FBI should stop spying on war protesters

November 28, 2003

Freedom Newspapers

When is the Bush administration going to stop violating Americans’ civil rights?
According to The New York Times, the FBI has “collected extensive information on the tactics, training and organization of anti-war demonstrators and has advised local law enforcement officials to report any suspicious activity at protests to its counterterrorism squads.”
The Times attributed the report in part to a “confidential bureau memorandum.”
The FBI insists it only monitored groups that supposedly might cause violence. But the memo also contained information such as “how protesters have … (used) the Internet to raise money,” the Times reported.
Unless a group specifically advocates violence or has committed it, the FBI should stop its spying. Spying on war protesters brings back the chilling memory of FBI abuses under the late J. Edgar Hoover, such as spying on civil-rights leader and anti-Vietnam War activist Martin Luther King.