1. The film

In the early morning hours of February 20th, 2003, armed FBI agents stormed a private apartment in Tampa, Florida. Family members stunned by fear watched the father, Sami Al-Arian - a university professor and civil rights activist, being handcuffed and taken away. A dozen FBI agents searched the family’s apartment for 12 hours. Boxes of private papers, diaries, letters, books, photo albums, CD’s and VHS cassettes were confiscated.

That night, US Attorney General John Ashcroft held a national press conference where he claimed to have caught the leader of a global terror cell.

According to Wikipedia, "USA vs. Al-Arian is a 2007 film about Sami Al-Arian and his family during and after his federal trial on terrorism-related charges. It was directed by the Norwegian director Line Halvorsen. Variety reviewer Jay Weissberg called the film an "unquestionably biased, eye-opening docu [sic]" that nonetheless "throws the spotlight on a justice system shanghaied by the Patriot Act, leaving a deeply sympathetic family frayed but not quite broken."

According to the St. Petersburg Times, the film " glosses over the specific charges, and pays scant attention to the evidence."

The film has won numerous awards, including Best Film, 2007 New Orleans Human Rights Film Festival.

For further information on the film:

http://www.usavsalarian.com/

For further information on Al-Arian:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Al-Arian

2. Discussion

Attorney Jeanne Baker, president of the ACLU of Florida, will speak about violations of the First Amendment by the US government. The ACLU does not financially support South Florida Palestine Solidarity and does not receive any financial contributions from the group. The ACLU takes no position on the issue of Palestine other than the issue of the constitutional right to free speech and the right to assemble in our country.

This event is presented by South Florida Palestine Solidarity. For further information contact:

sflpalsolidarity@yahoo.com