On Tues., Jan. 25, protests will be held in more than 30 cities across the U.S. and internationally against FBI and grand jury repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists.
The protests are being organized by the National Committee to Stop FBI and Grand Jury Repression, and have been endorsed by many anti-war, civil liberties and other organizations, including the ANSWER Coalition. Twenty-three activists have been ordered to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago on Jan. 25 by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald. All the activists have stated that they will not testify, calling Fitzgerald’s actions a “witch hunt” and “fishing expedition” against the progressive movement.
The grand jury investigation follows FBI raids on seven homes and an anti-war office on Friday, September 24, 2010 in Minnesota and Illinois. The activists targeted are involved in many groups, including the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, the Palestine Solidarity Group, the Colombia Action Network, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. These activists and many others came together to organize the 2008 anti-war marches during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
On its website, the National Committee states: “Across the country organizations and individuals are standing together to protest the United States government’s attempt to silence and criminalize anti-war and international solidarity activists. We see the raids and subpoenas as an attack on anti-war and other progressive movements. It is an attack on our freedom to speak, our freedom to assemble with like-minded people, and our freedom to tell the government that their actions and policies are wrong. It is an attempt to clear the way for more wars and occupations of other countries by the U.S. military.
We Demand:
**Stop the repression of 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.”
For a list of January 25 protests: www.stopfbi.net