Terrorism Court Cases

FBI Admits Utah Grand Jury May Lead to ALF “Sympathy Attacks”

An animal rights activist in Utah, Jordan Halliday, has been jailed for refusing to testify about his political beliefs and associations before a grand jury. In response, the FBI is going into Orwellian overdrive. Here are two ways the public statements by the FBI and prosecutors about this “animal rights terrorism” case just don’t add up:

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2 Animal Rights Activists Arrested as “Terrorists” for Freeing Mink in Utah

Two animal rights activists have been arrested under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act in connection to the release of mink from Utah fur farms. The crimes are attributed to the Animal Liberation Front, which the FBI labels the “number one domestic terrorism threat.” William Viehl, 22, and Alex Hall, 20, were arrested in connection with […]

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Environmentalist Receives Higher Prison Sentence than Al-Qaeda Operative

An Al-Qaeda operative charged with creating a weapon of mass destruction has received a lesser prison sentence than an environmentalist who set fire to an empty building. Christopher Paul, aka “Abdul Malek,” is an Ohio native who joined Al Qaeda in the early 90s. According to the FBI, he: received training in “the use of […]

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How Law Enforcement Uses Informants and Snitches Against Activists

The government relies on fear to create informants and snitches, and build cases against political activists.

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FBI Agent: Video Surveillance Used to Track Activist Leafleting

When I first reported on the arrest of four animal rights activists in California under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, few details were available. The only information was the FBI press release (which mainstream media outlets have regurgitated nearly verbatim as news articles). I now have a copy of the criminal complaint written by FBI […]

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FBI’s 5-Step Process to Criminalize First Amendment Activity as “Terrorism”

The recent FBI arrests of animal rights activists as “terrorists” for chalking sidewalks, protesting and making fliers marks a drastic turning point in the Green Scare, and in the history of this country. The government and corporations are clearly hoping to set a legal precedent for the sweeping power of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. […]

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5 Reasons for Activists to Cover Their Faces at Protests

“If activists have nothing to hide, why are they wearing masks?” I’ve heard that question over and over again. It usually comes in the form of a soundbite from someone affiliated with a corporation, industry or government agency that is attempting to smear lawful activists as “terrorists.” Their reasoning goes something like this: If you […]

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FBI Arrests 4 Activists as “Terrorists” for Chalking Slogans, Leafleting and Protesting

It was only a matter of time. Since the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a sweeping new law labeling animal rights activists as “terrorists,” corporations and industry groups have been pushing the federal government to use their new powers. For more than two years, the law has sat on the shelf. The government […]

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“They are going after the most vocal and public figures, and that’s certainly who the RNC8 were”

I spoke with Tom Elko of the Minnesota Independent about how the government is labeling and prosecuting political activists as terrorists, and some patterns that are emerging between a few of the most well-known cases, including the RNC 8 and the SHAC 7. “They are not going after the people that are doing any alleged […]

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Connecting the RNC 8 “Terrorism” Case to the Green Scare

When I was in Minneapolis, I sat down with a few local Indymedia journalists and Friends of the RNC 8 to talk about the connections between the RNC 8 case (above-ground community organizers facing terrorism charges for organizing mass protests against the Republican National Convention) and the broader Green Scare. “The government has been starting […]

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