Protesting is Now Terrorism

An activist was designated as a terror suspect, put on a watchlist and arrested, ostensibly it seems to prevent him attending a protest at this week's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

Charlotte resident and activist James Tyson was arrested on Sunday after his name showed up on a terror watchlist -- conveniently just days before the start of the DNC which is being held at three different locations this week in Charlotte.

Tyson's attorney Derek Fletcher revealed to WSOCTV that "prosecutors tried to get the judge to keep him behind bars during the Democratic National Convention."

Tyson's bond was initially set at a whopping $10,000 dollars before Fletcher was abjavascript:void(0)le to convince the judge to reduce the figure, after which Tyson was released on bail.

The case represents a shocking example of how paranoia over terrorism is being hijacked to denounce legitimate demonstrators as extremists while discouraging others from exercising their right to free speech.

Efforts on behalf of authorities to characterize protesting as an act of terrorism have been ongoing for a number of years.