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: Mpango wa Kustua wa kufanya maandamano na upinzani wa amani kuwa kosa la jinai.

Filmed:
1,127,722 views

Mwaka 2002, Mwandishi wa habari za uchunguzi na TED Fellow Will Potter aliamua kupumzika kazi yake ya mara kwa mara ya kuandika kuhusu mauaji kwa ajili ya gazeti la Chicago Tribune. Alienda kulisaidia kundi linalofanya kampeni kinyume na matumizi ya wanyama katika majaribio ya kisayansi. "Nilifikiri itakuwa ni njia salama ya kufanya jambo jema," anasema . Lakini kinyume chake ,alikamatwa, na hapo ikaanza safari yake kwenye dunia ambayo maandamano ya amani yanaitwa ugaidi.
- 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 lesschini than a yearmwaka after SeptemberSeptemba 11,
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Ilikuwa ni chini ya mwaka mmoja baada ya Septemba 11,
00:15
and I was at the ChicagoChicago TribuneTribune
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Na nilikuwa katika ofisi ya gazeti la Chicago Tribune
00:16
writingkuandika about shootingsmilio ya risasi and murdersmauaji,
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Nikiandika kuhusu mauaji,
00:18
and it was leavingkuondoka me feelinghisia
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ilinisababisha nijihisi
00:20
prettynzuri darkgiza and depressedwamesimama.
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Katika hali ya giza na kuelemewa
00:21
I had donekufanyika some activismuanaharakati wa kupinga in collegechuo,
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Nilikuwa mwanaharakati nilipokuwa chuoni,
00:23
so I decidedaliamua to help a localmitaa groupkikundi
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Nikaamua kulisaidia kundi la maeneo ya kwetu
00:25
hangpanga doormlango knockersknockers againstdhidi animalmnyama testingkupima.
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Kuweka mabango kinyume na kuwafanyia wanyama majaribio ya kisayansi.
00:27
I thought it would be a safesalama way
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Nilifikiri itakuwa ni njia salama
00:29
to do something positivechanya,
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kufanya kitu kizuri
00:31
but of coursebila shaka I have the absolutekabisa worstmbaya zaidi luckbahati ever,
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Lakini nina bahati mbaya hasa
00:33
and we were all arrestedwalikamatwa.
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tulikamatwa wote.
00:36
PolicePolisi tookalichukua this blurryfuru photopicha of me
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Polisi wakanipiga picha hii isiyoonekana vizuri
00:38
holdingkushikilia leafletsvipeperushi as evidenceushahidi.
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Nikiwa nimeshika vipeperushi kama ushahidi.
00:41
My chargesmashtaka were dismissedkufukuzwa kazi,
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Mashtaka kinyume nami yalifutwa,
00:43
but a fewwachache weekswiki laterbaadae,
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lakini wiki chache baadae,
00:44
two FBIFBI agentsmawakala knockedknocked on my doormlango,
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wanausalama wawili kutoka FBI wakaja nyumbani,
00:46
and they told me that unlessisipokuwa I helpedimesaidia them
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wakaniambia kama sitawasaidia
00:48
by spyingujasusi on protestmaandamano groupsvikundi,
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kwa kufanya upelelezi katika makundi ya waandamanaji
00:50
they would put me on a domesticndani terroristugaidi listorodha.
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Wataniweka katika orodha ya magaidi wa nyumbani
00:54
I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinchflinch,
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Napenda nikwambie kuwa sikuogopa,
00:56
but I was terrifiedhofu,
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lakini nilishtuka,
00:58
and when my fearhofu subsidedruzuku,
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Mshtuko wangu ulipoisha,
01:00
I becameikawa obsessedwamejitokeza with findingkutafuta out
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Nilipata hamu ya kutaka kujua
01:02
how this happenedkilichotokea,
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,hali hii imefikaje hapa
01:03
how animalmnyama rightshaki and environmentalmazingira activistswanaharakati
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Jinsi wanaharakati wa haki za jamii na mazingira
01:05
who have never injuredkujeruhiwa anyoneyeyote
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ambao hawajawahi kumjeruhi mtu yeyote
01:07
could becomekuwa the FBI'sWa FBI numbernambari one
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wanaweza kuwa watu wa kwanza kwa shirika la FBI
01:09
domesticndani terrorismugaidi threattishio.
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kuwafanya kuwa ni tishio kubwa la kiadui la nyumbani
01:12
A fewwachache yearsmiaka laterbaadae, I was invitedwalioalikwa to testifyShuhudia
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miaka michache baadae, niliitwa kutoa ushahidi
01:14
before CongressCongress about my reportingtaarifa,
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mbele ya bunge kuhusu ripoti yangu,
01:17
and I told lawmakersWabunge that, while everybodykila mtu
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na nikawaambia wabunge , kuwa wakati kila mtu
01:18
is talkingkuzungumza about going greenkijani,
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anaongelea mapinduzi ya kijani,
01:20
some people are riskingkuhatarisha theirwao livesanaishi
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watu wengine wanatoa maisha yao
01:21
to defendkulinda forestsmisitu and to stop oilmafuta pipelinesmabomba.
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kuilinda misitu na kuzuia mabomba ya mafuta.
01:25
They're physicallykimwili puttingkuweka theirwao bodiesmiili on the linemstari
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Wanaweka miili yao kati ya
01:27
betweenkati the whalers'whalers' harpoonsharpoons and the whalesnyangumi.
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mitego ya nyangumi na nyangumi.
01:30
These are everydaykila siku people,
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Hawa ni watu wa kawaida,
01:32
like these protesterswaandamanaji in ItalyUitalia
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Kama waandamanaji hawa wa Italia
01:34
who spontaneouslypapo hapo climbedakapanda over
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ambao walipanda
01:36
barbedletu wireWaya fencesuzio to rescuekuokoa beaglesbeagles
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uzio wa waya kuwaokoa wanyama
01:38
from animalmnyama testingkupima.
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wasitumika katika majaribio ya kisayansi.
01:41
And these movementsharakati have been incrediblyincredibly effectiveufanisi
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na wimbi hili limekuwa la mafanikio sana
01:43
and popularmaarufu,
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na maarufu,
01:45
so in 1985, theirwao opponentswapinzani madealifanya up a newmpya wordneno,
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Kwa hiyo mwaka 1985, wapinzani wao wakatengeneza neno jipya
01:49
eco-terroristeco-ugaidi,
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Gaidi wa mazingira,
01:51
to shiftkuhama how we viewmtazamo them.
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Ili kubadilisha jinsi tunavyowaona.
01:53
They just madealifanya it up.
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walitengeneza tuu.
01:55
Now these companiesmakampuni have backedkuungwa mkono newmpya lawssheria
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sasa kampuni hizi zimesaidia sheria mpya
01:57
like the AnimalMnyama EnterpriseBiashara TerrorismUgaidi ActSheria,
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Kama Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act,
02:00
whichambayo turnsinageuka activismuanaharakati wa kupinga into terrorismugaidi
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ambayo inabadilisha uanaharakati kuwa ugaidi
02:02
if it causessababu a losskupoteza of profitsfaida.
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Kama itasababisha ukosefu wa faida.
02:05
Now mostwengi people never even heardkusikia about this lawsheria,
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watu wengi hawajawahi hata kuisikia sheria hii,
02:08
includingikiwa ni pamoja na memberswanachama of CongressCongress.
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wakiwemo wabunge,
02:10
LessChini than one percentasilimia were in the roomchumba
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Chini ya asilimia moja walikuwa bungeni
02:12
when it passedilipita the HouseNyumba.
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ilipopitishwa
02:14
The restpumzika were outsidenje at a newmpya memorialkumbukumbu.
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Wengine walikuwa katika kumbukumbu
02:17
They were praisingkumsifu DrDr. KingMfalme
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wakimsifu Dr . King
02:19
as his stylemtindo of activismuanaharakati wa kupinga was brandedasili as terrorismugaidi
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ambaye aina yake ya uanaharakati ingeitwa ugaidi
02:22
if donekufanyika in the namejina of animalswanyama or the environmentmazingira.
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kama ingefanywa kwa wanyama au mazingira.
02:26
SupportersWafuasi say lawssheria like this are neededinahitajika
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Waungaji mkono wanasema sheria hizi zinahitajika
02:28
for the extremistswenye nguvu:
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Kwa ajili ya wale wenye msimamo mkali
02:30
the vandalsWavandali, the arsonistskuyachoma, the radicalswenye msimamo mkali.
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wahuni na wanaoharibu mali.
02:33
But right now, companiesmakampuni like TransCanadaTransCanada
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Lakini kwa sasa, kampuni kama TransCanada
02:35
are briefingmkutano policepolisi in presentationsmawasilisho like this one
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wanawaelekeza polisi
02:38
about how to prosecutekushitaki nonviolentnonviolent protesterswaandamanaji
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jinsi ya kuwashtaki waandamanaji wa amani
02:41
as terroristsmagaidi.
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kama magaidi.
02:43
The FBI'sWa FBI trainingmafunzo documentsnyaraka on eco-terrorismeco-ugaidi
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Mafunzo ya FBI kuhusu ugaidi wa mazingira
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are not about violencevurugu,
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sio kwa ajili ya kuzuia vurugu
02:48
they're about publicumma relationsmahusiano.
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ni kwa ajili ya mahusiano ya umma
02:51
TodayLeo, in multiplenyingi countriesnchi,
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leo, katika nchi nyingi ,
02:53
corporationsmashirika are pushingkusukuma newmpya lawssheria
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mashirika makubwa yanalazimisha sheria mpya
02:54
that make it illegalkinyume cha sheria to photographpicha
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ambazo zinafanya kuwa kinyume na sheria upigaji picha
02:56
animalmnyama crueltyukatili on theirwao farmsmashamba.
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wa ukatili wa wanyama katika mashamba yao.
02:59
The latestkaribuni was in IdahoIdaho just two weekswiki agoiliyopita,
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Habari ya karibuni kabisa ni huko idaho ,wiki mbili zilizopita,
03:02
and todayleo we releasediliyotolewa a lawsuitmashtaka
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na leo tumefungua kesi
03:04
challengingchangamoto it as unconstitutionalkinyume na katiba
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tukisema ni kinyume na katiba
03:05
as a threattishio to journalismuandishi wa habari.
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na pia kama kitisho kwa uandishi wa habari
03:08
The first of these ag-gagAG-gag prosecutionsmashtaka,
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Mwanzo wa sheria hizi
03:10
as they're calledaitwaye,
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kufanya kazi
03:12
was a youngvijana womanmwanamke namedjina lake AmyAmy MeyerMeyer,
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ilikuwa ni pale binti aitwaye Amy Meyer,
03:13
and AmyAmy saw a sickmgonjwa cowng'ombe beingkuwa movedwakiongozwa
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alipoona ng'ombe mgonjwa akiwa anahamishwa
03:15
by a bulldozerTinga outsidenje of a slaughterhousemachinjio
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na tingatinga nje ya nyumba ya kuchinjia
03:18
as she was on the publicumma streetbarabara.
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alipokuwa mtaani
03:20
And AmyAmy did what any of us would:
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amy alifanya kile ambacho wengi wetu wangefanya:
03:22
She filmediliyofanyika it.
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alipiga video.
03:24
When I foundkupatikana out about her storyhadithi, I wrotealiandika about it,
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Nilipogundua habari,niliiandika
03:27
and withinndani 24 hoursmasaa, it createdimeundwa suchvile an uproarvyakasirishwa na
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Ndani ya masaa 24, ikaleta rabsha
03:30
that the prosecutorswaendesha mashtaka just droppedimeshuka all the chargesmashtaka.
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iliyosababisha mashtaka yote kufutwa.
03:33
But apparentlyinaonekana, even exposingkuhatarisha stuffvitu like that
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Lakini, hata kufichua mambo kama hayo
03:35
is a threattishio.
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ni tishio.
03:37
ThroughKupitia the FreedomUhuru of InformationTaarifa ActSheria,
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Kupitia sheria ya uhuru wa mawasiliano
03:39
I learnedkujifunza that the counter-terrorismkupambana na ugaidi unitkitengo
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Niligundua kuwa kitengo cha kudhibiti ugaidi
03:41
has been monitoringufuatiliaji my articlesmakala
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kimekuwa kikifuatilia makala zangu
03:43
and speecheshotuba like this one.
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Na hotuba kama hii.
03:45
They even includedni pamoja this nicenzuri
little write-upAndika of my bookkitabu.
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Hata wametoa maelezo haya kuhusu kitabu changu
03:47
They describedilivyoelezwa it as "compellingkulazimisha and well-writtenimeandikwa kwa."
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Wanaeleza kuwa "inavutia na imeandikwa vizuri"
03:50
(ApplauseMakofi)
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(Makofi)
03:55
BlurbBlurb on the nextijayo bookkitabu, right?
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Muhtsari kuhusu kitabu kifuatacho, si ndio?
03:58
The pointuhakika of all of this is to make us afraidhofu,
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Haya yote ni kutufanya tuogope,
04:02
but as a journalistmwandishi wa habari, I have an unwaveringusioyumba faithimani
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Lakini kama mwandishi wa habari,nina imani thabiti
04:04
in the powernguvu of educationelimu.
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kuhusu nguvu ya elimu.
04:06
Our bestbora weaponsilaha is sunlightjua.
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Silaha yetu nzuri ni mwanga wa jua
04:09
DostoevskyDostoevsky wrotealiandika that the wholeyote work of man
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Dostoevsky aliandika kuwa kazi yote ya mtu
04:11
is to provekuthibitisha he's a man and not a pianopiano keyufunguo.
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ni kuthibitisha kuwa ni mtu na sio sehemu ya kinanda
04:14
Over and over throughoutkote historyhistoria,
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Mara nyingi katika historia
04:16
people in powernguvu have used fearhofu
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Watawala wametumia uoga
04:18
to silencekimya the truthukweli and to silencekimya dissentupinzani.
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Kunyamazisha ukweli na upinzani
04:22
It's time we strikemgomo a newmpya noteKumbuka.
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Ni wakati wa kuanzisha kitu kipya
04:24
Thank you.
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Asante Sana
04:26
(ApplauseMakofi)
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(Makofi)
Translated by Joachim Mangilima
Reviewed by Nelson Simfukwe

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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