A Project of the:

Defending Dissent Foundation

In collaboration with:

Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Liberty Coalition & its partner groups
National Lawyers Guild
Political Research Associates
Liberty
Coalition

The material linked on this page provides accurate, reliable research that assists activists in developing effective analyses, strategies, and tactics to defend and expand civil liberties. It includes links to groups across the political spectrum and no link implies agreement by every group.

Civil Liberties is one aspect of Building Human Rights as a master frame for
re-invigorating activism and civic participation.

The global human rights movement challenges the systems, structures, and institutions that create, defend, and extend oppression and repression in a society.

Core Elements

Be alert for any government plan that shifts attention from criminal acts to "radical" ideas and "extreme" views on politics and religion. This chills dissent across the political spectrum

'Scholars and government officials have spent countless pages trying to define “terrorism.”  They should instead follow Charles Tilly’s definition of political violence:

any observable interaction in the course of which persons or objects are seized or physically damaged in spite of resistance (Tilly 1978, p. 176).

What is often termed “terrorism” is more properly the use or threat of political violence.

A virtue of Tilly’s definition is it acknowledges that state and non-state actors engage in (and threaten) political violence.  Unfortunately, many scholars who study “terrorism” explicitly exclude state actions from their definition or they include the potential for state violence and then selectively focus on non-state activists.  This is misguided, at best.

From my perspective, “terrorism” is a label used by elites to smear dissenters.  For example, The Guardian reports that the Chinese government has referred to the Dalai Lama’s prayers for self-immolating monks as “terrorism in disguise”....'

Read more from "Social Movements and 'Terrorism'"
by Robert White

Tracked in America: A powerful collection of stories

"Manufacturing the Muslim Menace: Private Firms, Public Servants, & the Threat to Rights and Security," Political Research Associates

"Patterns of Misconduct: FBI Intelligence Violations from 2001-2008," Electronic Frontier Foundation

The FBI COINTELPRO Operations 1956-1971

The War at Home by Brian Glick (Entire Book Online in PDF)

Political Spying is a Form of Repression

Browse the Government Spying Document Depository

New! Information Relating to Counter-Terrorism Training:

Background Information

Documents from these states:

Other Documents

More Resources

Liberty and Security: Recommendations for the Obama Administration and Congress
[A coalition effort coordinated by the Constitution Project]

Senate Committee Reports
Homegrown Terrorism Legislation
Articles - Theory - Home

Groups With Reliable Resources

 

Featured Group:
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Privacy Topics from A-Z
Objections to Facebook privacy settlement

American Civil Liberties Union

Safe and Free
Surveillance
Privacy & Technology

Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Background Materials
BORDC's flyer:
"Stop Violent Radicalization and
Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act"
available in PDF in two sizes: full page and half page.

Brennan Center for Justice

Liberty & National Security

Center for Constitutional Rights

Background Materials
Talking Points (PDF)

 

American Freedom Campaign!

Featured Resource: Selected Book List

The Liberty Coalition

10 Amendments, The Bill of Rights (A Primer)
[Partner Groups]

National Lawyers Guild

Punishing Protest
Government Tactics That Suppress Free Speech by Heidi Boghosian

Political Research Associates (publiceye.org)

U.S. Bill of Rights Foundation

Defending Dissent Foundation