Trump's executive order designating Antifa a "domestic terrorist organization" was quickly followed by a mobilization of federal troops to anarchist hotbed Portland and a highly unusual call for a gathering of military brass from around the world in Quantico—to take place the day before the government will be shut down if a Congressional deal is not reached. These evident preparations for mass repression, or even an auto-golpe and establishment of a Trump dictatorship, were conveniently followed by a sniper attack on an ICE facility in Dallas. In Episode 297 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg argues that Trump's attempted criminalization of anti-fascism portends an imminent consolidation of fascist rule in the United States—and asks what we're going to do about it.

Human Rights Watch on Sept. 23 urged Chinese authorities to release activist Zhang Yadi (张雅笛), also known as Tara, after she was arrested for creating a digital platform advocating for Tibetan rights in the Chinese language. Zhang, 22, is a member of the activist group Chinese Youth for Tibet, which aims "to foster a deeper understanding of Tibetan culture within Chinese-speaking communities, challenge and deconstruct Han chauvinism, and address ethnic conflicts and prejudice." She maintained the group's website from France, where she was studying. She was arrested on July 31 in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, after returning to China to visit family.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 22 designating Antifa a "domestic terrorist organization." The order calls Antifa a "militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government." Asserting a pattern of political violence, the order instructs executive agencies to "investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations" of Antifa and related persons. A fact sheet from the Trump administration describes examples of political violence which it attributes to Antifa, including assaults against Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Some are drawing an ominous analogy between Charlie Kirk and Horst Wessel, the early martyr of the Nazi cause. In Episode 296 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg offers a more ominous analogy still: to José Calvo Sotelo, the Spanish fascist leader whose assassination in 1936 provided the expedience for Generalissimo Franco's coup d'etat that initiated the Spanish Civil War—and ultimately brought a decades-long dictatorship to Spain. Trump's declaration of antifa as a "terrorist organization" since Kirk's assassination is an open acknowledgement of his fascist intent. Fortunately, anti-fascist protesters are repudiating Kirk, and the wave of racist terror and anti-left reaction now being unleashed coast to coast. 

International human and civil rights groups on Sept. 15 urged the UN Human Rights Council to maintain its oversight of the situation in Sri Lanka. The appeal comes ahead of the Council's 60th session, where member states' compliance with international human rights treaties is to be reviewed.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and the Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development called for the renewal of the Sri Lanka Accountability Project, led by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In their statement, the groups accused Sri Lanka's government of lacking the political will to establish an independent prosecutorial mechanism to ensure accountability for human rights violations and international crimes. The reported failures span across such questions as victim and witness protection, reconciliation between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities, and the repeal of counter-terrorism laws.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Sept. 4 warned of a deteriorating rights situation in Mali amid a growing atmosphere of repression. The high commissioner urged the military junta to promptly rescind legal changes that have "slammed the door shut" on a return to democratic rule, and called for the unconditional release of all wrongly detained persons. Türk stated: "The laws enacted in recent months risk undermining respect for human rights in Mali for a protracted period. I urge the transitional authorities to take immediate and concrete steps to revoke the problematic laws."

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sept. 3 condemned the ongoing crackdown on civil opposition by the Iranian authorities following the conflict with Israel. According to the rights groups, the Iranian government is using national security as an excuse to target dissidents and minorities.

Days of popular protest in Indonesia exploded into violence Aug. 28 after Affan Kurniawan, a motorbike delivery worker, was fatally struck by a police vehicle in Jakarta. The worker had not even been participating in the protest when armored vehicles ploughed into the crowd, mowing him down. Both Grab and Gojek delivery apps confirmed that Kurniawan was registered on their respective platforms. Grab also offered condolences to the families of other affected workers, including Dandi Rusdamdiansyah, who was fatally attacked during unrest in Makassar. Kurniawan's helmet, lying in the rainy street after he was struck, has become an online viral image that fueled further demonstrations across the country. Six were killed and the army called to the streets before the protests were called off Aug. 31, when the government agreed to revoke controversial perks for lawmakers, including lavish housing allowances. But the underlying grievances of unemployment and inflation remain. (Jakarta Globe, Straits Times, CNA, NYT, France24, Politico, Marketing Interactive)