United Students Against Sweatshops solidarity statement

On September 24, 2010, the FBI invaded and raided the homes and offices of anti-war and union activists in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, and Minnesota, confiscating computer files, mailing lists, cell phones, passports, political literature, and correspondence. The FBI then served subpoenas to 14 people to testify before a federal grand jury regarding “terrorism”.

Only four days before these raids, the Office of the Inspector General of the United States revealed that the FBI has illegally spied on political activists, that FBI director Robert Mueller lied to Congress about the surveillance, and that agents frequently confuse civil disobedience with “domestic terrorism”.

Not one of the 14 subpoenaed activists has been charged with a crime, yet their property has still not been returned.

Therefore the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) Coordinating Committee joins countless other organizations across the US in denouncing these raids and in demanding the return of all material seized.

We call for an immediate investigation into the circumstances, motivation, and propriety of the police and judicial intimidation of the anti-war activists.

Signed,
The USAS Coordinating Committee