📢 Freedom Over Fascism: How We Resist Authoritarianism—Together

🗽 Freedom over fascism means accountability, hope, and people power. Get the latest news, global warnings, and actions to resist authoritarianism.

Freedom is not passive. It is a daily act of advocacy—of speaking out, showing up, and holding leaders accountable to the will of the people.

In a world where billionaires, extremists, and strongmen try to rewrite the rules, Freedom Over Fascism exists to remind us of a simple truth: power still belongs to the people—if we use it.

Why Freedom Over Fascism Matters:

• Authoritarianism feeds on fear, corruption, and silence

• Accountability is being attacked at home and abroad

• This newsletter exists to inform, connect, and mobilize

Freedom survives only when the people defend it.

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When leaders escape accountability, it signals that power—not justice—rules, eroding trust, fueling corruption, and opening the door to authoritarianism. Billionaire-backed members of Congress, justices, and elites aren’t serving the people—they’re scheming to suppress our voices, strip away our rights, and rule over us. But progress and power to the people is more than an idea; it’s a movement. By standing up, speaking out, and demanding dignity, opportunity, and justice for all, we can build an America that truly lives up to its promise.

🚨 Freedom Over Fascism — News Briefs

🌍 Trump-led abuses amid ‘democratic recession’ put human rights in peril, HRW report says

• A new Human Rights Watch report warns that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population now lives under autocratic rule, describing a global “democratic recession” driven in part by actions from the United States under President Trump alongside sustained pressure from China and Russia. The report details attacks on democratic norms, media, courts, and civil society, while urging democratic nations and social movements to unite to defend the rules-based international order. — The Guardian

Why This Matters: The erosion of democratic governance and human rights across major global powers signals a systemic threat to international law, accountability, and civil liberties worldwide. Without coordinated resistance from democratic institutions and civil society, the weakening of the rules-based order could accelerate authoritarian influence and endanger fundamental freedoms for billions.

🛫 China Sends Military Drone Into Taiwan Airspace for First Time

• China’s military flew a reconnaissance drone into Taiwanese airspace near Pratas Island for several minutes in a move Taiwan views as part of Beijing’s ongoing pressure campaign against the self-ruled democracy. The flight marks the first such incursion by an unmanned Chinese military aircraft, increasing regional tension and testing Taiwan’s air defenses. — Bloomberg

Why This Matters: This unprecedented drone incursion underscores rising cross-strait tensions and signals Beijing’s willingness to expand its military pressure on Taiwan, with implications for regional security and U.S. strategic commitments in Asia.

🌐 Trump’s full messages with European leaders – and what they tell us

• The BBC shares public texts that Trump has sent to world leaders. The piece highlights how interconnected challenges — from international security to internal political conflict — are influencing global stability. — BBC

Why This Matters: Understanding how domestic and international tensions intersect helps us grasp the broader geopolitical landscape and anticipate how power dynamics may shift in 2026 and beyond.

Trump sues BBC for $10 billion over edited clips of his Jan. 6 speech

• Trump has filed a massive lawsuit claiming edited footage of his January 6 speech damaged his reputation. Legal experts say the case faces steep First Amendment hurdles. Critics view the suit as part of a broader pattern of using litigation to intimidate media outlets. — MSNBC (MaddowBlog)

Why this matters: A free press is essential to democracy—and lawsuits should not be used to silence scrutiny.

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What You Can Do Today:

ICE Accountability

• Tell Congress: It’s Time to Defund ICE

• Tell Democratic Leaders: Don’t Cave on ICE Accountability

• Hold Corporations Accountable for ICE Violence

• Kristi Noem must go

Power to All Eligible Voters: Reject the Save Act

• 🚨 Click here to Stop Republicans’ New Attack on Voting Rights

• 📩 Click here to Tell Congress to Reject the SAVE Act Bills

• Click here to Tell your member of Congress to co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

• Click here to send a StandUp America message to lawmakers

• Register to vote, vote, and help elect leaders that will ensure safe, secure elections and are committed to protecting democracy. Share ballot and voting information with friends and family.

• Donate to these champions doing the heavy lifting for our rights and freedoms:

  • Champions that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and advance civil liberties.

  • People Power United Against Fascism

  • Worker Power is People Power

  • Bans Off Our Bodies

  • Immigrant Justice Advocacy Groups

  • End Fossil Fuels

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The Pattern Authoritarians Rely On

Authoritarianism does not announce itself all at once—it advances through a familiar and dangerous pattern.

Elites evade accountability, signaling that rules apply to the many, not the powerful. When corruption goes unpunished, trust in democratic institutions erodes.

Billionaires bankroll influence, drowning out the voices of everyday people. Policy bends toward profit, while working families are told to accept less freedom, fewer rights, and more sacrifice.

Dissent is criminalized, whether through crackdowns on protest, surveillance of activists, or laws designed to intimidate rather than protect. When speaking out becomes risky, silence is enforced.

Fear replaces trust, as communities are pitted against one another. Immigrants, activists, journalists, and marginalized groups are scapegoated to distract from abuses of power and to keep people divided.

This is not accidental—it is the blueprint.

Fascism thrives when people feel powerless. That’s why people power terrifies it.

When we organize, speak out, vote, and demand accountability, we disrupt this pattern. We remind those in power that legitimacy flows from the people—and that freedom cannot survive without collective action.

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✊ The Tools That Authoritarianism Can’t Defeat

🌱 Hope

Hope is not naïve—it is strategic. Fascism feeds on despair and fear. Hope fuels imagination, courage, and sustained resistance. It reminds us that a just future is possible—and worth fighting for.

🤝 Respect

Respect dismantles fascism’s core weapon: dehumanization. By choosing dignity and inclusion, we build communities strong enough to resist hate, scapegoating, and division.

🧩 Unity

Authoritarians rule by dividing us. Unity breaks their strategy. When we stand together across differences, we deny fascism the fractures it needs to survive.

🗽The strength of a nation is not its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them. - Gene Roddenberry

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💥 Why You Matter

Every share, every heart, every comment, every call to action, every vote, every subscription strengthens our ability to advocate for progress—and to move forward.

When you’re here, you’re not just staying informed.
You’re defending progress and power to the people.
You’re standing up for freedom over fascism!

Laurie joining others to drop thousands of petitions off to Congress for reforms to the Supreme Court

“We must stand united to protect freedom over fascism… There is no power like that of the people.” — Laurie Woodward García, People Power United

Power grows when people participate and hold our leaders accountable to the will of the people. And together, we are proving—day after day—that the future belongs to those who refuse to stay silent.

👉 Subscribe to Freedom Over Fascism for free to stay informed. Go paid to help us to continue this work to fuel people-powered change. This movement exists because of you—and it wins because we act together.