From The Committee To Stop FBI Repression
Protests to Challenge FBI and Grand Jury Repression of Anti-War and Solidarity Activists
Jill Dowling of The New York Committee to Stop FBI Repression said, “We are holding a demonstration at the downtown Manhattan FBI offices on Tuesday, January 25 at 4:30 p.m. in solidarity with activists standing up against the political repression aimed at human rights, international solidarity and anti-war activists. This demonstration is part of a national day of action taking place in 45 cities.”
Protest organizers called for people to gather on the Broadway side of the FBI offices at 26 Federal Plaza at 4:30 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. the protesters will march to the Justice Department’s offices at 1 St. Andrew’s Plaza on the east side of Foley Square and Centre Street, between the Federal Courthouse and the Municipal Building.
Tom Burke, National Committee to Stop FBI Repression said, “In the month of December, the FBI delivered grand jury subpoenas for January 25 to nine activists in Chicago. Six subpoenas went to members of the Arab American community; the remaining three went to Palestine solidarity activists and individuals who have travelled to Palestine. These subpoenas are related to the FBI raids on seven houses and an office in September, where subpoenas were served on 14 activists in Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan.”
All 14 signed a letter stating they would invoke their Fifth Amendment rights and would not cooperate with the grand jury. Subsequently, the grand jury dropped the original September 24 subpoenas. In December, the Chicago grand jury, under the direction of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, issued nine new subpoenas and reactivated three original subpoenas served on Minneapolis women Tracy Molm, Anh Pham, and Sarah Martin who continue to stand strong and refuse to cooperate.
In a statement, activists subpoenaed to appear on January 25 said, “We have made our decisions to stand strong with the other 14 subpoenaed activists from Illinois, Minneapolis and Michigan. We WILL NOT take part in this fishing expedition. ”
Maureen Murphy, who was among those summoned to appear before the grand jury on January 25 added, “Despite this attempt to criminalize solidarity with the Palestinian people, we will continue to stand with them and work to end US aid to Israel.”
The activist’s principled position of non-cooperation has won them strong support among progressive people around the country and a broad range of political organizations, anti-war groups, labor unions, and civil liberty defenders. The subpoenaed face possible prison sentences simply for refusing to testify against equally innocent friends and acquaintances, should the grand jury offer them immunity from prosecution.
In the period since 9/11, the FBI and other police organizations have stepped up repression of the entire Muslim community in the United States. Police have framed and entrapped many people, regularly with the use of paid informants. The current attacks now expand the repression beyond the Muslim community to all anti-war and solidarity activists.
The FBI was recently exposed for secretly infiltrating a Minnesota political organization whose members are among those subpoenaed. Dowling, of the NY Committee, said, “It’s outrageous that the FBI sent an agent in to spy on peace activists in Minneapolis. What does that mean for people speaking out against war here in NYC? This is a real threat to our basic freedoms of speech and association.”
Local and national organizers continue to urge concerned people to contact President Obama and US Attorney Eric Holder and demand the FBI stop harassing activists, stop the grand jury proceedings, and return the possessions confiscated in the September raids.
Desertpeace 
Dave Burns said,
January 24, 2011 at 22:22
I’m old enough to remember COINTELPRO so nothing surprises me. However, every well-meaning, honest, forward-leaning FBI agent knows in his heart that to criticize Israel is career suicide. They have kids to feed, send to college, etc. Does that mean that they have zero balls or are just very savvy, pragmatic, and willing to bend over?
Nick Tesla said,
January 25, 2011 at 10:11
in today’s job market, an out of work ‘cop’ or ‘gumshoe’ as you will, is like an out of work ‘proctologist’ maybe, because they surely can look for layoffs coming soon in virtually ALL law enfarce-ment as it is.
poetic justice? you betcha it is! when you’re an a-hole with a chip on your shoulder and a gun, kicking in doors strictly to look like a bigshot, you can bet your ass that someday those tables may in fact turn, and ‘you’ might be the one with a gun barrel shoved up your feckless snoot.
I have to tell these guys that someday, if they piss everyone off, it’ll be open season, and I do mean, people there are just about fed up with this crap, citizens killed by trigger happy cops, doors being kicked in. too much police brutality and bullshit will equate to a heavy death toll for these boner smokers when the balloon in fact goes up in the U.S.
lastly, they seem to be trying to provoke an uprising in the population there, in general. bad idea. unlike us here, they have guns there, bozos!!