Solidarity with the Uhuru Movement!

St. Pete for Peace stands in 100% solidarity with the Uhuru Movement who came under attack on Friday by the FBI and Justice Dept for alleged ties to a Russian citizen trying to interfere with U.S. elections. The charges are as tired and preposterous as they are serious. Here are some of the headlines:

• FBI: Russian national used Uhuru House for propaganda, election meddling, feds.
• FBI investigating Russian interference possibly linked to St. Petersburg Uhuru Movement.
• Russian national accused of using St. Pete group to influence elections

Anti-Russia hysteria has been sweeping the U.S. for years, and our efforts – and countless others - have been significantly touched by it, so it is not shocking to see what is happening to the Uhurus, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing or infuriating to watch our friends in St. Petersburg get persecuted for their beliefs.

Uhuru Chairman Omali Yeshitela was put in handcuffs, the Uhuru House in St. Petersburg was raided, and at least 3 other Uhuru members, including Jesse Nevel are reportedly under investigation.

We began working with the Uhuru Movement in 2002 in the lead up to the war in Iraq, and struggled together for free speech on multiple occasions at Baywalk. We have complete respect for their leadership, advanced knowledge and principled stance on Western imperialism, free speech and liberation.

The DOJ may find a way to make a case that the Uhurus earned money from somebody who has connections to the Russian government, but that’s not a crime, even it were true. And accusations that the Uhurus could ever be bought off to influence a U.S. presidential election are naïve. 

Given that former National Security Advisor John Bolton, former CIA Director Mike Pompeo and former CIA Director James Woolsey recently admitted, on camera, to U.S. interference in other countries elections, the charges against the Uhurus are even more duplicitous.