Midwestern Antiwar groups are continuing to struggle to make sense of a series of high profile Friday raids by the FBI, which officials said were part of a “Joint Terrorism Task Force” investigation but which many are seeing as a direct attempt to intimidate them.
“The government is trying to quiet activists,” insisted lawyer Jim Fennerty, whose client Hatem Abudayyeh’s home was among the eight raided on Friday. “This case is really scary.”
The raids were launched exclusively against the homes of antiwar activists, a number of whom are involved in organizing protests against the upcoming Democratic National Convention in 2012. No arrests were made and the FBI insisted that no arrests are forthcoming.
Yet despite downplaying the importance of the incident, the FBI had SWAT teams kicking down doors in Minneapolis and Chicago, and Fennerty insists those raiding his client’s home took “any documents containing the word Palestine.” The combination of heavy handed, guns drawn raids and mass confiscation of documents seems to support the belief that this was about intimidation, rather than investigation.
Beyond that a number of the activists raided were served with subpoenas demanding that they appear in Chicago before a Grand Jury and provide them with any evidence of any contact they had with anybody in a number of countries, including Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Officials seem to be fishing for evidence that they can somehow used to tie the domestic antiwar movement to some foreign terrorist group and charge its members with providing “material aid to terrorism.” Yet whether they can manufacture this evidence or not, the tactics used in the search seem certain to have a deleterious effect on the ablity to speak out against the administration going forward.
They took the free thinkers, for they would not conform:
They took the scholers for they could teach the free thinker:
They took the gypsies for they were tramps and theives:
They took the jews for they were the root of all evil:
They took the palistinians for they wanted too be free:
Then they took me, for I would not go to my knees.
Why is it that the term Palestinian Territories is used. Why not the Zionist territories, which seems to reflect what has happened in OMG Palestine, the P word, knocking at my door already. It's the Thought Police, who get inside of my head, come to me in my bed, the Thought Police, Police, Police……………, to borrow a refrain from the Cheap Trick song "the Dream Police".
Dictatorship in the works. Freedom is lost.
According to a spokesperson the FBI was interested not in anti-war activities but in "foreign terrorist groups" — Hamas, Hezbollah and FARC. They were looking for travel docs and financial records on any trips to Palestine & Colombia.
These groups don't threaten any Americans but they do threaten components of the American Empire. So the Empire is the real issue not "terrorism."
Case in point: Over eighty congressional reps, led by Rep. Filner (D-CA), are currently trying to get a bill passed taking MEK off the State Dept. list because MEK, a recognized terrorist outfit, is anti-Iran, which to them is a good thing. So terrorism like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
How many will vote in November for fascist democrats and republicans?
Why are "voters" participating in creating veneer of legitimacy for the fascist junta that took over USA on 9/11?
The supreme irony is that virtually all of these antiwar activists likely voted for His Supreme High Afro-Exaltedness Obama.
Agreed, it could also be a silver lining if those either refuse to participate or vote for third option in a monolithic fashion.
When will Obama return his Nobel Peace Prize? This guy is a screwed up as was George Bush and of course his closest adivsers are all pro-Israel Jews. Please Emmanuel, run for the mayor of Chicago where they have a history of kooky leaders and let Obama replace you with a true American. And Axelrod should run for the mayor of Tel Aviv and get out of the White House. In two years time, Obama has been manipulated into believing all those stupid policies that the public thought they were voting against. There may be no hope for the USA.
You are just figuring this our now?
If you watch this video and pass it along, you may be a terrorist, according to the FBI:
'Don't believe me?
FBI Launching Mass Raids of Antiwar Activists’ Homes http://news.antiwar.com/2010/09/24/fbi-launching-…
It Is Official: The US Is a Police State http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts283.htm…
Lone nut thinks he can save the world from the real terrorists. http://www.onedollardvdproject.com/
Ron
It had become very essential for activists to stand up to the secrecy and intimidation of these raids and subpoenas with solidarity. Political, social and economic rights have only been won in this country when they were demanded in the streets. We should be alarmed–and turn this alarm into action without any delay.