Opposition to War and Occupation (OWO) stands in solidarity with Feldman and Demuth, local activists who refused to cooperate with a November Federal Grand Jury investigation into actions taken by animal rights activist at the University of Iowa in 2004.
Feldman is being held on contempt of court charges for refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Demuth has been charged with conspiracy under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) and is currently out of jail and awaiting trial.
OWO stands in solidarity with all who refuse to cooperate with grand jury investigations that target social justice activists. In turn, we demand the immediate release of Carrie Feldman and the unconditional dropping of charges against Scott Demuth. Both Carrie Feldman and Scott Demuth have worked extensively on behalf of U.S. political prisoners, and the groundless punitive charges against them are clearly acts of premeditated government harassment. In addition, the felony terrorist charges against Scott Demuth, a Dakota activist, limit his ability to participate in movements for indigenous self-determination. The U.S. government has continually used violence and incarceration to repress Native struggles for justice, from the hangings at Mankato in 1862 to the killing and incarceration of AIM activists in the 1970’s and onward. The recent arrest, imprisonment, contempt, and conspiracy charges against Carrie Feldman and Scott Demuth are painful examples of the government’s willingness to use any and all methods of repression against organized dissent. Faced with such conditions, it is imperative that activists for social justice refuse all cooperation with the state and continue to take action against its agencies.
There is an urgent need for funds to pay for Demuth’s legal representation. Find more information and dontate funds at https://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/
— Opposition to War & Occupation (OWO)
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