agen FBI mengetuk pintu saya,
00:46
and they told me that unlesskecuali kalau I helpedmembantu them
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mengancam saya untuk membantu mereka
00:48
by spyingmemata-matai on protestprotes groupskelompok,
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memata-matai kelompok unjuk rasa,
00:50
they would put me on a domesticlokal terroristteroris listdaftar.
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atau mereka akan memasukkan saya
dalam daftar teroris bila saya menolak.
00:54
I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinchmenyentak,
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Saya ingin bilang bahwa saya tidak gentar,
00:56
but I was terrifiedketakutan,
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tapi saya sangat takut,
00:58
and when my feartakut subsidedmereda,
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dan ketika ketakutan saya mereda,
01:00
I becamemenjadi obsessedterobsesi with findingtemuan out
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saya terobsesi untuk mencari tahu
01:02
how this happenedterjadi,
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kenapa ini terjadi,
01:03
how animalhewan rightshak and environmentallingkungan activistsaktivis
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bagaimana aktivis pecinta hewan
dan lingkungan
01:05
who have never injuredterluka anyonesiapa saja
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yang tidak pernah melukai siapapun
01:07
could becomemenjadi the FBI'sFBI numberjumlah one
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masuk dalam daftar incaran utama FBI
01:09
domesticlokal terrorismterorisme threatancaman.
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untuk ancaman teroris domestik.
01:12
A fewbeberapa yearstahun laterkemudian, I was inviteddiundang to testifybersaksi
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Beberapa tahun kemudian, saya diminta
01:14
before CongressKongres about my reportingpelaporan,
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bersaksi di depan kongres
tentang pelaporan saya,
dan saya bilang,
01:17
and I told lawmakerspembuat undang-undang that, while everybodysemua orang
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ketika semua orang bicara
tentang lingkungan,
01:18
is talkingpembicaraan about going greenhijau,
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01:20
some people are riskingmempertaruhkan theirmereka liveshidup
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orang lain mempertaruhkan hidup
01:21
to defendmembela forestshutan and to stop oilminyak pipelinesjaringan pipa.
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untuk melindungi hutan dan
menghentikan pengeboran minyak.
01:25
They're physicallysecara fisik puttingmenempatkan theirmereka bodiestubuh on the linegaris
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Mereka mempertaruhkan nyawa
01:27
betweenantara the whalers'penangkap' harpoonsharpoons and the whalesPaus.
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antara tombak pemburu paus
dan paus yang diburunya.
01:30
These are everydaysetiap hari people,
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Mereka hanya orang biasa
01:32
like these protesterspengunjuk rasa in ItalyItalia
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seperti pengunjuk rasa di Italia ini
01:34
who spontaneouslysecara spontan climbedmemanjat over
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yang secara spontan memanjat pagar berduri
01:36
barbedberduri wirekawat fencespagar to rescuemenyelamatkan beagleskasih
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untuk menyelamatkan anjing beagle
01:38
from animalhewan testingpengujian.
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dari uji coba pada hewan.
01:41
And these movementsgerakan have been incrediblyluar biasa effectiveefektif
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Gerakan seperti ini terbukti efektif
01:43
and popularpopuler,
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dan populer,
01:45
so in 1985, theirmereka opponentslawan madeterbuat up a newbaru wordkata,
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sehingga pada tahun 1985,
oposisi mencap mereka
eko-teroris, teroris lingkungan,
01:49
eco-terroristEco-teroris,
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01:51
to shiftbergeser how we viewmelihat them.
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untuk menggeser cara kita melihat mereka.
01:53
They just madeterbuat it up.
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Mereka hanya mengarangnya.
01:55
Now these companiesperusahaan have backedbersandaran newbaru lawshukum
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Sekarang perusahaan ini mendukung
Undang-Undang baru
01:57
like the AnimalHewan EnterprisePerusahaan TerrorismTerorisme ActUndang-undang,
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seperti UU Terorisme Perusahaan Hewan,
02:00
whichyang turnsberubah activismaktivisme into terrorismterorisme
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yang mencap aktivisme sebagai terorisme
02:02
if it causespenyebab a losskerugian of profitskeuntungan.
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jika menyebabkan hilangnya keuntungan.
02:05
Now mostpaling people never even heardmendengar about this lawhukum,
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Kebanyakan orang bahkan tidak
pernah dengar tentang UU ini,
02:08
includingtermasuk membersanggota of CongressKongres.
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termasuk anggota Kongres.
02:10
LessKurang than one percentpersen were in the roomkamar
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Kurang dari 1% anggota Parlemen hadir
02:12
when it passedberlalu the HouseRumah.
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ketika ini disahkan.
02:14
The restberistirahat were outsidedi luar at a newbaru memorialperingatan.
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Sisanya ada di luar menghadiri
suatu peringatan.
02:17
They were praisingmemuji DrDr. KingRaja
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Mereka memperingati hari Dr. King
02:19
as his stylegaya of activismaktivisme was brandedmerek as terrorismterorisme
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di mana gaya aktivismenya
akan dicap sebagai terorisme
02:22
if doneselesai in the namenama of animalshewan or the environmentlingkungan Hidup.
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jika dilakukan atas nama
hewan atau lingkungan.
02:26
SupportersPendukung say lawshukum like this are neededdibutuhkan
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Para pendukung mengatakan UU seperti ini
02:28
for the extremistsekstremis:
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dibutuhkan bagi para ekstrimis:
02:30
the vandalsorang Vandal, the arsonistsbakar, the radicalsradikal.
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pelaku vandalisme, pelaku pembakaran,
kaum radikal.
02:33
But right now, companiesperusahaan like TransCanadaTransCanada
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Tetapi sekarang,
perusahaan seperti TransCanada
02:35
are briefingpengarahan policePOLISI in presentationspresentasi like this one
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memberi pengarahan pada polisi dengan
presentasi seperti ini
02:38
about how to prosecutemenuntut nonviolenttanpa kekerasan protesterspengunjuk rasa
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tentang bagaimana mengamankan demonstran
yang tidak menggunakan kekerasan
02:41
as terroriststeroris.
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selayaknya teroris.
02:43
The FBI'sFBI traininglatihan documentsdokumen on eco-terrorismEco-terorisme
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Dokumen pelatihan FBI
tentang eko-terorisme
02:47
are not about violencekekerasan,
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bukan tentang kekerasan,
02:48
they're about publicpublik relationshubungan.
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tetapi tentang hubungan masyarakat.
02:51
TodayHari ini, in multiplebanyak countriesnegara,
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Sekarang, di beberapa negara,
02:53
corporationsperusahaan are pushingmendorong newbaru lawshukum
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1488
perusahaan mendorong UU baru
02:54
that make it illegalliar to photographfoto
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yang melarang pemotretan
02:56
animalhewan crueltykekejaman on theirmereka farmspeternakan.
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kekejaman terhadap hewan di lahan mereka.
02:59
The latestterbaru was in IdahoIdaho just two weeksminggu agolalu,
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Yang terbaru terjadi di Idaho
dua minggu lalu,
03:02
and todayhari ini we releaseddilepaskan a lawsuitgugatan
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dan hari ini kami mengajukan gugatan
03:04
challengingmenantang it as unconstitutionalinkonstitusional
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menganggapnya inkonstitusional
03:05
as a threatancaman to journalismjurnalistik.
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dan ancaman bagi jurnalisme.
03:08
The first of these ag-gagAG-muntah prosecutionspenuntutan,
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Tuntutan ag-gag pertama
03:10
as they're calledbernama,
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(larangan memotret tanpa izin)
03:12
was a youngmuda womanwanita namedbernama AmyAmy MeyerMeyer,
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adalah wanita bernama Amy Meyer,
03:13
and AmyAmy saw a sicksakit cowsapi beingmakhluk movedterharu
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ia melihat sapi yang sakit
03:15
by a bulldozerbuldoser outsidedi luar of a slaughterhouserumah jagal
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dipindahkan dengan buldozer
ke luar rumah jagal
03:18
as she was on the publicpublik streetjalan.
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saat dia berada di jalan umum.
03:20
And AmyAmy did what any of us would:
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2211
Dan Amy melakukan apa yang
kita akan lakukan:
03:22
She filmeddifilmkan it.
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Dia merekamnya.
03:24
When I foundditemukan out about her storycerita, I wrotemenulis about it,
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Ketika saya mengetahui kisahnya,
saya menulisnya dalam artikel,
03:27
and withindalam 24 hoursjam, it createddiciptakan suchseperti itu an uproarkeributan
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dan dalam 24 jam, cerita ini jadi gempar
03:30
that the prosecutorsJaksa just droppedmenjatuhkan all the chargesbiaya.
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sehingga jaksa penuntut
menjatuhkan semua tuduhan.
03:33
But apparentlytampaknya, even exposingmengekspos stuffbarang like that
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2018
Tetapi tampaknya, mengekspos hal itu pun
03:35
is a threatancaman.
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merupakan ancaman.
03:37
ThroughMelalui the FreedomKebebasan of InformationInformasi ActUndang-undang,
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Melalui UU Kebebasan Informasi,
03:39
I learnedterpelajar that the counter-terrorismkontra-terorisme unitsatuan
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Saya tahu unit penanggulangan terorisme
03:41
has been monitoringpemantauan my articlesartikel
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telah memonitor artikel saya
03:43
and speechespidato like this one.
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dan pidato seperti yang sekarang ini.
03:45
They even includedtermasuk this nicebagus
little write-upmenulis-up of my bookBook.
95
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Mereka bahkan mengomentari buku saya.
03:47
They describeddijelaskan it as "compellingmenarik and well-writtenditulis dengan baik."
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Mereka menggambarkannya sebagai
"menarik dan ditulis dengan baik."
03:50
(ApplauseTepuk tangan)
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(Tepuk tangan)
03:55
BlurbUraian on the nextberikutnya bookBook, right?
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Secuplikan tentang buku berikutnya, kan?
03:58
The pointtitik of all of this is to make us afraidtakut,
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Tujuan semua ini adalah
untuk menakuti kita,
04:02
but as a journalistwartawan, I have an unwaveringteguh faithiman
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tapi sebagai jurnalis, saya percaya
04:04
in the powerkekuasaan of educationpendidikan.
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1831
pada kekuatan pendidikan.
04:06
Our bestterbaik weaponsenjata is sunlightsinar matahari.
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Senjata terbaik kita adalah
sinar matahari.
04:09
DostoevskyDostoyevsky wrotemenulis that the wholeseluruh work of man
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1887
Menurut Dostoevsky, tugas utama manusia
04:11
is to provemembuktikan he's a man and not a pianopiano keykunci.
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adalah membuktikan bahwa dia manusia,
dan bukan tuts piano.
04:14
Over and over throughoutsepanjang historysejarah,
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Berkali-kali sepanjang sejarah,
04:16
people in powerkekuasaan have used feartakut
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1988
penguasa menggunakan rasa takut
04:18
to silenceDiam the truthkebenaran and to silenceDiam dissentperbedaan pendapat.
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untuk membungkam
kebenaran dan penentangan,
04:22
It's time we strikemogok a newbaru notecatatan.
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Inilah waktunya kita
menorehkan catatan baru.
04:24
Thank you.
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Terima kasih.
04:26
(ApplauseTepuk tangan)
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(Tepuk tangan)
Translated by Resiana Rawinda
Reviewed by Gita Arimanda

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Will Potter - Investigative journalist
Award-winning journalist and author, Will Potter focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era.

Why you should listen

Independent journalist and TED Fellow Will Potter is based in Washington, D.C.; his current work examines how whistleblowers and non-violent protesters are being treated as terrorists.

The author of Green Is The New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, Potter has extensively documented how non-violent protest is slowly being criminalized. His reporting and commentary have been featured in the world's top media outlets, including the Washington Post, NPR, Rolling Stone, El Pais, and Le Monde. He has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting, as the only witness opposing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act -- and he is a plaintiff in the first lawsuits challenging so-called "ag-gag" laws as unconstitutional.

Will has also lectured at many universities and public forums about his work, including Georgetown University, Harvard Law School, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. International speaking tours have included Germany, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Spain, and he was the international guest lecturer for Australia's 2014 animal law lecture series.

His reporting has overturned criminal prosecutions, and it has both been praised in Congressional reports and monitored by the Counter-Terrorism Unit.

More profile about the speaker
Will Potter | Speaker | TED.com