The Only Good Propaganda Is U.S. Propaganda?

The Most Powerful Government in the World Needs More Political Dissent at Home, Not Less, and Attempting to Turn It into a Crime is Dangerous

The recent charges brought against members of the African People’s Socialist Party (APSP) by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly acting as agents of Russia and using speech to “weaponize” First Amendment rights are deeply troubling. As an attorney with extensive knowledge of First Amendment rights, it is clear to me that the DOJ’s actions are a clear violation of the Constitution.

Under the First Amendment, the government is prohibited from abridging anyone’s freedom of speech, including the right to associate with whomever they please and promote whatever political agendas they see fit, even if it happens to advance the interests of a foreign government. The allegations made against the four members of the APSP are vague and amorphous, and even if true, propaganda and disinformation are still speech that the government is constitutionally forbidden from repressing.

The government’s attempts to dismiss the First Amendment on the grounds that it is being “weaponized” is not a reasonable justification. When the government dictates what speech is valid and what counts as “agitprop” and “disinformation,” they give themselves more power while taking power away from the people. The government’s attempt to dictate which political groups are legitimate and which ones are tools of a foreign government is also concerning because those designations will inevitably benefit the powerful.

The government’s hypocrisy in this situation is also blatant. The U.S. government frequently engages in foreign influence operations with organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy, which foments coups and color revolutions and advances U.S. information interests. When foreign governments attempt to stop this activity, the U.S. embassy cites “free speech.” The U.S. government cannot claim that it is legitimate to imprison U.S. citizens for publishing propaganda for another country when they engage in similar activities themselves.

The most powerful government in the world needs more political dissent at home, not less, and attempting to turn it into a crime is dangerous. When the government claims that the APSP promoted “dissention” and published “propaganda,” what they really mean is that they engaged in speech and political activism that the U.S. government does not like.

The charges brought against the members of the APSP are a clear violation of the First Amendment and an attempt by the U.S. government to stifle political dissent. The government cannot dictate what speech is valid and what political groups are legitimate without undermining the very principles upon which this country was founded. It is crucial that we recognize and resist these attempts to erode our constitutional rights.