A widening pattern of repression of social movements has taken shape around the world. Everywhere, space for dissent is shrinking rapidly. Governments and corporations alike are working to suppress and silence movements, organisations and individuals who organise against repression. This shrinking of public space threatens virtually all social movements. Around the world, the legality, physical safety, and public access of dissident movements and civil society more broadly are being threatened. This report, by the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute examines the legal and political pressure exerted on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, a global campaign aimed at pressuring Israel to end human rights violations, launched in 2005 by a group of Palestinian activists.
Shrinking Space and The BDS Movement is the latest report in TNI’s series Rethinking Shrinking Space. Rising repression and restrictions for civil society organisations and social movements have put the issue of ‘shrinking space’ on the NGO agenda.