Dear Congress: You Lied to Me About the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act

March 4, 2009 Dear Member of Congress: When I testified before the House Judiciary Committee about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act in 2006, I argued that such sweeping legislation risks criminalizing First Amendment activity as “terrorism” and chilling free speech. Members of the committee, including Rep. Bobby Scott and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, quickly dismissed my […]

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How Does the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Work?

In light of the recent arrests under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, I thought it would a good time to post this presentation I gave at William Mitchell College of Law recently. It’s a step-by-step walkthrough of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, with some background on the law and how it was passed. It is, […]

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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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Are Mainstream Environmentalists Supporting “Eco-terrorism” Against Climate Change This Weekend?

Thousands of students converging in Washington, D.C. this weekend have already “gone green.” Now they are going “eco-terrorist.” That’s absurd, right? No one in their right mind would call the 10,000 young people participating in the Power Shift conference and mass non-violent civil disobedience against a coal-powered plant“eco-terrorists.” But corporations and the politicians who represent […]

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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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