A MAJOR blow has been struck for political rights or disruption programmes against organisations. Federal district judge, Thomas Griesa, gave his ruling at the end of last month, to a law suit that has been going on for thirteen years. The suit was filed in 1973 by the US political organisation, the Socialist Workers Party, against the US government.
The SWP charged that about political meetings, it had been subject to an il- demonstrations and other legal 40 year campaign of lawful their break-ins, forgeries, participants. the phone-tapping, the ing of informers inside the Vlail Party and other disruptive operations. court s conclusion that In his court decision. this was wholly incompatiwhich fills Judge Griesa rules that the JaLesi Amendment right to freely FBI's spying and disrup- assemble and freely ,speak tion was un- on political matters.
The FBI, according to the decision, The judge also held informers 'to ob- that the disruption proused Its tain private NTONHZLO! gramme.carried.out by the FBI, pro' ('counter-intelligence illegal. was The FBl' he ruled 'empose of harming the SWP causing internal ENUSLIESI strife, by weakening its alliances with ornel groups, hampering its scheduled activilie. and by other There was no legal or justification durii ly for such operations.
Griesa awarded damages OI $264,000 about (£180,000). He rejected the claim by the US Department the FBI campaign was justified because it believ ed there was evidence of ilSWP. Over the course of acaves approximately years" *e Stressed 'there is Griesa no (FBI)
violation.' 'FBI had evioence anything nature' hide CvCL variety of that CHICOS no it is the agencies wtrc/ are outside the law.' The court ruling has been widely publicised throughout the United States, in mass circulation daily papers and on TV. Literally millions of people in the US have learnt more about the shady, covert operations of the state through publication of documents turned up through the court action.
Constitutional rights lawyer, Leonard Boudin, told the press that the ruling extends "important protections to the NC W rights of all politically ac tive individuals organisations.' Boudin is a prominent defender of He recently Cvas. represented Nicaragua at the World Court.
In a 3 September statedisruptive y. mentathę sWP argues that a» documęntș» , phone-fapp.
respond to them on all Socialist Action 26 Sep 1986
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in the US. A federal court has ruled that the US government has no right to use informers, break-ins
ble with the SWP's First
barked on a series of ac- tions with the express pur-