New York undercover officers were active themselves in at least 15 places outside New York — including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montreal, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C. — and in Europe.

The officers collected e-mails and shared food with activists at the 2004 Republican National Convention. It's understandable if people are willing to create havoc or induce violence. According to the United States Supreme court ruling and the Handschu review, surveillance of political groups is legal but,

Before monitoring political activity, some indication of unlawful activity on the part of the individual or organization to be investigated.

Who exactly was spied upon from Europe and why is not entirely clear of course. And placing people on a surveillance list without proof of unlawful activity is alarming. Strange, "Handschuh" means glove in German.