Stop FBI raids and grand jury witchhunts of antiwar activists and radicals!

Statement by Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women

September 28, 2010

On September 24, gun-toting FBI SWAT agents broke into homes of
antiwar activists and associates of Freedom Road Socialist Organization
(FRSO) in Minneapolis and Chicago. These outrageous actions were
ordered by a federal judge in order to seize materials for a grand jury
investigation into supposed terrorism. Agents walked off with files, financial
records, passports, phone lists, computers and other electronic equipment.
The warrant for seizing activists' possessions includes items for "the
recruitment, indoctrination, and facilitation of other individuals in the United
States to join FRSO" and "the recruitment, etc. of individuals to travel to
Colombia and Palestine…in support of FARC, Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine and Hezbollah." Other targets of the raid included
the offices of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee and the Chicago home
of Hatem Abudayyeh, executive director of the Arab American
Action Network.

In addition to the break-ins, the FBI is visiting people whom they assert
may be involved in the antiwar movement or organizing support for
Palestinians and Colombians. However, those raided have pointed out
that they have the right to freedom of association and to organize without
government interference or intimidation. Government attempts to halt
solidarity with workers and the poor in other lands will not be tolerated. In
directing these attacks, the Obama administration is continuing
COINTELPRO-type operations the FBI used in the '60s and '70s to divide
the movements and smash dissent.

There are various conjectures being put forth as to why the Obama
administration is staging these raids now: to appear tough on terrorism
before the Congressional elections; to chill activists before the antiwar
demonstrations on October 9-16; or to take attention away from last
week's Justice Department admission that the FBI used false claims to
mount "counterterror" investigations as a cover for spying and infiltration
of activist groups across the country. Whatever the reason, there are
definitely steps to be taken to strengthen the message that antiwar and
Left forces will not be intimidated and will continue to fight back!

The FBI is a huge internal spy network that reports to the Justice
Department and serves the interest of big business. The most effective
defense against the FBI is to build community support as is being done in
Minneapolis and Chicago: protest loudly while exercising the right to refuse
to speak to them. If they show up or call, tell them you've nothing to say
and tell them to leave you alone. The FBI are not the cops. Short of a
search warrant, you have no legal obligation to tell them your name or
anything else.

The Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women call on all organizations,
activists and friends of free speech to condemn government intimidation,
unconstitutional McCarthyite raids, and grand jury inquisitions in the
strongest terms possible and to demand that the stolen possessions be
returned immediately.

To join the national movement to stop FBI repression, leave contact
information at www.antiwarcommittee.org, website of the Twin Cities
Anti-War Committee.

Stop the witchhunts and attacks on free speech!
Return property seized in the raids!
End the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the occupation of Palestine!

Send 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
www.whitehouse.gov/contact

___________________________________________________________

Issued by:

Freedom Socialist Party, U.S. Section
4710 University Way N.E. #100
Seattle WA 98105
[email protected]
www.socialism.com

Radical Women, U.S. Section
625 Larkin St. #202
San Francisco, CA 94109
[email protected]
www.radicalwomen.org