Minneapolis, MN – Immigrant rights protesters gathered at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in Minneapolis June 27. This action was part of a National Day of Action called by the Legalization for All Network and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

The protest also demanded charges be dropped against Isavela Lopez here in Minneapolis. Lopez was arrested in the aftermath of the federal militarized operation at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue in on June 3, in which ICE participated along with several other federal agencies and local police. While protesting that operation in the heart of the immigrant community, Lopez was brutalized by law enforcement, then later she was arrested by federal officers and hit with legal charges.

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) organized the Minneapolis protest together with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR). They will continue to organize and demand that charges be dropped against people exercising their right to protest the brutal and unjust actions of Trump and ICE.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InJusticeSystem #FBIRepression #AlejandroOrellana #ImmigrantRights #MIRAC #LegalizationForAll #L4A #CSFR

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

Hello everyone,

I am writing to let everyone know that the FBI visited my father today with the intention of questioning me about my trip to Syria as an international election observer for the 2014 Syrian Presidential Elections.

In June 2014, I visited Syria with the objective of learning the truth about the situation there. This trip was entirely legal and well documented. I visited along with observers representing 32 countries, many of which were members of Parliament and representatives of local governments in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Uganda, and beyond. Since then, I have reported on my trip in public meetings at the United Nations, as well as in Buffalo, NY, Rochester, NY, Syracuse, NY, Albany, NY, and where I live in Philadelphia, PA. Since 2007, I have been a committed anti-war activist with many organizations, including Students for a Democratic Society, the International Action Center and several others. The FBI mentioned me as an activist with FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together), of which I am one of the national coordinators.

Why is the FBI coming after me? The FBI’s attempt to question me is not only an attack on me, it is an attack on anyone who chooses to travel the world and seek a perspective that is not represented by the corporate media. The US depends on misinformation and huge lies to perpetrate their crimes abroad. Yet the FBI has picked the wrong person, since I have strong friends and allies across the US who will stand with me in the fight against unjust government repression.

This visit is a continuation of the FBI’s attack on anti-war and international solidarity activists. The FBI has been attempting to charge 24 anti-war and international solidarity activists with “material support of terrorism.” These activists have been targeted and face potential long term jail sentences. Please take a moment to look at the StopFBI.net site for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the organization that has fought to defend these 24, as well as Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh. This is a strong example of the political fightback that is needed to defend activists from Government repression.

These activists are not alone in their treatment. Since 2001, hundreds of Muslim men in the USA have been victims of entrapment, harassment, and false imprisonment simply for their religion.

I strongly encourage all of my friends, co-workers, and family members take a look at the Center for Constitutional Rights’ booklet, entitled “ If an Agent Knocks,” for resources on what to do if the FBI comes to your door. Most importantly, you SHOULD NEVER AGREE TO SPEAK TO THE FBI WITHOUT A LAWYER present and really you should never speak with the FBI. You can simply say, “I do not wish to speak with you. I will have my lawyer contact you,’ and then immediately close the door.

Most of us do not have a lawyer, but if you or a family member is contacted by the FBI, you should contact the National Lawyers Guild immediately as well as other activists who have been dealt with this government intimidation before.

As soon as this happened, I called Sara Flounders, the co-director of the International Action Center, to discuss our strategy to stop this FBI intimidation. We decided to make a clear statement as public as possible, we will not be silent as you attempt to attack those who choose to speak out against unjust US foreign policy. In fact, we will use any attack on my freedom to continue to build a movement against government repression. It is in this spirit that I am writing you all today.

As Reverend Martin Luther King Jr said, “The bombs in Vietnam explode at home.” With the US wars escalating in Syria, Iraq and beyond, we see that US war has only caused massive devastation for the people of the world, while bringing in huge profits to few. Meanwhile, billions of dollars are taken away from public education and jobs and the government has trampled our basic civil liberties. As the activists in the Committee to Stop FBI Repression have done, I will continue to fight unjust US wars on people across the world, as well as demanding full funding for human needs and an end to the aggressive destruction of our basic civil liberties.

I am not certain what will happen next. While I do have legal help, I hope you all will also stand with me in case of any further attempt at government repression by the FBI.

Another world is possible,

Scott Williams

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #Syria #FBI #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #FIST #FightImperialismStandTogether

Speaking for the family of Sami Osmakac, his brother Avni Osmakac stated, “The whole trial was unfair from the beginning. The FBI terrorized my brother, who is a sick person. They're the ones really committing the crimes. They destroy lives, destroy families, and destroy democracy.” He went on to say, “The justice system has been thrown out of the window.”

The US government used informants and spies to coax Osmakac into making “radical YouTube videos”. The FBI eventually got him to buy fake weapons, with money the FBI gave him, and then arrested him on felony charges. Osmakac's trial is like many others in the US, where the government prosecutes Muslims and Arab-Americans for pre-emptive crimes—crimes the FBI sets up, but that are not actually committed. Osmakac's defense said that the FBI entrapped a mentally ill man.

The trial was marked by many problems. The government's case was based on a small number of recordings pieced together over multiple years. However, the US government kept thousands of other recordings secret, sighting “national security”. As well, the prosecution brought in paid witnesses unrelated to the case. Evan Kohlmann, a consultant who makes a living testifying in terrorism trials for the US government was hired to fabricate a “Hollywood” story to sway the jurors.

The trial is especially difficult for Osmakac's family. Like trials similar to this one, it is hard to find a lawyer who will work on this type of case. Eventually the family had to sell their house in order to raise money for the lawyer's costs that run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Antiwar and civil liberty activists are speaking out against the trial, and the persecution of Muslims, Arab-Americans and political activists. In Tampa, Mel Underbakke of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms said, “The really sad thing about these entrapment cases is that it traumatizes the whole family, not just the target of the entrapment.”

For the future Avni Osmakac hopes an appeal goes through. He said, “Where is all the evidence? Why are they hiding it all? People need to stop believing the government. If people want the real truth about Muslims, people should go out on the street and talk to one.”

#TampaFL #FBI #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #SamiOsmakac

Minneapolis, MN – Trade unionists, students, anti war and low income activists came together here, March 8, for a spirited celebration of International Women’ s Day. The event, “Women's Liberation from the U.S. to Palestine,” was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Held annually in the Twin Cities, this year’s International Women’s Day celebration emphasized the case of Chicago Palestinian leader Rasmea Odeh, who is facing prison and deportation on trumped-up immigration charges.

Jess Sundin’s speech

Jess Sundin, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, gave the opening speech on the oppression of women and the need for liberation, the fight against political repression and the need for revolution and socialism.

Sundin began by telling the crowd about the history of International Women’s Day, stating, “This day came from the struggle of working women right here in the U.S. In 1908, women garment workers in New York City came together to demand a strong union for themselves and the right to vote for all women. They went on strike for 13 cold winter weeks and in the end they won. Inspired by them, German revolutionary Clara Zetkin proposed that March 8 be celebrated around the world as International Women's Day.”

Sundin concluded by saying socialism “engages people in transforming society to meet all of our needs. The riches of a socialist society are used for the benefit of all. Socialism is based on internationalism, rather than criminalizing freedom fighters and international solidarity. Under socialism, our government would be dedicated to ensuring equality, rather than allowing some to profit, while others go hungry. These are values that would make it possible for women to throw off the chains of oppression, to win our own liberation. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, let us rededicate ourselves to a life of struggle. Let us commit to build movements where women lead. And let us march together towards revolution.”

From U.S. to Palestine

Hatem Abudayyeh, a leader in Chicago’s Palestinian community, spoke via Skype on the case of Rasmea Odeh. Abudayyeh told of the many contributions that Odeh had made to the fight to free Palestine and to end the oppression of women. Stating that Odeh’s case is linked to the repression directed against Palestine and international solidarity activists, he expressed confidence that everyone at the Twin Cities event would be part of the struggle to get the charges against Rasmea Odeh dropped.

Misty Rowan, of the Twin Cites-based Anti-War Committee, spoke about the role that strong women leaders play in the anti-war movement and the push back against FBI repression. The Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization were the targets of FBI raids in September 2010.

Steff Yorek read a message from Cherrene Horazuk, the president of AFSCME Local 3800, noting the fight of women workers past and present.

The event concluded with a speech by Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee, who demanded that state government raise the welfare grants.

#MinneapolisMN #BuildingSocialism #InternationalWomensDay #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #FBIRepression #WomensLiberation #RasmeaOdeh

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

On Feb. 26, the application and affidavit used to obtain the search warrants for the 2010 raids on homes and offices of anti-war and international solidarity activists were unsealed, revealing lies and attacks on the constitutionally-protected rights to speak out and organize. The unsealing of these documents came as a result of legal action taken by the anti-war activists.

The timeline in the documents show what we have always stated. Shortly before the huge protest at the Republican National Convention, an undercover police agent and professional liar, going by the name of Karen Sullivan (identified in the affidavit as UC1) joined the Anti-War Committee and became active in the efforts to build the demonstration. She later joined Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The documents demonstrate a callous disregard for free speech and the right to associate. They in effect criminalize those of us who oppose U.S. wars, and stand in solidarity with the oppressed. From Palestine to Colombia, people want to be free from the domination of Washington D.C. We have said this publicly on thousands of occasions and will continue to do so.

Not unlike countless “anti-terrorism” cases against Arabs and Muslims, the affidavit contains a collection of lies and out-of-context statements to try to isolate people from their communities and movements. In a McCarthyite return to the 1950s, the affidavit shows an obsession with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. After decades working in the anti-war movement, anyone who has worked with us knows we are proud to be fighters in the struggles against war, and for justice and economic equality. The documents imply that is something sinister, when really, it is commendable.

Having just received these documents, we are in the process of consulting with attorneys and we will have more to say in coming days.

We are glad we forced the government to unseal these documents and we demand that the U.S. Attorney makes a public statement that the investigation is closed and that there will be no indictments of anti-war and international solidarity activists. Moreover, we demand an end to repression and spying against the people’s movements.

#UnitedStates #Colombia #PalestineSolidarity #AntiWarCommittee #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #KarenSullivan #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Signed by more than three thousand people, the petition calls for charges against Odeh to be dropped. The petition delivery follows a coordinated day of action on Wednesday, November 13, coinciding with Odeh’s court arraignment on charges of immigration fraud. More than a hundred supporters gathered outside the Detroit court where Odeh submitted her not-guilty plea. Actions were also held in Chicago, Oakland, Philadelphia, Gainesville, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.

“It is very clear that Rasmea is being targeted for her activism,” says Hatem Abudayyeh of the US Palestinian Community Network. “These charges are the latest example of a U.S. government policy that seeks to repress prominent Arab American community members and people working for the rights of Palestinians.”

On October 22 Odeh was arrested at her Chicago home by agents of the Department of Homeland Security who charged her with lying on her immigration application in 1994 for failing to mention an arrest and conviction in an Israeli military court over 40 years ago. Her arrest comes three years after 23 anti-war and Palestinian rights activists were subpoenaed to testify before a Grand Jury. Several of these activists also had their homes raided by the FBI and no indictments have been filed against them to date, though US Attorneys continue to claim the “investigation is ongoing”.

According to Palestine Solidarity Legal Support, during the past year alone there have been more than 75 documented cases of intimidation and legal bullying against Palestinian-Americans and supporters.

#WashingtonDC #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #AttorneyGeneralEricHolder #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Tucson, AZ – On Wednesday evening a dozen activists protested outside the Federal Building and Tucson City Hall to demand the charges against 65 year-old Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh be dropped.

As part of a November 13 national day of action in support of Odeh, signs reading “Stop FBI Attacks on Activists”, “I Support Palestine, Women, and Rasmea”, and “Free Rasmea Now!” were held high and passersby greeted the protest with honks and fists raised in solidarity.

In an effort to spread the urgency of solidarity to everyone possible, organizers handed out leaflets explaining the outrageous arrest and prosecution of Odeh. The leaflets also praise the veteran leader’s life long dedication to equality and liberation. Pedestrians and passing drivers stopped for the fliers that also lay out an action plan for mobilizing against the charges and asking people to sign a petition, with more info at www.StopFBI.net.

Having been arrested on October 22, 2013 and currently facing a ten-year prison sentence or deportation for supposed “immigration fraud,” Odeh is the latest target of U.S. government political repression of pro-Palestinian activists. Starting in 2001, thousands of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim men were rounded up and deported by the Bush administration. More recent are the widely reported FBI raids of 23 anti-war activists’ houses and workplaces on September 24, 2010, under President Obama, with an investigation still “ongoing”.

Associate director of the Arab American Action Network and the leader of its Arab Women’s Committee, Odeh is a renowned defender of immigrant and women’s rights whose arrest and trial has caught the attention of progressives across the country. Tucson activists proudly showed up to do their part and encourage others to join the struggle to free Rasmea. Organizers vowed to return for a bigger rally on the first day of Rasmea Odeh’s trial in Detroit.

#TucsonAZ #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Chicago, IL – Michael Deutsch of the National Lawyers Guild and the People’s Law Office spoke Nov. 12 about the case of Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a 65-year-old, Palestinian American, women's rights activist who was recently indicted and tomorrow faces arraignment Nov. 13 in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The immigration charge against Odeh could result in ten years in prison and deportation for violations in her application for citizenship.

Deutsch said the situation, “appears to be the Department of Homeland Security behaving in a discriminatory fashion, targeting Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians for selective prosecution.”

He recounted the history since 9/11 of the singling out of these communities by the U.S. government, especially in Chicago, including the case of Dr. Muhammad Salah, who the U.S. Attorney prosecuted for aiding people living under Israeli occupation. Salah’s trial featured Israeli agents testifying in secret with evidence obtained through torture.

Deutsch described the case of the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists whose homes were raided and who were subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney in 2010 for their efforts in support of Palestinians. The U.S. Attorney refuses to end this investigation. “The investigation of Rasmea Odeh seems to grow out of the case of the 23, because her colleague at the Arab American Action Network, Hatem Abudayyeh, was one of those raided and subpoenaed.”

From these experiences, Deutsch stated, “We know that the U.S. government works closely with Israeli officials, and therefore it is a certainty that the U.S. government knew of Odeh’s legal history at the time she emigrated and at the time she applied for citizenship. Why then is she being charged now after 20 years of model citizenship and good deeds in service of her community?”

Deutsch also cited a report by the ACLU from August of this year, “Muslims Need Not Apply,” which exposes the “Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program” of the Immigration Services. “This program targets Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants to deny them their requests for citizenship,” explained Deutsch.

These examples together were the basis of his statements of concern about discriminatory, selective prosecution.

Hatem Abudayyeh – a co-worker of Rasmea Odeh for almost ten years and who also represented the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and the Committee Against Political Repression – reminded everyone that Odeh was born in the same exact year that her people were pushed out of Palestine in 1948 and, because of that experience, she has dedicated her whole life to social justice. She is a mentor to dozens of activists and organizers across the country and leads a women's rights organization of over 600 members.

Abudayyeh also said that Odeh is receiving massive support from all across the world, including almost 100 organizations in the U.S. that have written letters or signed onto statements condemning the indictment.

“We are taking a charter bus and a car caravan to be with Rasmea tomorrow at her arraignment in Detroit. Hundreds from Michigan will meet us there. And hundreds more in Gainesville, Philadelphia, D.C., New York, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and other towns across the U.S. will be rallying in support of Rasmea and to demand that U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade drop the charges now.”

Margaret Jackson, interim Regional Director of the American Friends Service Committee, spoke against the racism of the U.S. government for this political attack on a Palestinian woman and stated, “As a person of color, I can tell you I’ve experienced racism in this society.” To show her support of the human rights work that Rasmea has done in Chicago, she declared, “I’m proud to stand with Rasmea Odeh.”

#ChicagoIL #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #AntiRacism #HatemAbudayyeh #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh #MichaelDeutsch

Los Angeles, CA – Rasmea Odeh is a Palestinian American activist who is a target of repression. She was arrested on Oct. 22 by U.S. Homeland Security.

I am in full support of Rasmea and demand that the charges be dropped. Like me, she is a longtime activist in the immigrant rights movement, a community leader and a supporter of the struggle to free Palestine. She needs our backing and solidarity.

It was the solidarity of thousands of people that was important to my victory against repression following my arrest of May of 2011, and my year long struggle to stay free and active. It was the mobilizing with protests, call-in days, petitions, letters of support and packing the courtroom during the legal proceedings against me that led to our win against the state.

Each case is different but what is the same is the repressive state is using the police and courts to try to stop our struggle for Chicano or Palestinian self-determination.

We cannot let this real injustice happen to Rasmea. She has committed her life to making her community a better place. We need to stand with her.

I call on allies, supporters, organizations and activists in the immigrant rights, anti-war, labor and solidarity movements to show solidarity for Rasmea Odeh. Participate in the various activities and show your support at her Detroit court hearing on Nov. 13. Sign the petition and have your organization send a letter of support. Drop the charges now!

#LosAngelesCA #PalestineSolidarity #PoliticalPrisoners #HomelandSecurity #CarlosMontes #politicalRepression #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

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

Their attorney will present arguments for a motion to unseal the affidavits used to obtain the search warrants for their homes more than three years ago.

Jess Sundin, a plaintiff in the case, said, “The government launched its vicious attack on anti-war and international solidarity activists with two years of surveillance by undercover agents, then carried out FBI raids on a dozen homes and offices and attempted to force our testimony to a grand jury in Chicago. Every step of the way, the government acted under a cloak of secrecy and has insisted on guarding those secrets to this day. On Friday, Nov. 1, we will have our day in court, as our attorney argues for our motion to unseal the affidavits that were used to obtain the search warrants for those FBI raids.”

Bruce Nestor, attorney for the plaintiffs, writes in a document filed with the court, “Over three years ago, based upon the submission of secret evidence, the United States government convinced Magistrate Judge Susan R. Nelson to seal the search supporting affidavits at issue in this matter. Over three years after the applications and affidavits were ordered sealed, there are no public signs that the government is continuing its investigations related to these warrants or of the individuals named in the warrants. Indeed, while turning the constitutional presumption of innocence on its head by stating that the Petitioners in this matter remain subject to prosecution and therefore under ‘suspicion.’”

Nestor continues, “The government’s position in this matter also raises the question, ‘What is the prosecution trying to hide?’ [This also] … prevents undersigned counsel from effectively challenging the government’s claims.”

The hearing will take place in courtroom 3C at the United States Courthouse in Saint Paul (316 N Robert Street) at 9:00 a.m.

#SaintPaulMN #JessSundin #MickKelly #grandJury #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression

Fight Back! is circulating a speech delivered by anti war leader Jess Sundin, at the Sept 24 protest in front of the Federal Building in Minneapolis. About 100 demonstrators demanded an end to the federal investigation of anti war and international solidarity activists.

First, I want to say how much it means to me that you are all here today. It reminds me of the morning my home was raided by the FBI: When Garrett was the first friend to arrive, and then so many of you gathered outside all of our homes. There was the press conference on our lawn that afternoon – Marie, you were there; and the solidarity meeting that same night at the old Walker Church. Thank you all for standing with us that day, and every day, against political repression.

Three years ago, they busted through our front doors, armed with battering rams, search warrants and grand jury subpoenas, and they turned our lives upside-down. They treated us like terrorists, and the entire anti-war movement like some kind of criminal enterprise. The government set out to silence all of us, and to clear the way for war. Thanks to 23 grand jury resisters, and thousands of supporters, they failed. We are walking around free, speaking out against the agenda of war for empire, and standing here united against political repression.

When they raided our homes, they took books, photographs, computers, political papers, sign-up sheets – “evidence” of who we know and what we think. None of us talked to the FBI that day, but we later learned about the McCarthy-era questions they had planned to ask us. They wanted to know about the political groups we’re involved in, and the people we’ve worked with here and abroad. Who are your leaders? When are your meetings? Who takes the notes? How do you indoctrinate people? Are you now, or have you ever been…? Well, I didn’t tell them, but I’m telling you: I am now, and I have been for quite a long time been! Everything they took that day, they kept copies of, no doubt catalogued in some FBI/NSA/fusion center database. In the case of our Chicago friend, Hatem Abudayyeh, much of his property was never returned – held for evidence in this on-going investigation.

Now how many of you share my misfortune, of having met the undercover agent, the spy who called herself Karen Sullivan? I won’t say on this microphone what I call her now, but I think you can imagine. For two years, every word she ever said to me was a lie. Every word she said to you was a lie. She came to our meetings and our protests, our hospital rooms and our birthday parties. For two years, she worked full-time to destroy the Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road, and every organization or community we ever worked with. She sabotaged a solidarity trip to Palestine, and she used her key to let the FBI into the Anti-War Committee office three years ago today. The raids on our homes and office were based on her word. I have no doubt that the only case they could have against me and my friends is one that this professional liar manufactured.

From the outset, U.S. Attorneys said they were pursuing “multiple indictments of multiple people.” When prosecutor Barry Jonas was confronted by protesters in Chicago earlier this year, he said he couldn’t comment on “ongoing investigations” and that he has 8 years to bring charges in our case. Back in 2010, when I refused to testify in secret before the grand jury, I believed I might be jailed for that decision. Thanks to all of you, that didn’t happen.

But, I never imagined that I would live for three years under a cloud of suspicion, as a subject of an endlessly ongoing investigation. In its latest statement, the U.S. attorney’s office says, “there are no public criminal cases stemming from the investigation.” It seems clear enough that criminal indictments might already be there in secret, under seal, just waiting for the right political moment to bring them out. We are here today to show that the right political moment will never come. There will never be an easy time to take us. Our friends in the people’s movements will never stand by quietly while we are locked away like criminals for opposing the crimes of U.S. wars.

We have already proven that we are stronger than them, that we can prevail.

We beat the grand jury, and its McCarthyite witch hunt. Not one of us testified. And not one of us was jailed for refusing. Why? Because we stood together, and you stood behind us. It was solidarity.

And with solidarity, we beat back the attack on Carlos Montes. The FBI agents investigating us cooked up new charges related to an old COINTELPRO case against our friend, a Chicano leader and anti-war activist from Los Angeles. They wanted to put him away for years, but thanks to pressure by people like you and me, he wasn’t sentenced to a single day in prison!

Time and again, they tried to raise the specters of Joe McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, but we refused to be haunted by those old ghosts. Instead, through solidarity, we set an example of how to respond in the face of attacks: No one betrays their friends and political colleagues by testifying at a grand jury. And rather than hide in the shadows, we took the streets to say no to the attacks on us, and no to every attack on the people’s movements.

We’ve spent the last three years building unity with others fighting against repression, from anarchists, occupiers and environmentalists, to those facing terrorism charges like ours. We were here at this very courthouse when Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan were shamefully sentenced to years for sending charity home to war-torn Somalia. We rallied right here on this sidewalk for the Holy Land Five, who seek freedom from long sentences won by the same prosecutor we’re up against in our case. And we’re standing by Lynne Stewart, in her just demand for compassionate release, so that she won’t die of cancer in prison for her work defending another target of the bogus war on terror.

None of these people have done anything wrong, and neither have any of us. Was it wrong to march on the RNC against war and occupation? No! Was it wrong to travel to warzones like Palestine and Colombia, befriending those most-impacted by US policies of war? No! And to this day, is it wrong to believe in a better world – where there is no war and no want, but lasting peace built on a foundation of justice? No!

The FBI raids three years ago and the grand jury, in some ways, they changed everything. But in the ways that matter, they changed nothing. Every one of us who was targeted on September 24 has remained committed to building the people’s movements. We have not been silenced, but instead, we have used our defense campaign as a platform for speaking out against empire and all the wrong it does in this world.

All of us know more today than we did when the FBI arrived on our doorsteps. Of course, some of us learned that they’re watching us, personally. But now we also understand that the government has come to view every American as a suspect, and every activist or community leader as a target. While the government operates behind a shroud of secrecy, our right to privacy is gone. Grand juries, spying and warrantless phone and email monitoring have become standard operating procedure for the government. And the whistleblowers – from Chelsea Manning to Edward Snowden – are putting their freedom on the line, so that we can know the truth. We are witnessing a broad attack on democratic rights in this country today, and our case is part of that.

Freedom fighters are called terrorists, and war criminals receive Nobel peace prizes. We say enough is enough. We don’t want to live one more day in this upside-down Bizarro World.

For three years, we’ve stood by our activism, and insisted we’ve done nothing wrong. Today, on the three-year anniversary, and on the eve of a new war, we recommit ourselves to building the people’s movements. We defeated the grand jury, we defeated the attack on Carlos Montes, and now, we must demonstrate their complete failure in silencing activism, opposition to war, and international solidarity.

Solidarity is under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!

#MinneapolisMN #JessSundin #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 people joined a protest here, Sept. 24, at the Federal Building, to demand an end to the three year federal investigation of anti-war and international solidarity activists that began with FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas on Sept. 24, 2010.

A delegation from the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression delivered a letter, signed by academics, trade union leaders and other progressives to the U.S Attorneys office inside the federal building. The letter demanded an end to in investigation.

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office is alleging “material support for terrorism.”

Jess Sundin, a prominent anti-war leader whose home was raided by the FBI, told the crowd, “Three years ago, they busted through our front doors, armed with battering rams, search warrants and grand jury subpoenas and they turned our lives upside-down. Treating us like terrorists and the entire anti-war movement like some kind of criminal enterprise, the government set out to silence all of us and clear the way for war. Thanks to 23 grand jury resisters and thousands of supporters they failed. We are walking around free, speaking out against the agenda of war for empire and standing united against political repression.”

Sundin also stated, “I never imagined that I would live for three years under a cloud of suspicion, as a subject of an endlessly ongoing investigation. In its latest statement, the U.S. attorney’s office says, ‘there are no public criminal cases stemming from the investigation.’ It seems clear enough that criminal indictments might already be there, under seal, just waiting for the right political moment to bring them out. We are here today to show that there will never be an easy time to take us, that our friends in the people’s movements will never stand by quietly while we are locked away like criminals for opposing the crimes of U.S. wars.”

Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee stated, “While our government kills poor and working people in other countries and calls that justice, we call it terrorism. While the activist community stands up and brings home about what our government is doing to the poor and working people in other countries our government wants to call that terrorism. The government had tried to silence our movement but we did not allow that to happen. We stood up and fought back and resisted. We at the Welfare Rights Committee will continue to stand and support our sisters and brothers who were targeted by the FBI.”

#MinneapolisMN #InJusticeSystem #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #GrandJuries #PoliticalRepression

Jess Sundin, one of the raided activists, said, “In the most recent public comment, in response to a media inquiry, the U.S. attorney’s office gave a strangely-worded response: ‘there are no public criminal cases stemming from the investigation.’ Perhaps this is suggesting that there may already be criminal indictments under seal or maybe not. We and our kids need this investigation into our protected political activity and speech to be over.”

Sundin added, “Recent revelations by Edward Snowden – and the ACLU reports on fusion centers – show that there is a pervasive attitude amongst government that people are the enemy and that opposing government policies is a ‘security threat.’”

A letter with 200-plus signers will be delivered to the Minneapolis U.S. Attorney’s office urging that the U.S. Attorney publicly put an end to the investigation.

Sundin concluded, “This year, on the three-year anniversary and on the eve of a new war, we recommit ourselves to building the people’s movements. We demonstrate their complete failure in silencing activism, opposition to war and international solidarity. We will continue to do that work and to continue to build solidarity with other victims of political repression.”

#MinneapolisMN #Raids #grandJury #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression

Minneapolis, MN – With the third anniversary of the FBI raids on anti-war and international solidarity activists approaching on Sept. 24, we are reprinting the above photo of “Karen Sullivan” (right) with her associate, “Daniela Cardenas.” These agents are dangerous to progressive activists. If you see them or are in contact with them, make their presence known to others in the peace and justice movements.

Starting a few months before the protests against the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a law enforcement officer going by the name “Karen Sullivan” infiltrated the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee (AWC). She joined the AWC in April 2008 and about a year later she joined the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Her associate “Daniela Cardenas” then appeared on the scene.

Conversations between attorneys for the raided anti-war and international solidarity activists and the U.S. Attorneys Office in Chicago have confirmed that these professional liars did their best to put a criminal cast on protected political activity.

These two, along with their higher-ups, are responsible for causing the raids on the homes of anti-war and international solidarity activists in the Twin Cities and Chicago and for the wave of grand jury subpoenas – 23 in all – that were served on progressive activists. Using their lies, the government is attempting to manufacture a case alleging “material support of terrorism.” These two posed as friends and political colleagues, while working full time to destroy progressive and revolutionary organizations.

All of the activists involved refused to testify in these McCarthyite grand jury proceedings and have continued to build resistance to these attacks on civil liberties.

On Sept. 24, the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression will be holding a rally under the slogan, “Three Years Too Many! End the Investigation of Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists Now!” The rally will take place at the Minneapolis Federal Building, 300 South 4th Street, at 4:30 pm.

In a statement promoting the rally, organizers say, “Since 9/11 national security has been used to justify wars abroad and attacks on civil liberties at home. In September 2010, FBI agents raided the homes and offices of Minneapolis and Chicago peace activists, investigating them for ‘material support for terrorism.’ Demand an end to the bogus investigation and unite against the growing wave of political repression. Stand with the anti-war 23, targeted Arabs and Muslims like the Holy Land 5, jailed people’s attorney Lynne Stewart and whistleblowers Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.”

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoners #antiwar #KarenSullivan #infiltration #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #DanielaCardenas

Minneapolis, MN – On Oct. 2 through Oct. 4, the U.S. government will be put on trial for “malfeasance in Indian Country,” according to a statement released at a press conference Sept. 4. Witnesses are being subpoenaed to appear in Oneida, Wisconsin for the three-day tribunal entitled “The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights.”

After three days of testimony, a panel of judges will rule on the conduct of the U.S. around the case of Leonard Peltier in particular and about the oppression meted out by the government to Native peoples in general. Organizers are exploring, bringing the findings of the tribunal to the World Court in the Netherlands after the tribunal.

“The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights will tell our stories with a focus on the last 40 years,” said Dorothy Ninham – a former Oneida Nation judge and founder and director of Wind Chases the Sun.

Leaders from many Native struggles will be there to witness about “fishing rights, the sterilization of Indigenous women, extreme poverty, theft of tribes' natural resources, environmental issues and their impact on Indian reservations, the horrific rate of suicides among Native children, and the wrongful conviction of Leonard Peltier (specifically the events that led up to the June 26, 1975, incident at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and the effects on survivors of this period),” the organizers state.

It has been nearly 40 years since the uprising at Pine Ridge in South Dakota. Leonard Peltier, a leading member of the American Indian Movement, was unjustly convicted of killing two FBI agents in a battle that took place there. Amnesty International and many international figures have denounced Peltier’s two life sentences as a gross miscarriage of justice.

“This isn’t just about one day in Pine Ridge. It’s a culmination of everything that has been done to that led up the Indian people saying we won’t take it anymore,” said Ninham.

“We will show overall government policies that affected our people and the American Indian Movement,” said Clyde Bellecourt, of the American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council. Other speakers at the Sept. 4 press conference included Bill Means of AIM and Gina Buentostro of Wind Chases the Sun.

The Leonard Peltier International Tribunal on the Abuse of Indigenous Human Rights will take place Oct. 2 – 4, at the Radisson Hotel and Conference center near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The public is encouraged to attend to learn about the last 40 years of the fight backs in Indian Country against U.S. government repression.

#MinneapolisMN #IndigenousPeoples #humanRights #PoliticalPrisoner #AmericanIndianMovement #FBIRepression #LeonardPeltier #WindChasesTheSun

People’s attorney Lynne Stewart was accused of “material support to terrorism,” for the defense of her client, Omar Abdel-Rahman in the mid-1990s. Her ten-year sentence, itself unprecedented for an attorney acting on her client’s behalf, has become a death sentence.

Stewart has breast cancer, which had been in remission prior to her imprisonment in November 2009. The cancer has now reached Stage Four, spreading to her lymph nodes, shoulder, bones and lungs. Compassionate release from prison would allow Stewart to access the medical care that is her only hope for survival, or at least to spend her final days with loved ones.

Jess Sundin, of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, opened the meeting in Ellison’s North Minneapolis office by explaining to three staffers that Ellison’s constituents want him to take action on Lynne Stewart’s behalf. Sundin, as well as Tracy Molm of the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society and Sarah Martin from Women Against Military Madness(WAMM), joined the effort in part because they are among the anti-war and international solidarity activists targeted by FBI raids and a Chicago grand jury investigating them for similar terrorism-related charges.

The grand jury resisters were joined by Bruce Nestor, of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, Pepperwolf and Lucia Wilkes Smith of WAMM, and Eric Angell of the cable TV program, Our World In Depth.

Staff member Rebecca Lucero told the group that Congressman Ellison sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, supporting action on Lynne Stewart’s petition for compassionate release. According to her, Holder has not responded to the June 12 letter.

The group called on Ellison’s staff to go further – urging Ellison to make a public statement supporting Stewart’s release and to initiate a Dear Colleague letter for more members of congress to sign. While the office made no commitment, the activists pledged to keep the pressure on.

Supporters should continue spreading the word and making the calls to Washington, D.C., where Stewart’s husband, Ralph Poynter, is maintaining a vigil outside the White House this week. Calls should be directed to Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels at 202-307-3198, ext. 3; U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, 202-514-2001; and President Obama 202-456-1414.

#MinneapolisMN #PoliticalPrisoners #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression

New York, NY – Jess Sundin, of the Committee to Stop FBI repression, spoke on a panel at the Left Forum here, June 8. Entitled the “Targeted killings of Americans on American soil: the story of Lynne Stewart, political prisoners and all progressive struggles in America.” The panel included Ralph Poynter, husband of jailed people’s lawyer Lynn Stewart and a leader of her defense committee. Also speaking was Ricardo Jimenez and Luis Rosa, fighters for Puerto Rico’s independence who served long prison sentences, Sue Udry of the Defending Dissent Foundation, Reverend Pinkney, Pam Africa, and others.

Sundin’s speech follows:

Greetings comrades and friends. It's an honor and humbling to speak with you today, and especially to appear on such an esteemed panel – you represent some of the most important movements of our time. Many of you have been invaluable allies to myself and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Thank you for all of your work.

As Ralph [Poynter] says, the clock is ticking for our brothers and sisters, political prisoners behind bars. These men and women, freedom fighters, were targeted by a government that has no interest in justice.

We are talking about a government that is in the hands of vampires who have no shame. They built a country on stolen land, on the backs of stolen people, by exploiting the labor of working people – especially African slaves, and now super-exploited immigrant workers. They wage brutal wars to seize control of other nations' wealth, and they protect banksters and bosses who steal the jobs, homes and safety net that thousands of working people need for our survival. They pass laws to limit our rights to organize and pave the way for environmental destruction. We must bear in mind that those in power have no interest in justice. In fact, their interests run counter to justice at every turn. They thirst for profit and domination and it is no surprise that they act out against those who see that another world is possible, and who dare to fight for it.

In preparing for today, I thought back to when I first met Lynne [Stewart] and Ralph, in the summer of 2008 at an anti-war conference in Ohio. This was after her conviction for material support to terrorism and related charges, but before her sentencing. I had stars in my eyes when I met the famous people's attorney, Lynne Stewart. I was charmed by her warmth and openness, when she signed on in support of the anti-war march I was organizing at the RNC in Saint Paul the following September. At that time, I had no idea that organizing would send me down a similar path to Lynne. Undercover agents surveilled myself and other protest organizers and began to manufacture a case against us, also on charges of material support to terrorism.

In 2010, the FBI carried out coordinated raids at the homes of anti-war and international solidarity activists. When they arrived at our home at 7:00 a.m. on Sept. 24, we did not understand the scope of these events. We were focused on the battering ram poised at the door when my partner and our 6-year-old daughter opened it. It soon became clear that the government was targeting us, just as it had Lynne, as well as so many Arabs and Muslims before us, in an effort to silence dissent and clear the way for imperialist wars abroad. In all, nine homes were raided, 23 people were subpoenaed to the grand jury, and another brother, Carlos Montes, was targeted with felony charges going back to an old COINTELPRO-era case against him as a leader in the Chicano movement. We had to fight back.

We made several important decisions:

First, we refused to cooperate with the prosecution. Not one of us testified at that grand jury, even with the threat of imprisonment for refusing. We would not help the government make a case against our colleagues in the U.S., nor would we give them information that could endanger the lives and work of our comrades abroad.

Our resolve won the support of thousands, who protested, made phone calls, signed petitions, and hosted speakers around our case.

Our second important decision was to build a public campaign in defense of ourselves and our work. I was giving press interviews on my front lawn, while FBI agents carried boxes of my belongings out the front door behind me. We never apologized for our organizing; we stood by liberation movements from Palestine to Colombia, even those unjustly termed ‘terrorist’ by the U.S. government.

Our third important decision was to unite with others fighting repression, starting with other targets of the bogus ‘war on terror.’ We have worked in support of the Holy Land 5, directors of the largest Muslim charity in the U.S., targeted because they are Palestinian and stand with their people against the Zionist occupation. The men of the Holy Land 5 are currently serving sentences as long as 65 years, after the same prosecutor from our case won a conviction on material support for terrorism. Amina Ali and Hawo Hassan, Somali women from Minnesota, were just sentenced last month to 20 and 10 years, for sending a few thousand dollars to support the orphans and widows of the civil conflict in their homeland – material support for terrorism. These are just a few cases, there are hundreds, everyone of them a shameful miscarriage of justice. Defending them is a key part of our strategy to defend ourselves.

Earlier this year, our efforts to unite against repression brought me to the shadow of Carswell, the prison that holds Lynne today. There were two important rallies for Aafia Siddiqui. She is a Pakistani woman about my age, mother of three, who on Sept. 23, 2010, the day before the FBI raided my home, was sentenced to 86 years for a bogus charge of attempted murder of a U.S. soldier holding her captive in Afghanistan, five years after she had been kidnapped from the streets of Karachi.

Unless people of conscience can win her freedom, Aafia will die in Carswell. Shamefully, the same is true for Lynne Stewart, and many people at the protest for Aafia carried signs for Lynne. As I stood outside of Carswell, it struck me that I could die there too. I have significant medical problems, and would likely be imprisoned there if the government made its terrorism case against me. Truth be told, the same could happen to anyone who stands up and organizes against this criminal system run by corporate gangsters and thug politicians.

We have revealing news reports every day, like the idea that the NSA is conducting warrantless phone and Internet surveillance against all of us, all the time. You know, I had a young activist friend, just last night ask on Facebook, why should she care if the government knows who she's calling or what she's writing in her emails, because she's not doing anything wrong. Of course, I wasn't doing anything wrong either, but an undercover agent spied on me for two years, posing as a friend and comrade, recording and reporting on our conversations and meetings. We need to understand that when the powerful are not openly repressing us, they are gathering information to use to repress us later. Now we are all treated like criminals. We are all Lynne Stewart.

The latest attack on sister Assata [Shakur], like the one on Carlos Montes in our case, shows us that the enemy never forgets. Both of them are heroes. They were attacked during the COINTELPRO era for their work, but they couldn't catch them then. Now, 40 years later, the government is trying to bring back those old cases, and call them terrorists. But they are heroes.

I want to close by urging everyone here to take real action to win freedom for Lynne Stewart, Mumia Abu Jamal, Oscar Lopez Rivera, and all political prisoners. I'll begin with my own pledge: The CSFR will stand with you. We've won real victories in our case – no one was jailed for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury, and Carlos Montes beat back charges that could have landed him 18 years, to resolve his case with not one day in jail. It's time for more victories, bigger victories. Let's bring Lynne home.

#NewYorkNY #PoliticalPrisoners #JessSundin #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #LynneStewart #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #HolyLand5 #NationalSecurityAgency

Minneapolis, MN – About 25 protesters gathered in front of the Hennepin County government building here, June 11, to protest the massive National Security Agency spying program and to support whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Misty Rowan, of the Anti-War Committee stated, “Well you know what? Our Fourth Amendment rights are a matter of national security Mr. President. I don't feel safe in a country where the government is monitoring everything I say and do. I refuse to accept this as the new terms and conditions of living in a nation that's been 'terrified' for the last 12 years. Enough is enough!”

Rowan continued, “In the AWC we've known about the ugly turn this war on terror has taken for a few years now. In 2010, the FBI raided our office and the homes of several of our members and others across the country, calling them to a grand jury in Chicago under investigation of material support for terrorism – just because we organize to end this war based on lies, and carried out against the will of the American people.

“The Occupy Wall Street movement also learned of the conduct of these agencies and became familiar with the snitches, infiltrators, wire tapping and raids. But this goes beyond the regular repression of political movements. What we are talking about is every single person, every single phone number, every transaction. It's as if the entire country, in fact the world, is under investigation by the U.S. government. People, you need to realize that this isn't about terrorists anymore. This is about you. How your government is treating you – supposedly for your own good.”

#MinneapolisMN #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #NationalSecurityAgency #EdwardSnowden