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<h2><font size=4><b>Committee to Stop FBI Repression conference:
Successful and inspiring</b></font></h2><font size=3>Building a broad
front against FBI and U.S. government repression <br><br>
November 8, 2011<br>
Read more articles in
<a href="http://www.fightbacknews.org/news/special-coverage/fbi-repression">
FBI Repression</a> <br>
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<br>
</a></font><font size=3>Chicago, IL - Over 150 people gathered here, Nov.
5, for the first national conference of the Committee to Stop FBI
Repression. <br><br>
Conference organizer Tom Burke said, "The national conference was a
grand success. We united movement leaders from Florida to San Jose, from
New Jersey to L.A., in opposing political repression, Islamophobia and
the criminalization of whole communities. We dedicated ourselves to a
campaign in solidarity with the famous Chicano leader and anti-war
activist Carlos Montes, demanding "Drop the charges!" We
discussed how, with the upsurge around the Occupy Wall Street movement,
we are joining in efforts to lead protests while also popularizing the
Carlos Montes solidarity campaign. With local police, directed by the
FBI, arresting thousands of Occupy Wall Street movement protesters, there
is an opportunity to organize thousands against political repression and
to support Carlos Montes. If we go out and organize, we can beat these
attacks." <br><br>
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression was formed in September, 2010 after
anti-war and international solidarity activists’ homes were raided by the
FBI and 23 people were subpoenaed before a Chicago-based grand jury in a
witch hunt chasing after phony ‘material support for terrorism’
charges. <br><br>
This conference brought together supporters of the 23 activists, along
with Carlos Montes, whose Los Angeles home was raided on orders from the
FBI this past May as part of the same witch hunt, as well as family
members of Arab and Muslim political prisoners in the U.S. <br><br>
The conference passed resolutions committing to focus on defeating the
charges against Carlos Montes; reaffirming the Pledge to Resist in
support of the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists who
have refused to appear before the Chicago grand jury; and to build a
broad front against U.S. government repression. <br><br>
The last resolution recognizes the reality that the only way to stop the
very serious attacks on so many Palestinians, Muslims, Arabs and anti-war
and solidarity activists is through building broad unity to defend
everyone under attack. Speakers emphasized that the laws and court
interpretations have become so bad that they have unleashed a general
wave of repression that must be pushed back against as a whole.<br><br>
There were also resolutions passed in support of continuing international
solidarity work with Palestine and in support of mobilizing for mass
anti-war protests at the G-8 and NATO meetings in Chicago in May
2012.<br>
The resolution calling for a broad front against repression reads, in
part:<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>“The government of the U.S. has constructed an immense repressive
apparatus that is aimed at the Arab and Muslim communities, other
oppressed peoples, and progressive social movements. The tools used by
this apparatus include spying and surveillance, anti-democratic grand
juries, repressive legislation, preemptive prosecutions and imprisonment.
We condemn the green scare repression and the police violence that has
been directed at occupy Wall Street/occupy everywhere movement. <br><br>
<dd>“These attacks on our democratic and civil rights need to be meet
with an effort to build the broadest possible united front against
repression. Repressive legislation, such as the ‘Patriot Act’ and laws on
‘material support’ should be scrapped. Those who are facing repression
need to be supported. We favor cooperation and coalitions with those who
are working towards these ends. We will do everything in our power to put
an end to these attacks. We understand the need for solidarity and that
an injury to one is an injury to all.”<br><br>
</dl>An impressive and inspiring range of speakers addressed the
conference. There were family members of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim
people facing political repression speaking alongside representatives of
the 23 from the anti-war movement, as well as lawyers and activists from
other organizations fighting against repression. <br><br>
Sarah Smith of the Chicago Committee Against Political Repression opened
the conference. She was one of the 23 activists subpoenaed to a grand
jury because of her solidarity with Palestine. Tom Burke of the Committee
to Stop FBI Repression, who was also subpoenaed, welcomed people to the
conference. <br><br>
Carlos Montes, the Chicano movement leader, anti-war and immigrant rights
activist whose home was raided and ransacked by the FBI and L.A. County
Sheriffs, spoke in the morning about his activism and the repression he
is facing. Montes faces six felony charges is mounting a vigorous
political and legal defense. <br><br>
Jeff Mackler spoke for the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) about
the importance of defending the anti-war and international solidarity
activists facing repression and the need to support all those under
attack by the U.S. government. Mackler talked about his early political
activism protesting against the McCarthyite wave of anti-communist
repression, including the House Unamerican Activities Committee.
<br><br>
Jim Fennerty of the National Lawyers Guild and Jess Sundin of the
Minnesota Anti-War Committee explained the case of the 23 anti-war and
solidarity activists. They made it very clear that although the raids
happened over a year ago, all signs point to the fact that the government
is still planning to bring multiple indictments to try to jail people for
a long time on ‘material support of terrorism’ charges. So, while it’s a
good sign that nobody has been jailed for refusing to testify to the
grand jury and that nobody has been indicted yet, it would be very unwise
for people to think that the case is over. Fennerty made reference to the
Holy Land 5 case, in which the government took several years before
bringing the indictments that ultimately led to convictions and 65-year
prison sentences.<br><br>
<h3><b>Speak Out Against Repression</b></h3><font size=3>The next panel
was the most moving of the conference, featuring family members and
friends of people imprisoned for their ideas and political activism.
Alejandro Molina of the National Boricua Human Rights Network spoke about
the ongoing imprisonment of Puerto Rican independence activists.
<br><br>
Ali Al-Arian spoke about the case of his father, Dr. Sami Al-Arian.
Al-Arian has been through a years-long ordeal of imprisonment, isolation
and multiple grand juries which he refused to speak to. Sharmin Sadequee
spoke movingly about the case of her brother Shifa Sadequee. Noor Elashi
also spoke movingly on the case of her father Ghassan Elashi and the Holy
Land 5. The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Muslim charity in the
U.S. and sent humanitarian aid to Palestine as well as other places. In
Palestine they sent money to the same community organizations that the
USAID and other international agencies also sent money to. But after
9/11, the Holy Land Foundation was shut down and the directors ultimately
jailed for terms up to 65 years for ‘material support of terrorism.’ Mrs.
Asmaa Ashqar spoke of the case of her husband Dr. Ashqar, who was one of
the first people jailed under the 1996 anti-terrorism laws. Finally,
Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network spoke. He is
one of the 23 solidarity activists raided last September and has been an
outspoken advocate of Palestinian national unity and liberation.
<br><br>
After this panel there were workshops on labor solidarity, student
activism, Palestine solidarity and legislative work.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Solidarity Forever</b></h3><font size=3>During lunch there
were video solidarity messages from Cornel West and Robert Meerpol, who
were unable to attend the conference but sent their greetings. West
praised the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the 23 activists who
have refused to cooperate with the grand jury witch hunt for keeping up
vocal and vigorous activism. Meerpol, whose parents Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg were executed in the 1950s during the McCarthyite
anti-communist witch hunt, sent a message about the importance of this
case. Jacques Rivera was also saluted. Rivera was wrongfully convicted in
Chicago, Illinois and after years of campaigning for his freedom, he was
finally freed in October after 21 years in prison. Stephanie Weiner, who
had worked for his freedom with the Comite Exijimos Justicia, gave a
moving talk about his struggle. Rivera emphasized the need to continue
working to free all people who are unjustly imprisoned.<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Understanding and Opposing FBI Repression, Grand Juries,
and Pre-emptive Prosecution</b></h3><font size=3>After lunch there was a
panel of legal experts and activists. The panel was introduced by Abayomi
Azikiwe, of the Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War and Injustice
(MECAWI), who talked about the link between U.S. wars and repression at
home. <br><br>
Michael Deutsch of the People’s Law Office spoke on the political use of
grand juries and conspiracy charges. Steve Downs of Project Salam spoke
on pre-emptive prosecutions and ‘thought crimes.’ Kay Guinane of the
Charity and Security Network spoke about efforts to amend the ‘material
support’ law and about the conflict between the Supreme Court’s
Humanitarian Law Project vs. Holder decision and free speech. Shahid
Buttar of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee spoke on the material
support standard, ending the Patriot Act and local civil rights defense.
Meredith Aby of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression spoke on the need to
build a broad front against repression. <br><br>
Another set of workshops then covered the upcoming G8/NATO meeting in
Chicago and the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida,
and the certainty of repression against activists protesting those
events; mapping the landscape for struggle against repression; the
immigrant rights movement and the fight against repression; and the
Occupy Wall Street movement and political repression. <br><br>
Finally there was a plenary where the above-mentioned resolutions were
presented and passed. The plenary was introduced by Prexy Nesbitt, who
played an important role in the South Africa anti-apartheid movement.
<br><br>
The conference was an important effort to build the movement to defend
Carlos Montes and the 23 anti-war activists subpoenaed before a grand
jury witch hunt in Chicago. The conference also put the case in the
context of the growing repression over the past 15 years against
Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and built deeper ties of unity and
solidarity with all people facing this wave of repression, with a deeper
commitment to push back against the U.S. government’s wave of repression
as a whole.<br><br>
<br><br>
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