{"id":4106,"date":"2025-11-02T01:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T01:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=4106"},"modified":"2025-11-02T01:24:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T01:24:00","slug":"kat-abughazaleh-on-the-right-to-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=4106","title":{"rendered":"Kat Abughazaleh on the Right to Protest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>    <!-- BLOCK(acast)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22ACAST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Afalse%7D)(%7B%22id%22%3A%22kat-abughazaleh-on-the-right-to-protest%22%2C%22podcast%22%3A%22intercept-presents%22%2C%22subscribe%22%3Atrue%7D) --><\/p>\n<p>\n  <iframe src=\"https:\/\/embed.acast.com\/intercept-presents\/kat-abughazaleh-on-the-right-to-protest?accentColor=111111&amp;bgColor=f5f6f7&amp;logo=false\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"acast-player__embed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(acast)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"has-underline\">Illinois congressional candidate<\/span> Kat Abughazaleh was charged earlier this week with federal conspiracy charges for protesting outside of Broadview ICE Processing Center last month.<\/p>\n<p>Along with five others, Abughazaleh was indicted on felony charges for assaulting and conspiring to injure law enforcement officers. The 11-page <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.ilnd.488591\/gov.uscourts.ilnd.488591.1.0.pdf\">indictment<\/a> alleges the protesters \u201cbanged aggressively\u201d on a federal agent\u2019s car and \u201cpushed against the vehicle to hinder and impede its movement.\u201d They also allegedly scratched the word \u201cpig\u201d onto the vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Abughazaleh, a candidate in the Democratic primary for Illinois\u2019s 9th Congressional District, spoke to The Intercept Briefing just days after the charges were unsealed. \u201cThis case against me, this indictment, is a clear attack on free speech, freedom of association, the right to protest,\u201d she says. \u201cThis indictment is so breathtaking in just how obviously it is trying to criminalize the right to protest. And it\u2019s ludicrous to me that any elected official that\u2019s sworn to protect the Constitution wouldn\u2019t look at it and think, where the hell are we right now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At an earlier protest at the same facility, the former journalist was filmed being slammed to the ground by ICE agents. That video went viral sparking outrage, and she\u2019s urging other elected officials to fight back. \u201cI feel like we as citizens are told to do so much \u2014 and then our leaders aren\u2019t matching that. Part of it is they\u2019re scared. This is a scary time. And there are threats from the administration, but also supporters. We\u2019ve had a rise in political violence,\u201d Abughazaleh challenges. \u201cAnd this sounds callous, but you asked hundreds of thousands of people to vote for you. You asked to represent them. This is a job. You need to do your job even if you\u2019re scared, because that\u2019s what people deserve from their leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The protesters are set to appear in court for their arraignment on November 5. If convicted, they could face up to six years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-intercept-briefing\/id1195206601\"> Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2js8lwDRiK1TB4rUgiYb24?si=e3ce772344ee4170\">Spotify<\/a>, or wherever you listen.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-transcript\">Transcript<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Jessica Washington:<\/strong> Welcome to The Intercept Briefing, I\u2019m Jessica Washington.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment, charging Illinois congressional candidate and activist Kat Abughazaleh with federal conspiracy charges along with five other demonstrators for protesting outside of Broadview ICE Processing Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She now faces up to six years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n<p>Abughazaleh and her supporters have denounced the indictment as \u201cpolitical prosecution\u201d and an attempt to silence protesters\u2019 First Amendment rights in the wake of an unprecedented assault on civil liberties in Chicago and nationwide. But critics accuse her of playing into Trump\u2019s narrative of lawlessness in majority Democratic cities.<\/p>\n<p>At a time when voters are clamoring for elected officials to stand up to Donald Trump and his growing authoritarianism, Abughazeleh has set herself apart from other Democrats for her willingness to take to the streets and put her body and future on the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Joining me now to discuss what\u2019s happening in Chicago and her vision for leadership is Kat Abughazeleh. Kat, welcome to the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kat Abughazaleh:<\/strong> Thank you so much for having me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JW:<\/strong> On Wednesday, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment which charges you and five other protesters with federal conspiracy for protesting outside of the Broadview Ice Processing Center. While I know you can\u2019t share specific details of the alleged incident, what can you share?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> I can share the reason we were protesting. I can share ICE\u2019s reaction to that on the ground. The reason we were protesting in the first place was because of the conditions in the Broadview Processing Center and ICE\u2019s terror campaign in Chicago.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Months ago, we heard about people being held for days or weeks in a facility you\u2019re only supposed to spend a max of 12 hours in without beds, without hot meals, without access to hygienic facilities \u2014 and now it\u2019s gotten worse.<\/p>\n<p>We have heard about people being carried out in stretchers, going into cardiac arrest, being denied water. At other facilities, people miscarrying. Of people being given fake translators so they\u2019ll sign their own deportation notices. This is not OK. These are crimes against humanity, and it needs to stop. And ICE\u2019s reaction has been to brutalize protesters, to terrorize Chicago. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhat are they willing to do behind boarded-up windows?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>What I stress to people \u2014 especially when they see videos of myself or people around me being tear-gassed or hit or thrown or dragged by ICE \u2014 is what we are going through on camera, that\u2019s what they\u2019re willing to do in front of others. What are they willing to do behind boarded-up windows?<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Over the last few months, you\u2019ve been noticeably involved in protests more than we typically see from people running for public office. What do you think opponents of Trump should be doing, specifically elected officials?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> They need to be out here. They need to be standing with their constituents. The thing about fascism is it doesn\u2019t come for the most powerful political figures, the elected officials first. It comes for 238 men who are <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/05\/15\/trump-ice-immigrants-deport-prisons-cecot-libya\/\">deported<\/a> to a concentration camp in another country <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/08\/25\/trump-kilmar-abrego-garcia-deport\/\">without due process<\/a>. And the longer this fascist slide goes, the harder it is to resist.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s why we have needed, and we still need, our leaders to be physically standing up for the people they represent \u2014 whether that is coming back week after week to <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/05\/20\/trump-prosecuting-democrat-mciver-ice-media\/\">inspect ICE facilities<\/a>, whether that is <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/06\/21\/los-angeles-ice-raids-immigrants-organizing\/\">doing patrols<\/a> in your neighborhood, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/ez_l9hOevH4\">standing between<\/a> agents and your constituents. You need to be out there. It is not enough to just say things. You have to actually act on what you say as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> You\u2019ve just mentioned a number of civil liberties violations, but one you\u2019ve also touched on before is freedom of speech. Do you believe that freedom of speech is under attack, and what does that mean to you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Absolutely. This case against me, this indictment, is a clear attack on free speech, freedom of association, the right to protest. Free speech, to me, is about the government specifically. I\u2019ve been covering the right for a long time, and there\u2019s often this idea that, like, people can\u2019t get mad at you for what you say \u2014 and that\u2019s free speech. And that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n<p>Freedom of speech is knowing you can criticize the government without the government punishing you for criticizing it, for protesting. You know that you have the right to speak out. You know that there is something more than just this administration, that we have these inherent rights.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cFreedom of speech is knowing you can criticize the government without the government punishing you for criticizing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Free speech is the foundation of this country. It\u2019s number one on the Bill of Rights. This indictment is so breathtaking in just how obviously it is trying to criminalize the right to protest. And it\u2019s ludicrous to me that any elected official that\u2019s sworn to protect the Constitution wouldn\u2019t look at it and think, \u201cWhere the hell are we right now?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Do you think that your indictment was supposed to send a message to the other people who are protesting in the streets in Chicago and LA and other parts of the country?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Absolutely. This is supposed to scare people into silence, but this is actually, I think, the plan B. ICE has been terrorizing Chicago for months, and I think the Trump administration thought it would make people scared, that people would give up, that they would just stand back. And instead, Chicago has met it with consistent defiance. We wear whistles and do patrols through our neighborhoods. We stand up for each other. We have school watches. We know our rights. That\u2019s one of the reasons Tom Homan doesn\u2019t like this city. And so they went, \u201cWow. The physical terror campaign didn\u2019t work. Let\u2019s throw the federal legal system at someone and see if that will scare people into silence.\u201d And it won\u2019t for me. I hope it won\u2019t for anyone else.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe know our rights. That\u2019s one of the reasons Tom Homan doesn\u2019t like this city.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> I want to take some of what you\u2019ve been doing on the streets in Chicago and put that into the context of what you want to do in Congress. How does what you\u2019re trying to accomplish at these protests reflect in the policies that you want to implement in Congress?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> One of the tenets, not just of my campaign but of who I am as a person, is words aren\u2019t enough. You need to match them with actions. That\u2019s why my campaign uses its resources to not just reach voters but materially improve their lives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI want to live in a country where everyone can afford housing, groceries, and health care, with money left over to save and spend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Our office doubles as a mutual aid hub. We have backpack drives, food drives, we had a coat drive for the winter. And we\u2019re still, every day, trying to improve the community even before Election Day. And I think it\u2019s also representative of the world I want to see, the policies I want to push. And I think that\u2019s part of the reason people have felt so disillusioned with politics is they don\u2019t believe anyone in office.<\/p>\n<p>Because there\u2019s this idea of, like, \u201cI\u2019m so helpless right now, but if you elect me, I can change things in November.\u201d I don\u2019t think we have to do that. I don\u2019t think we have to wait. I want to live in a country where everyone can afford housing, groceries, and health care, with money left over to save and spend. As far as immigration, we need an easier immigration process. We need people, we need<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/09\/29\/trump-daca-dreamer-deport\/\"> Dreamers<\/a> to have a clear pathway to citizenship.<\/p>\n<p>We need to ensure that ICE is abolished. Any agency that can turn into what this is, should not exist anymore, and we also need to make sure that <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/05\/02\/trump-police-executive-order\/\">these agents are held accountable<\/a>. We can\u2019t just pretend this was a bad dream. We need trials. And it\u2019s been unbelievable \u2014 the entire time I have been protesting at the Broadview facility, I\u2019ve seen two badges of ICE agents or DHS \u2014 I don\u2019t even know what agency they belong to because it didn\u2019t say. But specifically when it comes to what we\u2019re seeing on the ground: abolishing ICE, limiting CBP\u2019s jurisdiction, and holding these people accountable.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22unmasking-ice%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) --><!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> You\u2019ve pointed out the kind of inaction of other politicians. Obviously many people are fed up with the Democratic Party for what they believe to be inaction. And I guess my question is, how do you see yourself within the broader context of the Democratic Party?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> I see myself as \u2014 I\u2019m just trying to do what I can to make things better. I\u2019ve never been someone to sit on the sidelines or mince words, and so I\u2019m willing to criticize what got us here, and part of that is huge missteps by Democratic leadership. But I also am running as a Democrat because this is the party of the New Deal and the Civil Rights Act.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c I\u2019m trying to show and not tell what I think politics should be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I think we can be better. I think that we can be a true opposition to Trump and not just represent the status quo, but something that helps us all. What I\u2019m trying to do with my campaign, because I have a large platform that I built myself with my reporting, but it\u2019s still a privilege to start a campaign with, I\u2019m trying to show and not tell what I think politics should be. And that\u2019s honest communication, that\u2019s transparency, that\u2019s having fun, that\u2019s helping people on the ground with the resources that you have, and that\u2019s boldly going forward and not being worried about if who you are at your core is going to hurt you on Election Day. Because if it is, that\u2019s democracy, and you shouldn\u2019t be elected.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(cta)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22CTA%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%7D) --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(cta)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><strong>[Break]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Why do you think more Democrats aren\u2019t taking direct action? What do you think is holding people back from doing the things that you\u2019re doing?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> I think it\u2019s kind of threefold with an extra like little reason zero. Reason zero is, if you\u2019re in D.C. a lot, that takes a lot of time and you can\u2019t always be in the neighborhood you live back home patrolling streets. And I think that is a fair excuse for that. But I think there\u2019s a lot more that all of us could be doing.<\/p>\n<p>But particularly our leaders, I feel like we as citizens are told to do so much \u2014 and then our leaders aren\u2019t matching that. Part of it is they\u2019re scared. This is a scary time. And there are threats from the administration, but also supporters. We\u2019ve had a rise in political violence. And this sounds callous, but you asked hundreds of thousands of people to vote for you. You asked to represent them. This is a job. You need to do your job even if you\u2019re scared, because that\u2019s what people deserve from their leaders.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not 2012 anymore, and this isn\u2019t the Republican Party you grew up with.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I think another reason is underestimating the moment we\u2019re in \u2014 operating as if we are still in 2012. It\u2019s not 2012 anymore, and this isn\u2019t the Republican Party you grew up with. This is life or death, and it\u2019s not just life or death just in Trump and ICE and all of these things that the administration\u2019s actively pushing. It\u2019s also about climate change. It\u2019s also about the dissolution of our rights. It\u2019s also about women<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/07\/21\/texas-abortion-zurawski-lawsuit\/\"> bleeding out in hospitals<\/a> as they\u2019ve been for two years now because they can\u2019t get the medical care they need if they live in a red state. So I think that\u2019s the second reason. <\/p>\n<p>And third, it\u2019s hard. It\u2019s hard, and it\u2019s rude.\u00a0And if you\u2019ve been in politics, especially if you\u2019ve been in politics for a long time now, you want to break the mold a little bit. But breaking the mold all the way means being rude, means going out of your comfort zone and not immediately complying in advance with everything this administration says, because that\u2019s the president. I think it\u2019s just hard for people who have been in politics for a long time to do. And there\u2019s still these ideas of decorum \u2014 but I\u2019m sorry, when you\u2019re rappelling into residential buildings from Black Hawk helicopters, I don\u2019t give a fuck about decorum. That needs to stop.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Yeah, you\u2019ve touched on the fear, and I want to pinpoint what you mean by that, because I think it\u2019s interesting and people don\u2019t necessarily know. Is the fear a fear of being harmed, or do you think the fear is more political?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Yes, I think both of those are true. There\u2019s always the fear of not being reelected, which is why a lot of politicians spend so much time raising money instead of doing their jobs. And there\u2019s this idea that<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/10\/07\/jonathan-chait-centrist-democratic-party-harris-trump\/\"> we need to appeal to the center<\/a>. Guess what? The center also does not like ICE terrorizing entire cities. And I\u2019ll say this, I don\u2019t think that we are looking at the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2019\/02\/26\/democratic-party-centrism-aoc-sanders-warren\/\">proper center here<\/a>. The center should be everyone can afford what they need and have equal rights. The center is not well, like, \u201cICE can do a little bit of scary stuff. They can do some raids, but maybe not all of them. Maybe the apartment building was a bit much.\u201d No, that\u2019s not \u2014 We need to abolish ICE. So there\u2019s the fear of not being reelected, but there\u2019s also the very real fear of personal safety.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-left\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI joke that covering the right for years is like the best training you can have for running for Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I joke that covering the right for years is like the best training you can have for running for Congress because I have built like a thick skin. I\u2019m very used to death threats. I\u2019m very used to even worse threats. But a lot of our leaders aren\u2019t, and so they\u2019re seeing a rise in political violence. I\u2019m sure their email inboxes are a mess, their notifications are a mess, and they\u2019re scared of that. <\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t mean to downplay it, that very real threat to their public safety, to their personal safety, and even their family\u2019s safety. Once again, you asked people to vote for you. This is a job, and it\u2019s a hard job, and if you are not prepared to do it \u2014 even if it means being brave, and being brave is not being unafraid, it\u2019s doing something despite being afraid \u2014 someone else needs to take that job.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Can you just talk to me a little bit about the political violence that you\u2019re potentially worried about facing? What has that been like for you to experience political violence at the hands of law enforcement?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> I\u2019ve been very used to death threats, rape threats, very descriptive angry messages in my inbox, in my notifications for years. But the thing about the right is a lot of these people are cowards. A lot of them don\u2019t act on it. It\u2019s to scare you. And so it\u2019s gotten to the point where I kind of laugh it off, and I forget about the physical consequences if those things do happen.<\/p>\n<p>And in the last two months, I\u2019ve been hit, thrown, hit with a baton, tear-gassed, shot with pepper balls to the point of bruising, groped. It\u2019s weird. It\u2019s so out of place. It feels like a different life \u2014 and then going and like to go get lunch afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>I know this sounds very disjointed, but it\u2019s kind of hard to explain, especially because the difference of excessive force we\u2019ve seen at protests in the past to what ICE is doing to protesters, it\u2019s so much scarier, like it\u2019s hard to articulate. I have played tug of war with a man\u2019s body to keep him from being abducted into the facility, a protester, just not doing anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe difference of excessive force we\u2019ve seen at protests in the past to what ICE is doing to protesters, it\u2019s so much scarier, like it\u2019s hard to articulate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>I have seen these men in full military gear that are just trying to find any excuse to brutalize people. And there\u2019s no accountability. Like when you see excessive force of protests, you know that there\u2019s usually at least a <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2020\/09\/30\/nypd-nyc-protests-police-report\/\">semblance of a system<\/a> to find that person, to bring them home. Like hopefully you\u2019ll get <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2023\/07\/20\/nypd-protester-settlement-george-floyd\/\">accountability<\/a>, maybe you won\u2019t. But with ICE, it\u2019s like they can just <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/05\/02\/trump-police-executive-order\/\">do whatever they want<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/collections\/unmasking-ice\/\">you don\u2019t know who they are<\/a>. And so that\u2019s been really, really scary.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(promote-post)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22PROMOTE_POST%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%22slug%22%3A%22chilling-dissent%22%2C%22crop%22%3A%22promo%22%7D) -->  <\/p>\n<aside class=\"promote-banner\">\n    <a class=\"promote-banner__link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/collections\/chilling-dissent\/\"><br \/>\n              <span class=\"promote-banner__image\"><br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"promote-banner__text\">\n<p class=\"promote-banner__eyebrow\">\n            Read our complete coverage          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/aside>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(promote-post)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> You\u2019ve spent years examining and critiquing right-wing media and messaging. How has that affected how you engage in protests and also the messaging that you engage in?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> It makes me aware of how our leaders should be responding to the right \u2014 and that\u2019s not by compromising, that\u2019s not by folding. It\u2019s by embracing and actually believing in something. Like we have Republicans that contact us and are like, \u201cHey, I don\u2019t know if I agree with everything you say, but I think you genuinely believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And even after the video of me being thrown to the ground by ICE, we\u2019ve had Republicans in the district also be like, \u201cI don\u2019t know how I feel about ICE,\u201d because they\u2019re actively being terrorized as well, it doesn\u2019t just affect Democrats. \u201cBut I do think, like I love the fact that you stood up for something,\u201d and that\u2019s really what it comes down to.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Our system is built to try to make us feel like it\u2019s me against you, and it\u2019s really us against a few very powerful, very wealthy individuals, and we don\u2019t deserve to have secret police busting into our homes. When I am protesting, I would be there no matter what I was doing, whether I\u2019m running for office, whether I was still a journalist, whether I was a bartender at this point as I was years ago. God, I feel so old, I\u2019m 26. But I just really think that you have to actually believe in something. If you believe in something strong enough, you\u2019d be able to stand up for it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- BLOCK(newsletter)[0](%7B%22componentName%22%3A%22NEWSLETTER%22%2C%22entityType%22%3A%22SHORTCODE%22%2C%22optional%22%3Atrue%7D)(%7B%7D) --><\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-embed flex-col items-center print:hidden\" id=\"third-party--article-mid\" data-module=\"InlineNewsletter\" data-module-source=\"web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\">\n<div class=\"-mx-5 sm:-mx-10 p-5 sm:px-10 xl:-ml-5 lg:mr-0 xl:px-5 bg-accentLight hidden\" data-name=\"subscribed\">\n<h2 class=\"font-sans font-light uppercase text-[30px] leading-8 text-white tracking-[0.01em] mb-0\">\n      We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. 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Delivered to you.          <\/span><br \/>\n          <span class=\"group-[.default]:hidden\"><br \/>\n            Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?          <\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/now\/?referrer_post_id=502185&amp;referrer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheintercept.com%2F2025%2F11%2F01%2Fbriefing-podcast-kat-abughazaleh-indictment-protest%2F&amp;source=web_intercept_20241230_Inline_Signup_Replacement\" class=\"group-[.default]:hidden border border-accentLight text-accentLight font-sans px-5 py-3.5 inline-flex items-center gap-3 text-[20px] font-bold\" data-action=\"handleDonate\"><br \/>\n          Become a member          <span class=\"font-icons icon-TI_Arrow_02_Right\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"font-sans text-accentLight text-[10px] leading-[13px] text-balance [&amp;_a]:text-accentLight [&amp;_a]:font-bold [&amp;_a:hover]:underline group-[.subscribed]:hidden\">\n<p>By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/privacy-policy\/\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/terms-use\/\">Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END-BLOCK(newsletter)[0] --><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> What do you believe that your constituents want from a representative?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-align-right\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c I love asking people, what do you care about?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Oh, I know what they want. What I have heard time and time again is they want a fighter. They want someone that\u2019s willing to fight for them and listen. And that\u2019s what I\u2019m willing to do. And this is something we see nationwide. I love asking people, what do you care about? Because I used to get really, even before running for office \u2014 I\u2019m nosy and like hearing this from people. And I used to get a lot of really varied responses. And now it\u2019s just everything. Everyone says, I care about everything, and I\u2019m scared of everything, and I want to fight back against everything.<\/p>\n<p>They feel like a lot of our leaders \u2014 less so in Illinois but just nationwide, especially in D.C. where everyone\u2019s actions affect all of us, it doesn\u2019t just affect your state \u2014 they feel like people aren\u2019t fighting back in such a Democratic district. They feel like the Democratic Party isn\u2019t putting up any bit of a fight.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Do you plan on continuing to protest and continuing to use your voice?<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Absolutely. A year and two days ago, I was being deposed by Elon Musk for working at Media Matters. Three days ago, I was indicted by the federal government. And in both of those I just keep thinking like, if this is supposed to be an intimidation tactic, you really picked the wrong girl. I\u2019m going to keep speaking out. I\u2019m going to stand up for immigrants, for all of our rights, and I hope everyone will do the same.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIf this is supposed to be an intimidation tactic, you really picked the wrong girl.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong><strong>JW<\/strong>:<\/strong> Well, we\u2019re going to leave it there, but thank you for joining me on the Intercept Briefing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KA:<\/strong> Thank you so much.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JW: <\/strong>Thank you for listening.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We want to hear from you. What do you want to see more coverage of? Are you taking political action? Are there organizing efforts in your community you want to shout out? Shoot us an email at podcasts@theintercept.com. Or leave us a voice mail at 530-POD-CAST. That\u2019s 530-763-2278.<\/p>\n<p>This episode was produced by Laura Flynn. Sumi Aggarwal is our executive producer. Ben Muessig is our editor-in-chief. Chelsey B. Coombs is our social and video producer. Fei Liu is our product and design manager. Nara Shin is our copy editor. Will Stanton mixed our show. Legal review by David Bralow.<\/p>\n<p>Slip Stream provided our theme music.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to support our work, you can go to <a href=\"https:\/\/join.theintercept.com\/donate\/Donate_Podcast?source=interceptedshoutout&amp;recurring_period=one-time\">theintercept.com\/join<\/a>. Your donation, no matter the amount, makes a real difference. If you haven\u2019t already, please subscribe to The Intercept Briefing wherever you listen to podcasts. And leave us a rating or a review, it helps other listeners to find us.<\/p>\n<p>Until next time, I\u2019m Jessica Washington.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/11\/01\/briefing-podcast-kat-abughazaleh-indictment-protest\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Illinois congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh was charged earlier this week with federal conspiracy charges for protesting outside of Broadview ICE Processing Center last month. Along with five others, Abughazaleh was indicted on felony charges for assaulting and conspiring to injure law enforcement officers. The 11-page indictment alleges the protesters \u201cbanged aggressively\u201d on a federal agent\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4106","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4106"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}