# data[].attributes.body
1. What freedom is this article discussing?
2. What is the argument of the bikie gangs?
3. What is the argument of the government?
4. What do you think?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This was published 2 years ago

Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size

Bikies say they should have a right to associate with each other under Labor's proposed human rights laws.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath introduced a human rights bill last month, which would codify rights such as freedom of movement, expression, peaceful assembly and association, and a right to privacy and reputation.

Odin's Warriors spokesman Stewy Worth says the government should not be able to make exceptions for laws which are incompatible with the proposed human rights act. Credit:Paul Rovere

The changes would not stop Parliament from intentionally passing legislation that was not compatible with human rights.

Labor's serious and organised crime legislation, passed in 2016, banned outlaw motorcycle club members from wearing their club colours in public places and made it illegal for a person to habitually consort with two or more convicted offenders after being warned by police not to do so.

The laws rode over the LNP Newman government's Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) laws.

Odin's Warriors motorcycle club spokesman Stewy Worth said the human rights of bikies were being breached by the government, including by restricting what they wore in public and referring to "innocent men as 'criminal gangs'".

Mr Worth said the human rights act was pointless if it could be bypassed by the government if it wanted to pass laws which were incompatible.

"They might as well throw it away," he said.

"There should be no mechanism at law to override or limit this basic right [of freedom of association] with a 'certificate of incompatibility'."

Mr Worth criticised laws preventing bikies from wearing club colours and said members were being discriminated against.

"They say the wearing of colours is used as a tool by the bikies to intimidate people," he said.

"I can wear an ISIS T-shirt, I can wear a Nazi swastika T-shirt.

"In fact, I could walk down the street with a chainsaw in my hand wearing a lime green mankini and makeup and I don't offend anyone, but if I wear a club T-shirt, I offend someone and I face six months' jail ... It's ridiculous.

"They turn innocent men into criminals."

Mr Worth said if the human rights laws applied equally to everyone, people would have the right to wear what they wanted.

"I'm sure the Queensland government is not going to launch out, stop people from wearing burqas or football jumpers or caps on backwards, which is one of my pet hates, why should they have the right to tell me what I can't wear?" he asked.

"I'm absolutely sure that if you're intimidated by a big hairy bikie in a shopping centre, just by the way he looks, then you're going to be intimidated by a big, hairy bikie whether he's wearing a club shirt or not."

Odin's Warriors had been declared as an identified organisation in Queensland, but Mr Worth said very few members had been convicted of offences.

Ms D'Ath said the government was committed to the safety of Queenslanders.

"The human rights act expressly acknowledges that rights are not absolute; there is a balance between an individual's right and the rights of the greater community that must be considered," she said.

Ms D'Ath said the human rights bill would not override existing legislation, such as the Serious and Organised Crime Legislation Amendment Act.

"The Palaszczuk government has no intention of amending the Serious and Organised Crime Legislation Act 2016 because it is giving the Queensland Police Service the tools they need to crack down on organised crime," she said.

LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said Annastacia Palaszczuk needed to guarantee that her new Human Rights Bill wouldn't give the green light to bikies to terrorise our communities once again.

"We already know that Labor are soft on bikies and organised crime, but this is simply outrageous," she said.

Submissions to the parliamentary committee considering the human rights bill close on November 26.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bikies use government's own bill to protest association ban

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This was published 2 years ago Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Bikies say they should have a right to associate with each other under Labor's proposed human rights laws. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath introduced a human rights bill last month, which would codify rights such as freedom of movement, expression, peaceful assembly and association, and a right to privacy and reputation.

# data[].attributes.body
1. What freedom is this article discussing?
2. Who is at the top of the legal system?
3. What is the main influence on their laws and provide examples of what this looks like?
4. What do you think?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Saudi court system consists of three main parts. The largest is the Shari'ah Courts, which hear most cases in the Saudi legal system. The Shari'ah courts are organized into several categories: Courts of the First Instance (Summary and General Courts), Courts of Cassation and the Supreme Judicial Council.

# data[].attributes.body
1. What freedom is this article discussing?
2. What are some of the consequences of breaking this law?
3. What are the different types of isolation?
4. What do you think about this?

# data[].attributes.body
1. What freedom is being restricted?
2. Why is this happening?
3. How does this impact China's citizens?
4. How does this impact the rest of the world?
5.  What do you think? Should this be allowed?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Chinese-controlled internet is already a world apart from that used by the rest of the globe, split by censorship that blocks users in China from accessing many of the apps and websites used daily in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Now those separate worlds may split even further, as the trade and tech war escalates, supply chains "decouple," and distrust between the U.S. and China grows.

Staff writer Alice Su in The Times' Beijing bureau and Los Angeles-based columnist Frank Shyong, who previously covered the San Gabriel Valley and the Chinese community in Southern California, discuss what it's like to live and work between the two worlds.

Q: What is the internet like in China? What does bifurcation look like?

Alice Su: You can't access most things from China. You need to use a virtual private network, or VPN, to open Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter; the same goes for apps. Recently we bought a Chinese phone to use as a burner; it can't download Western apps.

It was a big deal this month when Google announced it wouldn't provide the Google Play store to Huawei phones, but in China, most phones already can't access the store. You can't download Gmail, Google Maps or any of those apps.

If I want to access a Chinese site such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I have to turn off the VPN because if I'm on Western internet, I can't open the Chinese site.

I don't know if you can open the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site in L.A., but here in Beijing, I'm always turning the VPN on and off to see the Chinese version of things and then go into the version the Western world sees.

In China, everybody uses the social media app WeChat. You need to have WeChat or Alipay set up to order food or call a Didi, the Chinese version of Uber. But these apps only work with Chinese bank accounts. You can also use WeChat to pay your utility bills, book a hotel, give to charity, reserve a flight or buy a movie ticket.

There are strict regulations now on ID verification that weren't there a few years ago. Many apps ask you to take a selfie holding a passport next to your face and also send a picture of the passport to the app.

Frank Shyong: It's like you're immigrating on their internet too, like you're passing through customs to go on their internet.

AS: You can think of it asthe apps needing to make sure everyone's using real IDs, because there are so many scams in China. But another way to think about it is that everything you do is saved on your device, linked to your face, location, bank account and ID. It's one more trove of information for government surveillance, in addition to the cameras and facial recognition technology already set up all around.

Q: What about members of the Chinese community in the U.S.? Are they using a Chinese version of the internet?

FS: Everybody who speaks Chinese in L.A. that I ever talked to adds me on WeChat. There are restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley that take WeChat Pay now. They've been taking Alipay for a long time.

When I'm using internet in the U.S. to cover the Chinese community, I'm on the U.S. internet, just in the Chinese language part of it. This is sort of a bifurcation that's self-created.
A parallel Chinese-language Internet helps immigrants navigate life in America "
Entrepreneurs in the San Gabriel Valley developed ETAcar, which is Chinese-language Uber, or 2redbeans, a dating service. Instead of Yelp there's Chihuo, a foodie site. There are also websites like ChineseInLA.com and newspaper sites. There's a message board service, MITBBS, and it's popular with alumni organizations of major Chinese and Taiwanese universities.

AS: Why do people use WeChat in the U.S. to talk to each other when they have iMessage and Facebook?

FS: It's what they use to talk to all their Chinese friends. So if you're on iMessage, only your Chinese friends and family in the U.S. are on that. You can't message everyone at the same time.

Q: Does information flow or manipulation thereof affect the way people understand the news?

AS: In China, the majority of news is state media, state news. Everything is kind of the same. You see the same headlines in 10 different papers.

There's this joke that if you read or watch the news, it's always 20 minutes of good news about China and 10 minutes of bad news about the rest of the world. People make fun of it, but it does affect their worldview.

I hear Chinese people say all the time, "It's really safe here." If you're going to the U.S., they'll warn, "Be careful, it's dangerous."

What distinguishes WeChat and Alipay from things like ChineseInLA.com is that the Chinese government has access to the apps from China.

In China, they're obviously censored and everyone knows. It's a common experience to post something and in 10 minutes it disappears, because it's sensitive. Or sometimes you attempt to post something, but it won't post.

In some cases, people self-censor, refraining from sharing anything sensitive.

Q: One fear Americansmay have is about the Chinese government's reach into Chinese tech and media, whether it's to censor information, spread propaganda or spy on users.Do you see that happening?

FS: It's tough to say. I haven't personally observed any censorship, but you do hear rumors claiming Chinese censors influence some Chinese-language newspapers in the U.S., or that some local WeChat-based site is started by a former intelligence official. You do observe editorials in some Chinese-language newspapers taking pro-China stances and criticizing the U.S. The rumors are all but unverifiable, but they are persistent.

Those closely following the divide in the Chinese American community over affirmative action have speculated privately that Chinese national interests may be involved in shaping Chinese American political identity. That can't be eliminated as a possibility, but I think there's another factor to consider: Chinese immigrants, depending on when they arrived, come from different historical and political eras of China, which could lead to contrasting political identities here in the States.

AS: Researchers say WeChat censors chats differently depending on where the user registered the account.

Chinese accounts are more censored than foreign accounts, but even if a Chinese account later updates to a foreign phone number, it'll still be censored as if it was in China, according to researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab that have analyzed WeChat censorship trends.

If a U.S. account sends sensitive messages to a group with Chinese accounts, the Chinese users won't receive them. All censored articles are erased from WeChat everywhere, so you won't be able to see them even from U.S. accounts.

Q: What about in China? Who's on VPN?

AS: One thing Chinese people are concerned about is that there's no good search engine in China. There's Bing, but more people use Baidu - and the results are often really bad.

People searching for cures for diseases would get ads for fake medicine. A lot of information on there is not verified and you have no way of knowing if it's true.

In terms of politically sensitive information, you can't get it. Unless you have a VPN, which in the past you could download in China. But nowadays you can't get one unless you bought and installed it outside China.

You can't find straightforward information about, say, the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square unless you really go out of your way. If you search on Baidu, you'll only find a brief official explanation saying there were anti-party and anti-socialism riots.

There are people who are climbing over the firewall and using VPN, but it's a minority. And state media such as New China News Agency and the Global Times use Twitter and Facebook for propaganda. I don't know if they're using VPN or have special access, but they post on banned social media platforms all the time.
Bing comes back online in China, but there are more questions than answers "
Q: As information worlds split and distrust between the U.S. and China grows, what does that mean for your job as a journalist straddling both sides?

FS: It just makes it all the more important to tell stories. As human beings we tend to fill the void left by the absence of truth and facts with even scarier fictions. But explaining the motivations that exist on both sides of a cultural divide can bring us closer together.

The current state of U.S.-China affairs doesn't help. But the risk for xenophobia existed before this political situation; people of Chinese descent have faced hostility, seen by some in the U.S. as perpetual foreigners or as competing for the same economic opportunities. Now there are new wrinkles to this, based on new kinds of nationalism.

For me, when I think about split information worlds, I think about the ways that all the different communities of Los Angeles use the internet. All these unique apps and websites are a reflection of fascinating diversity as well as persistent language barriers.

Going on the internet of Chinese immigrants or the internet of Japanese or Filipino immigrants is just more evidence that there are all these conversations occurring that we're not really aware of in English-speaking Los Angeles.

Here, the dividing line is language, and the segregation is somewhat voluntary. These are just people trying to interact in a modern society, to use tech and apps tailored to their needs. It's a reflection that there's another universe. You go into the San Gabriel Valley, go on Valley Boulevard, and it already feels like you're in a foreign country.

Then you go on the internet and it's a foreign internet. The news people read, the algorithms guiding them, the apps they trust, the way they use social media, what kinds of news goes viral - it's all really different.

AS: You're reporting on a separate world that's voluntary and self-created. I need to be careful to point out that the world I'm reporting in is controlled.
Huawei without Google: Does the Chinese telecom giant have a backup plan? "
I might be interviewing a lot of Chinese people and the majority might think in a certain way. If I'm quoting something from the social media platform Weibo, I need to be aware that much of that is carefully manufactured.

There's also a separate Chinese world here, but the reason it's separate is because there's a party and government that's directing it, laying down the boundaries and deciding what can or can't be said.

That's tricky. Sometimes I'll see on Twitter, maybe a Chinese person says what they think and gets accused of being controlled by the Communist Party. But their opinion may also just be a product of the environment they're in and based on the only information available to them.

I don't want to invalidate their opinions, but want to make readers aware of the context.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Chinese and non-Chinese internet are two worlds. Here's what it's like to use both

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Chinese-controlled internet is already a world apart from that used by the rest of the globe, split by censorship that blocks users in China from accessing many of the apps and websites used daily in the U.S. and elsewhere.

# data[].attributes.body
1. What freedom is he exercising?
2. What were the consequences of this?
3. What do you think? Should he be allowed to do this? Do you think the consequences were fair?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Colin Kaepernick was a second-round draft pick in 2011. The next year he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. By 2016, he had begun kneeling on the sideline at games during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.

Soon after, he was gone from the NFL, and he has not played since. Here's a timeline of Kaepernick's pro football and post-NFL days since he first kneeled during "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Aug. 26, 2016: During the anthem before a Packers-49ers preseason game, Kaepernick sits on the San Francisco bench. Kaepernick says he sat because the country "oppresses black people and people of colour." His action does not attract immediate national attention. He mentions that he had earlier not stood for the anthem.

Aug. 27, 2016: Kaepernick's sitdown begins drawing headlines. Some condemn him for dishonouring the flag and country. Others applaud his motives. The NFL says players are encouraged but not required to stand for the anthem.

Aug. 30, 2016: Former NFL player and ex-Green Beret Nate Boyer suggests to Kaepernick to kneel rather than sit during the anthem.

Sept. 1, 2016: Kaepernick kneels before a road game against the Chargers and says he will donate $1 million to organizations supporting his aims.

Sept. 5, 2016: President Barack Obama defends Kaepernick's protest, saying it is his constitutional right.

Sept. 7, 2016: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he "doesn't necessarily agree with what (Kaepernick) is doing," but supports players who seek changes in society.

Sept. 11, 2016: On the first full day of the regular season, several players kneel during the anthem.

Sept. 12, 2016: Kaepernick and safety Eric Reid kneel before the 49ers' home game against the Rams. Kaepernick is rehabbing a knee injury and doesn't play.

Sept. 27, 2016: After criticism from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Kaepernick responds: "He always says make America great again. Well, America has never been great for people of colour. That's something that needs to be addressed. Let's make America great for the first time."

Oct. 16, 2016: Kaepernick returns as 49ers starter in a 45-16 loss at Buffalo and remains the starter the rest of the season.

Jan. 1, 2017: Kaepernick plays his final NFL game, a 25-23 loss to Seattle.

March 3, 2017: His stint with the 49ers, who planned to cut him, ends as Kaepernick opts out of his contract.

Aug. 25, 2017: Although several teams have shown moderate interest in Kaepernick, he gets no contract offers. Supporters say team owners are blackballing him, and a group rallies outside NFL headquarters in Manhattan.

Sept. 10, 2017: Without Kaepernick in the league, players still kneel during the anthem.

Sept. 26, 2017: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones locks arms and kneels with his players before the anthem but stand while it's played.

Oct. 15, 2017: Kaepernick files a grievance against NFL team owners, citing collusion to keep him out of the league.

Dec. 31, 2017: NFL seasons ends with Kaepernick unemployed.

April 18, 2018: As part of their collusion claim, Kaepernick and his representatives depose Goodell and a variety of NFL owners and executives, including Jones.

May 23, 2018: NFL owners approve a rule banning kneeling during the anthem. Players have the option to stay in the locker room. President Trump applauds the rule. NFL owners soon retract the rule because of its divisiveness.

Sept. 3, 2018: As the regular season approaches without Kaepernick again, Nike makes the quarterback the focal point of its sports advertising campaign. "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt." ... There are calls for boycotting Nike as well as praise for the apparel company.

Sept. 9, 2018: A second straight season begins with Kaepernick not on a roster, but with some players still kneeling during the anthem.

Sept. 26, 2018: Reid, a free agent, finally finds a team, the Carolina Panthers, and is congratulated on social media by Kaepernick.

Dec. 30, 2018: The regular season ends. Kaepernick remains without an NFL offer.

Feb. 15, 2019: The NFL reaches settlements with Kaepernick and Reid on collusion grievances. Monetary figures are not disclosed.

Aug. 8, 2019: Eyeing an NFL job, Kaepernick sends social media message to teams that includes a video of him working out.

Sept. 8, 2019: The third consecutive full opening day of an NFL season without Kaepernick.

Nov. 18, 2019: Finally, a workout with NFL teams, but chaos ensues. Kaepernick moves the session in Atlanta, contending the league was not transparent in how it would be run, who would attend and who would be liable for potential injuries. A limited number of teams make it to the workout. Says Kaepernick: "We all know why. I came out there and showed it today in front of everybody. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people."

Dec. 29, 2019: The season ends with Kaepernick unsigned.

Feb. 13, 2020: Kaepernick announces he will write a memoir, though he still wants to play football.

May 29, 2020: Sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis pressed a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes, Kaepernick offers support to nationwide protesters. "We have the right to fight back! Rest in power George Floyd."

May 30, 2020: The NFL's statement on Floyd's death and the ensuing protests mentions Kaepernick's demonstrations during the anthem.

June 4, 2020: Many of Kaepernick's supporters within the league release a video urging the NFL to denounce racism and further promote social justice.

June 5, 2020: In a video, Goodell apologizes to players for not listening to them earlier. He encourages them to protest peacefully and denounces racism. He says the league will be part of "how we can improve and go forward for a better and more united NFL family."

June 5, 2020: Trump reiterates his criticism of Kaepernick after New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees apologizes for comments about protesters' goals: The president says on Twitter the player "should not have taken back his original stance on honouring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high... We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag - NO KNEELING!"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
colin kaepernick protesting police brutality

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Colin Kaepernick: A timeline of his activism and the NFL's response

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Colin Kaepernick was a second-round draft pick in 2011. The next year he led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. By 2016, he had begun kneeling on the sideline at games during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality.