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US Secret Service agents raided a student newspaper which jokingly asked Jesus to "smite" George W Bush.
The satirical editorial was inspired by Bush's announcement that he had "found" Jesus after the US election.
But government agents took the Stony Brook Press article seriously and allegedly threatened the editor with prosecution.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is asking the Secret Service to issue a formal apology to Stony Brook Press editor Glenn Given, and not to prosecute him over the editorial.
Mr Given's editorial, titled "Dear Jesus Christ, King of Kings, all I ask is that you smite George W Bush," was in the form of an open letter to Jesus.
The RCFP said: "We understand that threats against the President are a serious matter, and we in no way mean to imply that the Secret Service should not undertake to protect the President and investigate credible threats.
"Mr Given's editorial, however, was not a credible threat. The editorial was satire, or, at a minimum, sarcasm. We believe that it is inappropriate to harass a journalist, editor, writer, or any citizen for exercising his or her right to free speech."
Last updated: 10:51 Friday 16th February 2001
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