Younge reports: "Police claim the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, are the result of a month-long investigation into a group they believe was making Molotov cocktails."
The National Lawyers Guild held a press conference on Friday condemning the raid. (photo: Chicago Indymedia)
NATO Protesters Held on Terrorism Conspiracy Charges
19 May 12
Lawyer says men are 'in shock' over allegations they tried to make a Molotov cocktail ahead of Nato summit protests.
hree Nato protesters, arrested in a late night raid on Wednesday, have been charged on terrorism-related offences.
Police claim the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, are the result of a month-long investigation into a group they believe was making Molotov cocktails. They had already been pulled over by police last week and asked about their protest plans in a stop they posted on YouTube.
Attorneys representing the men say the charges are fabricated and aimed at intimidating activists. "We cannot say enough that we believe that these charges are absolutely … very trumped up charges," said Sarah Gelsomino of the Peoples Law Office. "Clearly in an attempt to continue this intimidation campaign on activists. Charging these people who are here to peacefully protest against Nato for terrorism, when in reality the police have been terrorising activists in Chicago, is absolutely outrageous.
"All three of these guys, interestingly, were in the car about a week ago that was stopped and harassed by the Chicago police department," Gelsomino said. "They then posted that video online in an attempt to expose that police misconduct. Each of those three are now being charged with these crimes. That's as much as we know."
The three men are all in their twenties. Two come from Florida and one from New Hampshire. They were arrested in the Bridgeport area of the City after 11pm on Wednesday. Chicago police dressed in black and armed with battering rams broke down doors in an apartment building, searched the units and then arrested nine protesters for allegedly making or possessing Molotov cocktails. Lawyers say it was just beer-making equipment.
"The city has so far failed to produce any evidence or the search warrant affidavit used in the raid," said Kris Hermes of the National Lawyers Guild.
When police detained the people, they also seized parts of a beer-making kit, including bottles and caps, and a cellphone, Gelsomino said.
"This is the playbook," said Gelsomino. "Shoddy police work. It's a fear campaign."
Six were released on Friday. One said he had been handcuffed for 18 hours in an "interrogation room". Others say they were never told why they were held. Police did not inform the lawyers of their whereabouts for 17 hours.
One of the released, who blogs under the name "TarheelDem", called on activists to flood Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel's official voicemail. "The whole charge is transparently bogus and meant for the media to reduce turnout to the march on Sunday."
William Vassilakis, who leases the apartment, said he was appalled by the raids.
"I could not be more disgusted, enraged, terrified, by and generally totally disappointed with the city of Chicago," he told the local ABC TV channel.
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They did not do anything. The police make a very high profile arrest, inflate some idiotic charges -- conspiracy to commit terrorism -- and all the idiotic news media in the nation lap it up as if it were ice cream.
Meanwhile, the real terrorists are in a hotel being treated like royalty. That is the world we live in. The great criminals like Bush, Cheney, Obama are treated like kings and the real activists for democracy are arrested as terrorists.
Absolutely!
And worse, Henry Kissinger has been walking free for all these years and has been treated obsequiously by the owner-media -including PBS- and their shills!
We need to keep massing at the barricades- they can't get all of us and the cops might eventually realize which side the should be on, like they did in London recently.
The national Security State is only as strong as those who are willing to play the "Divide and conquer" game on it's behalf; therein lies the shadowy enemy from within we have to root out!
It is time to seize the moment. Stop cooperating with NATO governments at all level. No taxes, no support, constant revelations of their crimes.
This brings up Obama. I will not vote for him because he has allowed himself to become the central player in the GWOT. He has murdered people in many nations with his drone wars. I simply will not cast a vote for a murderer.But many people will vote for him as the "lesser of two evils." I agree that he is the lesser of two evils but he is still evil and to vote for him is to vote for the system that is evil. Stay home. Don't vote or vote for any 3rd party. Make your vote count this time.
I am with you! I too will not vote for a man who boasts of killing Osama Bin Laden when many believe he had nothing to do with 911. Obama's administration is just a continuation of USA's policy of assassination, occupation of sovereign nations and the depopulation of indigenous communities around the world.
Obama uses bait to get liberals, gays and women to vote for him but what good is that when his foreign policy assassinates these same groups all over the globe?
I don't see how Emmanuel is any different than that Scott Walker in Wisconsin. Emmanuel wants to destroy the Chicago Teacher's Union and pretty much get rid of collective bargaining rights of union members. Same with Arne Duncan our Secretary of Education. Obama is buddies with these two. He too favors privatization of our education system. Democrats? Republicans? to me they are both for the corporations, the bankers and privatizing everything.
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