Washington, D.C. – Tens of thousands of people rallied here on Sept. 29, rejecting the Bush Administration's drive towards war, and the wave of violence against of Arab and Muslim peoples in the U.S.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the United States and around the world, Jan. 25-26, to demand an immediate end to the Israeli siege of Gaza. Protesters gathered outside Israeli embassies and consulates, as well as at U.S. federal buildings, making it clear that the U.S. must stop aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes.

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 people came together here, September 12, to say no to US military action in response to the attacks in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Holding aloft signs and banners, protestors lined a major bridge that spans the Mississippi River. The response of passing motorists was overwhelmingly positive. Many honked their horns and flashed peace signs.

Milwaukee, WI – It snowed, yet hundreds gathered outside the Milwaukee Federal Building here, in the late afternoon, Jan. 6, for the “Stop Israeli Invasion of Gaza!” rally.

Asheville, NC – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered for an emergency demonstration at the Asheville Federal Building, May 12 to protest the May 4 U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan, killing over 130 civilians. The Obama administration has stated that they will not ban future air strikes.

St. Paul, MN – Representatives from the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War meet with the Mayor Coleman, the City Attorney, and other Saint Paul city officials, Dec. 11 at City Hall to press their demands for permits to march on the Republican National Convention and for the city to observe the rights of protesters.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following commentary by Jess Sundin, a member of the Twin Cities based Anti-War Committee and the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call for an important conference that will help prepare for the protests at the Republican National Convention.

Smithfield, NC – Around 250 demonstrators rallied here, Oct. 27, to protest the war in Iraq and demand an end to the ‘torture taxi service’ run by Aero Contractors out of the Johnston County airport. Activists with the North Carolina Stop Torture Now coalition and independent journalists have documented that the CIA has moved hundreds of detainees through the rural Johnston County airport. The airport forms a link in the chain of the transportation of so-called ‘extraordinary rendition’ suspects on their way to be tortured, and sometimes killed, in secret prisons outside of the United States.

New York, NY – Despite lots of rain, organizers reported that tens of thousands of people marched here, Oct. 27, against the war on Iraq. The march was one of eleven regional anti-war protests around the U.S.

Washington, D.C. – Thousands of people from across the United States marched here, Sept. 29 against the war in Iraq and the pro-war policies of Congress. The crowd gathered in response to a call put out by the Troops Out Now Coalition. Many nationalities and all age groups were represented. The demands included support for the Iraqi people, the release of the Jena Six, ending the U.S. intervention in the Philippines, justice for Katrina survivors and an end to the occupation of Palestine.

Washington, DC – Over 20,000 demonstrators marched here on Sept. 15 to protest the U.S. occupation of Iraq. At the same time, dozens of demonstrations were held in cities across the country. Initiated by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, the Sept. 15 protests were timed to coincide with top U.S. General David Petraeus’s report to Congress on the ‘surge’ earlier this week. Bush and Petraeus stated they will continue the war, but the response of the protesters was loud and clear: “End the war now!”

Reporting to Congress Sept. 11, General David Petraeus confirmed what most in the anti-war movement have long been saying: The U.S. has no intention of getting out of Iraq anytime soon – unless it is forced to.

Newark, NJ – On Aug. 25, almost 44 years to the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech to between a quarter and a half million people, the Peace and Justice Coalition, an alliance of more than 120 peace and justice organizations, will march in Newark, New Jersey.

Minneapolis, MN – Thousands gathered in Minneapolis, June 23-24, celebrating Twin Cities Pride, an annual two-day festival for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBTQ) community and their allies. The Anti-War Committee participated by staffing a table and marching in the parade under the banner “Out now: Queers out of the closet, U.S. out of Iraq!” The Anti-War Committee has always sought to make connections between the people’s struggles and Pride 2007 was no exception. Like the GLBT community, the Iraqi people are engaged in a struggle for liberation. Though their circumstances differ widely, queer people have at least two things in common with Iraqis: The oppression of both groups is used by politicians to divide people and both groups are expected to wait for recognition of their rights.

In March, U.S. antiwar activist and Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Kosta Harlan attended a historic international solidarity conference in Italy with leaders of the Iraqi resistance ( see “Voices of the Iraqi Resistance,” Fight Back!, March 2007). Since returning to the United States, Harlan has traveled to college campuses and cities across the South, speaking to hundreds of students and antiwar activists about the Iraqi resistance. He spoke at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Chapel Hill, and Charlotte; at Winthrop University in South Carolina; at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and at community centers in Winston-Salem and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Saint Paul, MN – Local leaders of the Twin Cites peace and justice movement announced their planned march route here at a June 7 press conference. The massive demonstration on Sept. 1, 2008 will coincide with the Republican National Convention. A large map of the march route was displayed.

An Interview with Cherrene Horazuk

In recent months the U.S. Department of Justice has sent threatening letters to the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), which works in solidarity with grassroots social justice movements and the left in El Salvador. The government is accusing CISPES of being an 'agent of a foreign power' – specifically of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), the leftist political party in El Salvador. This echoes the FBI's groundless accusations against CISPES in the 1980s, which led to a seven-year campaign of illegal U.S. government harassment against CISPES that the FBI later had to apologize for.

Israel has added another offense to its long roster of crimes by attacking Lebanon. It is conducting an air war that intentionally targets civilians; even refugees fleeing in their cars are killed. Israel is systematically destroying the infrastructure of southern Lebanon by targeting people's basic needs – apartment buildings, warehouses full of food, gas stations, powers plants, bridges and roads. Almost a million people have been driven from their homes. Now Israeli ground troops have crossed the border into Lebanon.

Washington, DC – People from around the country gathered here on August 12 to demonstrate against Israeli/ U.S. wars in Lebanon and Palestine. The demonstrators, mostly Arab-Americans, demanded an end to US aid to Israel and the end of Israeli occupation in Palestine and Lebanon. Families, with children and grandmothers, joined with students in front of the White House, chanting “No justice! No peace! US out of the middle east!” and “Israel is the terrorist – occupied people have the right to resist!” Organizers stated that about 30,000 people were in attendace.