¬ÝThose arrested on December 7, 2005, and subsequent sweeps, were accused of property destruction intended to preserve the environment and animal life. Despite the fact that none of the arrestees were accused of injury to any human or animal, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the corporate-dominated Bush administration described the accused as being the nation’Äôs number-one domestic terrorist threat. Several of those arrested entered plea deals in the District of Oregon to avoid sentences in excess of 1,000 years. Briana Waters, the mother of a young child and violin instructor, still faces trial in Washington federal court and asserts her innocence on all counts. Several individuals are currently being sought by federal law enforcement and are believed to be out of the country. One of the accused died of an apparent suicide late last year while being held in an Arizona jail. The government asserts that this witch hunt is ongoing and has no end in sight.

¬ÝOperation Backfire arrests are the capstone of a broader ’ÄúGreen Scare’Äù which is strikingly similar to the Red Scare of the 1940s and ’Äò50s. The phrase ’ÄúGreen Scare’Äù has been used to include not just the cases from the Operation Backfire indictments, but also the cases of Tre Arrow, the SHAC7, the Auburn 3, and Rodney Coronado, as well as recent legislation such as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which identifies non-violent activism as acts of terrorism if it reduces the profitability of exploitive corporations.

¬ÝResponding to this repression, supporters designated December 7, as an International Day of Solidarity with Green Scare Indictees, Detainees, and Political Prisoners. Forty-four events in eight different countries have now been scheduled to take place on or around this day.

¬ÝIn Olympia, Washington, a benefit event is scheduled for Friday, December 8, at Solid Gold, 419 Boulevard Rd. SE, beginning at 7 p.m. The Olympia event will feature seven different performances. Information will be available about support for earth liberation indictees, grand jury resistance, preserving civil liberties, and resisting the criminalization of dissent.¬Ý

¬ÝOn Saturday, December 9, Portland, Oregon, friends and supporters of Green Scare defendants will host a public event entitled ’ÄúLiberating Dissent: Refusing to be Silenced.’Äù The event will take place at Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy, and will begin at 6 p.m. The Portland event will feature a talk by grand jury resister Jeff Hogg who was imprisoned from May to November 2006 for refusing to cooperate with a federal grand jury related to the Green Scare. Hogg’Äôs lawyer, Paul Loney, and other speakers will also present information. This event will also feature musical performances. ¬Ý

¬ÝFor information on events in other cities, refer to http://www.greenscare.org.

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