Green is the New Red
An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege
At a time when everyone is going green, most people are unaware that the FBI is using anti-terrorism resources to target environmentalists. Here is a guided tour into an underground world of radical activism and an introduction to the shadowy figures behind the headlines. But here also is the story of how everyday people are prevented from speaking up for what they believe in. Like the Red Scare, this "Green Scare" is about fear and intimidation, and Will Potter outlines the political, legal, and public relations strategies that threaten even acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with the label of "eco-terrorism."
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A thoughtfully alarming examination of the U.S. government's post-9/11 domestic terror probes." -- Utne Reader "A powerful exposé of how civil liberties are being threatened, how big corporations put young activists behind bars." -- Treehugger "A fascinating book that helps shed some light on how counter-terrorism efforts have eroded constitutional rights and continue to threaten democracy in America." -- Bill of Rights Defense Committee "What is so endearing about Green is the New Red is that it's written in the style of a novel, not a reference guidebook, which adds so much more to its credibility. Each chapter brings personal accounts of unfairness and malicious treatment of people who want to get involved with movements that would improve our society. Whether you believe in the methods of these activist groups or not, the facts are glaringly obvious; there is a need for a change in the definition of terrorism and treatment of activists." -- Portland Book Review "Potter deftly weaves together the political and legislative history of the Green Scare with a personal account... The story he tells is compelling in its narration, shocking and infuriating in its revelations, and ultimately inspiring..." -- Encyclopædia Britannica
"If you’ve ever supported an animal welfare or environmental organization, you too may be a suspected terrorist: That’s the chilling take-away from Green Is the New Red, a thoughtfully alarming examination of the U.S. government’s post-9/11 domestic terror probes, which have inordinately targeted progressive-leaning activist groups. Author Will Potter, a journalist whose own low-level activism ran up against Homeland Security, delves deep into the social, political, legal—and, importantly, ethical—issues raised by this new war on 'ecoterrorism.'" —Utne Reader "In this hard-hitting debut, journalist Potter likens the Justice Department targeting of environmentalists today to McCarthyism in the 1950s. . . A shocking exposé of judicial overreach." —Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) "Potter (a contributor to The Next Eco-Warriors) warns that the U.S. government is using post-9/11 anti-terrorism resources to target environmentalists and animal right activists (in some cases for doing nothing but speaking up). After being threatened with a domestic terrorist label for leafleting, Potter turned to uncovering the "Green Scare" and details here the story of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and controversial protests that resulted in severe jail sentences for participants. Tracing funds from animal-exploiting corporations to Congress and the passing of the big business-friendly Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, Potter reports on an increased usage of the terrorism enhancement in court cases. Citing Freedom of Information Act sources, he reveals that the U.S. government has constructed secret prisons, or Communication Management Units (CMUs), to house suspected terrorists in conditions even more extreme than those of Supermax facilities (which house Zacarias Moussaoui and Eric Rudolph, among others). Potter warns of the crumbling of 'the legal wall separating 'terrorist' from ‘dissident' or ‘undesirable,' and concludes his account with a call to action and a decry of the injustice that results in the 'terrorist' label being put on those who threaten American corporate interests. Alarming." —Publishers Weekly "While the link between separating recyclables and hijacking planes is far from obvious, the labeling of 'eco-terrorism' has been applied to many aspects of this social movement. Named the 'No. 1 domestic terrorism threat' by FBI deputy assistant director John Lewis six years ago, Potter argues that the fear tactics involved in applying such an evocative term to radical activism is an attempt to intimidate that mirrors the Red Scare of the mid-20th century (which was in fact the second wave of the government's anti-Communist focus)." —Austin Examiner
From the Back Cover
"Part history, part action thriller and courtroom drama, part memoir, Green is the New Red plunges us into the wild, unruly, and entirely inspirational world of extreme environmental activism. Will Potter, participant-observer and partisan-reporter, is the perfect guide, unpacking with wit and skill the most elusive concepts--his discussion of 'terrorism' as myth and symbol is the finest I've ever read. He takes us inside the first moments of a movement in the making--idealistic, hopeful, deeply human in its aspirations and its oh-so-human failings--and he reports brilliantly on a ruling power willing to hollow out any sense of authentic democracy in its futile attempt to maintain dominance, privilege, and their arid version of reality. Green is the New Red is an indispensable book that will change the way we think about commitment, the limits of protest, and the possibility of radical change." -- Bill Ayers "Will Potter unveils this complex movement with its virtues and its flaws, the courage of a few and the false bravado of others. I see this book as the definitive overview of the genesis of what is emerging as the most important social movement in human history--the war to save ourselves from ourselves." -- Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
"If we are to survive capitalism's death grip on our discourse and on our lives, it will be in great measure due to the work of people like Will Potter. His courage and integrity, which set him apart from most journalists, are evident throughout this important book, and throughout all of his other crucial work. Thank you, Will Potter."
-- Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame and many other books
