Home : Safe and Free : Dissent

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, hundreds have been arrested for exercising their constitutionally protected freedom to dissent; some have lost their jobs or been suspended from school. Some government officials, including local police, have gone to extraordinary lengths to squelch dissent wherever it has sprung up, drawing on a breathtaking array of tactics -- from censorship and surveillance to detention, denial of due process and excessive force.

ACLU Skeptical of Senate Report on “Homegrown” Terrorism (05/08/2008)
Washington, DC – After Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a report on Islamic homegrown terrorism today, the American Civil Liberties Union strongly urged Congress to use caution when moving forward on related legislation, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (S. 1959). The report, "Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorism Threat," is based on findings from hearings held by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The ACLU and nearly twenty other groups sent a memo to the committee outlining concerns with the report, most notably the free speech implications of labeling the internet as a "weapon" and the unfair singling out of one religious group as possible "extremists."

NYCLU Will Assist with FBI Investigation into NYPD's Arrests of Convention Protesters (05/17/2006)
NEW YORK - The FBI has asked the New York Civil Liberties Union to assist in a criminal civil rights investigation into the New York City Police Department's arrest of protesters during the Republican National Convention.

ACLU Condemns Government Censorship at the Borders, Says Freedom of Speech and Association Must Be Protected (03/28/2006)
WASHINGTON- The American Civil Liberties Union today told a House panel that a section of the Patriot Act is being misused to exclude people from the U.S. based on their political beliefs constitutes "censorship at the borders" and infringes on Americans' freedom of speech and association.

Oregon Joins Nationwide ACLU Effort to Expose Illegal FBI Spying on Political and Religious Groups (12/02/2004)
PORTLAND, OR - Citing evidence that the FBI and local police are illegally spying on political, environmental and faith-based groups elsewhere in the country, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Portland Division of the FBI that is designed to uncover whether political and religious spying is also occurring here in Oregon.

ACLU of Michigan Joins Nationwide Effort to Expose FBI Spying on Law-Abiding Political and Religious Groups (12/02/2004)
DETROIT - Suspecting that law enforcement is spying on political and faith-based groups, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today filed Freedom of Information Act requests to the FBI and Michigan State Police to uncover who is being investigated and why. The requests are being made on behalf of Michigan peace and student activist groups, civil rights organizations, a Muslim charity and individuals who speak out against U.S. policies.

ACLU Testimony Before the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations Regarding Censorship At the Borders (03/28/2006)
Statement of Caroline Fredrickson Director, Washington Legislative Office American Civil Liberties Union Before the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations Committee on Government Reform, United States House of Representatives Concerning Setting Post-9/11 Investigative Priorities at the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, March 28, 2006

April 5th, 2004, DOJ OLC Opinion Condoning Controversial FBI Surveillance Tactics (08/16/2004)
The Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel issued this previously undisclosed memorandum in support of the FBI's controversial surveillance of peaceful protesters. The memo was issued in response to an internal complaint by a government employee.