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As the present government intensifies restrictions on not only climate regulations and activist organizing, the youth climate justice group, known for championing the Green New Deal, is broadening its goals to resist authoritarianism.

Day by day, federal leadership is seizing power and shredding the Constitution,” wrote the organization's lead organizer in a public message. “What everyday citizens do in the next few months will decide whether current leaders can solidify control and transform the nation into a playground for the wealthy elite.”

Unlike most of the movement's past efforts, its recent projects will not necessarily focus on the environmental emergency. However, a co-founder clarified that these efforts aim to build a society where climate action is achievable.

“To win the bold action required to prevent climate catastrophe, we’re going to need a country where we have the freedom to dissent and protest,” they noted. “How are we going to win on climate under autocratic rule?”

Primary Focus Areas

• Campus organizing to urge universities to resist efforts to control their curricula and policies around free expression.
• Quick mobilization to government use of military forces and immigration policies in cities, and efforts to “restrict our freedom of speech”.
• Training youth organizers to “recognize autocratic tactics” and oppose it using non-violent tactics.

The letter formalizes efforts already in progress at the movement. Last month, the group supported student walkouts at several capital universities to protest the deployment of the military reserves and intimidation of organizers and immigrants.

Additionally, local chapters have been taking on community-based fights for free speech and migrant protections. As an instance, at one university, organizers have prioritized defending a respected campus bus driver whose temporary protected status was revoked by the federal government, causing the loss of his job after 20 years.

“To win a climate and jobs plan, environmental equity, labor justice, racial justice, etc … we’re gonna need to overcome autocratic governance,” said a youth organizer participating with the campus group, who described the present political climate as an “unprecedented expression of fascism”.

Upcoming Initiatives

Future efforts may involve nationwide campaigns to halt immigration enforcement, back city officials resisting federal pressure, and protests to resist reductions to medical services. The organization will also build toward a large-scale student mobilization on May 1, 2028, coinciding with a call for a general strike.

This refocus comes years after the movement gained national headlines when its activists stormed the office of a prominent political figure, calling for the swift elimination of fossil fuels, the creation of quality employment, and the expansion of social programs across the US.

“The Green New Deal is essential for laying out an alternative vision from the one that the administration is portraying,” they explained. “We’re going to keep talking about that, continue advocating for that vision, but in the immediate future, we need to also be confronting ongoing attacks on our neighborhoods and on our freedoms.”

This change also comes as climate concerns slip slightly down the list of electoral concerns in favor of financial matters, though evidence shows most people still support to reduce emissions.

“I suspect you’re not going to see a lot of politicians using the word ‘climate,’ because people see that as a secondary [concern], not a must-have, and right now they’re in the must-have mode,” remarked a former energy secretary.

Communication Strategy

Unlike previous electoral efforts that centered on abstract ideas of governance, the movement will concentrate on the necessity for major changes, including the exclusion of corporate interests such as the fossil fuel industry from politics.

“We’re being very clear that certainly, we need to defend rights to free speech, [but] we also need to be focused about reforming our political system so that we are not in a position where someone like this president can amass control in this manner in the future,” stated the co-founder.

This expansion occurs during an comprehensive attack from the federal government on not only environmental safeguards and progressive organizing. Since this year, the president has rolled back numerous of environmental rules and removed support for carbon-free technologies.

Moreover, recent actions have labeled specific social movements as “terrorist organizations” and issued a memorandum aimed at controlling what the government calls a extreme domestic “terror network”.

Last week, the leader also implied that a prominent donor could face legal action for unspecified allegations. The movement had in the past obtained funding from foundations linked with the individual.

“We will speak out against this autocratic overreach,” affirmed the executive director.

The situation is additionally highlighted by latest actions indicating plans in a potential, unconstitutional third term.

“We are simply seeing blatant disregard for our legal freedoms, and we must oppose that,” stated the spokesperson.