The Republic: Masked Repression

The Republic flags as piracy all activities that lack an official license, including in cases where the *Universal Licensing Agency* has provided no reason for the repeated denial of a license request. Licenses are often *revoked* without warning, resulting in the associated institution and individuals being immediately flagged as pirates. Victims include journalists, scientists, artists and social workers, who are then forced to move into *pirate sectors* and associate with more radical entities in order to survive.