Abstract

The War on Dissent

The article looks at the use of political dissent in the United States as of September 2004. When New York City was announced as the site of the Republican National Convention (RNC) back in January 2003, it seemed an odd choice of location. Surely Republican President George W. Bush does not want the world to witness a quarter-million protesters demanding regime change in the United States, or to realize that opposition to his policies is so heartfelt that people have resolved as a matter of conscience to commit acts of nonviolent civil disobedience and subject themselves to criminal arrest and prosecution. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) visited at least six states and asked dozens of people whether they or others were planning acts of violence at this summer's party conventions and whether they understood that it is criminal to withhold information from the FBI. Concerned members of Congress have demanded a Justice Department investigation into whether the questioning of demonstrators constitutes "systematic political harassment and intimidation of legitimate antiwar protesters" and oversteps the bounds of the First Amendment. If police behavior during recent antiwar and antiglobalization demonstrations is any guide, those who refuse to bow to intimidation and participate in the RNC protests must come prepared to struggle to make their voices heard. To an increased degree, these demonstrations have been characterized by pre-emptive arrests of lawful protesters, the penning of demonstrators inside caged protest zones and the unnecessary use of aggressive crowd control techniques that have caused injuries.