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Bands Against Bush

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Bands Against Bush was an international resistance movement of bands and artists dedicated to the removal of ex-President George W. Bush, his administration and the rest of the PNAC from control of the United States.

Started by Tobi Vail (WP) and others, Bands Against Bush was an international movement which used music and art and the support systems of these activities for protest and political involvement.

The goals of the organization included encouraging debate, dialogue, and the open exchange of ideas in a climate that the group claimed was becoming increasingly hostile to individuals and groups exercising their right to free speech. The organization used the resources cultivated as artists to share information, inspiration, and ideas.

These include: fanzines, bands, venues, record labels, concerts, radio stations, touring networks, the Internet, libraries, college campuses, galleries, movie theaters, and any other means available.

Bands Against Bush was a decentralized open source movement, but included many separate organizers and members.


Spying by New York police on Bands Against Bush[edit]

Evidence from police records and interviews shows New York police spied on a large number of civilians and organizations who planned to attend protests at the 2004 Republican National Convention, including Bands Against Bush.

"In at least some cases, intelligence on what appeared to be lawful activity was shared with police departments in other cities. A police report on an organization of artists called Bands Against Bush noted that the group was planning concerts on Oct. 11, 2003, in New York, Washington, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston. Between musical sets, the report said, there would be political speeches and videos."[1][2]

World Socialist Web Site:

"One police document published by the Times, dated October 9, 2003, shows spying on a group called “Bands against Bush” that had planned concerts in New York, Washington, San Francisco, and Seattle. It notes, “Activists are showing a well-organized network made up of anti-Bush sentiment; the mixing of music and political rhetoric indicates sophisticated skills with a specific agenda.” It continues, “Police Departments in above-listed areas have been contacted.”" [3]

After a request to declassify police files, it was revealed that the NYC police also secretly shared the covertly acquired information and their interpretations of these investigations with other police agencies.[4]

The events received significant coverage, but less widespread due in part to cherrypicking of the stories by major news providers such as CNN; rather than follow the stories into indepth coverage, they dropped the topic to pursue items that were more popular. Media Matters (WP) took CNN's Wolf Blitzer to task for failing to query the investigations in his interview with Michael Bloomberg[5]

See Also[edit]

External links[edit]


Citations[edit]

  1. City Police Spied Broadly Before G.O.P. Convention, Jimy Dwyer, March 25, 2007. Related photo caption, same story: "Marco Ceglie, a member of Billionaires for Bush, a satirical performance troupe, said he suspected that the group was under surveillance in 2004."
  2. New York police spied nationwide, records show St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) March 25, 2007
  3. New York police conducted massive international spying on anti-Bush demonstrators, by Sandy English, 28 March 2007. World Socialist Web Site wsws.org Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)
  4. A Trove of N.Y.P.D. Surveillance Files, Sewell Chan, May 16, 2007, 6:13 pm
  5. Blitzer did not ask Bloomberg about police surveillance of political activists before 2004 convention May 23, 2007 8:23 pm ET