Federal Surveillance Targeted Israel-Hamas War Protests
Nearly 100 pages of emails, photographs and videos gathered through FOIA show how federal agencies have grown more sophisticated in surveilling protesters.
A protest over the Israel-Hamas war held in Washington, DC last October. The Federal Protective Service has monitored the demonstrations and mined social media to assess potential threats.
FPS/FOIA
With pro-Palestinian protests engulfing Columbia University, now seemed like the right time to break out documents I recently obtained from a division within the Department of Homeland Security. They show how federal law enforcement reacted to the early stages of civil unrest following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, before spreading to college campuses across the country. If you haven’t yet, sign up now to get FOIA Files every week.
The Federal Protective Service is a law enforcement agency within DHS that's tasked with guarding nearly 10,000 US government facilities. They wear uniforms, have the power to make arrests, and carry guns. Most people have never heard of them, but since protests and rallies are often staged at or near a federal building, FPS is likely watching.