Be careful folks. Going to a vegan meeting to exchange portobello mushroom
recipes could get you on the FBI's terrorist list.

New Documents Show FBI Targeting Environmental and Animal Rights Groups
Activities as 'Domestic Terrorism' (12/20/2005)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org

Additional Documents Indicate FBI Scrutiny of Anti-war Gathering

NEW YORK -- According to new documents released today by the American Civil
Liberties Union, the FBI is using counterterrorism resources to monitor and
infiltrate domestic political organizations that criticize business
interests and government policies, despite a lack of evidence that the
groups are engaging in or supporting violent action.

The ACLU said that the documents released today on Greenpeace, People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) show the FBI expanding the definition of
"domestic terrorism" to include citizens and groups that participate in
lawful protests or civil disobedience.

"The FBI should use its resources to investigate credible threats to
national security instead of spending time tracking Americans who criticize
government policy, or monitoring groups that have not broken the law," said
Ann Beeson, Associate Legal Director of the ACLU. "Labeling law abiding
groups and their members 'domestic terrorists' is not only irresponsible, it
has a chilling effect on the vibrant tradition of political dissent in this
country."

The documents were obtained by the ACLU after the organization filed Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) requests to discover whether the FBI's
partnerships with local law enforcement in Joint Terrorism Task Forces has
resulted in increased surveillance of political and religious activity.

Among the documents released today were more than 100 pages of FBI files on
PETA. Multiple documents indicate ongoing surveillance of PETA-related
meetings and activities, including a "Vegan Community Project" event at the
University of Indiana during which the group distributed vegetarian starter
kits to students and faculty, an animal rights conference in Washington, DC
that was open to the public, and a planned protest of Cindy Crawford's
decision to become a llama fur spokesperson.

The ACLU said that FBI surveillance of mainstream organizations involved in
public education campaigns has allowed the bureau to maintain files with
names and other information on law-abiding Americans who support or
participate in events organized by the groups. One file released by the FBI
in response to a request for ADC's records included a contact list for
students and peace activists who participated in a 2002 conference at
Stanford University, which focused on ending U.S. sanctions against Iraq.

"The FBI should be investigating real terrorists, not monitoring
controversial ideas," said Ben Wizner, an ACLU staff attorney. "Americans
shouldn't have to fear that by protesting the treatment of animals or
participating in non-violent civil disobedience, they will be branded as
'eco-terrorists' in FBI records."

The ACLU said that some of the documents suggest infiltration by undercover
"sources" at animal rights meetings and conferences. One highly redacted
"Domestic Terrorism Operations Unit" document suggests that the FBI is using
PETA's interns for surveillance, while others describe attempts to locate
and interview "several former disgruntled PETA employees." Similarly, one
cryptic e-mail kept in a Greenpeace file describes a source who "offers a
unique opportunity to gain intelligence on activists who show a clear
predisposition to violate the law."

At times, the documents show aggressive attempts by the FBI to link PETA,
Greenpeace and other mainstream organizations to activists associated with
the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) or Earth Liberation Front (ELF), said the
ACLU. PETA, in particular, is repeatedly and falsely singled out as a
"front" for militant organizations although in at least one document
released today the FBI appears to acknowledge that it has no evidence to
back up such assertions.

"These documents show the erosion of freedom of association and speech that
Americans have taken for granted and which set us apart from oppressive
countries," said Jeff Kerr, General Counsel for PETA. "McCarthyist tactics
used against PETA and other groups that speak out against cruelty to animals
and exploitive corporate and government practices are un-American,
unconstitutional and against the interests of a healthy democracy."

The documents released by the ACLU also include FBI observances on supposed
Communist leanings of the Catholic Workers Group (CWG). In an e-mail to the
counterterrorism unit, an unidentified official wrote, "the Catholic Workers
advocated peace with a Christian and semi-communistic ideology." In another
document, an agent writes, "Based on the author's interpretation of comments
made by various CWG protestors, CWG also advocates a communist distribution
of resources."

ACLU affiliates in 20 states have filed similar requests on behalf of more
than 150 groups and individuals. Earlier this month, the ACLU of Colorado
revealed that the FBI had tracked the names, license plate numbers and
vehicle registration information of participants at a peaceful protest of
the North American Wholesale Lumber Association in Colorado Springs in June
2002.

To view the FBI documents released by the ACLU, go to:
www.aclu.org/spyfiles.

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/23124prs20051220.html