Eight years ago, on Sept. 24, 2010, more than 70 FBI agents took part in a series of coordinated raids that were aimed at activists of the anti-war and international solidarity movements, and also members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). In a bogus investigation of “material support of terrorism” charges, seven houses and an office in Minneapolis and Chicago were raided. While the raids were underway, FBI agents approached and attempted to intimidate activists in Michigan, California, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Also on that day, the FBI delivered grand jury subpoenas to many of the raided activists. More activists were served with subpoenas in the following weeks; a total of 23 people were commanded to appear before a Chicago grand jury – and the government threatened jail for those who refused. The charge of material support of terrorism carries 15 years in prison per count, and federal prosecutors repeatedly stated that they intended to indict “multiple people on multiple charges.”

After these raids, the attacks kept on coming. On May 17, 2011, the home of a longtime leader of the Chicano liberation movement, Carlos Montes, was hit with a no-knock raid in Los Angeles. Montes was jailed, hit with trumped up weapons charges, and faced 22 years in prison. Then on Oct. 22, 2013, Homeland Security arrested the well-respected Chicago Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh, who stared down a decade in prison as well as deportation.

Court documents show that all these attacks by the federal government were linked and that they stemmed for a common ‘investigation’ that involved the same cast of FBI agents, police and sheriffs working with the FBI, Joint Terrorism Task Forces, and federal prosecutors. Taken as a whole, this repression ranks as one of the largest attacks launched against progressive and left movement since the 1970s.

In the end it was the wall of resistance and an outpouring of popular support that defeated and blunted these assaults on the right to speak out and organize. Not one of those called to testify in front of the grand jury did so. In that refusal, the grand jury resisters put principal and doing the right thing above their freedom. Prosecutors said they were looking for someone “inside” FRSO to testify in a trial. Their threats yielded them no one. Carlos Montes and Rasmea Odeh waged heroic courtroom battles against the false charges leveled against them. The case of Carlos ended with a victory. In court, Rasmea put the Israeli occupation on trial for its crimes and beat the jail time – but sadly was deported to Jordan, where she continues her activism.

Unions representing millions of workers, countless progressive organizations and individuals, and even politicians stood up to this campaign of repression. Rallies took place in more than 100 cities across the world. Those actions, hard work, and a sound legal strategy, explains why this resistance was met with success.

Sometimes victories can be assessed by what does not happen. FBI documents, including the Justice Department’s “interrogation questions for FRSO members,” affidavits for search warrants, and defense lawyer conversations with federal prosecutors, indicate that the government planned, at least in part, to hold an anti-communist trial for FRSO leaders and supporters. In so doing they aimed to criminalize the very idea of international solidarity. Yet here we are, eight years later, and FRSO and other subpoenaed activists are still building the movements against Trump, for justice and are making contributions to the people’s struggle.

The U.S. is not the free country it claims to be. For decades the U.S. government has been trying to criminalize organizations in other countries that fight for national and social liberation – like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Communist Party of the Philippines, or the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It is wrong to call those who fight for freedom ‘terrorists,’ and it is unacceptable for the government to make it a crime for people to point this out.

In the years ahead, it is vital that we resist each and every attack on our democratic rights and that we stand with those facing repression.

The powers that be are not going to transform themselves. Exploiters and oppressors are true to their nature, and repression is what they do. We are activists and we are certain that change will come. And we are revolutionaries and socialists – we are certain this system cannot last.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #Editorials #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #September24FBIRaids #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #GrandJuries #PoliticalRepression

St. Paul, MN – Two prominent anti-war and international solidarity activists, Jess Sundin and Mick Kelly, were in federal court here, Nov. 1, in a bid to pull back the curtain of government secrecy that surrounds the FBI raids on their homes on Sept. 24, 2010. In the hearing presided over by Judge Steven E. Rau, Bruce Nestor, attorney for the plaintiffs, made a passionate argument for a motion to unseal the affidavits used to obtain the search warrants for the FBI raids.

Nestor told the court that the government cannot raid the homes of political activists without providing an explanation. He also spoke of the chilling effect the raids had on those exercising their First Amendment rights.

The Sept. 24, 2010 FBI raids struck seven homes in Minneapolis and Chicago and the office of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee. A total of 23 activists were summoned to a Chicago grand jury investigating “material support for terrorism.” No one testified.

At the Nov. 1 hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter cited the ongoing investigation into the anti-war and Palestine solidarity activists as the “compelling government interest” in continuing to keep the documents under seal. Judge Rau stated that he will hold a closed ‘in camera’ hearing with Assistant U.S. Attorney Winter in 120 days, where Winter will report on the status and scope of the investigation. After that the judge will make periodic reviews (possibly every 90 days) of the order to keep the documents sealed.

Commenting on the Nov. 1 proceedings, Jess Sundin stated, “I came to court today hoping to hear that the investigation of myself and fellow activists was coming to a close and that the veil of secrecy and suspicion around us would be lifted. Instead, the government said the investigation is ongoing. While Assistant U.S. Attorney Winter didn't openly threaten indictments, he expressed that things could develop in our case any day. Given that the government is fighting to keep its secrets hidden, I think he was saying that one or more indictments may still be coming. Or perhaps he expects the investigation will widen, and other activists will be caught up in this shameful witch hunt.”

Sundin continued, “I left the courtroom with a sense of foreboding. We need to be prepared, in the event of indictments, possibly within the next few months. We need to defend others who are persecuted for their political ideas or who they are – such as Chicago’s Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh. Three years ago, many of us made arrangements for family members to put up their homes, in the event that we would need to make bail. It was a sobering moment after court today, when we were reminded that all of these preparations should be reviewed again today.”

Sundin and Kelly have long spoken out against U.S. wars and in support of oppressed people. Mick Kelly said, “This case is all about criminalizing those of us who stand with the struggles in Palestine and Colombia, those of us who work against U.S. wars. There is no doubt that the affidavits used to obtain the search warrants on our homes are full of lies and are an attack on protected political activity. We want to drag them into the light of day.”

#SaintPaulMN #JessSundin #MickKelly #September24FBIRaids #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression

Gainesville, FL – 70 student activists from all over the country arrived in sunny Gainesville, Florida to attend the annual Students for a Democratic Society National Convention Oct. 27-28. The activists arrived from as far as Utah and Minnesota.

The convention began bright and early with opening statements by Robbey Hayes and Skye Schmelzer from the host Gainesville Chapter.

Stephanie Taylor, a national leader of SDS, reported, “It was awesome. SDS continues to be the largest anti-war student group, to organize for education rights, and there is a growing trend of struggle supporting women’s and LGBTQ issues. SDS invited the Dream Defenders who spoke about immigrant rights, justice for Trayvon Martin and exposing the Republican Party’s voter suppression in Florida. A Gainesville member of Students for Justice in Palestine spoke about boycott, divestment, and sanctions of Israel.”

Students attended different workshops, such as “Bad Acting Theater” and “Basic Organizing Skills.” SDS affiliate the Revolutionary Students Union presented “Turning Red States Red.” Other workshops included “Organizing Immigrant and Farmworker Rights Campaigns on Campus” and “Combating Male Chauvinism within Your SDS Chapter.” These workshops aimed to offer progressive solutions or evolve a political direction that SDS activists can take.

The plenaries were designed to address issues that are vital for every SDS activist. SDSers learned about the struggle of the LGBQ and trans community in “Gender & Sexuality: Further Than the Binary” and heard from different campus campaigns in “Voices from the Left Student Movement and Continuing the Fight for Education Rights.”

Noor Elashi, an award winning author, journalist and an advocate for her father and the Holy Land 5, spoke on the SDS plenary “Fighting Back Against Political Repression.” Elashi went through a timeline of the Holy Land 5 trial and how she had dealt with the repression – both politically and personally. Elashi read a touching excerpt from her father-daughter memoir where she described the time she visited her father and the harsh and cold treatment she received from the prison guards.

Tom Burke, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, was also on the panel. Burke is one of the 23 anti-war activists raided by the FBI in 2010. He echoed Elashi’s point about how the FBI targeted the anti-war 23 and The Holy Land 5 for political reasons.

Afterwards, Burke said, “Speaking to the SDS Convention was a powerful experience. I spoke about the FBI raids and grand jury repression, including members of SDS. I relayed my student experience with the Divest Now! campaign to smash racist Apartheid in South Africa. Then, with the Progressive Student Network in the 1980s, we organized campus protests against CIA recruitment. We acted in solidarity with the revolutionary movements of Nicaragua and El Salvador. In 1991, the PSN helped organize mass rallies to oppose the first U.S. Gulf War on Iraq.”

Burke continued, “Today’s student activists have known nothing but the U.S. always being at war. I spoke and emphasized the importance of supporting liberation struggles in Colombia and Palestine today, to stop U.S. intervention. Our effective organizing to stop U.S. funding of war and oppression is the reason Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas is continuing his investigation of the 23 anti-war activists, especially focused on Hatem Abudayyeh in Chicago.”

The second day of the SDS convention began by remembering Laura Elizabeth Langley from Alabama SDS and Andrew Stapleton from Tampa Bay SDS who died during the previous year. The room was quiet as emotional speeches were made to commemorate their dedication and commitment to activism, to create a better world.

To guide each chapter in the year head, SDS passed resolutions. Most were a call to action, like “Close the School of the Americas” (the U.S. school that trains military death squads), and vowing to join the protest Nov. 16-18 at Fort Benning in Georgia. Another one, “Education Rights Days of Action,” plans to demand funding and access for education in the first week of March 2013. “SDS – Demand an End to All Wars and Occupations” calls for the end of U.S. war and occupation in Afghanistan and an end to the covert war and U.S. sanctions against Syria and Iran. It also demands an end to U.S. drone attacks. Another unanimously supported resolution, called for “Justice for Trayvon Martin.” Lastly, the SDS passed a resolution “Oppose U.S. Government Political Repression,” as part of the push back against the growing political repression by the U.S. government and police forces.

The day ended with each SDS chapter reporting back on the actions they organized in the past year and relaying their lessons and victories to the rest of convention attendees.

The closing of the convention was a boisterous and loud “otro golpe,” a Gainesville SDS tradition, which represents “another strike” against U.S. imperialist war and racism in the U.S. – and looking forward to the next victories for Students for a Democratic Society!

#GainesvilleFL #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #antiwar #September24FBIRaids #HolyLandFive

Omar and his attorneys point out that he is not guilty of the absurd charges against him.

In Oct. 5’s proceedings, Omar’s attorney, Andrew Birrell, raised serious doubt about the credibility of a key prosecution witness, Abdifatah Yusuf Isse.

Birrell’s cross examination revealed that Isse, who was facing a life sentence for ‘terrorism’ charges, had made a plea agreement which includes a promise to provide the prosecution with “substantial assistance.” This means that that the sentence that Isse ultimately gets is based on how well he does in testifying against others in the Somali community.

During questioning, Isse told the court about how patriotism and the desire to fight the Ethiopian invasion motivated him to travel to Somalia in 2007 and join the resistance. He returned to the U.S. and was arrested by the FBI in Seattle in 2009. While in jail he began cooperating with the FBI. On the stand he admitted that, while in jail, he made phone calls to others in the Somali community that were recorded by the FBI.

Background

In 2006, Ethiopia, acting in concert with the Bush administration, invaded Somalia. Massive demonstrations of Somalis took place here in Minnesota. In Somalia, a large scale resistance movement developed, which gave rise to the group called al-Shabab. Al-Shabab, which translates as “the youth”, was then labeled as a ‘terrorist’ group by the U.S. government.

In recent years, Washington has taken to labeling insurgencies that oppose the domination of the U.S or its western allies as ‘terrorists.’ The effect of this policy is that nearly every organization that is waging a militant struggle for national liberation is stuck with the tag of ‘terrorist.’

Starting in 2008, a number of young Somali men, many who grew up in the Twin Cities, traveled to Somalia to fight back against the Ethiopian invasion. The U.S. government views this as ‘terrorism’ and has launched a witch hunt against the Somali community. Many have been jailed or are being hunted by the FBI.

Over the last month, there have been many reports that a new secret grand jury has been convened to investigate supporters of the Somali resistance, creating a climate of fear within the community.

Trial continues

On Oct. 9, Mahamud Said Omar’s trial will resume. Two of the government witnesses scheduled to testify took part in the Sept. 24, 2010 raids on anti-war and international solidarity activists.

Mick Kelly, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, states, “A real injustice is taking place at this trial. Mahamud Omar has done nothing wrong. The prosecution is telling lies about him and they have a bigger agenda. They are trying to criminalize an entire community. The charges should be dropped now.”

#MinneapolisMN #antiwar #September24FBIRaids #USImperialism #Somalia #InjusticeSystem #MahamudSaidOmar

“American Civil Liberties” resolution of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

RESOLUTION

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 77th General Convention urge each congregation in The Episcopal Church to become a model for peacemaking in our society by encouraging its members to commit themselves to nonviolent and peaceable behavior in their relationships with others and to express concern about attacks on human rights, including attacks on the right to dissent from U.S. government policy; and be it further resolved:

That the General Convention express its concern through its Office of Government Relations that use of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, the Patriot Act, and the Supreme Court decision in Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project have a chilling effect on God's call to peacemaking and unduly impact the Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities in the United States, and be it further resolved:

That the General Convention commend Episcopal congregations for their work in interfaith bridge building, including between Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities.

EXPLANATION

American government surveillance and oppression of people who challenge United States policy has a long history, including FBI surveillance of civil rights movement leaders: Martin Luther King, Jr., in particular, and Puerto Rican independence advocates. Anthony D. Prince wrote in The People’s Tribune, “ the harassment intensified after King publically condemned the war in Vietnam, denouncing the U.S. involvement as irreconcilable with economic and social justice for American’s poor…his assassination came on the heels of an internal FBI report that labeled King a ‘direct threat to American security.’” The FBI’s surveillance program, which became known as COINTELPRO, targeted not only Martin Luther King, Jr. but also the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement and many other individuals and organizations.

Since September 11, 2001, the Bush and Obama administrations have brought Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim activists before Grand Juries, including Dr. Abdelhaleem Ashqar, Dr. Sami al- Arian, and Ghassan Elashi of the Holy Land Foundation. Most recently on September 23, 2011, ten Muslim students who had been arrested for protesting Ambassador Michael Oren’s February 8, 2010 speech at the University of California at Irvine, were found guilty of misdemeanor charges and were sentenced to 56 hours of community service and three years’ probation, to be reduced to one year after the completion of the community service. In late July 2011, FBI training material that contained bigoted and inflammatory views on Muslims came to light.

In the fall of 2010, twenty-three anti-war and peace activists, including Colombian and Palestinian solidarity workers, have been subpoenaed by the FBI as part of what the United States government is calling an investigation into “material support” for groups the United States Department of State has declared “foreign terrorist organizations.”

The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 created this new category of prohibited activity, namely “material support.” Five years later, as one result of September 11, Congress approved the USA Patriot Act, which broadened the provisions of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. Then in June 2010 the Supreme Court’s decision, “Holder vs. Humanitarian Law Project,” according to the

Center for Constitutional Rights “marks the first time that the Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment permits Congress to make pure speech advocating lawful, non-violent activity-human rights advocacy and peacemaking a crime.” In summary, the Center for Constitutional Rights contends that “these material support provisions violate the First Amendment as they criminalize activities like distribution of literature, engaging in political advocacy, participating in peace conferences, training in human rights advocacy, and donating cash and humanitarian assistance, even when this type of support is intended only to promote lawful and non-violent activities.” (1) In early October 2010, seventeen organizations and ninety-six individuals signed the “Chicago Faith Community Statement on FBI Raids and Grand Jury.” It reads in part:

“We are people of faith and conscience who condemn the recent FBI raids in Chicago as a violation of the Constitutional rights of the people and organizations raided. They are a dangerous step to further criminalize dissent. The FBI raids chisel away and bypass fundamental Constitutional rights by hauling activists before grand juries under the guise of national security. An overly broad definition of “material support for terrorism” in the June 2010 US Supreme Court ruling concerns us as people of faith who continue to be actively engaged in humanitarian work and peacemaking…we believe that peacemaking is a sacred commandment…we refuse to remain silent in the face of the latest efforts of the FBI to chill dissent against war by invading homes of peace activists and calling a grand jury with sweeping powers to manufacture fear. We denounce the use of fear and the far-reaching labeling of critical dissent as “terrorism” that tramples on not only our right, but our duty to dissent as people called to a moral standard of justice for all.”

For the original document see www.generalconvention.org/resolutions/download/146-1342045299

#IndianapolisIndiana #IndianapolisIN #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #TrinityEpiscopalChurch #AntiWar23

This time the FBI knocked at an activist’s door in Asheville at 5:00 p.m. on May 30. Her boyfriend answered. He woke her up to tell her the FBI wanted to talk with her. The FBI agent asked to enter her home and she said, “No you cannot come in.”

The FBI agent had a number of print outs of Fight Back! news articles. The top one in the pile was Colombia: Eyewitness Report from Solidarity Delegation, from September 2009.

The FBI agent talked about the Democratic National Convention coming soon to Charlotte. The agent also talked about the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – the most powerful left-wing rebel movement in Latin America – saying, “the FARC is getting a lot of press right now in Colombia.” He asked for a promise that she would let him know if something violent was going to happen. He gave her his card.

The FBI agent then asked about solidarity activists mentioned in the Fight Back! article. The agent also mentioned Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“Do not let the FBI in your home. They are there to intimidate you,” said Jeremy Miller, a North Carolinian who has been told that the FBI wanted to ‘talk to him.’ “In this case they pretended to be concerned about the upcoming DNC protests, but they are really trying to gather information to put anti-war activists on trial, claiming ‘material support for terrorism’. They are lying to you. Their presence is intimidating and scary, but the best thing is to give them your lawyer’s phone number and not talk to them.”

#AshevilleNC #FARCEP #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #September24FBIRaids #FightBackNews

Chicago, IL – Over 100 people rallied and marched here March 10 at Daley Plaza. They came to defend civil liberties, demand an end to suppression of dissent and to call for a stop of government attacks on immigrant, Arab, Muslim, Black and Latino communities.

The coalition includes the defense committees of the anti-war and international solidarity activists under attack by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, prominent Arab and Muslim organizations, immigrant rights groups and groups preparing to march against the NATO summit when it takes place in Chicago this May.

Protesters first gathered at Daley Plaza, where the historic protest against NATO and the G8 will occur in May. The Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty agenda has waged an eight-month campaign to win the right to march.

Hatem Abudayyeh, one of those whose homes was raided by the FBI in 2010, emceed and called on the movements to unite against all these attacks. Ahmad Rahab, of the Council of American Islamic Relations, urged the groups to oppose Islamophobia, but also to continue to oppose threats of war, such as the U.S. and Israeli moves against Iran.

Alaa Mukahhal of the Immigrant Youth Justice League described the “can’ts” she faced growing up as undocumented in the U.S.: “Can’t get a driver’s license, can’t get aid for college and can’t get a job.”

The protest led into a feeder march for the Coming out of the Shadows rally, where 500 immigrant youth protested in opposition to deportations and to demand full equality, including citizenship.

#ChicagoIL #InJusticeSystem #civilLiberties #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression

Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas are aiming to indict the activists on ‘material support for terrorism’ charges. Jonas, well known for his outrageous prosecution of the Holy Land Foundation, recently confirmed the ongoing investigation of the anti-war activists.

In 2010, the FBI raided the homes of anti-war, trade union and international solidarity activists. 23 were subpoenaed to a grand jury headed by Patrick Fitzgerald. As a part of the same investigation, the FBI orchestrated a raid on the home of veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes in May, 2011.

Montes, who is facing up to 18 years of prison on trumped up charges, will be in Los Angeles Superior Court March 2, for a discovery hearing that seeks more information about the role of the FBI in his prosecution.

#ChicagoIL #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #HolyLandFoundation #AssistantUSAttorneyBarryJonas #ChicagoUSAttorneyPatrickFitzgerald

Brooklyn Center, MN – Protesters gathered outside the new headquarters of the FBI here, Feb. 17, to protest the agency’s targeting of anti-war and international solidarity activists. The protest coincided with the FBI’s announced move-in day to their new fortress-like building.

Participants in the protest included peace activists whose homes were raided by the FBI Sept. 24, 2010.

“The FBI is waging a war on civil liberties,” said Jess Sundin of the MN Committee to Stop FBI Repression. “We are here today to send a message: ‘Opposing U.S. wars is not a crime.’ We will not be silenced or intimidated by the FBI.”

The FBI, along with U.S. Attorneys in Chicago and Minneapolis, are trying to make a case for indicting the activists on ‘material support for terrorism’ charges. To that end, a grand jury is meeting in Chicago. Barry Jonas, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, recently stated that the investigation will continue.

As part of the same investigation, the FBI manufactured charges against longtime Chicano activist Carlos Montes in Los Angeles.

The new FBI Field office, located at 1501 Freeway Boulevard, cost about $64 million to build. About 300 agents and support staff will work in the building. The jurisdiction covered by the new headquarters extends to North and South Dakota.

The Minneapolis Field office has a long history of trampling on democratic rights. In the 1950s its agents hounded communists in the labor movement. In the early 70s, the office was pivotal in the federal government’s attempt to destroy the American Indian Movement. Over the past ten years the office has carried out a campaign against the Somali community which includes a massive spying program and arrests for material support for terrorism.

For many years the Minneapolis FBI office was the base of operations for Nicholas O'Hara, an infamous former FBI supervisor who has made it his life’s work to keep Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier in jail.

Speaking in front of the new FBI complex, Jess Sundin stated, “The people inside this building are targeting those of us who speak up for peace and justice. That’s what the FBI does. They raided our homes and offices of the Anti War Committee. The FBI thinks it’s a crime to stand in solidarity with people around the world, who are struggling to be free. It not a crime to stand in solidarity with the people of the Middle East or Latin America, or anywhere else. It’s the right thing to do.”

#BrooklynCenterMN #FBI #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression

Chicago, IL – The Northern Illinois Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas stated that the “investigation is continuing” into the case of the anti-war and international solidarity activists who have been hit with FBI raids and grand jury repression. Barry Jonas played a leading role in prosecuting the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation while he was trial attorney for the Department of Justice Counter-terrorism Section.

“This is another confirmation of what we have been hearing all along from the U.S. Attorney’s office – they are going for multiple indictments of multiple activists,” stated Jess Sundin, a Twin Cities Anti-War leader whose home was raided by the FBI. “The government subpoenaed 23 international solidarity activists to a Chicago grand jury and the government is trying to jail veteran Chicano leader Carlos Montes. Jonas confirmed what we already knew – the government is trying to imprison anti-war activists on the grounds of ‘material support for terrorism.’”

The confirmation of the ongoing investigation came in a Jan. 24 phone call between Jonas and Bruce Nestor, an attorney who is representing some of the activists.

Nestor initially contacted Minneapolis Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter to view some of the sealed documents in the case. The grand jury proceedings against the anti-war activists are secret and the vast majority of documents relating to their case are under seal, meaning that they cannot be viewed by the targeted activists or their attorneys. Assistant U.S. Attorney Winter helped oversee the Sept. 24, 2010 raids and in recent months has represented the government on the issue of returning property seized in the raids. Winter told Nestor to contact Chicago Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas.

Jonas told Nestor the documents would remain secret “pending completion of the investigation.”

“That Barry Jonas is now involved in our case is an ominous development” said Sundin. “He is famous for one of the most appalling attacks on civil and democratic rights in the past decade – the prosecution of the Holy Land Five. “

The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development was once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. Its efforts were geared towards providing humanitarian aid to help the people of Palestine and other countries. In 2001 its offices were raided. Three years later, five people associated with the charity were indicted. The first trial ended with a hung jury. The second trial ended with convictions. The five defendants received sentences that range from 15 to 65 years in prison.

The trial included secret witnesses – the defense never got to find out who the witnesses were – the use of hearsay evidence and the introduction of evidence that had nothing to do with the defendants in the case, such as showing a video from Palestine of protesters burning an American flag, as a means to prejudice the jury.

As lead prosecutor, Barry Jonas played a key role in all this. He is now working under Chicago U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who runs the federal grand jury attacking anti-war and international solidarity activists.

“That Barry Jonas is chasing peace activists means we have to be ready for every dirty trick in the book. The record is clear. The way he sees it, solidarity with Palestine is a crime. We need to push back as hard as we can.” said Jess Sundin.

Sundin urges all supporters of peace with justice to sign the pledge to take action (http://www.stopfbi.net/get-involved/pledge-of-resistance) in the event that international solidarity activists are indicted.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #September24FBIRaids #PatrickFitzgerald #HolyLandFoundation #HolyLandFive #BarryJonas #AndrewWinter

The letter states, “We are writing to share our concerns regarding reports about a Justice Department investigation of local Minneapolis peace and justice organizations and individual anti-war activists.”

The letter goes on to note, “This first came to our attention on September 24, 2010, when the homes of several Minneapolis residents were raided by FBI agents who confiscated computers, mailing lists, cell phones, passports, political literature, correspondence, and children’s drawings. That day the FBI also raided the office of the Anti-War Committee, an organization that the Minneapolis City Council, in 2007, publicly recognized as an important voice of nonviolence and political dissent. In connection with these raids, it appears that several Minneapolis residents have been investigated and served with subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury to testify regarding alleged material support for foreign terrorist organizations.

As elected officials we are committed to serving our constituents and our community. In that capacity we are formally sharing our concerns about the expansion of government surveillance of social justice organizations and anti-war activists in Minnesota as evidenced by this event. We are deeply concerned about the chilling effects these activities might have on completely nonviolent and legal activism as well as the threat it poses to the freedoms of speech and association and health of our democracy in general.”

The letter was signed by 12 of the 13 members of the Minneapolis City Council.

The letter is one of the many of statements that have been made by public officials, labor and community leaders opposing repression against anti-war and international solidarity activists.

#MinneapolisMN #September24FBIRaids #grandJury #MinneapolisCityCouncil #PoliticalRepression

Minneapolis, MN – The FBI says they have finished copying the political material and personal papers seized in the Sept. 24, 2010 raids on the homes of Twin Cities anti-war and international solidarity activists. On the afternoon of Nov. 1, FBI agents delivered the last batch of notebooks, family photos, membership lists for anti-war and several other groups, computer backup discs and political documents to the office of attorney Bruce Nestor. The FBI has been returning batches of the copied material seized in the September 24, 2010 raids over the last several weeks.

“This is a serious violation of our right to organize against war,” states Jess Sundin of the Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee. “The FBI took the computers from the office of the Anti-War Committee and made copies of lists that include thousands of our supporters. They copied notes from meetings and plans for events. They took our personal papers, political materials and books from my home. They are stepping all over our right to organize, associate and speak out.”

The material that the FBI copied and returned comes from the homes of Twin Cities activists Jess Sundin, Steff Yorek, Mick Kelly, Meredith Aby, Anh Pham and Tracy Molm and the office of the Anti-War Committee. All of them are among the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists summoned to appear in front of a Chicago grand jury headed by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, investigating ‘material support for terrorism.’

The U.S. Attorney’s office is threatening to indict the anti-war activists.

Mick Kelly, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression states, “We have done nothing wrong. The FBI should destroy the copies of everything they took.”

The FBI returned the copied material after Attorney Bruce Nestor filed a motion in Federal Court to demanding that the property of Jess Sundin be returned. The hearing on the motion scheduled for Nov. 10 will be canceled.

Activists from around the country will attend the national conference organized by the Committee to Stop FBI repression in Chicago on Nov. 5 to build the fight that against the ongoing attacks on anti-war and international solidarity activists.

#MinneapolisMN #JessSundin #MeredithAby #September24FBIRaids #TracyMolm

On Oct. 6, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald gave a talk entitled, “Prosecuting Terrorism in the Courts” to a meeting of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in Chicago. While 20 people gathered outside to protest, three members of the Committee Against Political Repression went inside to question Fitzgerald directly.

Fitzgerald is in charge of the grand jury that has subpoenaed anti-war and international solidarity activists.

*Fight Back!* interviewed the three who went inside: **Bill Chambers**, **Newland Smith** and **Sarah Simmons**.

---

**Fight Back!:** You went to see U.S. Attorney Pat Fitzgerald speak this morning. What was his talk about?

**Newland Smith:** The talk focused on the much improved job that law enforcement is doing in fighting terrorism now that criminal investigators and intelligence investigators can share information. He credited the Patriot Act for taking that “wall” down between these two groups so now “it doesn't matter what's motivating an investigator to share information...we can just decide whether to use criminal case techniques or intelligence case techniques.” Of course, Fitzgerald didn't comment on how the mixing of criminal and intelligence investigations can easily lead to free speech and dissent being criminalized and treated with “intelligence” techniques as if they are connected to terrorism.

**Fight Back!:** Why did you go? What questions did you want him to address?

**Sarah Simmons:** I went because I thought it a rare opportunity to get up close and ask Fitzgerald questions to make him squirm. My question would have been “What is your office doing to safeguard civil liberties in the grand jury investigation of peace and solidarity activists, and how do you justify the taxpayers' dollars being spent in this way?” Apparently his conscience is not bothered at all by what he does. His summation of the Patriot Act: It's not really bad and he doesn't know why people get so fired up about it; it just enables law enforcement to work more efficiently. I was also struck by how in awe the group seemed to be of Fitzgerald.

**Bill Chambers:** The AJC promoted Fitzgerald as this effective prosecutor of terrorists “including Osama Bin Laden for the 1998 African Embassy bombings and the 1995 bombing of the World Trade Center.” I wanted the audience to know that he is better known for the year-long grand jury investigation of 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists.

**Fight Back!:** Were you able to ask your questions? How did he respond?

**Bill Chambers:** I was able to ask this question. “There has been criticism of you and your office by ten U.S. Representatives, including Jan Schakowsky in Chicago, that the investigation of anti-war and human rights activists is suppressing their freedom of speech and right to dissent. How do you respond to this criticism?”

His response – “I can't even comment on the existence of such a case, but I can assure you my office is doing nothing to suppress dissent. There were even people out in front today protesting when I came in and they have the right to do that. Look around, there are people protesting everywhere – if I was trying to suppress dissent I would not get anything done.”

My follow-up – “Those protesters you are talking about haven't been subpoenaed to a grand jury and had their homes invaded and property taken. So you don't agree with Jan Schakowsky and the other U.S. reps’ criticisms then?”

His response: “People make all these criticisms of me and I can't respond. It's like I have duct tape across my mouth. How do you think that makes me feel?”

**Fight Back!:** Anything else you want to add?

**Bill Chambers:** I left the presentation the same time Fitzgerald did and caught up to him as he was waiting at the elevator with several others. I referred to his duct tape comment and asked him how he would feel if he was being accused in an investigation of supporting terrorists. He said no one is being accused of supporting terrorism and I reminded him that his office has acknowledged that several people are part of an investigation into material support for terrorists.

I was able to ride down all 29 floors in the elevator with him and some folks from the AJC. I continued to question him about the impact of his investigation on people who have had their reputations damaged, their homes invaded and some their bank accounts closed – all from an investigation he says doesn't exist.

Exiting the elevator, one of the AJC event organizers made a special point of saying “We are happy you are here in Chicago.” It made me think that there are 23 activists, ten U.S. reps, 800,000 union members, and 12,000 people who have signed the defend dissent pledge that don't share that same appreciation.

#ChicagoIL #Interviews #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #CommitteeAgainstPoliticalRepression #USAttorneyPatrickFitzgerald

Defend Our Civil Liberties

Despite positioning himself as a supporter of civil liberties during the 2008 campaign, President Obama has chosen to largely embrace rather than reject the sweeping changes made during the Bush regime, including the so-called Patriot Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) amendments, as well as executive orders and legal opinions. These greatly expanded the ability of government agencies to spy on and disrupt law-abiding residents and organizations in the U.S.

UE has warned for years that when the government is given powers of domestic surveillance and “counterintelligence,” it can and will use them against ordinary, innocent Americans, particularly those who speak out against government policies, and especially those who represent a credible power base, such as the labor movement. We saw this during the McCarthy period in the 1940s and 1950s, when the combined forces of the federal government, big business, and their business-union co-conspirators nearly destroyed the UE and progressive trade unionism.

Now the U.S. labor movement has again been targeted by government witch hunts. The Justice Department is interpreting laws prohibiting “material support” for terrorist organizations to include those who speak out on certain foreign policy issues and organize fact-finding missions, and even those who attempt to teach non-violent approaches to those who have engaged in violence in the past. This then led to an undemocratic grand jury investigation and eventually FBI raids in late 2010 on the homes of labor and peace activists who had organized non-violent protests at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minneapolis. Since some of those labor activists also supported the fight by UE Local 1174 members to stop Wells Fargo Bank from causing the closing of their plant in the Quad Cities, the FBI warned police in the Quad Cities of “dangerous” militants coming to their area, a ridiculous accusation since it involved a handful of union activists coming to show traditional labor solidarity. But it forced the local police department to greatly overreact, spending precious local tax dollars on large numbers of extra police while having a chilling effect on the ability of local citizens to exercise their right to protest against corporate bad behavior.

Today, more Americans than ever are under government and corporate surveillance, and information about us is being shared widely among all levels of law enforcement, the military and with private entities. Law enforcement agencies are allowed to spy on and infiltrate organizations without any indication that a crime has been committed or is being planned; surveillance cameras are increasingly being used in the workplace, on city streets, and in other public spaces; and our telephone and email communications are being swept up en masse. Bureaucratic initiatives such as fusion centers (state, local, and regional law enforcement coordinating centers) and joint terrorism task forces are speeding the sharing of often false or illegally-obtained information.

This will not protect us from future events like 9/11. The problem was not a lack of information but the failure to analyze and act upon existing information. The government obsession with gathering information on non-terrorist political opponents means there are fewer resources to combat real crime, including terrorism.

Bosses try to instill fear in workers during union organizing campaigns – that is the kind of fear that the government has tried to spread across society as a whole. People may avoid anti-globalization rallies if they know they are under government surveillance. A union member will think twice about voicing their outrage on a picket line if they know they could face trumped-up terrorism charges. Fewer people attend organizing meetings if they suspect that someone in the room could be a police agent.

It is clear that the fight to protect and regain civil liberties must continue regardless of which party controls the White House.

A growing number of Americans also question the use of the death penalty. Why should working people who regularly express deep distrust of our government officialdom trust these same forces with the power to inflict the ultimate penalty of death? The question is especially crucial when a rising tide of evidence demonstrates our judicial system is stacked against those without money. When evidence such as DNA testing reveals death row prisoners are innocent, it confirms our justice system is fundamentally flawed. The question of capital punishment is historically of great concern to union members. On numerous occasions our government has framed and executed labor leaders. Among the more famous are the Haymarket martyrs, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) leader Joe Hill, immigrant labor activists Sacco and Vanzetti, and the coal miners known as the Molly Maguires. Spared the death penalty only after massive campaigns to save them were Tom Mooney, who spoke to an early UE convention, and the legendary Big Bill Haywood.

Attacks on civil liberties are not minor infringements on the rights of a few extremists. Today they affect a vast cross-section of Americans. The chilling effect of denials of our democratic freedoms curtails political debate within the U.S., limits the ability of all citizens to make democratic choices for the future of our country, and thereby undermines our livelihoods and living standards.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THIS 72nd UE CONVENTION:

Opposes any change in the federal criminal code that would undermine our basic rights to organize, strike, protest, demonstrate and otherwise defend the interests of working people, specifically including changes designed to make picket-line activity subject to federal prosecution;

Urges all locals to actively defend the right to protest against government and corporate policies which hurt working people by working with and supporting organizations such as the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the Defending Dissent Foundation, the National Lawyers Guild, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression;

Calls on public-sector locals to investigate and aggressively challenge any restrictions on their members’ civil liberties written into state law or municipal ordinances;

Demands that Congress outlaw political spying and disruption by the FBI and other federal agencies, repeal the FISA amendment act, repeal or let sunset regressive parts of the Patriot Act, and pass legislation to roll back the worst excesses of the Bush regime by barring the use of secret evidence and restricting the use of the state secrets privilege and National Security Letters;

Supports local initiatives to promote civil liberties by encouraging local governments to pass a Local Civil Rights Restoration Act 9 as part of the People’s Campaign for the Constitution and laws based on the First Amendments Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004 enacted by the Washington, DC city council, which recognizes demonstrations as critical to free speech and vital to democracy, and thus emphasizes negotiation and communication and prohibits preemptive arrests;

Calls for legislation to prohibit random or blanket drug testing in the workplace as well as legislation to ban telephone and Internet monitoring of employees and to further restrict the use of lie detectors in employment;

Opposes President Obama’s preventive detention proposal and Justice Department policies that allow for closed hearings, secret evidence, refusal to name those detained, elimination of attorney-client privilege, and long detentions without bond without any specific articulated reason;

Supports legislation to abolish preventive detention and re-establish the right to bail and the concept of “innocent until proven guilty;”

Demands that Congress reform the process for placing groups on terrorist lists to ensure that they have sufficient notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond to the charges against them, with necessary checks and balances on executive discretion, while also reforming the prohibition on material support to protect free speech, association, peace building and the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians;

Supports legislation to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, supports strong whistle blower protection legislation, and opposes efforts to intimidate or bar the press and other news media from reporting on government activities;

Supports repeal of McCarthy-era “speech crimes” laws, including the Smith Act and the Subversive Activities Control Act and opposes exclusion of foreigners based on political beliefs or memberships;

Supports the abolition of the death penalty.

#UnitedStates #Labor #civilLiberties #UnitedElectricalWorkers #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression