Progress Pond

FBI Monitored Protest Web Sites

BooTribbers: Is this a breach of civil liberties or a federal agency taking precautionary measures to safeguard national political conventions?


The Washington Post reports tomorrow that

“FBI agents monitored Web sites calling for protests against the 2004 political conventions in New York and Boston on behalf of the bureau’s counterterrorism unit.”


The ACLU says the documents — released “in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of civil rights, animal rights and environmental groups” — are “evidence that the Bush administration has reacted to the [9/11 attacks] by blurring the distinction between terrorism and political protest.”

“It’s one thing to monitor protests and protest organizers, but quite another thing to refer them to your counterterrorism unit,” said Leslie Cagan, national coordinator for United for Peace and Justice.

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