this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2025
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One of the men goes for her phone. The other grabs at her hands. Ozturk screams. Shock and fear ripple through her voice. Two masked women join them, tugging at her backpack, peeling the straps from her shoulders. “I’m going somewhere, I need to call someone,” she pleads. “We’re the police. Relax,” one of the men says in response.

They surround her. Then, one by one, they pull their neck gaiters up to cover their faces. “You don’t look like police,” a voice off screen says. “Why are you hiding your faces?” The questions continue, but the figures don’t respond. Instead, they cuff Ozturk, cross the street, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She is gone.

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[–] Englishgrinn@lemmy.ca 415 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (32 children)

For the record, and I know I'm not the first to say it, this woman committed NO crime. She didn't overstay a visa, she didn't protest illegally. She wrote something the administration didn't like.

For that, she was arrested by 8 masked officers in the middle of the street, in broad daylight. She was thrown in the back on an unmarked SUV. She's received no legal representation. No trial. Not even charges, because again, she committed no crime.

Americans, you realize you're watching the death of your rights and the rule of law, right? You have no illusions about the fact that you are defenseless? There is no longer any guardrail between you and an El Salvadoran prison camp. In something that reminds me very much of Stalin, an accusation is now a conviction.

[–] MountainVeil@lemm.ee 97 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Defenseless is a good word, it seems like we're all just waiting for a savior to show up and rescue us. It doesn't help that a large amount of Americans see protest as pointless right now. What it feels like is the bystander effect on a national level.

The worst part is how many people either support or just brush it off.

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[–] Noite_Etion@lemmy.world 385 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Ozturk’s lawyer later said she hadn’t been able to contact her and had no idea of her whereabouts.

America, the land of the free... Right?

[–] jonne@infosec.pub 212 points 1 week ago

Remember when conservatives were all like fear mongering that Obama was going to do this to them? It was always projection.

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[–] hemmes@lemmy.world 298 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (13 children)

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson later claimed Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization.” The person said Ozturk, who is from Turkey, had had her student visa revoked.

To be perfectly clear, Ozturk is not accused of breaking the law. The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t bothered to explain its reasoning, but several outlets reported that Ozturk co-authored a student opinion piece urging Tufts to recognize the International Court of Justice’s declaration of a “plausible risk of genocide” unfolding in Gaza and to divest from Israel. You can read the article if you like. It does not mention Hamas.

WT actual F? A school opinion piece gets you disappeared??

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 192 points 1 week ago (15 children)

We FUCKING TOLD ALL OF YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN. And you said we were being hyperbolic.

It will get worse.

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[–] loutr@sh.itjust.works 90 points 1 week ago

This is the Thought Police, brought to you by the people who invoke 1984 when their putrid opinions get called out on the internet.

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[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 220 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is terrifying. Anybody can pretend to be ICE and kidnap in broad daylight.

[–] GreyAlien@lemm.ee 85 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
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[–] kava@lemmy.world 205 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (6 children)

What was fascinating, or perhaps horrific is a better word, about the article that I didn't know about is the brief mention of "The Canary Mission"

Here's from their about page:

Canary Mission documents individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses and beyond. Canary Mission investigates hatred across the entire political spectrum, including the far right, far left and anti-Israel activists.

Canary Mission is motivated by a desire to combat the rise in anti-Semitism on college campuses. We pursue our mission by presenting the words and deeds of individuals and organizations that engage in anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry on the far right, far left and among the array of organizations that comprise the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Essentially they gather dossiers on private individuals that they claim are anti-semitic. So, I looked up the woman that was taken off the street like a Ukrainian draft-dodger.

https://canarymission.org/individual/Rumeysa_Ozturk

Rumeysa Ozturk engaged in anti-Israel activism in March 2024, in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israelis on October 7, 2023.

Ozturk is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

What was the anti-Israel activism, you ask? I figured it was some sort of protest. Sort of like the one in New York where they occupied a building.

Nope

On March 26, 2024, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed published in the Tufts Daily newspaper titled: "Try again, President Kumar: Renewing calls for Tufts to adopt March 4 TCU Senate resolutions." The authors urged "President Kumar and the Tufts administration to meaningfully engage with and actualize the resolutions passed by the Senate."

The op-ed referred to the passing of anti-Israel resolutions by the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, which demanded the University "...acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, apologize for University President Sunil Kumar’s statements, disclose its investments, and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel."

At Tufts university, the Community Union Senate (not really sure what this is. a student council or something) passed a 3/5ths majority resolution urging the president of the university to

  1. acknowledge the Palestinian genocide

  2. apologize for some statements, I don't know what

  3. disclose its investments

  4. divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel

She co-wrote an op-ed essentially demanding the president follow the resolution that was passed. That's the "anti-Israel activism" she's guilty of. I suppose that's enough to be deported. Be careful out there guys. If you aren't a citizen, shut up about your political views until you are. Because there are eyes out there watching everything you do. Even if you are.. consider what you are doing. You may be making an enemy of a vindictive state that is willing to break the rules.

Here's the op-ed, in case you're interested: https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024/03/4ftk27sm6jkj

These resolutions were the product of meaningful debate by the Senate and represent a sincere effort to hold Israel accountable for clear violations of international law. Credible accusations against Israel include accounts of deliberate starvation and indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian civilians and plausible genocide.

Lock 'em up, I guess. If you believe that Palestinian civilians have a right to life then you are a terrorist-sympathizer in this administration's opinion.

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[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 199 points 1 week ago (33 children)

Look at their body language.

These aren't law enforcement professionals detaining a suspect.

These are Nazi Brown Shirt thugs ganging up on a fucking PhD student.

This country is nosediving HARD. Arm yourselves. I would never allow plain-clothed thugs to push me into an unmarked van and take me to a secondary location. You are fighting for your life at that point for all you know.

[–] blaggle42@lemmy.today 85 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I want to respond with something. But everything I write is so fucking dark and violent. Here goes, I'll try again:

If I were in Nazi Germany, and I saw this go down- a Jew or disabled or protester getting disappeared- and these Nazi brown shirts were shot and killed, or beaten to a pulp with metal bars, fucking stomped to death, I think it would be just.

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[–] thefluffiest@feddit.nl 195 points 1 week ago (3 children)

“We’re the police. Relax”

“We’re the SS. Be very afraid”. There, FTFY

[–] Cgers@lemmy.dbzer0.com 70 points 1 week ago

Legit, from her perspective, this is no different from a human trafficking kidnapping, this is the shit my wife has taken classes to learn to defend herself from, it's only a matter of time before someone defends themselves (unknownly assaulting an officer and assuredly setting off some punitive, authoritarian political bullshit)

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[–] dryfter@lemm.ee 146 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Literally disappearing people off the street

Didn't the U.S. fight a war against a country and its leader who did the same shit? I was never very proud to be an American because this country has done some fucked up shit since 1776. But this is downright terrifying to me as someone who is disabled and considered a parasite by Elon because if they aren't stopped after this then it's game over for any "non-white" people, LGBTQ+, and poor people in general to be disappeared.

This may be why they want Greenland so bad 🤔

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[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 136 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Fucking Nazis. Where the fuck is she

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[–] MetalMachine@feddit.nl 134 points 1 week ago (19 children)

Type of shit they tell you to expect in China, except its the USA

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[–] jimbel@lemm.ee 126 points 1 week ago (4 children)

From 1933 to 1934 in 3 months. Clock is ticking dear american people.

[–] SexDwarf@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

How many months from 1934 to 1984?

[–] jimbel@lemm.ee 2 points 6 days ago

1939 is also of interest

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[–] garlicbread420@lemm.ee 122 points 1 week ago (3 children)

AP's article mentions that Ozturk was posted on this website, https://canarymission.org/

After the op-ed was published, Ozturk’s name, photograph and work history were published on the website Canary Mission, which describes itself as documenting people who “promote hatred of the U.S.A., Israel and Jews on North American college campuses.”

'Tis a spooky place. No names, none of the articles have bylines, contact is just a webform, domain registration is anonymized, donation link is being washed thru some company called RTech Digital Marketing out of India.

Really got me wondering, who the fuck are these people and why do they seem to have ICE's ear.

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[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 113 points 1 week ago (31 children)

If you see this start filming and get them to shout their name. This is not how an arrest is done in a normal country. This is how you disappear people and how militias can fake being police to abduct and kill people.

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[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 106 points 1 week ago (45 children)

What else was the alternative? A mixed-race woman as President?

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[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 94 points 1 week ago (2 children)

“We’re the police relax” says the gestapo mother fucker disappearing people

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[–] quack@lemmy.zip 87 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

If you are in America and are expressing pro-Palestinian views online regardless of your citizenship status, you should be seriously considering yourself a legitimate target for arrest or abduction by the state. If you haven’t already, it is essential to assess your security posture and take action as required.

If you need a starting point, take a look at the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s surveillance self-defense guide: https://ssd.eff.org/

Please be safe.

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[–] Joeyfingis@lemmy.world 81 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] InstructionsNotClear@midwest.social 77 points 1 week ago (18 children)

Did we just watch a woman get abducted by sex traffickers?

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[–] MetalMachine@feddit.nl 76 points 1 week ago (17 children)

Legally speaking if some one interfered or resisted wouldn't they be justified? No clear sign they are the law and they refuse to identify themselves

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[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 76 points 1 week ago (4 children)

This is horrifying. This person broke no laws. If Trump is doing this to valid green card holders for exercising their first amendment rights, then we are one degree of separation from Trump doing this to U.S. citizens who criticize him.

It's only going to continue getting worse. Make an exit plan if you haven't already.

[–] Six_Possums_in_a_Raincoat@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

My one viable exit plan went up in smoke today. Then I spent a while crying because I don’t know what to do. I’ve made a list of what to pack if I had to leave at a moment’s notice and I keep searching for other potential avenues out (before it gets extra-crazy), but it is not easy.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Sorry to hear that, bud. If it's any consolation, I think the media is making it seem like these sorts of events are more commonplace than they actually are, and the Trump administration is so incompetent that they are actually lagging far behind the Biden administration who set the record for most deportations in a single term.

That being said, it's not the quantity, but the brazen unlawfulness of each and every one of these extrajudicial deportations that is the concerning part. We're still only 2 months into this administration and it feels like a year has passed already with the absolute blitz of unlawful and corrupt conduct coming from the White House.

I'm not ready to give up the fight just yet, but I feel like true civil war is inevitable at this point unless by some miracle there are adults out there with the gumption to take the wheel back from Trump and Musk and start steering the ship in the right direction again while there's still time.

Stay strong and keep your chin up. As long as your are prepared one step ahead of everyone else, you'll likely be okay. Even if that's just making sure you have a bag packed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

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[–] ProfHillbilly@lemmy.world 75 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Why is the judge not arresting her captors for kidnapping at the least? If there are no charges then why is she being arrested? This is wrong on so many levels. If you think trump will not do the something to the rest of us you are mistaken. Just give him time. He will be doing it to American citizens as well.

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[–] twistypencil@lemmy.world 69 points 1 week ago (7 children)

What would happen to a bystander who physically intervened, but then was overwhelmed? Could they be get assaulting a federal officer charge, or would that be dropped because they do not show proper identification? Asking for humanity

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 102 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (12 children)

Yes.

Remember, the Nazis executed a college girl, by beheading, for handing out flyers.

Brown shirts would kill Jews on the streets.

ICE has been turned into the SS.

MAGAts are Nazis, expect them to behave like Nazis.

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