Statement on FBI Contact of Antifascists On Unite the Right Anniversary in Virginia

Statement on recent FBI harassment in Virginia on the second anniversary of Unite the Right in Charlottesville.

Two people in Virginia – one in Charlottesville and one in Richmond – were contacted by the FBI in the days leading up to the second anniversary of August 12, 2017. FBI Agent Wolf knocked on one person’s door and called the other. Both people refused to speak to him, immediately alerted friends, and were put in touch with a lawyer. Agent Wolf inquired about the anniversary of Unite the Right, and what antiracists and antifascists may have had planned to commemorate August 11th and 12th. Agent Wolf was last noted in Virginia in July and early August 2017 when he harassed Charlottesville antiracists about counterprotests prior to Unite the Right.

If you are located in Virginia and interested in antirepression training, workshops, or information, contact Scuffletown Anti-Repression Committee at scuffletown (A) protonmail.com. Please reach out if you are approached by the FBI or local police!

These instances of FBI contact are part of an uptick in FBI harassment and other forms of state repression against antiracist organizing in South Carolina, Bloomington, Indiana, and Portland, Oregon. Follow @Norepressionsc on Instagram or visit norepressionsc.home.blog for updates about ongoing state repression in South Carolina. Click through for links to descriptions of recent state repression in Bloomington and Portland.

Alongside increased contact by state agents comes a growing and strengthened commitment to noncooperation. Across the continent, antiracists and antifascists refuse to be intimidated or silenced by scare tactics. If you are contacted by law enforcement, do not answer questions or consent to searches. Contact a lawyer and your support system. Alert your networks and communities that you have been contacted. Put out a public statement about the interaction. You do not need to reveal any identifying information in the statement, but it’s important that we all know what the state is doing to target us and our movements. We can keep each other safer and better support each other when we share information about state repression.

Crimethinc will broadcast a workshop on resisting state repression on their website in the next few weeks. In the meantime, check out their recorded presentation on grand jury resistance. FBI door knocks do not always lead to grand jury subpoenas, but taking a moment to brush up on ways to resist state repression when the FBI starts knocking is always good.

Resources

When the Police Knock on Your Door: https://crimethinc.com/2017/08/24/when-the-police-knock-on-your-door-your-rights-and-options-a-legal-guide-and-poster