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

威尔﹒波特( Will Potter): 威尔﹒波特:和平抗议竟遭降罪

Filmed:
1,127,722 views

2002年的时候,身为TED成员的调查记者威尔.波特(Will Potter)改变路线,替《芝加哥论坛报》(Chicago Tribune)编采枪击与谋杀新闻,他还协助某个地方团体对动物实验进行抗争。「我以为这样做些有正面意义的事应该很安全」,不过他反而因此被逮捕,也自此投入常被扭曲为恐怖行动的和平抗争。
- 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.

00:12
It was less than a year after September九月 11,
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当时911事件尚未届满一年,
00:15
and I was at the Chicago芝加哥 Tribune论坛
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我还在《芝加哥论坛报》
00:16
writing写作 about shootings枪击事件 and murders谋杀,
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撰写关于枪击和谋杀的新闻
00:18
and it was leaving离开 me feeling感觉
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在工作(中遇到的一些事情)让我觉得
十分阴郁沮丧。
00:20
pretty漂亮 dark黑暗 and depressed郁闷.
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我大学时参加过社运,
00:21
I had doneDONE some activism行动 in college学院,
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所以决定帮助一个当地组织,
00:23
so I decided决定 to help a local本地 group
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00:25
hang door knockers门环 against反对 animal动物 testing测试.
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以逐户塞传单的方式游说反动物实验。
00:27
I thought it would be a safe安全 way
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我以为这是比较安全的办法
00:29
to do something positive,
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去做一些有意义的事情
00:31
but of course课程 I have the absolute绝对 worst最差 luck运气 ever,
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不过可以预见的是,我的运气糟透了,
我们全遭逮捕。
00:33
and we were all arrested被捕.
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00:36
Police警察 took this blurry模糊 photo照片 of me
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警方还拍到我拿着传单,
00:38
holding保持 leaflets传单 as evidence证据.
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这张模糊不清的照片就是罪证。
00:41
My charges收费 were dismissed驳回,
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指控我的告诉后来撤销了,
00:43
but a few少数 weeks later后来,
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不过数周后,
00:44
two FBI联邦调查局 agents代理 knocked被撞 on my door,
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二名联邦调查局探员登门告知,
00:46
and they told me that unless除非 I helped帮助 them
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除非我答应帮忙
00:48
by spying间谍 on protest抗议 groups,
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监控抗争团体,
00:50
they would put me on a domestic国内 terrorist恐怖分子 list名单.
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不然将被视为境内恐怖份子。
00:54
I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinch退缩,
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我很想说自己并未就此退缩,
00:56
but I was terrified,
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不过当时我怕死了!
00:58
and when my fear恐惧 subsided消退,
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等到恐惧平复后,
01:00
I became成为 obsessed痴迷 with finding发现 out
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我忍不住想知道,
01:02
how this happened发生,
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这到底是怎么回事。
01:03
how animal动物 rights权利 and environmental环境的 activists活动家
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为什么,拥护动物权和环保的人士,
从不伤害任何人,
01:05
who have never injured受伤 anyone任何人
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01:07
could become成为 the FBI'sFBI的 number one
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却成为联邦调查局榜上,
01:09
domestic国内 terrorism恐怖主义 threat威胁.
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头号境内恐怖份子
01:12
A few少数 years年份 later后来, I was invited邀请 to testify作证
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几年后,我被要求在
01:14
before Congress国会 about my reporting报告,
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国会面前质证(判定我是境内恐怖分子)的报告。
01:17
and I told lawmakers国会议员 that, while everybody每个人
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我告诉议员,
虽然人人都在谈环保,
01:18
is talking about going green绿色,
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01:20
some people are risking冒着 their lives生活
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但有些人是冒生命危险,
01:21
to defend保卫 forests森林 and to stop oil pipelines管道.
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保护森林并遏阻油管架设。
01:25
They're physically物理 putting their bodies身体 on the line线
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他们用血肉之躯挺身挡在
捕鲸叉和鲸鱼间。
01:27
between之间 the whalers'捕鲸船 harpoons鱼叉 and the whales鲸鱼.
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01:30
These are everyday每天 people,
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他们都只是普通人,
01:32
like these protesters抗议者 in Italy意大利
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如同这些意大利的抗议人士,
01:34
who spontaneously自发 climbed爬上 over
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不假思索便爬过刺网围篱,
01:36
barbed带刺 wire线 fences围栏 to rescue拯救 beagles比格犬
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只为拯救一只米格鲁
01:38
from animal动物 testing测试.
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免于沦为动物实验品。
01:41
And these movements运动 have been incredibly令人难以置信 effective有效
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这些社会运动获得巨大的成功,
01:43
and popular流行,
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且获得广大回响;
01:45
so in 1985, their opponents对手 made制作 up a new word,
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所以1985年时,对手为他们扣上
生态恐怖主义(Eco-terrorism)的名号,
01:49
eco-terrorist生态恐怖主义,
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01:51
to shift转移 how we view视图 them.
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为的是改变外界观感,
01:53
They just made制作 it up.
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所以就编出这样一个称号。
01:55
Now these companies公司 have backed已备份 new laws法律
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这些公司向来支持立法,
01:57
like the Animal动物 Enterprise企业 Terrorism恐怖主义 Act法案,
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像〈动物企业保护法〉(the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act)
02:00
which哪一个 turns activism行动 into terrorism恐怖主义
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就认为社会运动者如造成营利损失,
02:02
if it causes原因 a loss失利 of profits利润.
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将被视为恐怖份子。
02:05
Now most people never even heard听说 about this law,
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包括国会议员在内,
大多数人都不知道这项法律。
02:08
including包含 members会员 of Congress国会.
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02:10
Less than one percent百分 were in the room房间
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因为众院通过此法的时候,
02:12
when it passed通过 the House.
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出席人数不到1%。
其余的当时在外参加
02:14
The rest休息 were outside at a new memorial纪念馆.
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马丁路德金先生的纪念仪式,
02:17
They were praising赞美 Dr博士. King国王
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02:19
as his style样式 of activism行动 was branded品牌 as terrorism恐怖主义
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即使是他那样的社运方式,如果冠上动物权或环保的名义,
也会被扭曲成恐怖行为。
02:22
if doneDONE in the name名称 of animals动物 or the environment环境.
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02:26
Supporters支持者 say laws法律 like this are needed需要
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新法支持者表示,这种法律的意义在于
遏制极端分子,
02:28
for the extremists极端分子:
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02:30
the vandals破坏者, the arsonists纵火犯, the radicals自由基.
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诸如极端份子、破坏狂、纵火者和激进份子。
02:33
But right now, companies公司 like TransCanada横加
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但目前像TransCanada等企业,
02:35
are briefing简报 police警察 in presentations简报 like this one
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正在让警察代表他们的权益
02:38
about how to prosecute起诉 nonviolent非暴力 protesters抗议者
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以侦办恐怖份子的方式,
02:41
as terrorists恐怖分子.
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起诉和平抗议者。
02:43
The FBI'sFBI的 training训练 documents文件 on eco-terrorism生态恐怖主义
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美国联邦调查局
有关生态恐怖主义的训练教材,
02:47
are not about violence暴力,
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内容非关暴力行为,
02:48
they're about public上市 relations关系.
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反倒偏向公关。
02:51
Today今天, in multiple countries国家,
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在许多国家,
企业们正在推动新法,
02:53
corporations公司 are pushing推动 new laws法律
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02:54
that make it illegal非法 to photograph照片
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禁止有人在旗下所属农场
02:56
animal动物 cruelty残酷 on their farms农场.
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拍摄动物受虐的情形。
02:59
The latest最新 was in Idaho爱达荷州 just two weeks ago,
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最近加入行列的,
是两周前通过此法案的爱达荷州,
03:02
and today今天 we released发布 a lawsuit诉讼
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而我们今天以法律诉讼形式,
03:04
challenging具有挑战性的 it as unconstitutional违宪
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质疑这项立法违宪,
因为这项立法将伤害新闻业。
03:05
as a threat威胁 to journalism新闻学.
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这类所谓ag-gag法案实行后
03:08
The first of these ag-gagAG-GAG prosecutions起诉,
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03:10
as they're called,
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因为这个法案首个被起诉的人
03:12
was a young年轻 woman女人 named命名 Amy艾米 Meyer迈耶,
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是一名叫爱咪. 梅尔(Amy Meyer)的年轻女性。
03:13
and Amy艾米 saw a sick生病 cow being存在 moved移动
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当时她在大街上,
03:15
by a bulldozer推土机 outside of a slaughterhouse屠宰场
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见到屠宰场外有人用堆高机,
03:18
as she was on the public上市 street.
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搬运一头病牛。
03:20
And Amy艾米 did what any of us would:
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爱咪做了我们都会做的一件事,
就是录像
03:22
She filmed拍摄 it.
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我听闻此事便写了相关报导
03:24
When I found发现 out about her story故事, I wrote about it,
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03:27
and within 24 hours小时, it created创建 such这样 an uproar骚动
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24小时内便引发群情激愤,
03:30
that the prosecutors检察官 just dropped下降 all the charges收费.
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检察官才撤销所有告诉。
03:33
But apparently显然地, even exposing曝光 stuff东东 like that
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不过显然接露这类事情
也被视为威胁;
03:35
is a threat威胁.
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03:37
Through通过 the Freedom自由 of Information信息 Act法案,
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通过`《信息自由法》,
03:39
I learned学到了 that the counter-terrorism反恐 unit单元
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我得知反恐单位
一直在监控我的文章,
03:41
has been monitoring监控 my articles用品
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03:43
and speeches演讲 like this one.
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还有类似今天这样的演讲。
03:45
They even included包括 this nice不错
little write-up写上去 of my book.
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另有一篇有关我著作的评论,
03:47
They described描述 it as "compelling引人注目 and well-written写得好."
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其中写到:「文笔不错且言之有理。」
03:50
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
03:55
Blurb的Blurb on the next下一个 book, right?
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可当下一本书的宣传了,对吧?
这些手段就是要我们害怕,
03:58
The point of all of this is to make us afraid害怕,
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不过身为记者,
04:02
but as a journalist记者, I have an unwavering毫不动摇 faith信仰
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我始终坚信教育的力量,
04:04
in the power功率 of education教育.
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我们最有力的武器就是阳光。
04:06
Our best最好 weapon武器 is sunlight阳光.
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杜斯妥也夫斯基曾说,人终其一生
04:09
Dostoevsky陀思妥耶夫斯基 wrote that the whole整个 work of man
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04:11
is to prove证明 he's a man and not a piano钢琴 key.
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就是要证明自己是人而非琴键。
04:14
Over and over throughout始终 history历史,
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历史上屡见不鲜的是,
04:16
people in power功率 have used fear恐惧
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当权者不断利用恐惧,
04:18
to silence安静 the truth真相 and to silence安静 dissent异议.
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让真相与异议消音。
04:22
It's time we strike罢工 a new note注意.
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现在该轮到我们发声了!
谢谢!
04:24
Thank you.
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(掌声)
04:26
(Applause掌声)
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Translated by Samson Zhong
Reviewed by Xing Xing

▲Back to top

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

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