Minneapolis, MN – Around two dozen students, journalists and community members gathered outside the Humphrey School of Public Affairs for June 15 press conference addressing the FBI harassment of SDS organizer Gillian Rath, regarding her activism surrounding abortion rights, including the SDS campaign in opposition to government-funded and predatory “crisis pregnancy centers.”

The FBI called Rath several times last week. This FBI harassment of a student organizer is especially troubling given the FBI’s long history of infiltrating and disrupting organizations in student movements stretching back to the 1960s, when student activism took off in response to the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement. The FBI’s harassment of Rath represents a larger pattern of state repression of progressive activism – further demonstrated by the bogus arrest and brutalization of the Tampa 5.

Local organizer Jess Sundin, speaking as a member of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, made an important point about the FBI harassment and right-wing politics: “Republicans in DC have been calling for the FBI to criminalize this organizing. These are political decisions, and we are here to say no more.” Sundin also drew a connection between the repression faced by student activists like Gillian Rath and the Tampa 5 and her own experience with state repression. Thirteen years ago, the FBI raided the homes of anti-war activists across the country and attempted to bring up bogus charges against them. Just as that unjust attack on the freedom of speech was resisted then, the same attacks are being resisted now.

Sundin stressed that activists should never talk to the FBI.

Ashley Taylor-Gouge spoke on behalf of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), expanding on their campaign against predatory crisis pregnancy centers, which are backed by the forces of the religious right and, until recently, received funding from the Minnesota state government. This recent defunding is a major victory won by MNAAC and organizers working to defend abortion rights. Taylor-Gouge stated, “Every time that people rise up to fight back against injustice, we should expect the state to respond with attempts to silence us.”

Rath spoke about her experience with FBI harassment. She drew connections between what has happened to her and the situation of the Tampa 5 in Florida: “This is a direct attack on social movements.”

These instances of state repression of organizers show that the ruling class recognizes the threat that the people’s movements have to their stranglehold on power, and is using every tool at their disposal, from FBI harassment to political arrests in an attempt to suppress the people.

But Rath states, “They see that we will not back down and we will not stand for political repression by the state. Because when they threaten us with arrests, like happened recently here with the UMPD, charges with felonies, or have the FBI harass us, we will just persist and come back stronger.”

#MinneapolisMN #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #AbortionRights

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression condemns the May 31 arrest of three organizers with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF). The arrest of the three organizers, who are being called the ASF 3, represents an increase in state repression against the Stop Cop City movement. The ASF has played a pivotal role in jail support and the bailing out of arrested Stop Cop City activists.

On the morning of May 31, the Atlanta Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted a militarized SWAT raid and executed a search warrant on the three activists. The state is alleging trumped up charges of “money laundering” and “charity fraud.” These arrests are meant to further criminalize any form of dissent against the building of Cop City.

The ASF was started in 2017 and was instrumental in supporting and defending protestors arrested during the 2020 George Floyd uprisings and Stop Cop City movement. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp released a statement following the arrest of the ASF 3 referring to them as “criminals who facilitated and encouraged domestic terrorism.”

The only crime the ASF 3 are guilty of is defending the people from violent state repression that is meant to silence any form of dissent against Cop City. If found guilty of these trumped up charges a dangerous precedent will be set for those organizing against political repression in the future.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is urging all supporters to stand in solidarity with the ASF 3 and demand the charges be dropped now.

#AtlantaGA #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Atlanta, GA – Hundreds gathered in the Atlanta Forest over the March 5-6 weekend to demand justice for Manny “Tortuguita” Paez, and that the Atlanta forest be saved,and Cop City not be built. The events over the weekend included a two-day music festival and a protest inside the Atlanta Forest. Georgia law enforcement agencies ended the music festival early by arresting and charging 22 attendants with domestic terrorism charges.

The music festival and protest were part of a week of action against the proposed Cop City development. Saturday featured local musical acts such as rapper Zach Fox and hardcore band Symbiote. The music festival continued the next day with a protest in the forest. During the protest individuals allegedly overran a police security outpost and set pieces of police and construction equipment on fire.

In response, multiple Georgia law enforcement agencies raided the music festival and began arresting people indiscriminately. Of the over 30 that were arrested, 22 are currently being charged with state-level domestic terrorism charges.

“The Committee to S