Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Anti-War Movement

By Lina Jebara

 Minneapolis high school students stand in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/Sabry Wazwaz

Minneapolis, MN – On January 29, 500 Minneapolis public school students participated in a student-organized walkout for Palestine.

Students marched from downtown’s Gold Medal Park to Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, chanting, “Louder, louder, say it more; not a conflict; not a war” and “No more hiding, no more fear; this genocide is crystal clear.” The students’ demands included calls for an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza and for U.S. divestment from Israel, both of which have been vehemently echoed across the nation.

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By Sharif Hall

Palestine solidarity protest at New York's JFK airport train stop. | Fight Back! News/staff

New York, NYC – On January 27, a National Day of Action for Palestine took place on the seventh anniversary of Trump’s Muslim Ban. The protest was called by Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a Palestinian-led organization that has been leading an incredible number of mass protests in NYC since October.

Around 100 people rallied at Jamaica train station, chanting, “Israel bombs! USA pays! How many kids did you kill today?”

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By staff

St. Paul, MN – On January 26, 50 Palestine solidarity activists rallied at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Justice for Palestine bannering to celebrate the passage of a strong ceasefire resolution by Minneapolis city council. They vowed to campaign for public support by the Saint Paul city council for a ceasefire and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine

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By staff

Denver protest in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On Monday, January 22, at 11 a.m., roughly 100 pro-Palestine protesters rallied on the Auraria campus before taking to the streets and halting business as usual.

The activists stopped at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard, occupying the block and remaining there for over an hour and a half. This disruption of one of the busiest junctions in Denver caused traffic delays throughout the entire city and marked an escalation in the militancy of the actions taken by pro-Palestinian organizers.

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By staff

Catie Petralia of RJAM speaks to the crowd during a protest outside VP Kamala Harris' reproductive freedom event in Big Bend, Wisconsin. | Fight Back! News/staff

Milwaukee, WI – Vice President Kamala Harris visited Big Bend, Wisconsin on January 22, on the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, for a stop on her “Reproductive Freedom Tour.” Pro-Palestine and pro-choice activists held an action to fight back against the hypocrisy.

The Biden-Harris administration has refused all calls for cutting aid to Israel to stop the genocide in Palestine and continues to bomb Yemen, and Wisconsin does not have full and free access to abortion.

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By staff

 Protesters in Minneapolis force city council to adopt pro-Palestine resolution. | Fight Back! News/Nadia Shaarawi

Minneapolis, MN – With hundreds of Palestine supporters packing the city council’s meeting room and the hallway outside for the third time in recent weeks, on January 25 the Minneapolis city council voted to pass a Palestine resolution that’s more progressive than most others around the country.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who opposed the resolution, attended the city council meeting to make an impassioned plea to council members to reject the resolution and instead pass a watered-down substitute resolution brought forward at the last minute by Councilmember Linea Palmisano.

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By Kobi Guillory

Protest at Chicago City Hall. | Fight Back! News/staff

Chicago, IL – Over 300 supporters of the movements for Black and Palestinian liberation showed up to the Wednesday, January 24, Chicago city council meeting.

Organizers spoke in favor of a resolution put forth by Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez and Daniel La Spata calling for a ceasefire in Palestine, and against a Fraternal Order of Police-backed decision to send even the most severe cases of police misconduct to arbitration where they could be handled with no public oversight.

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By staff

Grand Valley State University students march through campus during a Palestine solidarity rally. | Fight Back! News/staff

Allendale, MI – Pro-Palestine groups demonstrated the campus of Grand Valley State University on Friday, January 19.

About 50 students and community members gathered around GVSU’s Cook Carillon Clocktower for the “All Out for Palestine'' rally. Undeterred by cold and snowy weather, demonstrators stood in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and condemned the United States’ strikes on Yemen.

Before the rally, a sign-making event was organized by students in GVSU’s Calder Arts Center. Attendees of the rally grasped the signs they had made, waved Palestinian flags and held banner reading “Free free Palestine” and “No war on Yemen, victory to Palestine!”

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), in collaboration with GVSU’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Ferris State SDS and Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, organized the rally.

Members of the campus community were drawn towards the clocktower after hearing chants such as “Money for schools, not for war; U.S. out of Yemeni shores” and “Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land.” Many students on their way to classes expressed solidarity by raising their fists and vocalizing their support of the effort.

“Even as I speak, children and families are being systematically wiped out by weapons paid for by the Michigan government; Yemen is being bombed by U.S. and British forces,” stated a member of Grand Valley’s SJP. “The U.S. war machine holds no sympathy for those who are suffering.”

A series of short speeches by members of GVSU SDS and SJP called upon the Grand Valley President Philomena Mantella and GVSU faculty to agree to a statement that recognizes the liberation and self-determination of the Palestinian people. In October 2023, Mantella turned a blind eye towards genocide by releasing a statement that condemned the Palestinian resistance.

“We call upon GVSU, President Mantella, our faculty, Michigan as a whole and the world to support the Gazan people in whatever way we can and to free Palestine now,” said Grand Valley’s SDS president.

Demonstrators then weaved their way throughout campus, passing administration offices, dorm buildings and GVSU’s Starbucks location. While students marched, people driving through campus honked their car horns in a display of support. Students again took turns chanting, denouncing the U.S. war machine and expressing solidarity with oppressed peoples across the globe.

#AllendaleMI #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #SJP

By staff

Activists press for Minneapolis city council resolution against Israel's war on Gaza. | Fight Back! News/staff

Minneapolis, MN – With hundreds of Palestine supporters packing the meeting room and the hallway outside, on January 23 the Minneapolis City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 9-3 (with one abstention) to pass a Palestine ceasefire resolution.

The next step January 25, for a full council for a final vote.

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By Jack Saucier

New Orleans protesters gather in front of federal building to oppose attacks on Yemen. | Fight Back! News/staff

New Orleans, LA – On January 16, a group of students and other activists gathered in freezing temperatures outside the federal building to rally against the recent U.S./UK intervention in Yemen.

Islam Elrabieey, an Egyptian speaker representing NOLA Freedom Forums, painted a picture of Gaza, describing “men sleeping on concrete, women and children with the luxury of a tent to protect against wind.”

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By staff

Austin, Texas students rally in solidarity with Yemen. | Fight Back! News/staff

Austin, TX – On Friday, January 19 around 35 students and community members gathered off Speedway corridor at the University of Texas at Austin. As the crowd chanted, “Yemen, Yemen stand your ground, turn another ship around!” and “Gaza, Gaza you will rise, you have Yemen by your side!” several students passing by stopped to join in the chants and listen to speeches.

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By staff

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, January 16, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied in front of the University of South Florida’s library as part of SDS’s National Day of Action for Yemen.

Around 20 community members and students gathered demanding an end to U.S. attacks on Yemen and an end to U.S. aid to Israel. The protest came in response to the January 12 U.S.-British missile strikes on Yemen.

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By Yossi Aharoni

Minneapolis protest demands end to siege on Gaza. | Fight Back! News/Lacey Woida

Minneapolis, MN – Amidst a frigid Saturday afternoon on January 20, over 750 Twin Cities pro-Palestine residents came out in the blistering cold to the Hennepin County Government Center to tell the Minneapolis City Council that their constituents demand they vote yes on a ceasefire resolution.

This week, on January 23 and 25, the Minneapolis City Council will be discussing and voting on a resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire of Israeli aggression against the civilians in Gaza.

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By staff

Jacob Flom of FRSO speaks about anti-imperialism and international solidarity during a "Hands off Yemen" protest in Milwaukee. | Fight Back! News/staff

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, January 13, hosted an emergency protest in front of City Hall following the U.S. and UK airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen.

Sara Onitsuka, the chair of Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, spoke to the courageousness of Yemen’s efforts in blocking ships heading towards the Zionist entity in response to the genocide against the Palestinian people. Onitsuka explained that despite Yemen experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world at the hands of Saudi Arabia and the U.S., they are still taking their streets in the millions and standing in solidarity for the self-determination of their Palestinian brethren. Further, Onitsuka believes that U.S. imperialism and propaganda continue to falter through its support of Israel.

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By staff

Pro-Palestine banners unfurled at Twin Cities area shopping malls in Minnesota. | Fight Back! News/staff

Minneapolis, MN – On December 23 holiday shoppers were greeted by pro-Palestine banners displayed by protesters at metro-area malls, including the Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka and Rosedale Center in Roseville, as well as the Mall of America parking ramp that overlooks Highway 77 in Bloomington.

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By Meredith Aby

Bloomington, MN – National calls were made for protests and boycott actions on Black Friday, the largest shopping day of the year, to draw attention to Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza. At the Mall of America in Bloomington, the largest mall in the United States, protesters dropped multiple banners on November 24 in solidarity with Palestine.

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By Tavish Bryan

Students backing Palaestine at Tallahassee Board of Trustees meeting.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Tallahassee, FL – On November 10, approximately 30 students at Florida State University attended FSU’s Board of Trustees meeting to demand the university divest from Israel. The students were organized by the Florida state chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS).

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By Drake Myers

Anti-war activists march in Saint Paul, Minnesota against Lockheed Martin war profiteers. | Fight Back! News/staff

St. Paul, MN – On October 12, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition rallied at the site of a new ForwardEdge ASIC LLC office. ForwardEdge is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the world’s largest defense contractor. Amid the horrific Israeli bombing of Gaza, around 150 protesters gathered in a show of solidarity with Palestine and to demand “No Minnesota money for weapons manufacturers.”

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By staff

Minneapolis protest demands U.S. get out of the Ukraine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, October 3, more than 20 people gathered outside the office of Minnesota State Senator Amy Klobuchar to demand an end to U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine. The event was a response to a national call by the Peace in Ukraine Coalition and the United National Antiwar Coalition for activists all across the country to unite in demanding an end to U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine and U.S. Interference in negotiations.

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By staff

Milwaukee rally against U.S. war in the Ukraine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) held a rally on Sunday, October 1, in response to a call from the United National Antiwar Coalition to condemn the funding the U.S. continues to provide to pursue their policy of an endless war in Ukraine. The rally took part in a coordinated week of action called for by UNAC on the war in Ukraine held in many cities. Chants like “Biggest threat in the world today? NATO and the USA!” rang out as passersby honked in support.

The event began with emphasis on recent history in Ukraine, starting in 2014 with the U.S.-backed coup. As Western media continues to frame the war as an irrational attack by Russia on an innocent and peaceful Ukraine, MAC continues to stress that this is an inter-imperialist war between the U.S. and Russia, orchestrated and set off by the insatiable greed for power and resources of the U.S.

Stephanie Splatin of MAC spoke of the years of shelling of ethnic Russians living in eastern Ukraine leading up to the war, conveniently ignored in the mainstream narrative of the war. The weapons used then and now are supplied by the U.S. and swiftly end up in the hands of right-wing extremist groups so often used to further U.S. interests at the expense of innocent lives.

“Neither U.S. weapons nor U.S. sanctions have had their intended effect against Russia. No longer able to impose its will through brute force, declining U.S. imperialism foments instability and proxy conflicts, which it attempts to steer toward its interests” said Ryan Hamann of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), who spoke at the event. “The U.S. is trying to use the war in Ukraine to destabilize Russia, while bringing Ukraine into the orbit of U.S. monopoly capital. This means prolonging the war for as long as possible, no matter the human cost.”

The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee and United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) plan to continue to hold events in the future protesting the U.S. and NATO involvement in Ukraine, and offering a principled analysis of the war instead of the constant pro-war and pro-Ukraine views parroted by western media.

No to NATO! No to war!

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiWar #MAC #UNAC #Ukraine