National Lawyers Guild Hotline and “Know Your Rights” Materials Available for Activists Targeted by the FBI

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 28, 2010

New York--The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) and its Mass Defense Committee provides
legal defense and educational resources to activists, including those subjected to
the September 24 raids and grand jury subpoenas in Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.
The Guild denounces the attacks on free speech, freedom of association, and the
right to dissent that these actions represent. The raids and summonses reflect
escalating hostility toward individuals and groups working in solidarity with the
Palestinian and Colombian people and are blatantly political attacks on peaceful
activists.

National Lawyers Guild lawyers, in their continuing efforts to protect the right to
dissent, are coordinating defense of these activists. The NLG offers several
resources for activists who are subject to similarly aggressive and politically
motivated breaches of their rights.

NLG Hotline: 888-NLG-ECOL (888-654-3265)

-A hotline for U.S. activists who have been contacted by the FBI. Callers are
matched with NLG defense attorneys in their states who have experience dealing with
similar cases.

Know Your Rights Brochure: www.nlg.org/resources/know-your-rights

-A two-page brochure that summarizes the rights of citizens when they are contacted
or stopped by the police or federal authorities. Available in English, Spanish,
Chinese, Arabic, Farsi and Punjabi.

Operation Backfire: www.nlg.org/publications/operation-backfire

-A booklet that discusses government attacks on activists and subsequent
prosecutions. Available for free download.

The National Lawyers Guild recommends that activists consult and make use of these
resources. The Guild advises anyone visited by the FBI to assert your right not to
answer any questions, to get the card of the FBI agent and state that you will have
an attorney contact the agent on your behalf.