Journalists Covering DC Protests Slapped With Felony Charges
In a chilling preview of what freedom of the press will look like in Trump’s America, two journalists arrested while covering Inauguration Day protests in Washington DC have been slapped with felony charges. They could face up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines if convicted.
The Guardian reports that Vocativ’s Evan Engel and RT America’s Alex Rubinstein were among the 230 people arrested on Friday morning, when anti-capitalist protests erupted within blocks of the White House and continued throughout the day. Protesters smashed a Starbucks Coffee window, vandalized a parked limousine and later lit it on fire, and lit a bonfire in an overturned garbage can. Police corralled the protesters before arresting them. Prosecutors have justified the felony charges against those swept up in the arrests by the estimated cost of the damage.
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