Greens condemn brutal ‘police state’ raids, arrests of peaceful protesters and journalists outside the GOP convention in St. Paul
GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES
http://www.gp.org
For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Green Party members are among those targeted; trumped-up charges are meant to intimidate and crush political dissent, say Greens, who urge media covering the convention to report the brutal treatment of fellow journalists
Combined effort by local police and Feds reveals that Bush’s domestic spy program is aimed at Americans exercising their lawful rights
WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders strongly condemned the brutal police assaults, raids, and arrests on dubious charges targeted at peaceful protesters gathering near the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
Among those arrested and brutalized are journalists, including Amy Goodman and other Democracy Now! staff (http://www.democracynow.org), and antiwar and progressive activists.
Police have attacked nonviolent demonstrators with concussion grenades, tear gas, pepper spray, and tasers and have raided meetings and activists’ homes.
Police raided the home of Michael Whelan, a long-time Green Party supporter whose Arise Bookstore once housed the party’s local office (see Green Party of Minnesota press release, Sept. 1, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=99).