A dangerous indicator of the decline of democracy and freedom of expression in the United States.

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Special - Bahr Al Arab Newspaper – Analysis – United States of America – Los Angeles In an unprecedented scene, the American city of Los Angeles witnessed a violent crackdown on protesters who took to the streets to protest the authorities' practices towards immigrants, in a move that raised widespread concern about the future of democracy and freedom of expression in the United States of America. At a time when Washington has always presented itself as a patron of democracy and a protector of human rights around the world, these recent events reveal a stark contradiction between slogans and practices. The protesters, most of whom were local residents and human rights activists, faced a harsh security response that included the use of excessive force, the arrest of dozens, and even the summoning of the National Guard and the army in a scene reminiscent of the repressive regimes that the United States has long criticized. This repression has escalated markedly in recent days, with authorities in Los Angeles imposing a curfew in the city center after protests erupted following raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inside shops and commercial centers, and the arrest of dozens of immigrants, including legal residents. According to a report published by Reuters on June 11, 2025, the National Guard was called in and units of security forces were heavily deployed, with injuries and arrests reported among protesters (Reuters, 2025). This blatant repression cannot be separated from the widening scope of popular protests against the internal and external policies of the United States, where in recent weeks voices have risen calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza, and others have condemned the mistreatment of immigrants, racial discrimination, and restrictions on civil liberties. However, these voices have been met with increasing attempts to silence them, through legal prosecution, the expulsion of students from their universities, and the distortion of their image in the media. The matter is not limited to the city of Los Angeles, but reflects a worrying trend throughout the United States, where cases of harassment of protesters have increased, laws have been enacted that limit freedom of demonstration, and activists have been targeted by various legal and media means, which constitutes a real reversal of the principles on which the American Republic was founded. Resorting to security solutions to suppress peaceful protests can only be interpreted as clear evidence of the fragility of American democracy in the face of increasing popular criticism of its policies, both at home and abroad. It also represents a betrayal of the liberal values that successive American administrations have always boasted of. In conclusion, what happened in Los Angeles is not just a local event or an exceptional case, but a dangerous indicator that the international community, human rights institutions, and American decision-makers themselves must seriously consider. Democracy is not tested in times of prosperity, but in times of hardship, and what is happening today in the United States sends worrying signals about the future of freedom of expression and human rights in the "land of the free."