Groups rally around anti-war activists under FBI attack

Support throughout the progressive movement in the U.S. and worldwide continues to grow for the anti-war and international solidarity activists whose homes were invaded by the FBI on Sept. 24. The StopFbi.net website had 88 messages of solidarity from organizations as of Oct. 11.

Supporters have called for a national call-in day to back the activists on Oct. 12, the next day that people are scheduled to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago. A message went out the morning of Oct. 10 for people to call U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who is in charge of the Northern District of Illinois and responsible for the FBI raids and grand jury investigation.

The calls are to raise the demands that are central to this struggle. They are: End the repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists! Return all materials seized in the raid! Stop the grand jury subpoenas of activists!

On Sept. 24, the FBI raided seven Chicago and Minneapolis homes of well-known anti-war and international solidarity activists. The raid targeted activists involved with many groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Group, Students for a Democratic Society, the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Colombia Action Network and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Their ranks included a number of trade unionists; some trade unions have sent solidarity statements, including one from the San Francisco Labor Council.

The FBI took computer hard drives, cell phones, documents, newspapers and children’s artwork. According to the FBI, the goal of the raids was to show material support for terrorism charges. Those targeted are well-known leaders in the anti-war movement and many of them helped to organize the huge protest against the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., in September 2008.

Fourteen people were handed subpoenas to appear before the grand jury on one of four successive Tuesdays in Chicago. On Oct. 5, the 14 declared in a statement to 100 supporters in Chicago that none of them would cooperate with the grand jury — that is, none would bear witness against other activists.

In the first week after the FBI invasion, supporters held demonstrations in 43 cities around the U.S. Protests continued on Oct. 5-7, with demonstrations in Chicago, New York, Boston, Milwaukee, Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Durham, N.C., among others.

In Durham, Elena Everett, who spoke at a news conference, was the target of Homeland Security and Joint Terrorism Task Force harassment for anti-war activities in 2004. “We’re calling for an immediate end to harassment of anti-war activists,” Everett said. “The peace and justice community will not be silent, and we will not allow this to have a chilling effect on our work for justice and against war.”

Kosta Harlan of Students for a Democratic Society and the Colombia Action Network, an activist the FBI tried to visit on Sept. 24, said, “The FBI has been using these repressive tactics against the Muslim community for nine years, with disastrous results for Muslims and for our democratic rights. Now they want to broaden the repression to other sections of the people.”

Despite a united movement supporting the activists under attack, the FBI nevertheless continued to harass anti-war fighters in Minneapolis. Without delivering any new subpoenas, the FBI tried to visit other members of the Anti-War Committee. One, Jennie Eisert, said, “FBI agents came to my work and wanted to talk to me about activists in the anti-war movement. I was called away from my desk and when I refused to talk to them, they tried to turn me against my friends and fellow activists.

“They said that Jess Sundin, Meredith Aby and Mick Kelly had manipulated me and others in the anti-war movement. The only ones trying to manipulate me are these FBI agents,” Eisert said. (Fight Back! News)

Kelly urges everyone in the progressive community to exercise their legal right to not answer questions put to them by FBI agents. “This is a witch-hunt against anyone who is standing up against war and injustice. Tell FBI agents you have nothing to say. Period.” said Kelly. (Fight Back! News)

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is focusing the Oct. 12 protest on mobilizing people to send messages to U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald and to call him at 312-353-5300. Already, organizations supporting those under attack have sent the message out to their lists. For example, the International Action Center has sent it out to its national list, urging people to pass it along and asking for more signatures on a petition, located on the IAC website, protesting the FBI raids. (See www.iacenter.org)