ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN, Number 208 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit ............................................................... ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||| ||| ||| A N T I F A ||| ||| ||| ||| I N F O - B U L L E T I N ||| ||| _____ ||| ||| ||| ||| * News * Analysis * Research * Action * ||| ||| ||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ***** ||/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\|/\||/\||| || * -- AFIB #208 -- * June 20, 1999 * -- AFIB #208 -- * || ||\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/|\/||\/||| * US/NATO OUT OF THE BALKANS! * ``No, I'm not an American. I'm one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I'm not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag- saluter, or a flag-waver -- no, not I. I'm speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don't see any American dream; I see an American nightmare.'' -- Malcolm X, 1964, _The Ballot or the Bullet_. CONTENTS: Number 208 _____ 1. (SB) THE SACRAMENTO BEE [US]: Top U.S. Investigators Join Synagogue Arson Probe. 2. (AFF) ANTI-FASCIST FORUM [Canada/US]: Sacramento Synagogue Attacks - Neo-Nazi Groups in the Area. 3. (SHEM) SHEMPERS [Indonesia]: An Appeal from Indonesian Anti-Fascists. 4. (ATS) ARM THE SPIRIT [Canada]: `Away with the Fascist Kameradschaft Northeim!' - Anti-Fascist Demo 6/26/99 in Northeim, Germany. 5. (ISWoR) INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS IN RUSSIA [UK]: `No Papers? Then We'll Beat You to Death!' - Russian Students Appeal for Help in Face of Police Brutality. 6. (NCADC) NATIONAL COALITION OF ANTI-DEPORTATION CAMPAIGNS [UK]: Urgent Help Required - Free Satpal Ram Campaign. 7. (AM) ALBION MONITOR [US]: A Short History of FBI COINTELPRO. 8. (IPS) INTERPRESS SERVICE: Chile - Fresh Proof of `Operation Condor' Surfaces. * * * _________________________________________________________________ TOP U.S. INVESTIGATORS JOIN SYNAGOGUE ARSON PROBE _________________________________________________________________ THE SACRAMENTO BEE Sunday, June 20, 1999 http://www.sacbee.com/news/news/local01_19990620.html By Andy Furillo, Bee Staff Writer Some of the country's best arson investigators swooped into Sacramento on Saturday to gather evidence they hope will lead them to the one or more hate criminals who set fire to three local synagogues. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Dallas-based National Response Team split into three squads and sifted through the blackened innards of Congregation B'nai Israel, Congregation Beth Shalom and the Kenesset Israel Torah Center, in the beginning stages of the probe. "It's really early," the team's agent-in-charge, Jim Adamcik, told reporters outside Congregation B'nai Israel, the hardest hit of the three synagogues. "I know there is physical evidence being recovered at those locations. It will be recovered. The firefighters told us they saw things that obviously were left behind (that) they felt were associated with the fire. "We are obviously going to document that and recover it. We have chemists (who) are going to collect those samples, take it back to their lab tonight and hopefully we'll know exactly what we're dealing with by tomorrow." Adamcik did not discuss specifics of the evidence, and FBI spokesman Nick Rossi said the squad of more than 100 state, local and federal investigators assigned to the arsons that rocked Sacramento's religious and political communities still have not identified a suspect or suspects. Two private parties, however, have emerged to post a total of $35,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fires. They are Sacramento bounty hunter Leonard Padilla, who is offering $25,000, and Michael J. Zwebner, an Israeli-born businessman who just bought an office building in Carmichael. Zwebner put up $10,000. Although investigators have released few details on what they are finding, residents of an apartment building across the parking lot of Congregation Beth Shalom said one of their neighbors spotted a lone possible suspect running out of the back of the El Camino Avenue synagogue right when the fire was breaking out. "She saw a man with a hood running around the back side of the building," said Teddy Comstock, 35, who added that he overheard the unidentified woman's conversation with FBI agents on Friday. "I was standing right there when she told it to them. She's a woman who sees stuff all the time." Comstock said the woman gave agents no description of the man. Rossi declined to comment on the neighbors' statements, except to say that "possible sightings in and around the synagogues are things we're exploring." Jimmy Black, 42, another resident of the Royal Crest Apartments across from Congregation Beth Shalom, said an FBI agent told her that "a group in Auburn, from a church of the Creator or something, is taking credit" for the synagogue burnings. Told of the neighbor's remarks, Rossi said, "We can't comment on that. We are trying to pursue all logical investigative steps. We can't comment on specific groups until we have something more solid." According to the Anti-Defamation League, the World Church of the Creator, purported to have a branch in Auburn, is one of several "hate groups" whose activities the ADL has monitored in the Sacramento area. Efforts to contact WCOTC members Saturday were unsuccessful. The ADL, one of the nation's leading anti-Semitism organizations -- and which announced Saturday it will help Congregation B'nai Israel replace its destroyed library -- said the WCOTC has issued rhetoric attacking Jews, Christians, African Americans and foreign immigrants "with equal vehemence." "Church" members have condemned NATO's activities in Kosovo, the ADL said. References to the conflict in the war-torn Serbian province were contained in fliers discovered at two of the three torched synagogues. One of the three was the Kenesset Israel Torah Center, where Margie Napier woke up in Friday's predawn darkness to a smashing sound from the synagogue on the other side of her back fence. She looked outside to see fire rising. "It sounded like a transformer blowing up," Napier said. "Then I saw a big ball of orange. I called the Fire Department, and then I called my neighbors to wake them up. Then the alarm triggered." Napier said she went outside to look at the synagogue fire two or three minutes after hearing the noise. But, she said, "I didn't see anybody at all." Neighbors across the street from Congregation B'nai Israel on Riverside Boulevard said Saturday they did not see or hear anything. Sacramento FBI Special Agent-in-Charge James Maddock said the 3600 Riverside Blvd. synagogue fire was reported at 3:24 a.m. Congregation Beth Shalom, at 4746 El Camino Ave., drew a 3:48 a.m. response. Maddock said firefighters arrived at the Kenesset Israel Torah Center, on 1024 Morse Ave., at 3:58 a.m. In medium traffic Saturday, it took a motorist 23 minutes to drive the 11.7 miles from Congregation B'nai Israel to Congregation Beth Shalom, at the speed limits. In lighter traffic, it took 10 minutes to drive the 4.0 miles from Congregation Beth Shalom to the Kenesset Israel Torah Center. Such driving times, which suggest the possibility of a single vehicle running from arson site to arson site, are among "the things we're looking at," Rossi said. As for the rewards, Rossi said the FBI has had "more than one private entity come forward and express an interest and willingness" to post some cash to help solve the case. "Our concern when that happens is that we not end up with a multiplicity of rewards being offered for the same information," Rossi said. "It's very important with any reward that there be a central clearinghouse for information generated by the offer." Rossi said the FBI and the ATF are considering posting rewards of their own. He asked that anyone with information on the case call (800) 435-7883or (888) ATF-FIRE. Padilla, a former mayoral candidate who has posted similar rewards in past high-profile investigations, said he is offering the bounty to help clear the "negative posture" the burnings left on Sacramento's national image. "We just can't have the city of Sacramento thought of as being this kind of a community," he said. Zwebner, whose Cambridge, Mass., Talk Visual Corp. recently bought the Town & Country West Plaza on Fulton Avenue, said in a prepared statement, "We're shocked by the presence of this type of racially motivated hatred." Sacramento City Council member Jimmy Yee, the victim of a hate-inspired firebombing in 1993, is sponsoring a rally today in support of the most recent arson victims. Yee is expected to be joined at the 3 p.m. rally at William Land Park, across the street from Congregation B'nai Israel, by Mayor Joe Serna Jr. and a variety of local officials and community groups. Bee staff writer Ralph Montano contributed to this report. Copyright 1999 The Sacramento Bee. ***** * ANTI-FASCIST FORUM (AFF) * P.O. Box 6326, Station A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7 Canada E-mail: aff@burn.ucsd.edu Web: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff AFIB: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff/afib.html - Saturday, 19 June 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ SACRAMENTO SYNAGOGUE ATTACKS: NEO-NAZI GROUPS IN THE AREA _________________________________________________________________ * * * (SAN FRANCISCO) -- As federal and state investigators comb through the rubble of three Sacramento-area synagogues struck by anti-Semite's last Friday, the nature of the targets suggest the perpetrators may be neo-Nazis operating under the "false flag" of an allegedly "Serbian" group, the "North American Terrorist Organization." Claiming to oppose NATO's imperialist intervention in the Balkans, the rhetorical baggage of leaflets scattered at two of the sites mirror the public pronouncements of several fascist groups active in the area. While evidence linking a specific far-right organization to the attacks has yet to surface, Sacramento is home to a variety of fascist, neo-Nazi, anti-abortion and "Patriot" militia outfits. Groups currently active include William Pierce's National Alliance and the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC). Recently, the National Alliance formed a Sacramento chapter and have actively distributed fascist propaganda at area gun shows and "survivalist" expositions, hoping to influence and recruit militia supporters. After a series of debilitating splits and power struggles when WCOTC founder Ben Klassen, the author of the racist _White Man's Bible_, dispatched himself to "Valhalla," the group reconstituted itself under the leadership of "Rev." Matt Hale. The WCOTC claim several chapters in Sacramento and the greater Bay Area. Fascist violence is not a new phenomenon in Sacramento. Members of The Fourth Reich Skinheads -- operating as the "Aryan Liberation Front (ALF)" -- went on a rampage in Washington and California in 1993-1994. Attacks included the arson bombing of a gay bar in Seattle, the bombing of the offices of the NAACP in Tacoma, an arson attack against Temple B'nai Israel (bombed Friday), the bombing of the Sacramento offices of the NAACP and the firebombing of the home of an Asian City Council member. When ALF members were arrested, an abortive plot to assassinate Rodney King and LA-area rap artists came to light, part of a scheme to incite a race war in Los Angeles. In addition to their affiliation to the Fourth Reich Skinheads, the plotters were WCOTC members with ties to Sacramento-area boneheads. While fascist organizations undoubtedly will deny any involvement in Friday's attacks, the nature of far-right "leaderless resistance" today provide the leadership of white supremacist organizations with "plausible denial" -- while the seeds are sown for the next outrage. Though liberal lobby groups will call for increased state intervention to combat racist and neo-Nazi violence, the best defense against fascist terror is a strong, independent, ground-level anti-fascist movement. NAZI GROUPS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO/SACRAMENTO BAY AREAS World Church of the Creator P.O. Box 2002 E. Peoria, IL 61611 Tel: (309) 699-0135 E-mail: PMHale1@aol.com Web: http://www.creator.org WCOTC WCOTC P.O. Box 21312 Box 3672 Carmichael, CA 95609-2132 Citrus Heights, CA 95611 WCOTC WCOTC P.O. Box 55813 P.O. Box 861 Hayward, CA 94545 Napa, CA 94559 Tel: (510) 247-6058 WCOTC The Women's Frontier P.O. Box 276822 Sacramento, CA 95827 The National Alliance does not have an active mailing contact in the Bay Area, however the NA web page, www.natvan.com, lists a contact number in Sacramento, CA: (916) 486-5588. SUPPORT AFF - SUBSCRIBE TO `ANTIFA FORUM' TODAY! Anti-Fascist Forum is not a state-funded project. It relies solely on its own resources and supporters. Subscribe to Antifa Forum or become a supporter today! 4-issue subscription to Antifa Forum: $20 (North America); $30 (Overseas); $50 (Institutions) ***** * SHEMPERS * JL. SEI Batang Serangan No. 50/43 Medan 20154 North Sumatera Indonesia E-mail: oikeepthestreet@mailcity.com - Sunday, 13 June 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ AN APPEAL FROM INDONESIAN ANTI-FASCISTS _________________________________________________________________ Please Circulate Widely * * * We are realy appreciate with you and thanks if you want to help us it realy such a great honour to have a help from other friends in other continent to stop racism in the world! There are a lot of skinheads in Indonesia esp in big cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Jogjakarta, and the place I live here Medan, but most of them only know about music and life style not way of life. But we here still want to learn much more. We in Medan have 15 skins and many people support us. We have an organization called SHEMPERS and our main target is against SARA prejudice. SARA means ethnic, religion, social status, multi race. And now in my country it realy happens there are lots of riot in many cities like Ambon (religion), Jakarta (religion), Medan (race), Samba (ethnic/stereotype) and it caused many people to die. There are many activities we had make to support anti- racism in Medan like we make a gig UNDERGROUND AGANST RACISM, AGAINST NATIONAL RIOT, and the latest one in 2ND MAY, STOP PRADUGA SARA it is the same as saying stop racial prejudice. We have a small underground shop, from here we SHEMPERS get the money but it's a very small shop. We dont have much stuff can you help us? The name of shop is BRONTAK RECORDS. SHEMPERS found in 97 in Jakarta but the main movement is in Medan. The reason why we built this are there are so many racist acts in Indonesia so we won't just sit down, wait and see, we want to make movement and show to the world that racism is such a very bad thing. So many people in Indonesia die and suffer because of racist acts. We don't have neo-nazi skins in Medan but if we find any we'll beat them all! We also have a zine called SHEMPERS but we just make a 1st edition and its in Indonesia language, maybe in June or late May we finish to make SHEMPERS zines in 2 languages (Indonesia & English). OK thanks again for your respect! Oh we almost forget ...can you send the e-mail address of socialist, radical, communist, anarchist friends in your mail... STOP RACISM - SHEMPERS ***** * ARM THE SPIRIT * P.O. Box 6326, Station A Toronto, Ontario M5W 1P7, Canada E-mail: ats@locust.etext.org Web: http://www.burn.ucsd.edu/~ats - Thursday, 17 June 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ `AWAY WITH THE FASCIST KAMERADSCHAFT NORTHEIM!' _________________________________________________________________ Attack On PDS Minibus Was No Isolated Incident; Gottingen Neo-Nazi Scene Is Forming Again; Anti-Fascist Demonstration In Northeim On June 26, 1999 * * * In the night of Tuesday/Wednesday, May 25/26, 1999, neo-Nazis attacked a minibus belonging to Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) MP Heidi Lippman. All four tires were punctured and stickers were plastered all over the vehicle and the 'Rote Zentrum', a building which houses the Association for the Advancement of Anti-Fascist Culture. This fascist attack represents the increasing re-formation of neo-Nazi structures in the Gottingen/Northeim region. A few months ago, stickers of the banned NSDAP-AO were found on the Rote Zentrum, the ASTA students union office, and a leftist bookstore. Swastikas have also been painted in the Jewish section of a cemetery and on the walls of a Gottingen church. These developments are the result of a strengthened structural reformation by neo-Nazi groups in the region. For example, in April 60 neo-Nazis from Gottingen, Northeim, and Duderstadt disrupted an information event on the topic of "Nazi Music". In Gottingen, NPD activist Stephan Pfingsten, who has been found responsible for the NSDAP-AO stickers, is the link to the fascist groups in Northeim. Now as before, the head of the fascist troops in Northeim is still Thorsten Heise, who has been active in Nazi structures for more than 10 years and participated in all the major Nazi marches and events during that time. According to a spokeswoman for Autonome Antifa (M): "We have the Nazi structures in our sights, and resistance is possible. But successful, anti-fascist resistance must be carried out by several social forces. These include actions like that of the Autonome Commando 'Revolutionary May 1st' (which broke into neo-Nazi Stephan Pfingsten's house and "confiscated" several materials) and the coalition demonstration in Northeim against the fascist network 'Kameradschaft Northeim'. We call on all progressive, social forces to participate in this demonstration." On June 26, 1999, a demonstration will be held in Northeim, at the initiative of Autonome Antifa (M), under the motto "Stop The Right-Wing Advance! - Away With The Fascist Kameradschaft Northeim!". The demo is being supported by trade unions, the PDS, and the Green Party. The action will start at 1:00pm in Northeim. Autonome Antifa (M) organized in the Antifacist Action/Nationwide Organization, May 27, 1999 Source: Autonome Antifa (M) http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/aam/ Translated by Arm The Spirit Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide variety of material, including political prisoners, national liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism, the fight against patriarchy, and more. We regularly publish our writings, research, and translation materials on our listserv called ATS-L. For more information, contact us at the address above. ***** * INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS IN RUSSIA (ISWoR) * Box R, 46 Denmark Hill London, SE5 8RZ United Kingdom E-mail: antek5@aol.com - Wednesday, 16 June 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ `NO PAPERS? THEN WE'LL BEAT YOU TO DEATH!' RUSSIAN STUDENTS APPEAL FOR HELP IN FACE OF POLICE BRUTALITY _________________________________________________________________ * * * Dear ISWoR member/supporter, Please respond to the following appeal for help sent in to us by Simon Pirani, a British left journalist and labour movement activist. Vladislav Nikolayevich Bezdenezhnykh 4.4.1977-1.4.1999 (student, Ufa State Technical & Oil Industry Univ.). The deceased lived in a residential area near the Ufa Motor Manufacture company's cultural centre. On 28 March he left there at half past midnight to go to a shop, and returned at 2.0 am, seriously injured. According to Bezdenezhnykh's own testimony, he was stopped by a police patrol. They asked for his documents, which he did not have with him. He offered to fetch the documents from his home. In reply he was struck. He lost consciousness and was viciously beaten up. He came to about 2-3 km away - in another part of town, near the timber processing plant - and made his way home from there. When he arrived, he recounted all that had happened to his wife. The next day he suffered an attack, apparently brought about by injuries sustained to his skull and both his lungs. He lay in a deep coma for three days and died without regaining consciousness. A preliminary medical examination showed (1) that, as far as it was possible to tell from the evidence, Bezdenezhnykh was struck by blows from heavy instruments similar to the truncheons issued to police officers; (2) that no traces of alcohol were detectable in his blood. As a result of these events, Bezdenezhnykh's fellow students are preparing a protest meeting. A campaign is being carried out among the students of the university he attended and will also be spread to other higher educational institutions in Ufa. The comrade writes: (19/4/99) "...arbitrary acts of police terror - including fatalities. ...happen quite often. The difference in this case is that the students...have tried not simply to get justice through the courts but also to win public opinion to their side. They proposed to others who have relatives or friends who have suffered similarly from police violence to join forces with them - so that not only will Vladislav's killers be punished, but also those of other innocent victims. This is hopefully the start of a wider fightback. Could you please distribute this information to left-wing youth organisations - above all, student organisations - and also to workers' organisations. Please ask them to send messages of protest against police violence." People are asked to send messages of protest about the death of Vladislav Bezdenezhnykh, and calls for those guilty to be brought to justice, to the General Procurator of the Bashkortostan Republic, ulitsa Krupskoi 19, 450000 Ufa, Russia; and/or the General Procurator of the City of Ufa, ulitsa Oktyabrskoi revoliutsii 3, 450025 Ufa, Russia. Please send copies of the messages IN WELL SECURED ENVELOPES to: A/Ya 192, 450106 Ufa, Russia, from whence they will be forwarded to the student campaigners...From a telephone conversation (6.6.99) I understand that, as a result of the initial campaign, high-up officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs have visited Ufa and carried out an investigation. The police then produced some young people who they claimed had confessed to attacking Bezdenezhnykh. One of these subsequently claimed in a newspaper interview that his confession was false, and that he had signed it only because he himself was attacked by police officers and made to do so. I realise that comrades receive many appeals for solidarity from different parts of the world and this may not be the only one you have to deal with. However please bear in mind that in Ufa, as in other towns outside Russia's large industrial centres, our fellow political activists work in terribly difficult and isolated conditions. A little effort on our part would be an enormous boost to their campaign. Please do not hesitate to contact me by e-mail or 0181 333 2152 (tel/fax) if you need more information. Simon Pirani International Solidarity with Workers in Russia - ISWoR exists to support all progressive, anti-racist Russian workers organizations that are genuinely fighting the rape of their country by the rich magnates of the West and their Russian stooges. We urge you to support the above action and to continue to support Russian workers. Contact us now to find out more about how you can get involved! E-mail antek5@aol.com or write to us at the address above. ***** * NATIONAL COALITION OF ANTI-DEPORTATION CAMPAIGNS * c/o 101 Villa Road Birmingham B21 1NH, England Tel: 0121-554-6947 Fax: 0870-055-4570 E-mail: ncadc@ncadc.demon.co.uk Web: http://www.ncadc.demon.co.uk/ - Wednesday, 16 June 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ URGENT HELP REQUIRED - FREE SATPAL RAM CAMPAIGN _________________________________________________________________ * * * BACKGROUND In November 1986, Satpal was eating in a restaurant in Birmingham, England, when he was racially abused by a group of six white people at another table, one of whom broke a glass and attacked him with it. Satpal was stabbed in the face, managed to push his attacker away, but was stabbed again in the face and arms. Fearing for his life and unable to escape, he defended himself with a small knife he used for work. Both men were taken to hospital, where Satpal's injuries were stitched up. His attacker refused medical treatment and subsequently died. Satpal was charged with murder, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment after a trial which fell a long way short of ensuring that justice was done. His lawyer met him once (for forty minutes) and changed his defence from one of self-defence - pretty strong when you're fighting off an unprovoked attack by a much heavier and taller man - to one of provocation. He also failed to call Satpal as a witness in his own trial. For his part, the judge refused to provide interpreters for the Bengali- speaking waiters who were key witnesses (he couldn't speak a word of Bengali, but insisted he'd do the interpreting), and as a result Satpal was convicted by an all-white jury largely on the statements of the friends of his attacker. Satpal has now served 13 years in jail for defending himself against a racist attack. URGENT HELP REQUIRED On Wednesday 16 June, Satpal's cell was trashed by prison warders his legal documents were seized and read and his personal stereo was taken away. In a phone call from Durham Prison on Wednesday 16 June, Satpal Ram has asked for a immediate fax protest campaign to the governor of Durham prison Ivor Woods. Below is a short letter which you can copy or write your own. Fax from the UK: 0191-384-9203 Fax from Europe: 00-44-191-384-9203 Ivor Woods HMP Frankland Brasside Durham Dear Mr Woods We have received a complaint that one of your prisoners Satpal Ram E 94164, has been harrased by prison staff. This morning Wednesday 16 June, Mr Ram's cell was trashed by prison warders his legal documents were seized and read and his personal stereo was taken away. We request that this matter is investigated thoroughly and Mr Ram's property is returned. Yours Sincerely THE POWER OF SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE Communication of any sort will be precious to Satpal Ram, and your support regardless of apparent lack of progress will never be futile if it keeps his hopes alive! Please fax or e-mail copies of anything you send to Ivor Woods to: Free Satpal Ram Campaign E-mail: FreeSatpalRam@ncadc.demon.co.uk Fax from the Uk 0870-055-4570 Fax from Europe: 00-44-870-055-4570 If you have time to snail mail Satpal: Satpal Ram E94164 HMP Frankland Brasside Durham DH1 5YD Background: Free Satpal Ram http://www.ncadc.demon.co.uk/sat.html Asian Dub Foundation http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/satpal/ ***** * THE ALBION MONITOR * POB 1733 Sebastopol, CA 95473 Editor: Jeff Elliott, editor@monitor.net Publisher: Darryl Trujillo, pub@monitor.net Web: http://www.monitor.net/monitor/ - 26 May 1999 - ----- _________________________________________________________________ A SHORT HISTORY OF FBI COINTELPRO _________________________________________________________________ By Mike Cassidy and Will Miller The FBI and police used secret and systematic methods of fraud and force http://www.monitor.net/monitor/9905a/jbcointelpro.html [Editor's note: More information on COINTELPRO in the Bari case is available at the Monitor Judi Bari index. Much of the following was taken from Brian Glick's book War At Home: Covert Action Against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do About It, (South End Press; Boston, 1989), a source for detailed and documented information on the history of domestic covert action against movements for social change.] * * * In early 1971, the FBI's domestic counterintelligence program (code named "COINTELPRO") was brought to light when a "Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI" removed secret files from an FBI office in Media, PA and released them to the press. Agents began to resign from the Bureau and blow the whistle on covert operations. That same year, publication of the Pentagon Papers, the Pentagon's top-secret history of the Vietnam War, exposed years of systematic official lies about the war. Soon after, it was discovered that a clandestine squad of White House "plumbers" broke into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office in an effort to smear the former Pentagon staffer who leaked the top-secret papers to the press. The same "plumbers" were later caught burglarizing the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee. By the mid-1970's Senate and House committees launched formal and lengthy inquiries into government intelligence and covert activities. These investigations revealed extensive covert and illegal counterintelligence programs involving the FBI, CIA, U.S. Army intelligence, the White House, the Attorney General, and even local and state law enforcement, directed against opponents of government domestic and foreign policy. Since then, many more instances of these "dirty tricks" have been revealed. When congressional investigations, political trials and other traditional legal methods of repression failed to counter the growing movements of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and even helped fuel them, the FBI and police moved outside the law. They used secret and systematic methods of fraud and force, far beyond mere surveillance, to sabotage constitutionally protected political activity. The purpose of the program was, in FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's own words, to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit and otherwise neutralize" specific groups and individuals. Its targets in this period included the American Indian Movement, the Communist Party, the Socialist Worker's Party, Black Nationalist groups, and many members of the New Left (SDS, and a broad range of anti-war, anti-racist, feminist, lesbian and gay, environmentalist and other groups). Many other groups and individuals seeking racial, gender and class justice were targets who came under attack, including Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, the NAACP, the National Lawyer's Guild, SANE-Freeze, American Friends Service Committee, and many, many others. THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION REINVIGORATED COVERT ACTION The public exposure of COINTELPRO and other government abuses resulted in a flurry of apparent reform in the 1970s, but domestic covert action did not end. It has persisted, and seems a permanent feature of our government. Much of today's domestic covert action can also be kept concealed because of government secrecy that has been restored. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a source of major disclosures of COINTELPRO and other such activities, was drastically narrowed in the 1980s through administrative and judicial reinterpretation, as well as legislative amendment. While restoring such secrecy, the Reagan Administration also reinvigorated covert action, embracing its use at home and abroad. They endorsed it, sponsored it, and even legalized it to a great extent. Much of what was done outside the law under COINTELPRO was later legalized by Executive Order 12333 (12/4/81). There is every reason to believe that even what was not legalized is still going on as well. Lest we forget, Lt. Col. Oliver North funded and orchestrated from the White House basement break-ins and other "dirty tricks" to defeat congressional critics of U.S. policy in Central America and to neutralize grassroots protest. Special Prosecutor Walsh found evidence that North and Richard Secord (architect of the 1960s covert actions in Cambodia) used Iran-Contra funds to harass the Christic Institute, a church- funded public interest group specializing in exposing government misconduct. North also helped other administration officials at the Federal Emergency Management Administration develop contingency plans for suspending the Constitution, establishing martial law, and holding political dissidents in concentration camps in the event of "national opposition against a U.S. military invasion abroad." There were reports of similar activities and preparations in response to the opposition to the Gulf War in 1991. Even today, there is pending litigation against the FBI involving alleged misconduct in connection with the near-fatal bombing of Judi Bari. DOMESTIC COVERT ACTION METHODS Although covert action will be adapted to changing social and technological conditions, only a limited number of methods exist. A study of COINTELPRO revealed four basic approaches. * First, there was infiltration. Agents and informers did not merely spy on political activists. The main purpose was to discredit and disrupt. Their presence served to undermine trust and scare off potential supporters. They also exploited this fear to smear genuine activists as agents. * Second, there was psychological warfare from the outside. They planted false media stories and published bogus leaflets and other publications in the name of targeted groups. They forged correspondence, sent anonymous letters, and made anonymous telephone calls. They spread misinformation about meetings and events, set up pseudo movement groups run by agents, and manipulated or strong- armed parents, employers, landlords, school officials and others to cause trouble for activists. * Third, there was harassment through the legal system, used to harass dissidents and make them appear to be criminals. Officers gave perjured testimony and presented fabricated evidence as a pretext for false arrests and wrongful imprisonment. They discriminatorily enforced tax laws and other government regulations and used conspicuous surveillance, "investigative" interviews, and grand jury subpoenas in an effort to intimidate activists and silence their supporters. * Fourth and finally, there was extralegal force and violence. The FBI and police threatened, instigated and conducted break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings. The object was to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements. In the case of radical Black and Puerto Rican activists (and later Native Americans), these attacks, including political assassinations, were so extensive, vicious, and calculated that they can only be accurately called a form of official "terrorism." For details, along with many examples of each of these methods, read Glick's well-documented and heavily footnoted "War At Home." Mike Cassidy is a civil rights attorney and Will Miller is a Professor of Philosophy at U. of Vermont Copyright 1999 The Albion Monitor. All rights reserved. The Albion Monitor is currently published as an ongoing newspaper by Monitor Publishing, POB 1733, Sebastopol, CA 95473. Subscription is free to monitor.net users; contact info@monitor.net for rates, or view our home page. Anyone with web access may subscribe for $9.95 per year, prepaid. ***** _________________________________________________________________ CHILE: FRESH PROOF OF `OPERATION CONDOR' SURFACES _________________________________________________________________ INTERPRESS SERVICE Via PeaceNet Conference ips.english Wednesday, 16 June 1999 By Gustavo Gonzalez SANTIAGO, Jun 16 (IPS) - Fresh evidence of the existence of 'Operation Condor', the repressive network of the dictatorships ruling much of South America in the 1970s, surfaced this week in Chile. The mayor of one of the poshest municipalities of Santiago, retired colonel Cristian Labbe, admitted having belonged to the notorious secret police of the de facto regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet (1973-90), following the publication of official documents lending further credence to the existence of 'Operation Condor'. Labbe, the right-wing mayor of the Santiago municipality of Providencia, told the Chilean daily 'La Hora' from his vacation spot in the U.S. state of California Tuesday that he had ''indeed'' been a member of the 'Direccion de Inteligencia Nacional' (DINA) as the head of Pinochet's escort. The mayor's ties to the de facto regime's secret police were revealed by classified official documents dating back to the time of the military government, unearthed in the foreign ministry and published in Tuesday's edition of the daily 'La Nacion', which belongs to the state and follows the line of the government of the moment. The documents demonstrate that the head of DINA, now-retired Gen. Manuel Contreras, created Operation Condor to coordinate operations against the respective opponents - real or suspected - of the military regimes ruling the nations of the Southern Cone of the Americas in the 1970s and 1980s. ''The documents survived the destruction of files carried out by the foreign ministry shortly after President Patricio Aylwin took office'' in March 1990, stated 'La Nacion'. Participation in Operation Condor by the security forces of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay had long been denounced by opponents of the military regimes, and substantiated by the discovery of literally tonnes of documents and files in Asuncion in 1992, when Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner was toppled. Legal proceedings are underway in Spain for crimes against humanity committed by the dictatorships of Argentina (1976-83) and Chile in the framework of Operation Condor. The cases, concentrated in the hands of Judge Baltasar Garzon since 1998, gave rise to the Oct 16 arrest of Pinochet in London, where the ex-dictator is facing a trial - set to begin Sep. 27 - to decide on his possible extradition to Spain. Twenty years ago, Chileans in exile revealed a letter with a 1976 dateline, signed by Contreras, inviting high-ranking officers from nearby countries to the ''First Inter-American Meeting on National Intelligence'' - which gave birth to Operation Condor. Since October 1996, Contreras has been serving a seven-year sentence for planning the 1976 assassination of former Chilean foreign minister Orlando Letelier in Washington, committed by DINA agents and anti-Castro Cuban exiles. The minutes of the 1976 meeting are frequently mentioned in the documents revealed Tuesday by 'La Nacion', which basically consist of classified DINA letters to the foreign ministry seeking to facilitate the movements of repressive agents from other countries. Among the documents figures a Dec. 2, 1974 missive in which Contreras requested a diplomatic passport for Labbe and other members of the military as ''DINA personnel,'' for the purposes of ''an urgent mission in Peru.'' In his declarations to 'La Hora', Labbe maintained that the documents published by 'La Nacion' did not ''demonstrate the existence of Plan Condor,'' but were part of a ''campaign'' conducted by the governing centre-left coalition inspired by ''a revanchist aim to polarise the country.'' The right-wing mayor added that the report by the state- owned daily ''could even hurt national security,'' due to the publication of ''secret documents'' referring to Peru, a country bordering Chile. Labbe, who served as deputy minister of the General Secretariat of the Government toward the end of the dictatorship, was voted mayor of Providencia, one of the richest municipalities of Santiago, with the backing of the rightist Independent Democratic Union party. Labbe is a close friend of Pinochet, and has visited the former de facto ruler twice in the rented mansion where he is under house arrest in London. The retired colonel is also one of the most active promoters of campaigns in favour of the ex-dictator. After Pinochet's arrest, Labbe took reprisals in Providencia against the consular seats of Great Britain and Spain and other bodies with links to those two countries by withholding garbage collection and meting out fines for supposed infringements of municipal ordinances. Copyright 1999, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS). All rights reserved. * * * ** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, material appearing in Antifa Info-Bulletin is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes. Submissions are welcome. ** * * * ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN (AFIB) 750 La Playa # 730 San Francisco, California 94121 E-Mail: tburghardt@igc.org * On PeaceNet visit ANTIFA INFO-BULLETIN on pol.right.antifa Via the Web --> http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff/afib.html Archive --> http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff/afib-bulletins.html * ANTI-FASCIST FORUM (AFF) Antifa Info-Bulletin is a member of the Anti-Fascist Forum network. AFF is an info-group which collects and disseminates information, research and analysis on fascist activity and anti-fascist resistance. More info: E-mail: aff@burn.ucsd.edu Web: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~aff Order our journal, ANTIFA FORUM, cutting-edge anti-fascist research and analysis! 4 issues, $20. Write AFF, P.O. Box 6326, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1P7 Canada +:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+ +: * A N T I F A I N F O - B U L L E T I N * +: :+ :+ +: * RESISTING FASCISM * BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY! * +: +:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+:+ ++++ stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal ++++ ++++ if you agree copy these 3 sentences in your own sig ++++ ++++ see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/spg-l/sigaction.htm ++++ ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrad-06.23.99-13:28:27-6914