Wave of New ‘Anti-Riot’ Legislation Threatens Free Speech

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge, picked up by a number of states, to enact tough new anti-riot legislation that comes dangerously close to infringing on freedom of speech, advocates warn. In Florida, DeSantis is expected to sign bill that bans “violent or disorderly assemblies” and punishes any efforts to defund police with very little detail. Oklahoma has also introduced legislation that protects drivers from accidentally hitting protesters if they are “fleeing a riot.” The bill also makes the protesters financially and criminally liable for damage or injuries if they are blocking streets, with penalties including a year of jail time. Iowa also has introduced a similar driver protection law after more than 100 incidents of people driving into demonstrations last summer. At least 93 similar bills have been proposed in 35 states after George Floyd protests last summer. Freedom of speech advocates warn that these bills are dangerous. “These bills talk about ‘riots,’ but the language that they use is so sweeping that it encompasses way more than what people imagine,” Elly Page, a senior legal adviser with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law told USA Today, adding that the bills end up criminalizing “peaceful, legitimate First Amendment-protected protest.”