call U.S. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald TODAY 5/9 Stop the Repression of Social Justice activists

We all have to call U.S. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald TODAY. Last week, the U.S. Government froze the bank accounts of Hatem and Naima Abudayyeh.

Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300
Then dial 0 (zero) for the operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
Demand Fitzgerald
-- Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family and
-- Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.

If you haven’t already done so, now is also a good time to sign the Pledge to Resist.

Background info from The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and The Coalition to Protect People’s Rights:
On Friday, May 6, the U.S. government froze the bank accounts of Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife, Naima. This unwarranted attack on a leading member of the Palestinian community in Chicago is the latest escalation of the repression of anti-war and Palestinian community organizers by the FBI, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 activists from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Chicago, and his home was raided by the FBI in September of last year. Neither Hatem Abudayyeh nor Naima Abudayyeh have been charged with any crime.

One of the bank accounts frozen was exclusively in Naima Abudayyeh’s name. Leaders of the national Committee to Stop FBI Repression, as well as Chicago’s Coalition to Protect People’s Rights, are appalled at the government’s attempt to restrict the family’s access to its finances, especially so soon before Mothers’ Day. Not only does the government’s action seriously disrupt the lives of the Abudayyehs and their five-year-old daughter, but it represents an attack on Chicago’s Arab community and activist community and the fundamental rights of Americans to freedom of speech.

The persecution of the Abudayyeh family is another example of the criminalization of Palestinians, their supporters, and their movement for justice and liberation. There has been widespread criticism of the FBI and local law enforcement for their racial profiling and scapegoating of Arab and Muslim Americans. These repressive tactics include infiltration of community centers and mosques, entrapment of young men, and the prominent case of 11 students from the University of California campuses at Irvine and Riverside who have been subpoenaed to a grand jury and persecuted for disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the US. The government’s attempt to conflate the anti-war and human rights movements with terrorism is a cynical attempt to capitalize on the current political climate in order to silence Palestinians and other people of conscience who exercise their First Amendment rights in a manner which does not conform to the administration’s foreign policy agenda in the Middle East.

The issuance of subpoenas against the 23 activists has been met with widespread opposition and criticism across the country. Six members of the U.S. Congress, including five in the past month, have sent letters to either Holder or President Obama, expressing grave concern for the violations of the civil liberties and rights of the 23 activists whose freedom is on the line. Three additional U.S. representatives have also promised letters, as thousands of constituents and other people of conscience across the U.S. have demanded an end to this assault on legitimate political activism and dissent. Over 60 Minnesota state legislators also issued a resolution condemning the subpoenas.

The Midwest activists have been expecting indictments for some time. The freezing of the Abudayyeh family's bank accounts suggests that the danger of indictments is imminent.

In solidarity,
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and
The Coalition to Protect People’s Rights

StopFBI.net

"Abudayyeh says the trips were designed for left-wing activists who support the Palestinians' long battle to have their own homeland and who paid money to the Palestinian women's organization. That organization has links to a small, Marxist-oriented organization called the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which was named in the subpoenas and is on the U.S. list of terrorist groups."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/07/hatem-abudayyeh-antiwar-a_n_819950.html

of states that support terrorism. So the FBI should investigate every church group that works with Cuba??? This is like the McCarthyism of the 50's - targeting anti-war and solidarity activists through the fishing expedition of the grand jury.

In December 2010, these four Republican officials attended and spoke at a conference in Paris organized by the Iranian terrorist group MEK (which is also on the U.S. list of designated "Foreign Terrorist Organizations"). The 4 advocated that MEK be removed from the FTO list and I think Michele Bachmann made a public comment in support of MEK also. The "material support" law and its expanded definition under the Patriot Act should have been found unconstitutionally broad but leaving that aside, this case would be a far clearer factual example for Eric Holder to investigate than the case of the 23 anti-war activists but the truth is both of these cases bump up against the First Amendment freedom of speech. And the hypocrisy lies in the fact that the DOJ would never target 4 former officials like this just due to who they are.

And in fact, have published letters calling on the SoS to consider the points raised by the Republicans.

Now, you seem to be claiming that this is a speech case--but it's about giving money to FTOs, isn't it?

Specifically, there's the matter of about 400k given to Mr. Abudayyeh in grants, ostensibly for an after-school program. Now, if you accept taxpayermoney, then why shouldn't you testify as to where it went?

that, and it probably means the grand jury is nearing completion.

I'm not really upset over the FBI investigating a guy who refuses to acknowledge Israel's statehood (calling it "the 1948 territories") but who sends money over to organizations on our terrorist watch lists.

people are NOT charged with anything. They're subpoenaed before a Grand Jury (you can't go in with a lawyer) and asked about anything the Grand Jury wants to ask.

He is one of 23 activists. All have refused to speak. 1. because Grand Juries are archaic and the US is the only industrialized country still using them.
2. No one in the group of 23 know what info they are looking for and if they are going to be charged themselves
3. Many were going to meet with or met with other humanitarian, peace activists, union activists and or women rights activists in either Palestine,or Columbia and if they did say who they spoke with it could put these people and their families lives at risk.

There are many Jewish activists who have meet and worked with Palestinian human rights groups and who have been on the Flotillas trying to bring medical and food supplies as well as school supplies to people in Palestine. Should the be persecuted and have their bank accts frozen?

There are so many people working for death and destruction. So many who profit from death and destruction. maybe the FBI could target them instead of those working for peace and human rights.

I know I am supporting those who risk so much to bring peace and justice to other humans.

Who do you think they are coming for next ?

Treasury Department freezes bank accounts of Palestinian human rights activist and his family.
Office of Foreign Assets Control (a division of the U.S. Dept of Treasury) is the source of escalated attack on civil Liberties of Anti-War, Palestinian Activists

Take action this afternoon and Tuesday:
Call the Office of Foreign Assets Control at
202-622-1649 or 202-622-2420.

Demand:
Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family
Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.

On Friday, May 6, the U.S. government froze the bank accounts of Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife, Naima. It appears that this is being done by the Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Background
This unwarranted attack on a leading member of the Palestinian community in Chicago is the latest escalation of the repression of anti-war and Palestinian community organizers by the US government. Hatem Abudayyeh is one of 23 activists from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in Chicago, and his home was raided by the FBI in September of last year.

One of the bank accounts was exclusively in Naima Abudayyeh’s name. Leaders of the national Committee to Stop FBI Repression, as well as Chicago’s Coalition to Protect People’s Rights, are appalled at the government’s attempt to restrict the family’s access to its finances, especially so soon before Mothers’ Day. The Abudayyehs have a five-year-old daughter.

Supporters of the Abudayyehs and the other 22 activists have learned that apparently OFAC can block your assets pending an investigation on charges of “material support for a foreign terrorist organization” without a hearing. No evidence is required to freeze assets. In the case of the Abudayyeh family, assets mean money for food and rent. As this statement is written, officials won’t even acknowledge that they are the source of the freeze.

There has been widespread criticism of the FBI and local law enforcement for their racist practices against Arab and Muslim communities across the country. These repressive tactics include infiltration of community centers and mosques, entrapment of young men, and the prominent case of 11 students from the University of California campuses at Irvine and Riverside who have been subpoenaed to a grand jury and persecuted for disrupting a speech by Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the US. There have been no charges against Abudayyeh or any of the other 22 activists; this action by the U.S. government is another example of the criminalization of Palestinians, their supporters, and their movement for justice and liberation.

Six members of the U.S. Congress, including five in the past month, have sent letters to either Attorney General Eric Holder or President Obama, expressing grave concern for the violations of the civil liberties and rights of the 23 activists whose freedom is on the line. Three additional U.S. representatives have also promised letters, as thousands of constituents and other people of conscience across the U.S. have demanded an end to this assault on legitimate political activism and dissent.

The Midwest activists have been expecting indictments for some time. The freezing of the Abudayyeh family's bank accounts suggests that the danger of indictments is imminent.

In solidarity,
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1068640&mesg_id=1069372

And do you also "refuse to acknowledge Israel's statehood"?