Committee to Stop FBI Repression condemns FBI, police raids on Michigan Pro-Palestine activists

On the morning of Wednesday, April 23, FBI and local police raided the homes of pro-Palestine activists across three cities in Michigan: Canton, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti. What they had in common were they were supporters of Palestine and often attended protests. At least one is a graduate student.

Trump's administration has embarked on a project to silence pro-Palestine activists on college campuses. In their desperate scramble to come to Israel's defense, his cronies - the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security - have trampled over civil liberties, immigration laws, and our freedom of speech, which is protected by the First Amendment. Even federal judges have come out to block or challenge his orders.

Trump is knowingly violating the laws and norms of due process. In a notable Tweet, he defended himself by saying that the defense of a country by itself makes his actions lawful. But there can be no justification for the sudden revocation of visas of international students just for writing editorials or laying out tents or postering and flyering about the killing of their people. Nor can there be one for revoking green cards and holding Arabs and Muslims in remote detention centers while answering to no one.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression asserts that there is no just grounds to raid and criminalize students and faculty, just for the crime of speaking out against the killing of families and children, the bombing of schools and hospitals, the mass starvation of a whole people, and a genocide that depleted 6% of the population of Gaza - and counting.

We know what the FBI is. It is the enforcer of Wall Street, and its job is to paint antiwar activists, Black Lives Matter activists, any dissenter against the billionaires on Wall Street, all out to be terrorists.

In 2010, the FBI raided the home and offices of antiwar activists across the US and tried to force 23 of them to speak in front of a grand jury. They were intent on charging them for providing material support for terrorism. The so-called material support, the prosecutors argued, were the criticisms these activists had of US - backed atrocities in Colombia, Philippines, and Palestine.

But it was not wrong to criticize Wall Street back then, and it is not wrong now. Antiwar 23 resisted and refused to appear in front of the grand jury. After years of petitions, protests, and struggle, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the Antiwar 23 defeated this witch hunt. In the end, no was charged.

This is a good time to reiterate the invaluable lessons we learned from their case. Never, ever speak to the FBI or any other law enforcement. Don't open the door if they don't have a warranty. And in the face of repression, it is crucial to be public, to stand up for yourself and for your right to free speech, and to organize around your case. In our movement, an injury to one is an injury to all.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression is committed to defend the civil liberties of the students, faculty, and community supporters of protests for Gaza. To us, it is no crime to speak out against the injustice inflicted by the U.S. government. The real crime is these raids and any charges that could come down on the pro-Palestine activists of Michigan and the student movement nationwide. We will organize in the defense of anyone in these movements, and we encourage all to join us in this effort.

Defend the Right to Speak Out for Palestine!

Defend Civil Liberties!

Hands Off Our Movements!