FBI Improperly Surveilled Greenpeace, PETA, and Anti-War Groups 2001–2006
A September 2010 DOJ Inspector General report found that the FBI had improperly opened domestic terrorism investigations into Greenpeace, PETA, the Thomas Merton Center, and the Catholic Worker Movement between 2001 and 2006, placing members on terrorist watch lists based on evidence that was 'factually weak' and driven by their protected speech.
Following the September 11 attacks, the FBI dramatically expanded domestic surveillance under authority of the USA PATRIOT Act. A September 2010 report by DOJ Inspector General Glenn Fine found that agents had improperly opened domestic terrorism investigations into multiple lawful advocacy organizations including Greenpeace USA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Thomas Merton Center (a Pittsburgh peace organization), and the Catholic Worker Movement. The IG found agents placed individuals' names on terrorist watch lists based on little more than their participation in protests or advocacy activities clearly protected by the First Amendment. In one case, the FBI opened a file on a Thomas Merton Center member simply because she was handing out anti-war flyers outside a Pittsburgh post office. The report concluded the investigations 'had little or no basis' and that agents had used 'factually weak' justifications. The FBI was directed to purge improperly collected records.