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

威爾‧波特: 替非暴力抗爭羅織罪名的驚人之舉

Filmed:
1,127,722 views

2002年,調查記者暨TED研究會員威爾‧波特決定暫時離開他的常軌:給芝加哥論壇報寫些槍擊和謀殺的報導。他協助一個當地團體反對動物實驗,「我以為做一些正面的事,是一種安全的方式,」他說。相反地,他遭到逮捕,也因此開始了他的旅程,深入一個把和平抗爭貼上恐怖份子標籤的世界。
- 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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911事件還沒超過一年的時候,
00:15
and I was at the Chicago芝加哥 Tribune論壇
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我在芝加哥論壇報
00:16
writing寫作 about shootings槍擊事件 and murders謀殺,
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寫些關於槍擊和謀殺的事件,
00:18
and it was leaving離開 me feeling感覺
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而這讓我感到
00:20
pretty漂亮 dark黑暗 and depressed鬱悶.
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相當黑暗和沮喪。
00:21
I had doneDONE some activism行動 in college學院,
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在大學時我也曾參與一些社會運動,
00:23
so I decided決定 to help a local本地 group
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所以我決定幫忙一些在地的團體
00:25
hang door knockers門環 against反對 animal動物 testing測試.
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為反對動物測試去敲人家的門。
00:27
I thought it would be a safe安全 way
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我以為做一些正面的事
00:29
to do something positive,
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是一種安全的方式,
00:31
but of course課程 I have the absolute絕對 worst最差 luck運氣 ever,
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但我實在是運氣極差無比,
00:33
and we were all arrested被捕.
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然後我們全部被逮捕了。
00:36
Police警察 took this blurry模糊 photo照片 of me
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警察幫我拍了這張模糊的相片,
00:38
holding保持 leaflets傳單 as evidence證據.
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把傳單當作是證據。
00:41
My charges收費 were dismissed駁回,
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對我的指控被撤銷了,
00:43
but a few少數 weeks later後來,
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但是幾個星期後,
00:44
two FBI聯邦調查局 agents代理 knocked被撞 on my door,
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兩個聯邦調查局探員來敲我的門,
00:46
and they told me that unless除非 I helped幫助 them
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然後他們告訴我,除非我幫他們
00:48
by spying間諜 on protest抗議 groups,
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監控一些異議團體,
00:50
they would put me on a domestic國內 terrorist恐怖分子 list名單.
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否則他們會把我列入國內恐怖份子名單。
00:54
I'd love to tell you that I didn't flinch退縮,
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我很想告訴你我沒有退縮,
00:56
but I was terrified,
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但我實在是嚇壞了,
00:58
and when my fear恐懼 subsided消退,
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當我的恐懼平息後,
01:00
I became成為 obsessed痴迷 with finding發現 out
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我變得著迷於找出
01:02
how this happened發生,
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這種情況是怎麼發生的。
01:03
how animal動物 rights權利 and environmental環境的 activists活動家
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動物權利和環保人士,
01:05
who have never injured受傷 anyone任何人
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那些從來沒有傷害任何人的人們,
01:07
could become成為 the FBI'sFBI的 number one
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如何會成為聯邦調查局的
01:09
domestic國內 terrorism恐怖主義 threat威脅.
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頭號國內恐怖主義威脅。
01:12
A few少數 years年份 later後來, I was invited邀請 to testify作證
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幾年後,我被邀請去
讓國會質詢我的報導,
01:14
before Congress國會 about my reporting報告,
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我告訴議員們,
01:17
and I told lawmakers國會議員 that, while everybody每個人
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當每個人都在說嘴生態環保的時候,
01:18
is talking about going green綠色,
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01:20
some people are risking冒著 their lives生活
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有些人冒著生命危險
01:21
to defend保衛 forests森林 and to stop oil pipelines管道.
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去保衛森林,去阻止油管建設。
01:25
They're physically物理 putting their bodies身體 on the line
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他們把自己身體擋在
01:27
between之間 the whalers'捕鯨船“ harpoons魚叉 and the whales鯨魚.
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捕鯨船的魚叉和鯨魚之間。
01:30
These are everyday每天 people,
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這些都是平民百姓,
01:32
like these protesters抗議者 in Italy意大利
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像這些義大利的抗議者
01:34
who spontaneously自發 climbed爬上 over
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他們自發地爬過
01:36
barbed帶刺 wire fences圍欄 to rescue拯救 beagles比格犬
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鐵絲網圍籬去把小獵犬們
01:38
from animal動物 testing測試.
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從動物實驗裡救出。
01:41
And these movements運動 have been incredibly令人難以置信 effective有效
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這些運動十分有效
01:43
and popular流行,
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而且受歡迎,
01:45
so in 1985, their opponents對手 made製作 up a new word,
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所以在1985年,
他們的敵人製造了一個新詞,
01:49
eco-terrorist生態恐怖主義,
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環保恐怖份子,
01:51
to shift轉移 how we view視圖 them.
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來轉化我們對他們的觀點。
01:53
They just made製作 it up.
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他們就憑空造出了這個詞。
01:55
Now these companies公司 have backed已備份 new laws法律
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現在這些公司為一些新法律背書,
01:57
like the Animal動物 Enterprise企業 Terrorism恐怖主義 Act法案,
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像是動物企業恐怖主義法案,
02:00
which哪一個 turns activism行動 into terrorism恐怖主義
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只要抗議會造成獲利的減損
02:02
if it causes原因 a loss失利 of profits利潤.
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就把抗議行動說成恐怖主義。
02:05
Now most people never even heard聽說 about this law,
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現在大部份的人從來沒聽說這個法律,
02:08
including包含 members會員 of Congress國會.
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包括國會議員們。
02:10
Less than one percent百分 were in the room房間
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當這個法律通過的時候,
02:12
when it passed通過 the House.
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不到百分之一的議員在會議室裡。
02:14
The rest休息 were outside at a new memorial紀念館.
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其他人在外面一個新的紀念碑前。
02:17
They were praising讚美 Dr博士. King國王
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他們在讚美馬丁·路德·金
02:19
as his style樣式 of activism行動 was branded品牌 as terrorism恐怖主義
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因為他的行動若出自於
動物或環境保育立場,
02:22
if doneDONE in the name名稱 of animals動物 or the environment環境.
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就會被視為恐怖主義。
02:26
Supporters支持者 say laws法律 like this are needed需要
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支持者們認為這樣的法律是必須的,
02:28
for the extremists極端分子:
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對於極端份子如:
02:30
the vandals破壞者, the arsonists縱火犯, the radicals自由基.
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破壞公物者、縱火犯、激進份子。
02:33
But right now, companies公司 like TransCanada橫加
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但現在,像 TransCanada 一樣的公司
02:35
are briefing簡報 police警察 in presentations簡報 like this one
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在對警方簡報一些像這份的報告,
02:38
about how to prosecute起訴 nonviolent非暴力 protesters抗議者
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關於如何指控非暴力抗議份子
02:41
as terrorists恐怖分子.
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為恐怖份子。
02:43
The FBI'sFBI的 training訓練 documents文件 on eco-terrorism生態恐怖主義
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聯邦調查局關於環保恐怖份子的訓練文件
02:47
are not about violence暴力,
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不是關於暴力,
02:48
they're about public上市 relations關係.
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而是關於公共關係。
02:51
Today今天, in multiple countries國家,
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今天,在許多國家,
02:53
corporations公司 are pushing推動 new laws法律
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財團們正在推動新法律
02:54
that make it illegal非法 to photograph照片
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讓拍攝他們農場裡
對動物的殘酷行徑成為非法的。
02:56
animal動物 cruelty殘酷 on their farms農場.
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02:59
The latest最新 was in Idaho愛達荷州 just two weeks ago,
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最近的是兩個星期前在愛達荷州的立法,
03:02
and today今天 we released發布 a lawsuit訴訟
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而今天我們提起了訴訟
03:04
challenging具有挑戰性的 it as unconstitutional違憲
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提告這樣威脅新聞業的法律是違憲的。
03:05
as a threat威脅 to journalism新聞學.
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03:08
The first of these ag-gagAG-GAG prosecutions起訴,
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第一個農業封口 (ag-gag) 訴訟事件,
03:10
as they're called,
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這類案件如此被稱呼,
03:12
was a young年輕 woman女人 named命名 Amy艾米 Meyer邁耶,
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是個叫 Amy Meyer 的年輕女性,
03:13
and Amy艾米 saw a sick生病 cow being存在 moved移動
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Amy 看到一隻生病的牛,
被一台推土機移出屠宰場。
03:15
by a bulldozer推土機 outside of a slaughterhouse屠宰場
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03:18
as she was on the public上市 street.
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她當時正在一條大街上,
03:20
And Amy艾米 did what any of us would:
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Amy 做了我們每個人都會做的事:
03:22
She filmed拍攝 it.
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她把這件事拍成了影片。
03:24
When I found發現 out about her story故事, I wrote about it,
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我知道了她的故事後寫了篇報導,
03:27
and within 24 hours小時, it created創建 such這樣 an uproar騷動
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在 24 小時內,
這篇新聞引起了如此騷動,
03:30
that the prosecutors檢察官 just dropped下降 all the charges收費.
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讓提告者撤銷了所有的指控。
03:33
But apparently顯然地, even exposing曝光 stuff東東 like that
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但顯然,即使是這樣的披露
03:35
is a threat威脅.
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也是種威脅。
03:37
Through通過 the Freedom自由 of Information信息 Act法案,
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透過資訊自由法,
03:39
I learned學到了 that the counter-terrorism反恐 unit單元
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我了解到反恐單位
03:41
has been monitoring監控 my articles用品
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持續監控著我的文章
03:43
and speeches演講 like this one.
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和演說,像現在也是。
03:45
They even included包括 this nice不錯
little write-up寫上去 of my book.
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他們還在我的書裡
寫了這樣的小註記:
03:47
They described描述 it as "compelling引人注目 and well-written寫得好."
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「引人入勝,寫得很好」。
03:50
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
03:55
Blurb的Blurb on the next下一個 book, right?
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這是下本書的宣傳簡介,對吧?
03:58
The point of all of this is to make us afraid害怕,
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這一切的目的都是讓我們感到害怕,
04:02
but as a journalist記者, I have an unwavering毫不動搖 faith信仰
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但身為一個記者,我對教育的力量
04:04
in the power功率 of education教育.
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有種堅定不移的信仰。
04:06
Our best最好 weapon武器 is sunlight陽光.
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我們最好的武器是公開一切在太陽下。
04:09
Dostoevsky陀思妥耶夫斯基 wrote that the whole整個 work of man
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杜思妥也夫斯基寫過,所有人類的作為
04:11
is to prove證明 he's a man and not a piano鋼琴 key.
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是在證明他是個人而非只是一個琴鍵。
04:14
Over and over throughout始終 history歷史,
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整個歷史的過程裡,
04:16
people in power功率 have used fear恐懼
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掌權者一而再再而三利用恐懼
04:18
to silence安靜 the truth真相 and to silence安靜 dissent異議.
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把事實和異議消音。
04:22
It's time we strike罷工 a new note注意.
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現在是我們奏出不同琴聲的時候了。
04:24
Thank you.
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謝謝。
04:26
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by Hans Chiang
Reviewed by Adrienne Lin

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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