Analysis: Political policing in the war on terrorism

Today’s revelation from Minneapolis that the Ramsey County Sheriff’s office infiltrated groups planning civil disobedience actions during the 2008 Republican National Convention should come as no surprise. The infiltration of the Minneapolis Republican National Convention Welcoming Committee by three undercover operatives of the local police department’s Special Investigations Unit is indicative of a recent pattern of intensification of surveillance of mostly lawful domestic political groups by US intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Joseph Fitsanakis outlines the general picture in “Political Policing in the War on Terrorism”. [JF]

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