Minneapolis, MN – About 200 people rallied at the Federal Building here, Sept. 24, to demand an end to the ongoing Justice Department investigation into anti-war and international solidarity activists.

It has been two years since the Sept. 24, 2010 FBI raids on homes and offices of anti-war and international solidarity activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and Michigan. All told, 23 people were served subpoenas to appear at a grand jury investigating “material support for designated terrorist organizations.” None of the 23 has testified and there have been no indictments. But less than two months ago, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas declared that the investigation is ongoing and refused to return much of the original materials seized from the Chicago Palestinian American community leader Hatem Abudayyeh and his family.

The Minneapolis protest was a part of a national week of actions organized by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the United States Palestinian Community Network (uspcn.org) to call for an end to this outrageous violation of civil rights and liberties.

Speakers at the protest included leaders from the Somali community and the labor, Palestine solidarity and anti-war movements.

Jess Sundin, of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression and Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd:

“Our strength in the face of government repression has already made a difference: First, we stopped Barry Jonas from locking up any one of the 23 people who refused to testify for his grand jury in Chicago. Then we helped our friend Carlos Montes beat back the FBI attempt to frame him up. Thanks to our work, Carlos is a free man today, who won’t spend one day wrongfully imprisoned for his anti-war and international solidarity work.

These victories were important, but I’m sorry to say, I think they were the warm up act. Two years ago, most of us thought all of this would move a lot faster. We thought formal charges would come quickly, and that by now, we’d have had our day in court. Some people might even believe that we’re free today, because Barry Jonas has given up. I wish that were the case, but if we take him at his word, he’s still coming after us.

They’ve invested a huge amount of resources to build a case against us: The undercover agent spied on us for more than two years, starting with the anti-war march on the RNC. Two years ago today, more than 70 FBI agents from 6 different districts carried out the coordinated raids, delivered subpoenas, and questioned our friends from California to North Carolina; and now, for more than three years, a secret grand jury in Chicago has been meeting with only the prosecutor and his witnesses. Federal prosecutors have a 90+% success rate in the grand jury process. And so, when the prosecutors say they are planning to bring multiple indictments against multiple people, it is almost certain that they will be successful.

You are the key to our defense. Together, we have to put enough pressure on the prosecutor, Barry Jonas, that he is compelled to end this witch hunt against activists. And that is why we are here today. And that is why we will come out again and again. We will stand together against this injustice, just as we continue to stand up against the inhumanity of U.S. wars.”

The protest in Minneapolis was organized by the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and endorsed by two dozen community, student and labor organizations.

#MinneapolisMN #HatemAbudayyeh #CarlosMontes #MinnesotaCommitteeToStopFBIRepression #AntiWar23 #PalestinianCommunityNetwork

It has been almost two years since the Sept. 24, 2010 FBI raids on the homes and offices of the activists in Chicago, Minnesota and Michigan. None of the 23 who were served subpoenas to appear at a grand jury investigating “material support for designated terrorist organizations” have testified and there have been no indictments. But less than two months ago, Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas declared that the investigation is ongoing, refusing to return much of the original materials seized from the home of Palestinian American community leader Hatem Abudayyeh and his family.

Professors Barbara Ransby and Bernardine Dohrn, Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, People’s Law Office attorney Michael Deutsch and Abudayyeh will be participating in a press conference on Sept. 20, at 3:30 p.m., at the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago. Written statements from U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and former Alderman Dick Simpson will be available. Cook County Clerk David Orr and Alderman Joe Moore also support the demand to end the investigation. The protest will follow at 4:30.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is making a mockery of free speech rights and justice. These people are being targeted because of their political beliefs, and they have been living with these allegations for two years. Enough is enough! The investigation must end,” says Newland Smith of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship in Chicago.

The protest is sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Committee Against Political Repression, Coalition to Protect People’s Rights, Episcopal Peace Fellowship – Chicago Chapter / Diocese of Chicago Peace and Justice Committee, Palestine Solidarity Group (PSG) and the United States Palestinian Community Network.

#ChicagoIL #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #AntiWar23 #PalestinianCommunityNetwork #PoliticalRepression

Chicago, IL – More than 125 people gathered here for a candlelight vigil in support of over 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently on hunger strike in Israeli jails.

One of the hunger strikers is Saeed Mustafa Sbitan, a 19 year old from Beit Dukoo, a town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He is the nephew of Hatem Abudayyeh, a member of Chicago US Palestinian Community Network (www.uspcn.org). Sbitan is one of hundreds in solitary confinement, and his family knows nothing about his health because the Israelis will not allow him to be visited or make phone calls. Abudayyeh spoke of his nephew at the end of the vigil, and denounced the treatment of Palestinian activists as criminals.

The condition of the hunger strikers is rapidly deteriorating. While most joined the hunger strike one month ago, two of the prisoners, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh, have passed their 70th day refusing food, putting them in critical condition and close to death. Abudayyeh urged the crowd to be prepared to mobilize for quick action as the situation develops.

Jess Sundin, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) also spoke at the protest. While speaking in support of the Palestinian hunger strikers, she decried efforts by the US government to make political prisoners of US solidarity activists. She invited everyone present to join Wednesday, May 16, protest in solidarity with Carlos Montes. The action will take place outside the Dirksen Federal Building, where a grand jury has been investigating Abudayyeh, Sundin, and 21 other anti-war and international solidarity activists. The case against Montes stems from this same investigation.

Noemi Teppang, of BAYAN-USA and the International League for Peoples Struggle, addressed the crowd, declaring support for the Palestinian political prisoners, and the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.

Abudayyeh and Sundin both announced plans to join the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda march and rally on Sunday, May 20. Marchers with a 35-foot Palestinian flag will join the contingent of the CSFR.

#ChicagoIL #Palestine #HungerStrike #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PalestinianCommunityNetwork #MiddleEast