Political prosecution of Kat Abughazaleh: ‘Today it’s Kat. Tomorrow it could be any one of us’
I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice.
This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win. pic.twitter.com/szOSZa1h3z
— Kat Abughazaleh (@KatAbughazaleh) October 29, 2025
The indictment charges all six individuals, including an Oak Park trustee, a Democratic committeeperson from Chicago and a Cook County Board candidate, with impeding a federal officer stemming from the Sept. 26 incident.
It also accuses each individual separately with intimidating and impeding a federal officer.
In a statement, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Abughzaleh’s political opponent, called the charges “frivolous” and said they should be dropped immediately.
“The only people engaged in violent and dangerous behavior at Broadview have been ICE,” Biss said. “As someone who has protested at Broadview multiple times, I know these protests are nonviolent demonstrations against the kidnapping of our neighbors. Now, the Trump Administration is targeting protestors, including political candidates, in an effort to silence dissent and scare residents into submission. It won’t work.”
State Sen. Laura Fine, another candidate for the 9th District, wrote in a statement posted to social media that she was “disgusted by the partisan and unethical indictments” against Abughazaleh and the codefendants.
“Today it’s Kat. Tomorrow it could be any one of us,” Fine said. “This unjust prosecution is an attempt to intimidate and silence those who stand up for their rights and beliefs.” [Continue reading…]
Jan Schakowsky, the current U.S. representative from Illinois’s 9th congressional district, said:
NEW: Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) called the indictment of Kat Abughazaleh and five others an "alarming abuse of power."
Full statement below:
— Matthew Eadie (@mattheweadie.bsky.social) Oct 29, 2025 at 6:22 PM
On September 23, Kat Abughazaleh posted this:
Civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo points out:
The main charge is 18 U.S. Code § 372, conspiracy to impede an officer. This was one of the main charges used against January 6th insurrection defendants.
www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/…
— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) Oct 29, 2025 at 12:41 PM