What is the global trend we’re seeing? In some ways, it’s governments closing the
public space available for politics, for debate, for groups to meet. For free expression.
This is not just a closing space for civil
society, this is a closing space. We cannot be certain that our life and peace
as we experienced in the past will continue.
Now you have new forms of what you might call
closed society or oppressive regimes. The techniques of manipulation have evolved
and they have endangered open society in open societies as well as in previously closed societies.
Tightening up on civil society, on human rights activists, on the media, on the internet.
All of those spaces, absolutely being choked by the government.
The same measures that they’re going to
take to try and deal with the terrorism will have the effect of reducing the space for civic life.
In some instances, it’s just restrictions, to freedom of expression.
In other instances, it’s sheer discrimination, it’s sheer brutality against selected groups.
The consequences of the kind of police state
of emergency powers we’re seeing in France are wide-ranging.
Those consequences impinge on individuals, on long-standing Muslim communities in France.
But they also impinge on civic space, on the ability of any protestor to take a strong
A lot of times, governments—especially new
governments or governments in changing societies—underestimated the importance of public space.
Now they’re realizing people can make real change in their societies, and so if they don’t want change,
they’re moving from underregulating that sphere to overregulating it.
That shift is imposing new restraints.
It’s not just the civil society space which is closing. Open societies are closing.
People feel more secure behind closed borders.
One of the ways in which this is manifesting itself is through anti-civil society legislation.
The use of laws that restrict the ability to organize,
the ability to express, the ability to assemble.
Intrusion into their own societies by what they see as outside enemies of their freedom.
Using the fight against terrorism to go after
those civil society organizations that they may not be pleased with.
It used to be much easier for governments to control things within their borders.
And that is shifting with a globalized world.
And so the challenge now is for all of us
to come together and think through on how we’re going to defend the space and to ensure
that globally, we have the space to work in.
It’s our job to support those who are finding creative new ways to make a difference.
You need to find the kernel of activism. That gives you opportunity to engage.
Otherwise, it is hopeless, it is total darkness, and that’s not the reality.
What we’re seeing is a new generation of
young leaders coming into organizations, bringing new energy, bringing new spirit.
We have lawyers that do provide support services to individuals who are targeted, we have got
medical doctors that do responding cases where there’s, torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment.
Social media has allowed for movement building to happen in ways that we had never seen before.
But governments are also investing in interception of communications.
It’s much harder to close down virtual space, so what you see is a pushback.
We have a policy of trying to engage with
government and trying to find people who can become like our voice and ambassadors.
And to have them make clear that their relations with other governments include a requirement
that there should be open space for civil society.
The most important lead is to continue supporting civil society, to hold governments and people
in power responsible and accountable for how they use their power, which is delegated to them from the people.
I think this is a moment for solidarity, solidarity
among civil society organizations across the region, across the globe.
Solidarity between the online blogger and the gay rights activist, between the NGO that’s
getting shut down and the social movement that’s turning out on the streets.
Because although those actors might look and think that they’re different from each other,
what they have in common is they’re all manifestations of our right to mobilize and
to organize, and what we want to do is build a solidarity across countries, across those
actors, so that we stand together to defend our space, to celebrate our space.
The need to fight against those that want to concentrate power, those that want to close
society, that need is still there, and it’s the right struggle.