I’ll be speaking about the Green Scare and how corporations created the “eco-terrorist” menace at the University of Texas at Austin on February 27th in the evening. It’s being organized by the journalism department and a few student groups. When I get confirmation on the location and time, I’ll let you all know.
UPDATE:
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
7 p.m.
GEO 2.324
University of Texas at AustinFor Immediate Release
The Green Scare: How corporations created the “eco-terrorist” menace
Award winning independent journalist and UT alum Will Potter will be speaking on the recent persecution of the environmental and animal rights movements at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday, February 27 at 7:00 pm. The event is taking place in GEO 2.324 and is being sponsored by United Student Activists, a registered student organization at UT.
With pressure from corporate lobbyists, politicians and law enforcement nation-wide have been advancing a coordinated campaign to label animal rights and environmental activists as “eco-terrorists.” They’ve taken a few pages from the Red Scare playbook and a few pages from the “with us or against us” script of the War on Terror in their attempt to build a “Green Scare” upon a foundation of fear. This multimedia presentation will examine the roots of this government crackdown, the details of “Operation Backfire,” the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and the SHAC 7, as well as a discussion of what the “terrorism” label means for activists in all social movements.
The Green Scare has important local relevance, in light of the recent arrest of a local animal rights activist for his alleged actions against the animal cruelty industry. There has also been a long standing effort to label local peace and justice activists and organizations as terrorist, as when FBI Agent G. Charles Rasner identified Austin Indymedia and Food Not Bombs as being on the “terrorist watch” list while speaking at the UT School of Law in March, 2006. This event will people important for all Austin residents concerned with the erosion of civil liberties and attack on political dissent in the name of fighting terrorism.
Will Potter is an award-winning independent journalist based in Washington, D.C., who focuses on how the “War on Terrorism” affects civil liberties. Potter has testified before the U.S. Congress on his reporting, and frequently speaks with journalists and in public forums about efforts to roll back civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism. He has written for publications including the Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Legal Affairs, Chronicle of Higher Education, In These Times, The Texas Observer, Washington City Paper, Z and Counterpunch. His reporting on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act has been recognized by Project Censored “for outstanding investigative journalism,” as one of the top 25 “stories that didn’t make the news” in 2007. Potter graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism and started the blog www.greenisthenewred.com .
Contact: united_student_activists@yahoo.com