Minneapolis, MN – About 100 protesters came together outside U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's office here, Dec. 2, in response to news that three Twin Cities anti-war and social justice activists will be getting new orders to appear before a federal Grand Jury in Chicago, Illinois. The orders to appear carry the possibility of the activists facing jail time for contempt if they refuse to participate in the politically-motivated Grand Jury proceedings. Those Grand Jury proceedings could put them and their political allies throughout the United States and in other countries at risk of further governmental harassment and violence.

This protest is one of many happening this week, which the Committee to Stop FBI Repression has designated as a week of action in solidarity with the targeted social justice activists.

Speaking to the crowd, Deb Konechne of the Minnesota Committee Against FBI Repression reported on a meeting held with Klobuchar’s staff before the protest: “We went to Senator Klobuchar’s office to demand that she pressure President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Holder to stop the witch hunt against anti-war activists and they are refusing to do anything. We are going to turn up the heat.”

The three activists who will be receiving new orders to appear before the grand jury in Chicago are Sarah Martin, a member of Women Against Military Madness, Tracy Molm, an organizer with Students for a Democratic Society and Anh Pham, an anti-war and immigrants’ rights activist.

Those three are among 14 people who received subpoenas in September during FBI raids on homes and offices in several cities, mostly in the Midwest.

All those who received subpoenas in September stated that they would plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify. The original subpoenas were put on hold after the activists refused to cooperate with the witch hunt, but the federal attorney running the investigation is now saying that Martin, Molm and Pham will have to appear in front of the grand jury. The FBI claimed the raids and subpoenas are part of an investigation into groups allegedly providing “material support to terrorists.”

“The use of these subpoenas represents a new stage of the FBI campaign of interference and harassment against the anti-war movement. This investigation is a direct threat against civil liberties and can only take away our right to speak out against U.S. wars and interventions around the world,” said Steff Yorek.

Mick Kelly noted, “The FBI and Grand Jury investigation of anti-war activists is a major threat to anyone who opposes the policies of the U.S. government.”

#MinneapolisMN #FBI #SenatorKlobuchar #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #AnhPham #SarahMartin #TracyMolm

Activists in cities across the U.S. are planning for events and protests during the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 3 to stop the Grand Jury witch hunt against anti-war and international solidarity organizers.

Events will take place in Chicago, Illinois; Mankato, Minnesota; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Vancouver, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New York, New York; San Jose, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dallas, Texas and other cities.

A statement from the Committee to Stop FBI repression says, “We are calling for a week of action to stop the FBI and Grand Jury repression for the week of Nov. 29 – Dec. 3. We are urging activists to focus on U.S. Congress people, demanding that they take action to stop the Grand Jury. Go to their congressional offices, or if that is not practical, to your Federal Building.”

The statement continues, “Three activists from the Twin Cities – Tracy Molm, Sarah Martin and Anh Pham – are being called back before the Grand Jury in Chicago and we need to build a movement to defend these activists and the others who have been targeted by the FBI.”

On Sept. 24 the FBI raided the homes of activists connected with the Palestine Solidarity Group, Students for a Democratic Society, the Twin-Cities Anti-War Committee, the Colombia Action Network, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera (a Colombian political prisoner) and other organizations.

Subpoenas to appear in front of a Chicago-based grand jury were served on anti-war organizers in Minneapolis, Chicago and Michigan. Everyone who received a grand jury exercised their Fifth Amendment rights and did not appear on the dates they were scheduled for in October. Observers say it is likely that the government will try to put Tracy Molm, Sarah Martin and Anh Pham in jail if they do not testify against their fellow organizers and friends.

#UnitedStates #FBI #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #AnhPham #SarahMartin #TracyMolm

Minneapolis, MN – About 40 people gathered at the Federal Building here, Nov. 18 for a press conference and picket in response to moves by Illinois U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to bring three Twin Cites anti-war and international solidarity activists – Tracy Molm, Anh Pham and Sarah Martin – before a grand jury.

During and after the Sept. 24 FBI raids, subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury were handed to 14 activists in Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan. All of them then submitted legal documents invoking their Fifth Amendment rights and did not appear before the Grand Jury.

Now the three of the 14 are being told that they will have to appear in front of the Grand Jury.

Speaking at the press conference, Tracy Molm, a union organizer for AFSCME Local 3800 and anti-war activist said, “I will continue to speak out against war and injustice. I will not be intimidated by FBI raids or the threat posed by the grand jury.”

Marie Braun of Women Against Military Madness and the Twin Cities Peace Campaign told the crowd, “I have worked with Sarah Martin in WAMM for many years and she is a close personal friend.” She also stated, “I have also worked with Tracy and Anh in the Iraq Peace Action Coalition and other coalitions to organize non-violent anti-war protests, rallies, protests at the Republican National Convention, educational events to speak out against sanctions, torture, pre-emptive war polices, the atrocities of wars and many other issues. They too are my friends and I am appalled that they are being subpoenaed to appear in front of a grand jury.”

Jess Sundin, one of the main organizers of the 30,000 person march on the Republican National Convention, stated, “If our friends choose not to testify, they could be imprisoned. It could be for months or even years, like in the case of Professor Abdelhaleem Ashqar, who faced the same prosecutor we face and who was investigated of violating the same law we are confronting. Before he was acquitted of the charges against him, Dr. Ashqar was sentenced to criminal contempt for refusing to testify before Fitzgerald’s grand jury in Chicago. The punitive sentence against him was more than 11 years. Again, he was acquitted of the crimes the grand jury was investigating.”

Sundin concluded, “This is a frightening tale, but it shows how very important our work is. We have to make it politically untenable for these three women to be imprisoned. Fitzgerald has political aspirations; he hopes to be the next head of the FBI. That’s a White House appointment, open next year. We’ve got to build a movement to stand behind Sarah, Anh and Tracy, a movement so big, broad and loud, that it cannot be ignored. A movement so strong, that Fitzgerald won’t do to them what he did to Dr. Ashqar.”

#MinneapolisMN #September24FBIRaids #grandJury #AnhPham #SarahMartin #TracyMolm #PatrickFitzgerald #AbdelhaleemAshqar

This is a continuation of a campaign of federal intimidation of anti-war, labor and international solidarity activists that started on September 24 with raids on homes and offices in Minneapolis and Chicago and FBI visits to activists in other cities.

During the September 24 raids, the FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to 14 activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. All of them submitted legal documents invoking their Fifth Amendment rights and did not appear before the Grand Jury.

Now, Tracy Molm, Anh Pham, and Sarah Martin are being told that they will have to appear in front of the Grand Jury.

“Saying these three activists should appear in front of a Grand Jury represents a dangerous escalation of the government interference and repression against the anti-war movement. This is a scare tactic to dampen the right to speak out against U.S. wars and interventions around the world,” said Jess Sundin of the Anti -War Committee.

“The FBI campaign against anti-war activists is a major threat to anyone who questions U.S. policies around the world. Many of those who had been targeted in these raids are long-time peace, labor and social justice activists,” said Mick Kelly of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #FBI #September24FBIRaids #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #grandJury #AnhPham #SarahMartin #TracyMolm