Defending Rights & Dissent
Get involved: https://www.rightsanddissent.org/online-actions/ In short, together both groups have been Defending Rights & Dissent for decades
Defending Rights & Dissent is product of the merger between the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Defending Dissent Foundation. The Bill of Rights Defense Committee was founded in 2001 to fight the Patriot Act and the Defending Dissent Foundation was founded all the way back in 1960 to work for the abolition of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Both organizations were involved in the intervening years opposing violations of civil liberties whenever, wherever they popped up. We worked to propose model ordinances to limit racial profiling, to rein in the FBI’s spying on dissent, and to end torture, detention without trial, and mass surveillance.
09/25/2026
Our revelatory new analysis of the FBI’s spying on Americans’ political speech concludes with a series of reforms Congress must enact to rein in this affront to the First Amendment and the right to dissent.
Read more at rightsanddissent.org/FBIreport
09/25/2026
Can the FBI Spy on First Amendment-Protected Activity?
According to a major new analysis of the FBI’s rules from Defending Rights & Dissent, the answer is — Yes.
We sent this in-depth report to every Congressional office today, on the 1-year anniversary of Trump’s NSPM-7.
Read the full report at RightsAndDissent.org/FBIreport
Defending Rights & Dissent policy director Chip Gibbons explains how after 9/11, the Bush administration went after supporters of Palestinian rights to tout victories in the “war on terror.” 25 years later, it’s high time to end the war on our rights here at home.
Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons on the 25th anniversary of 9/11: We must end the war on terror, but we must also end the war on dissent, civil liberties, and the Constitution here at home
Seth Stern of Freedom of the Press Foundation from our panel event today: While Trump undermines public access to government records, he’s selling access to his Truth Social posts
From our panel today Independent Media & the New McCarthyism: ADC National President Jenin Younes: The Trump admin is conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism to punish free speech
From our panel event Independent Media & the New McCarthyism: The Trump administration attacks Hasan Piker & other activists who oppose the U.S. blockade on Cuba
From today’s panel Independent Media & the New McCarthyism: ADC National president Jenin Younes is representing Grayzone reporter Max Blumenthal on his stop at the border where agents seized his phones
From today’s panel Independent Media & the New McCarthyism: Chip Gibbons on Trump isolating and attacking independent journalists amid a wider crackdown on dissent
From today’s panel Independent Media & the New McCarthyism: Seth Stern on Trump pivoting from attacking mainstream media to going after independent journalists
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