FBI raids in Minneapolis, elsewhere

[manic expression]

Does anyone else have information on this?

http://www.startribune.com/local/103716104.html?elr=KArksDyycyUtyycyUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU U


The homes of six Twin Cities activists, including three prominent leaders of the Twin Cities antiwar movement, were raided Friday by the FBI in what an agency spokesman described as an "investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism."

An FBI spokesman Steve Warfield confirmed that six Minneapolis homes were raided this morning.

Among the homes raided were the apartments of Jessica Sundin, who was a principal leader of the mass antiwar march of 10,000 on the opening day of the Republican National Convention two years ago, and Mick Kelly, who was prominent in that protest and among those who announced plans to march on the Democratic National Convention in Minneapolis, if the city is selected to host it in 2012. Neither has been arrested.
http://twincities.indymedia.org/2010/sep/breaking-news-three-houses-minneapolis-raided-other-houses-michigan-nc-chicago-targeted


On Friday morning, three houses in the Minneapolis area are believed to have been raided by SWAT Teams. While we have few details right now, the F.B.I. appears to be targeting people associated with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (http://www.frso.org/index.htm). Besides the raids in Minneapolis, houses in Michigan, North Carolina and Chicago were also targeted.

Raids occurred at 1823 Riverside, above the Hard Times Cafe, and the 2900 block of Park Ave. One other raid is reported, as well. Outside Hard Times Cafe, three unmarked black SUVs (one with an Illinois license plate) sat in the parking area as of 10am, when a lawyer observed 8 FBI agents sitting in the residence examining materials. Otherwise the scene was calm.

Agents had broken in the door there at 7am Friday morning, breaking an aquarium in the process.

The Federal search warrants appear to be focusing on seizing electronic devices, international travel, and allegeing "co-conspirators." They do not authorize arrests.

[Red Commissar]

All I can provide are some other articles that expand a bit more:

http://www.mndaily.com/2010/09/24/fbi-raids-student%E2%80%99s-employees%E2%80%99-homes

The FBI raided six Twin Cities addresses on Friday morning, including the homes of at least one student and two University of Minnesota employees.

The houses of Tracy Molm, a University student, Mick Kelly, a University Dining Service Chef and Jessica Sundin, a clerical worker in the physiology department were the subjects of early-morning raids.

Molm is an active member of protest group Students for a Democratic Society.

“We did six federal search warrants in the city of Minneapolis,” FBI spokesman Steve Warfield said.

“They are seeking evidence related to an ongoing joint terrorism task force investigation. It concerns the material support of terrorism. There’s no imminent threat to the community, and no arrests are planned.”

Warfield said two other addresses were raided in Chicago, and that related interviews were taking place “throughout the country.”

Sundin, who lives with her partner, Steff Yorek, and their daughter, said that the FBI arrived at around seven a.m. Friday, and stayed for roughly four hours. She said they took boxes filled with papers, money, pictures, computers, her cell phone, and “some of my awesome music CDs.”
Sundin said the search warrant was connected to her work with the Anti-War Committee and a trip she took to Colombia in 2000.

“I don't know what they're looking for,” Sundin said. “But I do know that I've been an outspoken activist for peace and justice, opposing U.S. government intervention in other countries, including Colombia, which was one of the places listed on the warrant.”

Sundin is currently on medical leave from the University.

Kelly has a history of incidents involving protest activities. In the fall of 2008 he threatened to sue the city of St. Paul after he was injured by a police projectile while protesting the Republican National Convention.

In February 2009, Kelly settled with the city of St. Paul regarding a separate incident, in which he was arrested while handing out fliers at a 2008 Barack Obama rally.

Kelly also edits FightBack!News. On its website, the organization states, “the writers and staff of FightBack! are activists and organizers – in the trade unions, low-income community, oppressed nationality movements, on the campuses, and in other people's movements.”

Also raided on Friday morning, according to the Star Tribune, was Meredith Aby, another local anti-war activist.

Warfield could not comment on the content of the search warrants, and would not speculate on what result might come of Friday's raids.
Another article hinted at they were also looking for people who had traveled to Latin America or the Middle-East in the past.

[KC]

Just read an article on kasama. Talked to some mn socialist alternative members who are standing in solidarity with them.

[Soviet dude]

Please spread the word as far and wide as possible.

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/9/24/activists-denounce-fbi-raids-anti-war-and-solidarity-activists-homes

Activists Denounce FBI Raids on Anti-war and Solidarity Activists Homes

Subpoenas, Searches, and FBI visits carried out in cities across the country
By Staff |
September 24, 2010
Read more articles in People's Struggles (http://www.fightbacknews.org/news/peoples-struggles)

We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists in several states across the country. The FBI began turning over six houses in Chicago and Minneapolis this morning, Friday, September 24, 2010, at 8:00 am central time. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to about a dozen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. They also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.

"The government hopes to use a grand jury to frame up activists. The goal of these raids is to harass and try to intimidate the movement against U.S. wars and occupations, and those who oppose U.S. support for repressive regimes," said Colombia solidarity activist Tom Burke, one of those handed a subpoena by the FBI. "They are designed to suppress dissent and free speech, to divide the peace movement, and to pave the way for more U.S. military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America."

This suppression of democratic rights is aimed towards those who dedicate much of their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The activists are involved with well-known anti-war groups including many of the leaders of the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. The FBI agents emphasized that the grand jury was going to investigate the activists for possible terrorism charges. This is a U.S. government attempt to silence those who support resistance to oppression in the Middle East and Latin America.

The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including: 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).

Steff Yorek, a long-time antiwar activist and one of the activists whose homes was searched, called the raids “An outrageous fishing expedition.”

We urge all progressive activists to show solidarity with those individuals targeted by the U.S. Government. Activists have the right not to speak with the FBI and are encouraged to politely refuse, just say “No”.

Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] if you would like to provide support to the targeted activists.

[syndicat]

Twin Cities IWW branch also put out a call for people to stand in solidarity with them.

[RED DAVE]

The Democratic Party-led adminstration is showing it's tough on terrorism prior to the election. It's a long way to 2012, comrades.

RED DAVE

[KC]

I just got a bunch of info emailed to me. Will post tonight when I get home.

[KC]

FBI agents called two sds members/frso supporters here in Milwaukee. Will update more when I'm not on my iPhone.

[Communist]

The Democratic Party-led adminstration is showing it's tough on terrorism prior to the election. It's a long way to 2012, comrades.
Indeed, this horror is happening more now than it did under the last administration. I'm not holding my breath, but I hope all the socialists who were overjoyed at the Obama victory will once and for all admit their grave error, even if it flies in the face of various interpretations of the National Question. There aren't any imperialist politicians to be celebrated or approved of by socialists. (Sounds basic, I know, but look around...)
Although, the irony is quite notable.

.

[Saorsa]

Hopefully this serves as a warning to any of the idiots on this forum who like to start threads like "hey guys do the FARC accept foreign volunteers?"

Solidarity with the people targeted. We'll beat these bastards in the end.

[Rakhmetov]

Fuck the police !!!

[Red Commissar]

Fuck the police !!!

Bravo for that original commentary.

[KC]

Here's what I have:


For Immediate Release

24 September 2010

Press Conference to Denounce FBI Raids on Anti-war and Solidarity Activists Homes in Minneapolis and around Country

Subpoenas, Searches, and FBI visits carried out in cities across the country.

Press Conference: September 24, 2010 4 pm

Location: 2911 Park Ave South, Minneapolis, MN

Anti-war activists and supporters will gather at 4pm at one of the homes raided to speak out against the outrageous FBI raids that took place this morning in Minneapolis and around the U.S.

Activists will denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists in several states across the country. The FBI began turning over six houses in Chicago and Minneapolis this morning, Friday, October 24, 2010, at 7:00 am central time. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to about a dozen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. They also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.

“This is a blatant attempt by the FBI to silence activists who struggle for peace and justice. Standing in solidarity with people fighting against US imperialism is not a crime!” stated Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee, one of the activist’s whose home was raided.

"The government hopes to use a grand jury to frame up activists. The goal of these raids is to harass and try to intimidate the movement against U.S. wars and occupations, and those who oppose U.S. support for repressive regimes," said Colombia solidarity activist Tom Burke, one of those handed a subpoena by the FBI in Michigan. "They are designed to suppress dissent and free speech, to divide the peace movement, and to pave the way for more U.S. military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America."

This suppression of democratic rights is aimed towards those who dedicate much of their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The activists are involved with well-known anti-war groups including many of the leaders of the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. The FBI agents emphasized that the grand jury was going to investigate the activists for possible terrorism charges. This is a U.S. government attempt to silence those who support resistance to oppression in the Middle East and Latin America.

Press Conference is organized by the Anti-War Committee, and supporting organizations WAMM, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Welfare Rights Committee.

Press Contacts:

Jess Sundin, 612-865-8234; Mick Kelly 612-296-5649; Deb Konechne 612-816-4321

For more info, call us at 612.379.3899

Check out our website at http://www.antiwarcommittee.org

CLICK BELOW TO DONATE
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=10676674



FBI launching mass raids of antiwar activists’ homes

Insists raids are related to 'material support for terrorism'

by Jason Ditz
antiwar.com
9/24/10

The FBI is confirming that this morning they began a number of “raids” against the homes of antiwar activists, claiming that they are “seeking evidence relating to activities concerning the material support of terrorism.”


So far there do not appear to have been any arrests related to the raids nor, according to FBI spokesman Steve Warfield, are there any expected. He also insisted that there was “no imminent threat” related to the antiwar organization targeted.


The warrant against antiwar activist Mick Kelly’s home cited efforts to look into his ability to “pay for his own travel” to Palestine and Colombia and appeared to have been little more than a fishing expedition looking for possible links to “foreign terrorist organizations including but not limited to FARC, PFLP, and Hezbollah.” Kelly insists that the raids were about harassing antiwar organizers.


Officials said they were related to a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. The JTTF in Minneapolis has a long history of heavy-handed investigations against protest groups, including an attempt in 2008 to infiltrate a vegan potluck.


Most of the raids were conducted in Minneapolis and were related to antiwar leaders in that city. Other raids were also reported in Chicago, Michigan, and North Carolina. Many of the homes targeted were related to the “Freedom Road Socialist Organization” (FRSO) but it is not at all clear if they are the only organization being targeted.


The FRSO in question (one of two groups which split in 1999 and both use the name) describes itself as a Marxist-Leninist group and is related to Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).


http://news.antiwar.com/2010/09/24/fbi-launching-mass-raids-of-antiwar-activists-homes/

From an SA list:


Update:
Several of us were at [names redacted]'s for a while this morning. Raid is still proceeding.
There are five houses in Minneapolis being raided [names redacted].

Also, there are houses in Chicago and Michigan begin raided in the same grand jury investigation. The warrent [names redacted] had read to her specifically said they were investigating the AWC relations with FARC in Columbia and the Peoples Front for the Liberation of Palestine (I think I got that name right???).

The other big context for this is that Obama meets with Columbian president Santos today to discuss coordinating repression of the FARC. Yesterday, a major leader of the FARC was assassinated and Obama's media people praised the killing.

Internationally coordinated repression to be timed for maximum PR effects for these two heads of state. Really fucked up.

Anyways, I think that this could possibly be more than simple harassment. I'm wondering if this goes deeper than that. With the way the economy is, and the current volatile political scene where both parties are starting to lose legitimacy, I'm wondering if this is the start of the state's attempt to crack down on extremist/revolutionary groups and individuals before the political situation develops to such an extent where such repression would create martyrs.

I don't know what's happening with the members here that had the FBI call them because they lawyered up. I heard something about "material support for terrorism" but I don't know if the state has brought charges or if that was just the pretext for the raids/harassment. Will update as new info comes in.

[KC]

Just checked my other email address. MKE SDS released this:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Milwaukee SDS Condemns FBI Repression

September 24th, 2010 - This morning, several doors were broken down at homes of well known anti-war activists across the country in a large FBI raid. SWAT teams raided the home of a Minneapolis SDS leader, and the FBI has been intimidating SDS members in Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles, and North Carolina. The FBI is looking for evidence linking activists to "material support of terrorism.” Several activists have had papers, CDs, and cell phones stolen among other items; as well as being issued subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury.

No arrests have been made – make no mistake, this is a fishing expedition by the FBI. The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation.

Grace Kelley, an SDS leader from the University of Minnesota, said “SDS at the U of M condemns the terror tactics used by the FBI to silence activists who organize against wars and for peace here in Minneapolis as well as across the nation.”

We urge all progressive activists to show solidarity with those individuals targeted by the U.S. Government. Activists have the right not to speak with the FBI and are encouraged to politely refuse - just say “No”.

Milwaukee SDS opposes U.S. support for the occupations of Palestine, Colombia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We ask for your support in standing against this absurd government intimidation of anti-war activists. SDS will not be intimidated as we continue to call for an immediate end to the U.S. occupations!

For more information contact; Kas Schwerdtfeger, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee SDS: 262.893.2806

http://www.startribune.com/galleries/103733819.html?elr=KArks8Lcac_QE77DyPDiUeLcac_jE77 DyPDiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr

http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/9/24/activists-denounce-fbi-raids-anti-war-and-solidarity-activists-homes
--
Milwaukee Students for a Democratic Society

http://www.SDSMKE.com (http://www.sdsmke.com/)

Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5697986836&ref=ts

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sdsmke

All of these were publicly released aside from the SA email, in which I have redacted names. I also think this might have to do with FRSO meeting with Ahmedinejad.

[Soviet dude]

Video of the FBI raiding the editor of Fight Back!'s stuff:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TzVXIfdLJk

[RedScare]

Got this from the SDS group on Facebook:


http://twincities.indymedia.org/2010/sep/breaking-news-three-houses-minneapolis-raided-other-houses-michigan-nc-chicago-targeted

http://www.startribune.com/local/103716104.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O%3ADW3ck UiD3aPc%3A_Yyc%3AaU1yDEmP%3AQMDCinchO7DU

Hi everybody, it's been a crazy morning here. Wouldn't ya know that the FBI decided to stop into town, and brought the SWAT team with them. They've been kicking down a few doors around the city, and around the country including University of MN SDS member Tracy Molm. The FBI are apparently looking for evidence linking activists to "material support of terrorism" specifically liberation struggles in Colombia and Palestine. Several activists have had papers, CDs, and cell phones stolen among other items; as well as being issued subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury.

PLEASE ORGANIZE ANY ACTIONS IN YOUR CITY THAT YOU CAN TO CONDEMN THESE INJUSTICES.

These raids are just an ongoing policy of criminalizing dissent against anyone who is willing to resist this government of occupation. We have seen these types of acts before. In Minneapolis alone we have witnessed the arrests of activists organizing against the 2008 Republican National Convention, who were charged with "conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism." Three of whom recently had their charges dropped, proving that the FBI's Joint Terrorism Taskforce had brought these charges with the intent of silencing activists. We have also recently seen a similar case against Scott DeMuth, who was charged with violating the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) and subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury. Scott refused to testify before the heinous system of injustice, and his alleged crimes were later proved to be unsubstantiated. This case is no different, and we can desperately use your support. Please organize any actions you can in your city to protest this McCarthyesque witch hunt against activists. A national response could prove extremely powerful to shed light on these injustices.

In love and solidarity,

I cut out the name.

[Soviet dude]

AP covering the FBI's terrorism.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqOR09wHcq7ZB-Bdb4D5ZIZUY5bAD9IEIGOO2

[The Vegan Marxist]

Fucking christ! I just got back from work to find out the group I'm with is being targeted by the Feds. But thanks Soviet Dude for spreading info & thanks to all showing solidarity. We'll [FRSO] will try & keep as many people updated as possible.

[Soviet dude]

Mick Kelly talks about FBI raids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VihZt58Il-Y&feature=player_embedded

[Soviet dude]

ANSWER Coalition on board opposing FBI terrorism:

http://www.answercoalition.org/national/news/stand-with-anti-war-activists.html

[Saorsa]

We may be organising a solidarity picket of the US embassy here in NZ. This is fucked up and when a group like the FRSO is under attack from the state, we need to unite in defence of them whether we have disagreements with them or not.

[The Vegan Marxist]

We may be organising a solidarity picket of the US embassy here in NZ. This is fucked up and when a group like the FRSO is under attack from the state, we need to unite in defence of them whether we have disagreements with them or not.

We'll be happy to see this, Comrade. Best of luck over there & salutes!

[Who?]

What the fuck? It's like a throw back to the days of COINTELPRO.

[Lenin II]

"Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] if you would like to provide support to the targeted activists."

From the International Action Center:


Activists Denounce FBI Raids on Anti-war and Solidarity Activists Homes

Subpoenas, Searches, and FBI visits carried out in cities across the country.

We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists in several states across the country. The FBI began turning over six houses in Chicago and Minneapolis this morning, Friday, October 24, 2010, at 8:00 am central time. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to about a dozen activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. They also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.

"The government hopes to use a grand jury to frame up activists. The goal of these raids is to harass and try to intimidate the movement against U.S. wars and occupations, and those who oppose U.S. support for repressive regimes," said Colombia solidarity activist Tom Burke, one of those handed a subpoena by the FBI. "They are designed to suppress dissent and free speech, to divide the peace movement, and to pave the way for more U.S. military intervention in the Middle East and Latin America."

This suppression of democratic rights is aimed towards those who dedicate much of their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The activists are involved with well-known anti-war groups including many of the leaders of the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. The FBI agents emphasized that the grand jury was going to investigate the activists for possible terrorism charges. This is a U.S. government attempt to silence those who support resistance to oppression in the Middle East and Latin America.

The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including: 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).

Steff Yorek, a long-time antiwar activist and one of the activists whose homes was searched, called the raids “An outrageous fishing expedition.”

We urge all progressive activists to show solidarity with those individuals targeted by the U.S. Government. Activists have the right not to speak with the FBI and are encouraged to politely refuse, just say “No”.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gqOR09wHcq7ZB-Bdb4D5ZIZUY5bAD9IEH70G0

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/24/fbi.searches/

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68N4DD20100924

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
http://www.answercoalition.org/
[email protected]
National Office in Washington DC: 202-265-1948
Boston: 857-334-5084
New York City: 212-694-8720
Los Angeles: 213-251-1025
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
Chicago: 773-463-0311

MN Press Contacts:

Jess Sundin, 612-865-8234
Mick Kelly 612-296-5649
Deb Konechne 612-816-4321

[Weezer]

This is outrageous. I just started my SDS chapter last week. At least we'll have something to talk about next meeting...

[Red Commissar]

Indymedia has posted a copy of one of the warrants-

http://tc.indymedia.org/files/kelly-warrant-92210.pdf

[Barry Lyndon]

Chicago Tribune article on raids. I personally know the activist by the name of Hatem:

FBI raids anti-war activists' homes

Agents looking for links to terrorists, federal spokesman says

11:04 p.m. CDT, September 24, 2010

Federal agents searched homes of anti-war activists in Chicago (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/cook-county/chicago-PLGEO0100100501250000.topic) and Minneapolis on Friday in an investigation of possible links with terrorist organizations in the Middle East and South America.

About 20 FBI (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/crime-law-justice/crimes/fbi-ORGOV000008.topic) agents spent most of the day searching the Logan Square residence of activists Stephanie Weiner and Joseph Iosbaker, Weiner said.

In Jefferson Park (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/cook-county/chicago/jefferson-park-PLGEO100100501254500.topic), neighbors saw FBI agents carrying boxes from the apartment of community activist Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American Action Network. In addition, Chicago activist Thomas Burke said he was served a grand jury subpoena that requested records of any payments to Abudayyeh or his group.

"The warrants are seeking evidence in support of an ongoing Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism," said Steve Warfield, spokesman for the FBI in Minneapolis, where six additional homes were searched Friday.

Warfield said no arrests had been made and that there was no "imminent danger" to the public.

Ross Rice, an FBI spokesman in Chicago, gave the two Chicago blocks where agents had searched homes Friday, but he declined to name the targets.

Melinda Power, an attorney for Weiner and Iosbaker and a longtime friend, said agents took about 30 boxes of papers dating to the 1970s, including a postcard from an old girlfriend of Iosbaker's.

"They said they would determine what was evidence later," Power said.

Weiner, who said she and her husband for years have been active in labor causes and the anti-war movement, complained the search was an attempt to intimidate her and other activists.

"We aren't doing anything differently than we have in 20 years," said Weiner, a teacher at Wilbur Wright College. Iosbaker is a staff member at the University of Illinois at Chicago (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-illinois-at-chicago-OREDU0000154.topic) and a union steward for Service Employees International Union (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/mchenry-county/union-%28mchenry-illinois%29-PLGEO1001005012710000.topic) Local 73.

Burke said he received a grand jury subpoena requesting records of payments to Abudayyeh's organization as well as two groups among the State Department (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/government/u.s.-department-of-state-ORGOV000000150.topic)'s list of foreign terrorist organizations, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/intl/palestine-PLGEOREG000001.topic) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/intl/colombia-PLGEO00000134.topic) (FARC).

The subpoena also requested "items relating to trips to Colombia, Jordan, Syria, the Palestinian territories of Israel." Burke said he toured Colombia eight years ago with members of an oil workers union there.

Burke, a former school custodian-turned-stay-at-home father, belongs to the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a group mentioned in subpoenas and search warrants issued Friday to activists in Minneapolis.

Burke said he knows Weiner, Iosbaker and Abudayyeh from years of involvement in demonstrations and activities in Chicago. Most of the people whose homes were searched or who were issued subpoenas attended anti-war rallies at the 2008 Republican National Convention (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/elections/republican-national-convention-%282008%29-EVHST000036.topic) in St. Paul, Minn., he said.

In a statement issued on behalf of the activists, Minneapolis (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/minnesota/hennepin-county/minneapolis-PLGEO100101002091260.topic) activist Steff Yorek said the homes of a number of anti-war, socialist or pro-Palestinian groups had been searched by the FBI.

Yorek, whose home was also searched Friday, called the searches "an outrageous fishing expedition."

"Activists have the right not to speak with the FBI and are encouraged to politely refuse," she said.

Several of those targeted with warrants or subpoenas are also occasional contributors to Fight Back!, a socialist newsletter that is generally supportive of leftist groups and critical of U.S. "wars of occupation" in Iraq and Afghanistan, Burke said.

"We pretty much all know each other," Burke said. "We barely have money to publish our magazine. We might write about (revolutionary groups) favorably, but as for giving them material aid, nothing."

Weiner and Iosbaker were also subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago on Oct. 5, Power said.

Not long after the FBI agents left, a group of about 20 demonstrators gathered outside the couple's home, carrying signs and singing "Give Peace a Chance."

Sarah Simmons, 51, held a piece of paper printed with a peace sign. She said she had known the couple for 15 years. "I think this is outrageous," she said.

[Barry Lyndon]

The US Empire attacks the Palestinian, Colombian, Afghan, and Iraqi people as one. It targets those within the United States who fight for their liberation as one. All comrades in the U.S. must fight these fascist pigs as one.

El Pueblo Unido, Jamas sera Vencido!!!!!!

[A Revolutionary Tool]

So Comrade A was selling those T-Shirts where the money goes straight to the PFLP right? Would that be considered giving material aid to "terrorists"?

[The Vegan Marxist]

So Comrade A was selling those T-Shirts where the money goes straight to the PFLP right? Would that be considered giving material aid to "terrorists"?

New Zealand comrades have already been attacked by government officials a couple years back I believe so. At least from what I've been told. Members were raided & charged for "terrorism" as we see going on here in the States.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

New Zealand comrades have already been attacked by government officials a couple years back I believe so. At least from what I've been told. Members were raided & charged for charges on "terrorism" as we see going on here in the States.
Yeah so if we buy one of them would we be liable to get raided like these folks?

[The Vegan Marxist]

Yeah so if we buy one of them would we be liable to get raided like these folks?

It's possible, yes. Comrade A's even mentioned this before, asking for people to be cautious about where you're from when purchasing such. Though, I'm part of the FRSO anyways, so already being targeted, but for yourself, I'd be cautious about it.

[Martin Blank]

It's possible, yes. Comrade A's even mentioned this before, asking for people to be cautious about where you're from when purchasing such. Though, I'm part of the FRSO anyways, so already being targeted, but for yourself, I'd be cautious about it.

First they came for the FRSO,...

Since we heard about this yesterday, our Party has been busy letting people know what was going on -- not just our members and such, but anyone we come across. This is a direct attack on the radical left, and even though we disagree with FRSO's view of anti-imperialism, we have already sent a message to comrades Kelly, Sundin and other FRSO members in Minneapolis saying that they have our support and we stand ready to help them with anything they need. Given the extent of the raids, this also goes for any member of any of the organizations mentioned in the warrants.

TVM, I don't know how close you are to Greensboro, but if you and your comrades need an assist, let me know and I'll get in touch with our Party organization there.

[The Vegan Marxist]

First they came for the FRSO,...

Since we heard about this yesterday, our Party has been busy letting people know what was going on -- not just our members and such, but anyone we come across. This is a direct attack on the radical left, and even though we disagree with FRSO's view of anti-imperialism, we have already sent a message to comrades Kelly, Sundin and other FRSO members in Minneapolis saying that they have our support and we stand ready to help them with anything they need. Given the extent of the raids, this also goes for any member of any of the organizations mentioned in the warrants.

TVM, I don't know how close you are to Greensboro, but if you and your comrades need an assist, let me know and I'll get in touch with our Party organization there.

Thank you comrade. I'll make sure our representative gains word of this & if need be, we'll definitely contact you.

[Delenda Carthago]

The homes of six Twin Cities activists, including three prominent leaders of the Twin Cities antiwar movement, were raided Friday by the FBI in what an agency spokesman described as an "investigation into activities concerning the material support of terrorism."

What terrorism?There is no "terrorism" in the US.Except the obvious one...

[Delenda Carthago]

The US Empire attacks the Palestinian, Colombian, Afghan, and Iraqi people as one. It targets those within the United States who fight for their liberation as one. All comrades in the U.S. must fight these fascist pigs as one.

El Pueblo Unido, Jamas sera Vencido!!!!!!
USA is not an empire.

[SocialismOrBarbarism]

I just learned about this from wsws:


The political nature of the raids was barely concealed. The warrant to raid Kelly’s home specifically cited his membership in a group calling itself socialist, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). Signed by US Magistrate Judge Susan Nelson at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, it allowed the FBI to take “documents, files, books, photographs, videos, souvenirs, war relics, notebooks, address books, diaries, journals, maps, or other evidence, including evidence in electronic form relating to Kelly’s travels to and from and presence and activities in Minnesota and other foreign countries, to which Kelly has traveled as part of his work for FRSO,” according to an attorney representing Kelly.
...
Attorney Ted Dooley examined the search warrant used in the raid on Kelly’s apartment. “It’s a probe into the political beliefs of American citizens and to any organization anywhere that opposes the American imperial design,” he commented.
Also targeted in the raid of his apartment, according to Dooley, are all of “Kelly’s personal contacts in the United States and abroad, which means absolutely everybody that Kelly’s ever been in contact with, anywhere. I’d say it’s kind of unconstitutional and hideous, myself. It’s very broad. It’s disgusting.”

...
“I’m really profoundly troubled by [the raids],” attorney Bruce Nestor told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Overwhelmingly they’re people who are doing public political organizing, so I think it’s shocking to have heavily armed federal agents show up at their homes.”
The federal law prohibiting “material support of terrorism” was established in 1996 and “has been interpreted so broadly to really endanger the rights of US citizens to oppose the military and foreign policies of the United States,” Nestor added. “This is a direct attack on people who are strong, dedicated advocates of freedom, of the right of people to be free from US domination. It is an attack upon anybody who organizes against US imperialism and US militarism abroad.”

Scary stuff, but it's encouraging how quickly leftists have come out against it.

[Lenin II]

Activists should watch their back and prepare - the shit's really about to hit the fan between the Tea Klux Klan, SB1070, political assassination (the Nicaraguan diplomat killed in Harlem), growing racism and now state repression of dissidents.

We have the perfect storm here - a dying empire engaged in losing two imperialist wars and a melting economy that's about to be second banana in the world. Time for reaction and fascism to come out of the woodwork.

[KurtFF8]

XyG3dIUGQvQ

[Red Commissar]

They are sending out a message- they can come and get you anytime they want. A warning shot and a sign of things to come? We shall see.

[Saorsa]

So Comrade A was selling those T-Shirts where the money goes straight to the PFLP right? Would that be considered giving material aid to "terrorists"?

The PFLP isn't on the terrorist list in New Zealand. We have a different terror list to the EU and the US. But if you're in the states and thinking of buying a shirt, be careful... maybe talk to a lawyer first.

[Saorsa]

Mick Kelly's arrest warrant. (http://tc.indymedia.org/files/kelly-warrant-92210.pdf)

This all gives me a certain amount of respect for the FRSO. The state obviously sees them as a threat!

[The Red Next Door]

Welcome to the Obama regime America.

[Martin Blank]

A word of advice to U.S. comrades: you may want to check with your organization to see if they have alternative protocol in place to aid in protecting you from a similar fate.

[AnarchoAntido]

I defend these Stalinist liberals in spite of their politics. They supported the Obama regime that is now persecuting them.

[The Red Next Door]

I defend these Stalinist liberals in spite of their politics. They supported the Obama regime that is now persecuting them.

i think that was oscl

[The Red Next Door]

A word of advice to U.S. comrades: you may want to check with your organization to see if they have alternative protocol in place to aid in protecting you from a similar fate.

I had just talk to my coordinator about that.

[Who?]

This is outrageous. I just started my SDS chapter last week. At least we'll have something to talk about next meeting...

Right on, I recently started a chapter myself, you should organize a solidarity action. I contacted a few members at my school and we're discussing the possibilities. Right now I think we're just going to show up dressed in black, I wish we could do more but it happened so fast.

Solidarity to our comrades in the FRSO and the other targeted organizations!

[The Vegan Marxist]

I'm truly glad to see many SDS chapters springing up. This is definitely a great sight to see. Solidarity to all those organizing! The FRSO definitely supports you!

[The Hong Se Sun]

I'm just happy to see the left coming together over this. I was afraid that this would amount to sectarian attacks and maybe even worst but I am happy to see the amount of solidarity shown over this blatant attack.


The one problem I have is that most the articles Ive read say this is an attack on anti-war activist when they should be more clear and forward and call this what this is. A attack and repression of socialist and communist groups. IMO two of the groups that are upon the most effective groups in the nation. Like I had said to some of my brothers and sisters already: If the government is making attacks on them then they are doing something right and the government see's them as a threat.

[ckaihatsu]

FBI Raids: Protests in 19 cities on 9/27, 28 called by solidarity activists

International Action Center <[email protected]> Sun, Sep 26, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

International Action Center - iacenter.org
About the IAC | Donate | IAC Books & Resources | Contact Us

The International Action Center supports the call below from the Minnesota Antiwar Committee for Emergency Actions at federal buildings and FBI offices on Monday and Tuesday, September 28 and 29 to Support Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists and Stop FBI Raids and Harassment, and urges you to participate in one of the actions listed below or to organize an action in your city if one is not already planned.

In solidarity,
Sara Flounders and John Parker, Co-Directors, International Action Center


Emergency Actions to Support Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists



Stop FBI Raids and Harassment


We denounce the Federal Bureau of Investigation harassment of anti-war and solidarity activists. The FBI raided seven houses and an office in Chicago and Minneapolis on Friday, September 24, 2010. The FBI handed subpoenas to testify before a federal grand jury to eleven activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan. The FBI also attempted to intimidate activists in California and North Carolina.

This suppression of civil rights is aimed at those who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the struggles of the Palestinian and Colombian peoples against U.S. funded occupation and war. The FBI has indicated that the grand jury is investigating the activists for possible material support of terrorism charges.

The activists involved have done nothing wrong and are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including: the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists came together with many others to organize the 2008 anti-war marches on the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

We ask people of conscience to join us in fighting this political repression, as we continue working to build the movements against US war and occupation.

Take Action:

Call the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at 202-353-1555 or write an email to: [email protected]

Demand:

**Stop the repression against anti-war and international solidarity activists.

**Immediately return all confiscated materials: computers, cell phones, papers, documents, etc.

**End the grand jury proceedings against anti-war activists.


Plan and Support national days of protest at FBI offices or Federal Buildings, September 27 and 28th.

A demonstration has been called at the Minneapolis FBI Office Monday, 4:30, September 27th (111 Washington Ave. S.).


In Solidarity, the Anti-War Committee – www.antiwarcommittee.org


The following is a list of the 19 planned protests that we have heard of so far, and the list is growing. Please participate in the one nearest you, or if there is not one in your city, organize one and let us know at [email protected] so we can publicize it and add it to the list:
Please be in touch with the Minnesota Anti-War Committee - www.antiwarcommittee.org



Monday 9/27:


Minneapolis, MN - 4:30, FBI Office Monday, 111 Washington Ave. S.

Chicago, IL - 4:30 Fedeeral Building, Federal Plaza.

Kalamazoo, MI - 4:30 Federal Building, 410 W Michigan Ave

Salt Lake City, Utah - 9 AM at Federal Building

Durham, NC - 12 noon Federal Building, 323 E Chapel Hill St

Buffalo, NY- 4:30 pm at FBI Building - Corner of So. Elmwood Ave. & Niagara St.

Gainesville, FL - Monday, 4:30 PM at FBI Building


Tuesday 9/28:


NYC, NY - 4:30 to 6pm Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza,

Newark, NJ - 5 to 6pm Federal Building Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA - 4:30pm Federal Building, 6th & Market,

Washington DC - 4:30 – 5:30 FBI Building, 935 Pennsylvania Ave NW.

Boston, MA - 5 pm, JFK Federal Building

Detroit, MI - 4:30 pm McNamara Federal Building, Michigan Ave. at Cass

Raleigh, NC - 9 am. Federal Building, 310 New Bern Ave

Asheville, NC - 5 pm Federal Building,

Atlanta, GA - Noon, FBI Building

Los Angeles, CA - 5 pm, Downtown Federal Building, 300 N Los Angeles St

Tucson, AZ - 5 pm Federal Building


Wednesday 9/29:


Albany, NY - 5 to 6 pm Federal Building


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[Communist]

.

Here you can read online, or download for free, If An Agent Knocks (http://www.ccrjustice.org/if-agent-knocks-%28-booklet%29).

.

[YSR]

As an organizer in the Twin Cities, for me the real question is what does this mean on a larger scale and how can we learn from it. Is this part of a larger strategy of the federal and local authorities to repress dissent, or is it just a targeted blow to a specific organization? My guess is actually the latter.

It's no secret in the Twin Cities that FRSO and its cadre attempt to take leadership roles in social movement organizations. I think that that's a bad strategy and I personally do not get along with FRSO because of some things that they've done to hurt the revolutionary movement. But obviously I stand in solidarity with them here, and I think this action by the state reflects a precise intent to derail them from their place in the social movements here and elsewhere. This whole thing is literaly nothing more than red baiting. A fishing expedition for evidence about their alleged support for "foreign terrorist organizations" is much less about actually convicting anyone in court than it is about convicting them in the court of public opinion. By "exposing" these cadre as members of a socialist group with ties to organizations that are deemed to be "anti-American," the state has to do very little actual legwork to have them removed from their positions of authority in the local Left. The Right and the media will do that job for them.

I don't think these raids mean that comrades should expect similar things to happen to them soon. This is not the Obama administration's first step towards a more authoritarian state. It's a targeted public spectacle to out and embarrass Freedom Road. I don't know what they did to piss off the Feds, but my guess is that somebody in the FBI has it in for them.

[Stand Your Ground]

Boston, MA - 5 pm, JFK Federal Building

Gonna start asking around for a ride to this one.

[Crux]

Regardless of my disagreements with the FRSO I of course stand with them against this attack by the state. I know the socialist alternative comrades will participate in the solidarity demonstrations as well.

[The Vegan Marxist]

Regardless of my disagreements with the FRSO I of course stand with them against this attack by the state. I know the socialist alternative comrades will participate in the solidarity demonstrations as well.

Will your party be demonstrating any at FBI agency buildings or anything?

[Crux]

Will your party be demonstrating any at FBI agency buildings or anything?
Facebookstatus from one of the comrades on saturday:
"Several hundred people attended a meeting in Minneapolis to organize against the FBI raids that happened today at various anti-war activists' houses. Rally 4:30pm 111 Washington Ave. in downtown Minneapolis, in front of the FBI office."


But I suppose you'd have to ask them for more details, in case anyone's forgot I am in sweden, so I am not the most up to date person on what Socialist Alternative does.

[Chimurenga.]

Democracy Now! reports on the situation:

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/9/27/fbi_raids_homes_of_anti_war


Solidarity with FRSO (Fight Back) comrades!

[chegitz guevara]

We're organizing a protest in Miami for next Saturday.

I've written a statement, but I put it to my comrades in my tendency first, so there needs to be some discussion. Democracy and all that.

[Martin Blank]

The C.C. of the Workers Party published its statement.


On the Sept. 24 FBI Raids and What They Mean

The Workers Party in America adds its voice to the growing chorus condemning the FBI raids against members and supporters of the freedom road socialist organization, students for a democratic society and the national anti-war committee. We demand that the items seized by the FBI be immediately returned in the shape they were taken, that the subpoenas compelling those who were targeted by the state to testify before a federal grand jury be quashed, and that any attempts to link these organizations and individuals to "foreign terrorist organizations" be publicly repudiated by the attorney general and director of the FBI.

The September 24 raids in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina and California were, in our view, more than mere intimidation or harassment. While targeting self-described radical and revolutionary organizations is nothing new in the U.S. -- the Palmer Raids against socialists, communists and anarchists of 1919-1920, the Smith Act trial of leaders of the Socialist Workers party in 1941, the McCarthyite witchhunt of members of the "official" communist party in the late-1940s, the infiltration and disruption of the new left and black power organizations under the banner of COINTELPRO -- there is something more sinister and ominous about the recent raids. It appears now that these raids were designed to disrupt more than the work of the FRSO, SDS, and the NAWC. More to the point, given the various bits of rumor and speculation that were conspicuously leaked to the media and on the internet, it is clear this was not merely a one-off action.

For weeks and months, the exploiting and oppressing classes, through their politicians and media, have been preparing the ground for a turn against what they call "domestic extremism." the rise of the "Tea Party" Nativist movement momentarily masked the true intentions and targets of this developing operation, but now the state is reasserting who they see as the real targets of their attacks: The organizations and individuals claiming to be radical and revolutionary partisans of the working class. Indeed, it was only a few days before the raids were executed that congress held hearings on "left-wing domestic extremism," showing how much the suppression of radical and revolutionary groups is a part of Obama's corporatist agenda.

However, contrary to common opinion circulating among some circles of the broader movement of self-described socialists and communists, the Sept. 24 raids were not the proverbial "tip of the spear." On the contrary, given the obvious, deliberate and relatively sloppy execution of these raids, it appears to us that this was not the beginning of an assault on the broader movement, but more like a dry run for action to be held on a later date. For us, the raids looked more like a Pavlovian experiment: The armed enforcers of capitalism's "law and order" rattle the cages of one corner of the movement in order to observe how the rest of the movement responds, both publicly and within their organizations. The capitalist state would like nothing better than to have a good idea of what kind of "alternative protocols," "exit routes" and other clandestine structures that self-described socialist and communist organizations have built. These raids gave the state's infiltrators and informants the opportunity to find out more about these, as so many organizations began to take stock of what they could do to protect themselves if they were next.

But the state was not merely looking at which groups moved peremptorily, they were also looking to see which groups did not move at all -- i.e., which groups were not panicked into activating their clandestine structures and protocols.

It should also be taken into consideration that the ruling classes and their state are concerned about more than this or that individual self-described socialist or communist group and its literature. Indeed, the capitalist state is always fearful of the potential of an insurgent working class. Obama's recent statement to wall street that he is the only thing that stands between them and "the pitchforks" is a telling admission. It may not be so much that the exploiters and oppressors fear the current movement, but more that they fear the potential upsurge resulting from the economic and political conditions in the U.S., and what self-described socialist and communist organizations can do to intersect it. Our own sources and research have given us a few specific leads that could fit into this scenario, but more exploration and confirmation is needed before anything can be said with a reasonable certainty.

Many radical and revolutionary organizations, including those directly targeted, have described the raids as an attack on "the left," on "democratic rights" and on "international solidarity." We certainly agree with these assessments. But we caution our comrades to understand that these raids were more than these relatively superficial parts of the puzzle. There is more going on, and it is incumbent on all self-described socialist and communist organizations to dig deep and find the core issue that is motivating the ruling classes and their state to take the actions they have.

The Workers Party in America, like so many others, stands in solidarity with the FRSO, SDS and others being targeted by the FBI. We encourage all of our members to join in rallies, protests and other events related to the events of Sept. 24. At the same time, we state clearly to our class enemy: We will not be intimidated or shaken by your attack. We will not be panicked by your raids. We will not gag ourselves because of your attack on democratic rights. We will continue our work of winning working people to the platform of revolutionary political action and the fight for a working people's republic. We will approach all working people, regardless of where they stand today, and continue to educate, agitate and organize our class for the defeat of your rule. And if you choose to turn your attention to us, we will not meekly submit or quietly walk away.


Central Committee, Workers Party in America
September 26, 2010

[Crux]

FBI Raids Homes of Antiwar, Socialist Activists - Community Defense Campaign Immediately Launched (http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article10.php?id=1438)
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By Ty Moore http://www.socialistalternative.org/graphics/spacer.gif
Minneapolis -
In a coordinated national effort last Friday morning, the FBI raided six homes and an antiwar office in Minneapolis and Chicago, while they questioned activists in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan, and California. Subpoenas were issued for a grand jury in Chicago on October 12. While full information is not yet available, it seems many if not all the targeted antiwar activists are involved in Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).
These raids and this harassment of leading antiwar activists are naked acts of political repression which must be vigorously opposed. In Minneapolis, a community solidarity meeting (http://tc.indymedia.org/2010/sep/roundup-dont-fck-our-activists-community-responds-raids) Friday evening drew over 200 supporters together on only six hours’ notice. A call for solidarity actions (http://www.antiwarcommittee.org/?q=node/534) across the country drew nearly 500 to a protest Monday in front of the Minneapolis FBI headquarters, and actions are reported to be happening in 19 cities Monday and today.

The raids are connected to a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation, and the search warrants, one of which was published on tc.indymedia.org (http://tc.indymedia.org/files/kelly-warrant-92210.pdf), focus on allegations of "providing, attempting, and conspiring to provide material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations."

The warrant also authorized FBI agents to search for information related to the "recruitment, indoctrination, and facilitation of others ... to join FRSO including materials relating to the identity and location of recruiters, facilitators, and recruits, the means by which the recruits were recruited to join FRSO, and the means by which recruitment was financed and arranged."

This is an attempt to demonize and criminalize the basic activities of a political organization. It amounts to a fundamental assault on constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of association and speech. It represents a serious attack on the antiwar movement, labor organizers, left activists, and anyone else who dares to organize against the U.S. government. Antiwar activists and civil libertarians have repeatedly warned that the so-called “war on terrorism” and the Patriot Act would be used to suppress government critics here at home.

The FBI appeared to be primarily targeting activists organizing against U.S. policies in Colombia and Palestine, where for years American tax dollars and weaponry have been used to brutally suppress popular movements for social justice. Specifically, the search warrants cited connections to FARC, a Colombian guerilla organization at war with the right-wing U.S.-backed Colombian government and the brutal paramilitary groups. The warrant also alleged links to Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who alongside FARC are on the U.S. list of “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Socialist Alternative defends the right of oppressed peoples to defend themselves against imperialist and state violence. However, we have always opposed the anti-democratic politics and guerrilla tactics which emphasize armed confrontations or attacks by small radicalized minorities or which base themselves on religious sects.

At the same time, we absolutely defend the democratic right of U.S. antiwar activists to support the struggles of oppressed peoples in the neo-colonial countries free from government surveillance and repression. The real criminals are at the head of the U.S. war machine, which continues to rain down brutality on the peoples of Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Palestine, and beyond.

The timing of the FBI raids and grand jury investigation was almost certainly designed to coincide with Obama’s meeting with new Colombian president Juan Manual Santos on Friday, which was publicly billed to include discussion on continued U.S. assistance in the war against FARC. The day before, the Colombian military gained U.S. headlines for their assassination of a prominent FARC leader.

The assassination and FBI raids appear intentionally coordinated to provide a useful media back-drop for the Obama-Santos meeting, underlining the cynical and politically motivated character of this state repression. Hopefully these events will dispel any lingering illusions that Obama is a friend of the antiwar movement!

SocialistAlternative.org (http://www.socialistalternative.org/) will continue to feature updates and analysis on this story. Also see www.tc.indymedia.org (http://www.tc.indymedia.org/) for regular updates.



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[OriginalGumby]

http://socialistworker.org/2010/09/27/activists-targeted-fbi-raids

This is a crazy situation...

[ckaihatsu]

Stop FBI RAID letter with info and ways you can help ! Pass this around !




Dear Family & Friends,




You have no doubt received earlier emails that I have sent regarding the FBI raids on anti-war activists in the last week. If you have read them and/or taken part in any of the 30+ emergency rallies that have so far taken place throughout the country, THANK YOU!



If you haven't read them, PLEASE take time to read this email and take action today. These raids affect me directly in two ways. Firstly, I have been a peace and justice activist for most of my adult life and this action by the government threatens all US citizen’s right to dissent and right to political speech. A recent Supreme Court decision in Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project extends the Patriot Act so that even talking to a group that the US government opposes might now be against the law.



That means, if you ever …
were involved in the South Africa divestment movement…
were involved in the Central America solidarity movement…
traveled to Cuba on a solidarity brigade...
went on a delegation to see firsthand the effects of US foreign policy…
were a supporter of the republican movement in Ireland…

… this could be you, or your sister or your cousin or your friend or your son or daughter. And at the very least, this could be me. It’s a frightening limitation on our right to free speech.



A grand jury is a secret court proceeding where the jury members are not screened for bias, where witnesses are not allowed to have a lawyer present, and where there is no judge.



Secondly, some of the folks who were raided are close personal friends of mine. It is frightening to think that they might be separated from their families and loved ones and face jail terms on bogus, trumped-up charges.



Please take the actions on the following page to stop this violation of the first amendment right to protest and to stop this witch hunt against international solidarity and anti-war activists.



I am trying to reach as many people as possible and the first step is asking you to take action in this email. But in addition, I ask you to contact your personal network of friends and family and ask them to take action.



Please contact at least 5 people in your personal network and ask them to call Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama to demand an end to the FBI raids and to demand that the grand jury witch hunt be closed down immediately. Send messages as well to your Representative and Senators and let them know that their response will help determine how you vote in November.



Feel free to email me or call me with questions, concerns, arguments or support.



In peace and solidarity,



andyt.



Take action!

Many peace groups and other activist organizations are contacting their members asking them to take this kind of action.



Here is a sample phone message I found on one website, to give you an idea of what to say when you make your phone calls:

Sample phone message: My name is ______________ and I live in _____________. I want to protest the September 24, 2010, FBI raids on Minneapolis and Chicago peace and justice activists. People involved in peaceful, anti-war activism and humanitarian justice work should never be harassed in this way. Please return their belongings to the activists, drop grand jury hearings, and end surveillance of peace and justice activists. Thank you.



Make protests to:




Attorney General Eric Holder

Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington DC 20530-0001

202-514-1057 Main switchboard

202-353-1555 Comment line

[email protected]



President Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

202-456-1111 Comment line

[email protected]

www.whitehouse.gov/contact


Congress

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml



More information:



www.stopfbi.net




A video of lawyer Bruce Nestor describing the law the raids and subpoenas are based on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRMl13-aQQU



Amy Goodman: “FBI Raids and the Criminalization of Dissent,” 9/28/10

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/fbi_raids_and_the_criminalization_of_dissent_20100 928/



The American Jewish World Editorial: FBI raids in Minneapolis from AJNews.com

http://www.ajwnews.com/archives/7361



In the Huffington Post, “The FBI’s War on Dissent,” by Curtis Black, 10/1/10

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/curtis-black/the-fbis-war-on-dissent_b_747094.html



Code Pink's online petition to Stop FBI Repression of Peace Activists

http://www.change.org/codepinkalert/petitions/view/stop_fbi_repression_of_peace_activists



What You Should Know About Grand Juries

http://www.anti-politics.net/distro/download/grandjuries-infosheet.pdf

[ckaihatsu]

http://stopfbi.net/


NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY–TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12


Posted on October 11, 2010 by Committee to Stop FBI Repression

More anti-war and international solidarity activists are scheduled to appear before a Grand Jury in Chicago on Tuesday October 12th. The first group of activists subpoenaed on October 5th decided not to testify. On Tuesday we are organizing a NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY to support the anti-war activists targeted by the September 24 raids.


>>>CALL US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300<<<


Fitzgerald is in charge of the Northern District of Illinois and responsible for the FBI raids and Grand Jury investigation.

Demand:

**End the repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists!
**Return all materials seized in the raid!
**Stop the Grand Jury Subpoenas of activists!

Stop FBI Repression: No Grand Jury, No Charges

On September 24, the FBI raided seven Chicago and Minneapolis homes of well-known anti-war and international solidarity activists. Their ranks included a number of trade unionists. Also raided were the offices of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul based Anti-War Committee.

The FBI took computer hard drives, cell phones, documents, newspapers and children’s artwork. They took 28 boxes out of one Chicago home, including a framed photo of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. shaking hands with Malcolm X. The FBI subpoenaed 14 activists in Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan to testify at a grand jury. According to the FBI, the goal of the raids was to show material support for terrorism charges. It is outrageous! The U.S. government is trying to put people in jail for anti-war and international solidarity activism. These people have done nothing wrong. They have given money to no one. Their freedom is at stake.

Those targeted are well-known leaders in the anti-war movement and many helped to organize the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN in September 2008. This is the suppression of our democratic rights. It threatens our families, our children and our communities. This is a U.S. government attempt to silence those who support resistance to oppression in the Middle East and Latin America, by putting people in jail.

The targeted activists are refusing to be pulled into conversations with the FBI about their political views or their organizing against war and occupation. The activists are involved with many groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin-Cities Anti-War Committee, Colombia Action Network, National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Fight Back! newspaper.

For more information please go to the Committee To Stop FBI Repression www.stopfbi.net

[Lacrimi de Chiciură]

This is clearly an indication of what is to come with Minneapolis' bid to host the Democratic National Convention. At the RNC in 2008, the feds gave $40 million for "security" operations, i.e. teargassing innocent bystanders and turning the city into a playground for 40,000 Republicans. Obvious police state is obvious.

http://wcco.com/local/2012.democratic.convention.2.1708196.html

[ckaihatsu]

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/10/14/fbi-backs-down-for-now/


Desertpeace
FBI BACKS DOWN …. FOR NOW

October 14, 2010 at 18:24 (Activism, Civil Rights, Corrupt Politics, False Flags)

Keep in mind that the cases have not been dropped…..

“I was given a subpoena to testify to a grand jury today, and that subpoena explicitly states that the prosecutor wants me to testify about the meetings I had with activists in Colombia and Palestine,” raid victim and Minneapolis resident Meredith Aby told a protest in Minneapolis two weeks ago. “I don’t know how, in good conscience, I can betray the trust that was shared with me on those human rights delegations.”

The activists do not believe that the FBI has dropped its case. “No one knows what will happen. That’s sort of the problem with all this,” said Thistly Parker-Hartog, who did not attend her scheduled grand jury appearance last week. “The net is definitely getting wider. We are hearing from more of our brothers and sisters around the country that they, too, are being looked at.”



Subpoenas rescinded for antiwar activists raided by FBI

By Tom Eley

Federal investigators have rescinded grand jury subpoenas issued to the 14 antiwar activists whose homes and offices the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided on September 24 in Minneapolis and Chicago.

Whether or not the cancellation of the subpoenas signals that the government is dropping its case is not yet clear.

All of the activists―members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and various antiwar and international solidarity groups―had earlier announced publicly their decision to refuse compliance with the grand jury subpoenas, most of which were issued for hearings on October 5 and October 12. This decision potentially put them in contempt of court and subject to possible arrest.

According to the Twin Cities newspaper City Pages, the raid victims also made clear to the Justice Department, through their attorneys, that even had they attended the grand jury they would have invoked their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

The dropping of the current subpoenas therefore might presage the government issuing grand jury immunity to the 14. If they are assigned immunity and again subpoenaed, their responses to the grand jury cannot be used against them. However, if they again refuse to testify, they can be held in contempt of court and imprisoned for the life of the grand jury, which could be many months.

Federal grand juries are notoriously anti-democratic. In the late 1960s and 1970s, for example, the FBI’s Cointelpro operation against radical groups such as the Black Panthers relied heavily on grand jury testimony.

The victims of the FBI raids in Minneapolis and Chicago said they feared that the proceedings would be used to gather information to use against other opponents of American imperialism both in the US and in other countries.

“I was given a subpoena to testify to a grand jury today, and that subpoena explicitly states that the prosecutor wants me to testify about the meetings I had with activists in Colombia and Palestine,” raid victim and Minneapolis resident Meredith Aby told a protest in Minneapolis two weeks ago. “I don’t know how, in good conscience, I can betray the trust that was shared with me on those human rights delegations.”

The activists do not believe that the FBI has dropped its case. “No one knows what will happen. That’s sort of the problem with all this,” said Thistly Parker-Hartog, who did not attend her scheduled grand jury appearance last week. “The net is definitely getting wider. We are hearing from more of our brothers and sisters around the country that they, too, are being looked at.”

“It’s a waiting period,” said raid victim Mick Kelly. “We’re all waiting to see if the other shoe drops.”

The September 24 raids were carried out in police-state fashion―simultaneously, in the early morning, and without warning. At least seven houses were raided―five in Minneapolis and two in Chicago. An antiwar office in the Twin Cities was also raided. Over the course of several hours, the FBI took thousands of documents―books, newspapers, financial records, personal memorabilia―as well as cell phones and computers.

No arrests were made, but grand jury subpoenas were issued. In other states the FBI reportedly approached antiwar activists for information, including Wisconsin, Michigan, California, and North Carolina.

The raids were carried out under the auspices of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, even though the FBI quickly declared they did not believe the victims to be dangerous. It claimed instead to be searching for evidence “concerning the material support of terrorism.” The claim is based on a law known as the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, passed under the Clinton administration, which essentially proscribes political speech in support of organizations the US president defines as “terrorist.”

The law, which prohibits “knowingly provid[ing] material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization,” even if the “support” consists only of “expert advice or assistance” for “lawful, non-violent purposes,” was upheld in June by the US Supreme Court in the case Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project.

What Washington defines as “terrorism,” however, has everything to do with the interests of US imperialism. In the 1980s, for example, the African National Congress (ANC) was officially labeled a terrorist operation for its struggle against apartheid in South Africa. But the Contras in Nicaragua, who murdered and tortured tens of thousands of civilians in the dirty wars of the 1980s, were “freedom fighters” that received the support of the Reagan administration.

US Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, whose charge is the Northern District of Illinois, would prosecute any grand jury investigation. Fitzgerald is famous for investigating the Valerie Plame affair, which led to the indictment and conviction of Scooter Libby, former aid to Vice President Dick Cheney. He also oversaw the prosecutions of former Illinois governors Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan.

The Obama administration’s aim with the raids and possible grand jury hearings is to intimidate opponents of its policies and to test the waters for more widespread suppression.

They have doubtless been encouraged by the banishment of the story from most of the news media and the indifference of liberal and ex-radical groupings.

While numerous small protests have been held on behalf of the victims of the FBI raids, the clear threat posed to democratic rights was not mentioned by a single speaker at the “One Nation” rally held October 2, which was organized and endorsed by over 400 groups, including unions, liberal organizations, antiwar groups, and organizations calling themselves “socialist.” Discussion of the raids would have clashed with the event’s purpose―drumming up support for Obama and the Democrats in the upcoming elections.





1 Comment
skulz fontaine said,

October 14, 2010 at 18:48

The Empire can NEVER be questioned regarding it’s policies and policing procedures. Nope. Be obedient little servants/slaves and the FBI won’t be a bugging you. However if’n you gits uppity well, “they’ve” got ways to deal with you.
Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light, about fifteen gestapo goons come crashing through the door. Hellbent on wrecking all that’s yours.

[ckaihatsu]

From: Fight Back! News <[email protected]>


Three Twin Cities anti-war activists told they must appear in front of Grand
Jury


By Mick Kelly

Minneapolis, MN - Three well-known Twin Cities anti-war and international
solidarity activists, Tracy Molm, Anh Pham, and Sarah Martin have received
word from the U.S. Attorney’s Office that that they will be called to appear
in front of a Chicago Grand Jury.

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

http://fightbacknews.us1.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=a29530af96a02fc55d345e735&id=acdbc87f5c&e=d323598fe4&c=92d409caae

[ckaihatsu]

Subject: [StopFBI-National] National Week of Actions for the Three!
To: [email protected]

What we've known for the past few weeks has been confirmed. Three
activists from the Twin Cities, Tracy Molm, Sarah Martin and Anh Pham
are being called back before the Grand Jury in Chicago. They do not yet
have dates of appearance.

*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. Further
information on the call for action will be forthcoming. We expect
further news on the legal situation in the next few weeks.

The statement that follows was released to the media in Minneapolis/St.
Paul MN this evening. A Press Conference will take place tomorrow,
November 18th at 4:30 pm at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis.

--------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2010

Three Twin Cities anti-war activist told they must appear in front of
Grand Jury

Three well-known Twin Cities anti-war and international solidarity
activists, Tracy Molm, Anh Pham, and Sarah Martin have received word
from the U.S. Attorney's Office that that they will be called to appear
in front of a Chicago Grand Jury.

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 Against FBI Repression.

[ckaihatsu]

Message to the Baltimore Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild from Lynne Stewart

MY FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, BROTHERS, AND SISTERS:

My message to you today is neither upbeat nor optimistic. We are living in dangerous times for our movement and it is getting worse as this insatiable government flexes the law to enable its nets to ensnare more people and further shred the body politic.

This past week’s FBI raids on the support groups for various political causes, international, anti-imperialist, peace, animal rights--make it appear that anyone who opposes government policy and speaks or acts on behalf of that belief is now to be denoted a Terrorist and have his privacy invaded or be subjected to a subpoena or potential arrest. There has been a robust response from the movement with rallies and protests in many cities, the largest in Chicago and Minneapolis, where the most widespread raids occurred.

This is most excellent but unfortunately it may be too little too late as the law enforcement community licks its chops at the prospect of distracting, occupying and ultimately destroying all vestiges of resistance in this country.

Once when I spoke I said that I thought I thought my case was the canary in the mine shaft. A test of the expansion of the Law on Material Support of Terrorism. If they can label me (and) convict me behind their smokescreen of fear and intimidation and put me behind bars for a lengthy time, then they are ready to do it to the movement, to all of us. As some General said of Vietnam, “It’s not much of a war but it’s all {they} got.” We too must ready ourselves to defend not only our clients, who will come to us victimized by this outrageous, overreaching assault, but also ourselves as attorneys. As shown in my case, they will not be readily distinguished between the two. It is the worst of times and we must ready ourselves for the onslaught.

As I said, the Law under which the FBI is operating is the prohibition of Material Aid to Terrorism, enacted during the Clinton Administration, and embraced by federal law enforcement ever since. The Secretary of State denotes certain countries and organizations as Terrorists. (There is no realistic opportunity to contest this in any court of Law.) Thereafter any kind of material aid is criminal per se. In my case it was a press release to Reuters. In the Holy Land case it was money donated to Palestinian charity. And in the Parliamentarian case, decided by the Supremes, it was counseling about methods to bring about peaceful resolution of disputes. These were the starting bell, indicating that anything, even speech, could be considered illegal and then loosing the hounds to discover (manufacture?) evidence.

Only time can tell what will be the outcome of this affront to the Constitution. Will people end up in jail or taking a principled stand, as I did, against these charges? Will there be the kind of overwhelming support for them that will convince the government that it reveals too much of their underlying desire to be rid of any criticism? Will resistance to subpoenas by not testifying fill the jails, as Maryland’s own Dan Berrigan suggested, and block the evil attempt? I, from my perspective, have seen this before --when they rounded up supporters in the 1970’s and 80’s of the Puerto Rican freedom fighters and also anyone who had any relationship with the Black Liberation Army. There was spirited resistance then inside and outside the jails and Courthouse.

Right now, we must take the same responsibility against a much stronger and more vicious government. Resist, Resist, and turn the tide that threatens Civil Liberties and the fabric of the Constitution.

October, 2010

[ckaihatsu]

[StopFBI-National] More subpoenas today - make these calls NOW!

1. Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and condemn the use of the grand jury to repress the anti-war and solidarity movements! Call Patrick J. Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300 NOW!
2. Call US Attorney General Eric Holder - 202-353-1555 with the same demand.
3. And call President Obama: 202-456-1111

Friday, December 03, 2010
FBI Delivers Subpoenas to More Anti-War, Solidarity Activists

The FBI has informed a lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) that at least three subpoenas to appear before a Grand Jury have been delivered in the Chicago area.

Attorney Jim Fennerty confirmed that FBI agent Robert Parker informed him just before 1:00 pm today that the subpoenas were being delivered at that moment.

This is a continuation of the assault on the anti-war movement that began on September 24th. This case began with 14 subpoenas delivered to anti-war, labor and solidarity activists in coordinated raids that swept the Midwest, involving scores of federal agents. “The FBI is continuing their campaign to intimidate the movement,” stated Joe Iosbaker of the national Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Iosbaker was one of those raided and subpoenaed in September.

Fennerty is one of the lead NLG attorneys from the legal team for the activists. According to Fennerty, “The new subpoenas are summoning people for grand jury dates. At least one of the three has been told to appear before the grand jury Tuesday, January 25th, in the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.”

Three of the original 14 are awaiting new grand jury court dates as well. Iosbaker explained, “If the three women who have been called back – Sara Martin, Tracy Molm and Anh Pham - refuse to take part in the fishing expedition carried on by the U.S. Attorney, they can expect to be cited for contempt and jailed for the life of the grand jury.”

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression urges supporters to contact U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and condemn the use of the grand jury to repress the anti-war and solidarity movements. Call Patrick J. Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300.

For more information on the case: www.stopfbi.net

_______________________________________________
StopFBI mailing list
[email protected]
http://www.organizerweb.com/mailman/listinfo/stopfbi

[ckaihatsu]

> Subject: Mon. Dec. 6: Emergency Rally: Protest latest FBI harassment of
> solidarity activists
> Action Alert: Protest latest FBI harassment of solidarity activists
>
> When: Monday, Dec. 6, 4:30pm
> Where: Outside the Dirksen Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn (at Jackson),
> Chicago
>
> Federal agents harass, subpoena three more Chicago activists
>
> Chicago: An emergency rally has been called by the Committee Against
> Political Repression for Monday, Dec. 6 after the FBI subpoenaed three
> additional Palestine solidarity activists to appear before a federal grand
> jury in Chicago last Friday. Supporters are asked to voice their protest of
> this latest attack and rally outside the Dirksen Federal Building -- where
> the federal grand jury convenes -- at 4:30pm on Monday, Dec. 6.
>
> This is a continuation of the assault on the anti-war movement that began on
> September 24th. This case began with 14 subpoenas delivered to anti-war,
> labor and solidarity activists in coordinated raids that swept the Midwest,
> involving scores of federal agents.
>
> Three of the original 14 are awaiting new grand jury court dates as well.
> They may face imminent detention if they continue to refuse to inform the
> government about the activities of other activists.
>
> The Committee Against Political Repression also urges supporters to contact
> U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and condemn the use of the grand jury to
> repress the anti-war and solidarity movements. Call Patrick J. Fitzgerald at
> 312-353-5300.
>
> For more information:
> http://www.facebook.com/l/f9e28O3sUAPJ3RtbiH7SvDFrixg;www.stopfbi.net/