Recent filings in a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other nonprofits expose FBI use of counterterrorism task forces to monitor and investigate the activities of groups that have vocally opposed Bush administration policies. The suit, brought under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), seeks expedited processing of the ACLU's request for records on surveillance of nonprofit groups and information about the structure and funding of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force program. The Justice Department, representing the FBI, says it needs up to a year to process the FOIA request. The ACLU suit seeks FBI files on itself, peace groups Code Pink and United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), Greenpeace, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. The ACLU has also filed FOIA requests for FBI records on over 100 organizations from around the country. A preliminary response from Justice indicates that the FBI has 1,173 pages of documents on the ACLU and 2,303 pages on Greenpeace. The ACLU is asking the court to order the FBI to speed up processing the request. Files released so far show the types of activities the FBI has seen fit to monitor:

• A memo was sent from counterterrorism personnel in the FBI's Los Angeles office to similar offices in New York, Boston and Washington about UFPJ plans for demonstrations during the political conventions in 2004. The memo notes alleged anarchist connections of some individuals in the group, and reveals monitoring of their website, quoting extensively from it.
• Seven pages of documents focus on the American Indian Movement of Colorado's plans for a Columbus Day demonstration in 2002.

The ACLU said the suit was filed after it received complaints from a number of activists, who were questioned by FBI agents in the months before the 2004 political conventions. Executive Director Anthony Romero said, "I'm still somewhat shocked by the size of the file on us. Why would the FBI collect almost 1,200 pages on a civil rights organization engaged in lawful activity? What justification could there be, other than political surveillance of lawful First Amendment activities?" Greenpeace's U.S. Director John Passacantando went further, saying, "If the F.B.I. has taken the time to gather 2,400 pages of information on an organization that has a prefect record of peaceful activity for 34 years, it suggests they're just attempting to stifle the voices of their critics." The Justice Department said its activities are aimed at preventing crime, not suppressing dissent. However, there is growing concern among protest groups and others in the nonprofit sector that legitimate civil disobedience is being equated with terrorist violence.