Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Anti-War Movement

By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

On the morning of April 23, the FBI and state and local police in Michigan raided the homes of pro-Palestinian activists in at least three cities: Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Canton. These activists, including at least four people in Ypsilanti and at least one graduate student, are reported to have attended or supported protests in support of Palestine and condemning the genocide in Gaza.

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By staff

NYC protest against U.S. war preparations in the Philippines.

New York, NY – Dozens gathered, Monday, April 21, in Manhattan’s Foley Square to protest the 40th and largest-ever Balikatan, or “shoulder-to-shoulder,” joint military exercises between U.S. and Philippine troops. Speakers from GABRIELA, Anakbayan Manhattan, Bayan USA, NYCHRP, DSA, UAW, and TWU Local 100 demanded an end to the United States’ military presence in the Philippines.

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By Keegan Estrella

Massive protest against Trump agenda in Denver.

Denver, CO – On April 19, Denver joined cites nationwide in a day of action against Trump and his racist and reactionary agenda. An estimated 8000 people marched at the Colorado State Capitol in protest of the recent attacks on immigrants, and for upholding rights for Palestinians, unions, the working class, women and trans people.

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By Tony O'Hegarty

Writing letters to political prisoners at an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, April 19, 30 people gathered at Fountain Street Church in downtown Grand Rapids to commemorate Palestine Prisoners’ Day. The event began with a teach-in on the history of Prisoners’ Day and its importance to the national liberation struggle.

Afterwards, people began writing letters to two groups of recipients. First, letters were drafted to the Filton 18. This group of activists were arrested in Britain for targeting an Elbit Systems facility and have been subjected to solitary confinement and interrogation while they await trial.

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By Drusie Kazanova

Palestinian Prisoners Day marked in San Jose, California.

San Jose, CA – On April 19, around 30 people gathered at the Arab American Cultural Center in San Jose for an educational community event to commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day. The event focused on the case of famed Palestinian political leader and longtime political prisoner Marwan Bargouthi, who has been imprisoned by Israel on false charges for over 20 years due to his role as a leader during the Second Intifada.

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By staff

Thousands gather on Milwaukee County freeway overpasses to protest Trump administration.

Milwaukee, WI – Thousands of people rallied across 15 freeway overpasses in Milwaukee County on April 19, as part of a national day of action to protest Trump's attacks.

A wide variety of causes were represented on hundreds of homemade signs reading “Stop the cuts,” “Due process for all,” “Fuck Trump,” “Defend Social Security and Medicare,” “Stop deportations” and more. Nearly every overpass down the main highway in Milwaukee, Interstate 43, had signs visible to those on their weekend commute.

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By Jackson Robak

Detroit, MI – 2500 people gathered at Hart Plaza, April 19, ready to fight back against Donald Trump and his attacks on working-class people, both at home and abroad. The demonstration was a “Hands Off” march and rally, organized by Detroit Anti-War Committee, Detroit Comité de Acción Comunitaria, Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

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By Vanessa Christaldi

Florida students oppose apartheid Israel.

Orlando, FL – On April 3, the Knights Against Genocide Coalition held its first day of action at the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus to present its demands to university administration and mobilize students against UCF’s continued support for the genocide and occupation of Palestine. The day of action began at Millican Hall with a delivery of the coalition’s demands to UCF President Alexander Cartwright.

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By Yossi Aharoni

Minnesota Tax Day protest demands money for human needs, not for war.

Minneapolis, MN – On April 15, the date U.S. residents must have their taxes submitted, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition held an energetic rally outside U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office in downtown Minneapolis to demand that Klobuchar stand with her constituents and insist Trump uses tax dollars to improve people’s lives and end U.S. aggression against countries across the world.

Since his January 20 inauguration, Trump has attempted to cut over $11 billion in funding to public health at the state level. While this has been blocked in the federal courts, that hasn’t stopped the executive administration from threatening to cut public education funding from K-12 programs, if they do not eliminate their diversity, equity and inclusion projects.

Over 75 protesters and community members held signs and chanted slogans calling for money for schools, jobs, healthcare, housing etc., “not for war!” while Minnesotans drove by and honked in support. The demands of the action included things like “Divest from Israel” “End U.S. forever wars” “Hands off Mexico and Gaza” and “Stop bombing Yemen.”

The first speaker was Vash Lamp from the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, who stated, “And that's the sad reality of our situation. That not only are our taxes not used to support us in areas like housing or healthcare, but they are actively used to harm and oppress us. We are having to fight against our own money.”

Abir Ismail, a math teacher and member of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers for Palestine, stated, “While our government write checks to this brutality – the bombing of Palestinian children, they are telling our own children they don’t matter – that their reading specialist is too expensive, that the paraprofessional in their classroom has to be let go, that their special education needs are just ‘unaffordable’.”

Ismail continued, “There is no neutrality when children are being slaughtered. There is no justification for genocide. And there is no excuse for abandoning our schools while we bankroll bombs.”

Wyatt Miller of the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “The war on Yemen like all U.S. wars, is unpopular. And let’s not forget, Yemen is under attack for standing with Palestine against Israel’s genocide. Fighting a new war to protect Israel is more unpopular right now than it’s ever been. People like Amy Klobuchar want us to believe that all of the millions of people who are protesting Trump think just like her, and that only a little sliver of what Trump does is truly bad, and that maybe the problem with Trump’s wars is that he’s not waging them competently enough. I don’t believe it! People aren’t stupid, people understand that the bullshit is connected, and we in the anti-war movement need to go out and find our people, build our movement into the movement against Trump rather than silo ourselves off from it.”

At the end of the protest participants were encouraged to come to the Earth Day march to the state capitol in Saint Paul on Saturday, April 19.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Trump #MFT #MNAW

By staff

Student activist Carson Cruse leads chants demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil in front of ICE headquarters downtown.

New Orleans, LA – Around 60 people gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in New Orleans to protest the illegal detention of Mahmoud Khalil. Attendees rallied around speakers and chanted as a judge – hours away in rural Jena, Louisiana – would decide if Khalil could be deported for his activism for Palestine.

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By Tony O'Hegarty

Land Day commemoration in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Grand Rapids, MI – On Wednesday, April 9, 20 people rallied outside Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids to commemorate Palestine’s Land Day. Held on March 30, Land Day is commemorated around world. It marks the 1976 killing of six Palestinians, with hundreds more injured by Israeli occupation forces for protesting the theft of land in the West Bank.

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By staff

San Jose marks Palestine's Land Day.

San Jose, CA – On March 28, community members gathered at the Arab American Cultural Center in San Jose for an evening of education and discussion on Land Day, the Palestinian day commemorating the 1976 deaths of six Palestinian protesters who were marching against Zionist seizure of Palestinian land.

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By staff

Thousands of protesters march by the Capitol in DC during the national march for Palestine.

Washington, D.C. – On Saturday, April 5, thousands of people from across the U.S. gathered in the nation’s capital for the National March for Palestine. The demonstration was called to protest the resumed bombings in Gaza, detainment of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, and demonstrate the overwhelming support of the people for an arms embargo on the Zionist entity.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The Execution of Paramedics in Rafah is a Documented War Crime that Exposes the Brutality of the Occupation and Reveals U.S. Complicity and Global Silence

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine holds the U.S. administration and the international community, including all its human rights, humanitarian, and medical institutions, fully responsible for the documented execution crime captured in a video filmed by one of the martyrs. The footage reveals the deliberate targeting by the occupation of paramedics and civil defense teams in Rafah.

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By staff

A car with a pro-Palestine cardboard sign on top of it.

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, March 29, 30 vehicles took to the streets in a car caravan to commemorate Land Day. Land Day, held on March 30 every year, recognizes the day in 1976 when Palestinians took to the streets to protest Israel’s theft of their land. Six Palestinians were killed and over 100 injured by Israeli forces.

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By staff

Two people hold a banner that says, "US Hands Off! End US Aid to Israel!"

Denver, CO – On March 29, in honor of Land Day, between 80 and 100 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the Denver Tech Center Monument, a location within eyesight of the RE/MAX Headquarters. RE/MAX is infamous for advertising and selling property in occupied Palestine, thus enabling Israel’s apartheid and theft of land in the West Bank.

RE/MAX claims to operate in about 100 countries worldwide. The United Nations says it is responsible for how its Israeli franchises sell houses and apartments in the occupied West Bank. Despite the backlash and controversy, RE/MAX has shamefully maintained its business in occupied Palestine. Advocates of a liberated Palestine are calling for an end to this, recognizing Land Day as a chance to draw attention to the theft of land.

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By staff

People hold a banner reading, "Demand Free Speech on Campus."

Tampa, FL – On Monday, March 31, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was joined by community members and fellow students to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, Leqaa Kordia, and every other student protester detained by ICE. Additional demands included an end to Trump’s attacks on students and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

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By Zakir Syed

Fort Worth, Texas – On March 29, a small rally of pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the entrance of Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth Location, the site of CYBERQUEST, Lockheed’s annual programming competition held for students.

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By Kaiden Rosa and JJ Glueck

A crowd of people with banners and Palestinean flags.

Tallahassee, FL – On Thursday, March 27, Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) came together with community members to demand the release of political prisoners. This comes in the light of growing arrests and threatened deportations of pro-Palestine activists including Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia.

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By Skyler Dorr

Minneapolis, MN – About 300 community members rallied in Powderhorn Park before marching through the cold in solidarity with Palestine. The event was called by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee to commemorate Land Day, a day of remembrance of six unarmed Palestinian martyrs killed and over 100 injured while resisting Israel’s brutal confiscation and annexation of land in 1976.

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