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Freedom Together in the News: Op-ed: How government repression is born – and how to resist it

Good morning, 

National Guard troops occupying cities, exacerbating government overreach. Military-style immigration raids on local communities, violating the civil rights of immigrants and non-immigrants alike. Prosecutions of political enemies and bogus charges of “domestic terrorism” against civil society, undermining the rule of law. Threats to universities, law firms and charitable organizations, dismantling structures of accountability. 

Our democracy is already in crisis. But what exactly are we up against? And how can we stand up to these abuses of power?

In a new op-ed for The Guardian, renowned democracy scholar Javier Corrales and I argue that  the United States has entered a new phase of democratic erosion. We now find ourselves in a repressive stage in which the government is beginning to deploy coercive power against civil society. And unfortunately, in the months ahead, we expect more of these repressive acts. 

In the piece, Javier and I detail lessons from other repressive states like Venezuela, Russia and Turkey, and offer solutions: civil society leaders courageously speaking up, building the broadest possible pro-democracy coalition, and investing in training masses of people in strategic nonviolence.

Examples around the world and from our own country’s history suggest that we can make it through this daunting moment, but we must do so together. Courageous collective action is the only antidote. And I’m hopeful we can do it. 

At Freedom Together, we remain deeply inspired by the solidarity that many in the philanthropic sector have shown in the face of threats. In a recent feature series in The Chronicle of Philanthropy looking ahead to 2026, Freedom Together President Deepak Bhargava and our wonderful partners John Palfrey and Joe Goldman underscore the importance of this collective action:

“[W]e must move together. The philanthropic sector is the subject of an orchestrated campaign attacking our freedoms to speak, give, and invest. Our response must be equally coordinated. In the months ahead, we can demonstrate the power of solidarity through efforts such as the Unite in Advance campaign, which has banded together hundreds of foundations to defend our rights and the rights of those we fund. We can partner, too, with colleagues in other sectors who are under attack.” — Deepak Bhargava, President of the Freedom Together Foundation

“In 2025, we saw unprecedented unity from the charitable sector. We need to remain united — regardless of ideology or background — in the face of escalating attempts in the coming year to undermine freedoms that have defined our nation for 250 years.” — John Palfrey, President of The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

“We can be remembered as the generation of charitable leaders who refused to obey in advance, who saw the danger on the horizon and chose to act together. The fight for democracy is not separate from the individual causes we fund — it is the heartbeat of them all. And it is ours to protect.” — Joe Goldman, President of Democracy Fund

Onward,

Daniel Altschuler, Managing Director, Freedom Together Foundation

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FREEDOM TOGETHER IN THE NEWS

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