Raisethefist.com webmaster sentenced to one year in jail
Anarchobabe | 06.08.2003 23:02 | Indymedia | Repression | Technology | World
"If I go to jail, then I will go to jail not based on my actions, but based on what I think" - Sherman Austin.
The shut down of Raise The Fist website was first reported on LA Indymedia and San Fransisco Indymedia when the heavily armed FBI raided the home of the webmaster in February 2002.
Now, on August 4th 2003, the court ruled one year in prison, exceeding everybodys expectation. Sherman took a plea bargain because he feared his case was eligible for a terrorism enhancement, which could have added 20 years to his sentence. The plea deal had called for him to serve four months. more info.
An Audio report is available on Radio4all.
The shut down of Raise The Fist website was first reported on LA Indymedia and San Fransisco Indymedia when the heavily armed FBI raided the home of the webmaster in February 2002.
Now, on August 4th 2003, the court ruled one year in prison, exceeding everybodys expectation. Sherman took a plea bargain because he feared his case was eligible for a terrorism enhancement, which could have added 20 years to his sentence. The plea deal had called for him to serve four months. more info.
An Audio report is available on Radio4all.
In his own words, Austin says,
On Jan 24, 2002 , my home was surrounded and raided by approximately 25 heavily armed FBI and Secret Service agents in one of the governments first attempts to exercise the new US Patriot Act. I was interrogated for several hours while they ransacked my room and they seized a network of computers which I used to run my web site raisethefist.com. They also seized protest signs, and political literature. Their excuse was a protest guide (which I didn't author) that was posted to my site which a small portion contained information on explosives. The FBI had been monitoring the site long before this was ever posted, and long before Sept 11. The "explosives information" on my site (again which I didn't author) doesn't compare to what you can find on any other web sites such as howthingswork.com, Loompanics.com, Bombshock.com, Totse.com, Amazon.com, or the many neo nazi web sites which cover everything from assassinations, explosives, fraud and firearms.
raisethefist.com has been under extensive government monitoring since 1999, sometimes with over 100 hits from the U.S Department of Defense in a single day. The FBI, police department, NSA and government's from the UK, Canada, Lavtia, Belgium, Egypt, Finland, and Australia monitered the site continuesly. The FBI had intercepted all packets going through the DSL line hosting the site, and have seized additional accounts being used by the site.
For more background information read the article on "What the FBI doesn't want you to see at raisethefist.com". The development of the site can also be viewed in the webarchive. Broad discussion were also held on discussion forums such as Slashdot.
On Jan 24, 2002 , my home was surrounded and raided by approximately 25 heavily armed FBI and Secret Service agents in one of the governments first attempts to exercise the new US Patriot Act. I was interrogated for several hours while they ransacked my room and they seized a network of computers which I used to run my web site raisethefist.com. They also seized protest signs, and political literature. Their excuse was a protest guide (which I didn't author) that was posted to my site which a small portion contained information on explosives. The FBI had been monitoring the site long before this was ever posted, and long before Sept 11. The "explosives information" on my site (again which I didn't author) doesn't compare to what you can find on any other web sites such as howthingswork.com, Loompanics.com, Bombshock.com, Totse.com, Amazon.com, or the many neo nazi web sites which cover everything from assassinations, explosives, fraud and firearms.
raisethefist.com has been under extensive government monitoring since 1999, sometimes with over 100 hits from the U.S Department of Defense in a single day. The FBI, police department, NSA and government's from the UK, Canada, Lavtia, Belgium, Egypt, Finland, and Australia monitered the site continuesly. The FBI had intercepted all packets going through the DSL line hosting the site, and have seized additional accounts being used by the site.
For more background information read the article on "What the FBI doesn't want you to see at raisethefist.com". The development of the site can also be viewed in the webarchive. Broad discussion were also held on discussion forums such as Slashdot.
Anarchobabe
Comments
Hide the following 10 comments
Solidarity! With R.T.F.com!
07.08.2003 00:30
Solidarity with R.T.F.com!!!!
FuckThePolice
Indeed
07.08.2003 00:57
They move from the militant Muslims to the asylum seekers and now to us
Free this guy right now
With the best will in the world, it can be done
dh
YES
07.08.2003 02:22
MALCOLM
website back online (it was down yesterday)
07.08.2003 09:35
~
Homepage:
http://www.raisethefist.com/
Solidarity messages
07.08.2003 09:47
Zonk
e-mail:
norwichanarchists@fuckthewar.com
Homepage:
http://twotins.tripod.com
Yes to indeed
07.08.2003 21:02
This is the way things are.
It is like in the Thirties in Germany.
They move from one group to the an other and now to us,
and it is like in the Thirties, there almost is no solidarity. from the Left too.
Most left groups and left parties only care for there own and give not a (little) solidarity to other leftists. from Britain too.
Werner
Like a lot of shit that has happened recently...
08.08.2003 10:31
Thomas J
police state
08.08.2003 15:54
Pacifists & anti-war activists being targeted on airport terrorist checklists, stripsearched and humiliated.
There is no denying it, the US is now a police state.
Solidarity with the resistance.
paul
Solidarity
09.08.2003 16:43
Zonk
yeah, we are all fucked
22.08.2003 20:17
the connections to nazi germany are undeniable, right down to 9/11 and the reichstag fire, noone can prove hitler burnt it down, or that bush planned 9/11 but they both benefited from it greatly.
dont get me wrong, i dont think bush is smart enough to wipe hitlers ass ( the man was evil, but he was at least brilliant) but prescot bush certainly had a connection to hitler, the bush family built over 30 concentration camps all over europe, and that is the money that W bush now enjoys, blood money. i really dont see how the jewish lobby can have anything to do with supporting bush, even if he does always side with them, the bush family is partially responsible for the holocaust and millions of deaths.
maybe in a few years, i will join all of you in england, but for now ill stay and try to change things here. i just hope it isnt too late when i do decide to leave. things will get much worse before they get any better
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper
justin
e-mail:
subversivemind@hotmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/justinrmccormack/index.html