CIVIL RIGHTS

Are We Witnessing Modern-Day COINTELPRO?

With problematic influencers posting more aggressive content against the genocide in Palestine, it’s starting to feel more and more like an infiltration similar to COINTELPRO is underway

Photo by David Trinks on Unsplash

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ran the COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) during the 1960s and 70s to infiltrate civil rights and labor movements. Their goal was to disrupt, sow discord, create paranoia, and convince movement members to conduct criminal acts that would get them arrested. This allowed authorities to demonize the members and the movements to shut them down.

Many groups were targeted by the FBI. The Black Panther Party, the United Farm Workers, the Young Lords Party, and the Civil Rights Movement were impacted by these infiltrations. Despite what we know, there’s more we don’t know. Recently, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) asked the heads of the FBI and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) if they were willing to work with him to declassify the rest of the information regarding these operations. They agreed.