Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

International

By Drusie Kazanova

A speaker points to Powerpoint slides in front of a packed room and explains the history of the twelve African countries formerly colonized by France.

San Jose, CA – Dozens of San Jose community members attended San Jose Against War’s educational mini-series for Black August, honoring Black resistance and liberation struggles around the world. The series consisted of two educational programs, one focusing on Haiti and the other focusing on the Confederation of Sahel States.

The educational event about Haiti was on August 24. Guest speakers from Haiti Action Committee gave a presentation covering an extensive history of Haiti from its colonial exploitation by Spain and France, to the current role that the U.S. has played in toppling progressive governments.

“[Haiti] is poor, but like many countries, it’s been made poor,” said Judith Mirkinson from Haiti Action Committee. “At the time when they overthrew the French, it was France’s richest colony in itself. It generated more wealth than all the other colonies. It’s estimated that like 20% of the French economy came from Haiti.”

“When we look at the situation in Haiti today, it has its genesis in the long history of colonialism, but specifically it has its genesis in the 2004 coup,” said Mirkinson, referring to the coup against President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

“This was the most progressive government that Haiti ever had,” Mirkinson stated about Aristide’s time in office. “More schools were built in Haiti than in its entire history. He did literacy campaigns; he introduced hospitals and clinics.”

“Aristide was overthrown and a U.S.-UN occupation came in,” said Mirkinson. “The U.S., Britain, France, and Canada have bankrolled paramilitary death squads. This is a strategy to destroy society. They want the gold, they want minerals. They just want people to leave or die or whatever.”

On August 27, over two dozen community members gathered for the educational event about the Confederation of Sahel States, an anti-imperialist alliance between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The event featured guest speakers Inem Richardson of the All-African Women’s Revolutionary Union and the Thomas Sankara Center, and Akubundu Amazu Lott of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party.

“The first coup that led to the Alliance of Sahel States happened in Mali in 2021,” said Richardson. “For several years before the coup happened there was this emerging budding anti-imperialist movement that kept growing. The people first called for the alliance. In July of last year, the three countries became the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States.”

“For the first time in a long time Burkina Faso is nationalizing its gold reserves,” stated Richardson. “Niger is nationalizing its uranium deposits. Africa’s largest solar power field is being built right now in Mali. It’s this massive transformation.”

“These countries ended a lot of different forms of collaboration with countries in the NATO bloc and started to move towards collaborating more with countries like Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela and Cuba,” Richardson continued. “Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger share a lot in common with these countries in terms of how they’ve been targeted by imperialists.”

“There are U.S. sanctions on Mali right now. The European Union is sanctioning Mali and Niger,” Richardson said. “The propaganda war is enormous, adding that Western media “has come down really hard against these three countries.”

“There’s been reports stating that AFRICOM, the U.S. military, now that it’s been chased out of Niger, is working to create a drone base in the Ivory Coast. The U.S. is trying to move to the border of the Alliance of Sahel States,” stated Richardson. “In this moment, we really need to focus on protecting and defending these revolutions.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #International #Haiti #Sahel #Africa #OppressedNationalities #HAC #AAWRU #AAPRP

By staff

Two panelists sit at a table wearing FRSO shirts and giving talks on socialist construction in China.

Dallas, TX – On Saturday, August 30, more than 30 Dallas residents gathered at Pan African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center for discussion on socialism as it pertains to the modern People's Republic of China.

Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, (FRSO), the event was part of a speaking tour led by Sydney Loving, a Central Committee member of FRSO, who spent ten days in China as part of a delegation of Friends of Socialist China.

Loving began the presentation by stating, “75 years of socialist construction. We saw a country that has the largest economy in the world as measured by Purchasing Power Parity, which is a more accurate view than GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, which relies on the stock market and inflates the real economy. China's economy is the largest by industrial manufacturing. Even smaller cities are high-tech and increasingly green, life expectancy is over 78 years which is two years longer than the U.S., and of course where over 800 million people have been lifted out of extreme poverty.”

Loving continued, “Thanks to China's socialism they are completing an industrial revolution every decade since the 1980s. China is in the forefront of this new industrial revolution with AI, quantum technology, big data etc. China and the world have changed forever. But despite these advancements China remains controversial in the West, even amongst the left! Believe it or not. So, it's important to seek truth from fact as Mao says.”

Loving expounded on the particular advancements from the five cities she visited, Xi’an, Yan’an, Dunhuang, Jiayu guan and Shanghai.

Loving stated, “We went to Yan’an, which was really the cradle of the revolution from 1935 to 1947. The Red Army re-grouped there after the Long March, and the CPC [Communist Party of China] held the 7th National Congress there, 16 long years after the 6th Congress, because they were fighting Japanese imperialism and the KMT. [Yan’an is] where Mao Zedong Thought was crystalized and adopted. They fought dogmatism and made the decision to be the party of the masses of Chinese people.”

“In Jiayu guan, we visited JISCO, a state-owned steel company that the workers built the whole city around in the 1950s. Today it has 42% green cover, with ponds and parks– remember this is the Gobi Desert, “ said Loving.

“In Shanghai we went to a robotics facility where they demonstrated the advancements for surgery and industry, and a Lenovo factory where they showed off how they’re partnering with the school system to bring advanced tech into rural classrooms,” said Loving.

Loving concluded her presentation by saying, “China is not a utopia, it's a real place. Everything that we saw affirmed that China is continuing to build socialism that centers the people. China is building a future for all of us that is more peaceful and more equal.”

#DallasTX #TX #International #RevolutionaryTheory #China #Socialism

By Zainab Almehdi and Kyle Cansler

Activists line the entrance to the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.

Philadelphia, PA – On August 26, upon learning that Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung would be speaking at Hanwha’s Philadelphia shipyard, anti-imperialist activists quickly mobilized to oppose the war-mongering, $5 billion investment into Philly shipbuilding. This investment is a condition of the recent trade deal brokered by Lee and Trump, who met the day before in Washington, DC.

The deal entailed the lowering of the U.S. tariff rate for South Korean goods from the proposed 25% down to 15% in exchange for a direct investment of $150 billion into the U.S. shipbuilding industry, a deal proposed by Lee as “MASGA” or “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again.” $5 billion of that $150 billion will be spent on developing Hanwha’s shipbuilding venture in Philadelphia.

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By staff

La delegación en Yan’an afuera del salón dónde se realizó el 7mo Congreso del Partido Comunista de China.  | Foto: Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste!

Noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! se sentó con Sydney Loving, participante de la delegación de Amigos de China Socialista, que recientemente regresó de una visita de diez días a cinco ciudades en China. De bases revolucionarios a ciudades de alta tecnología y desarrollo verde, la delegación presenció de primera mano el poder del socialismo a levantar las vidas de la gente. Loving es miembro del Comité Central de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad.

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By Peter Kellner

Sydney Loving.

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, August 15, more than 50 Twin Cites residents gathered at Lucy Parsons Center for the event “China: A Contrasting Vision for the World,” hosted by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) talking about China and constructing a socialist society.

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By staff

New York, NY- On August 15, 100 New Yorkers gathered in Herald Square, joining protesters around the country to demand U.S. out of Korea. The rally was part of a National Day of Action organized by Nodutdol, an organization of Koreans in the U.S. fighting for the national liberation and reunification of Korea.

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By Vincent O'Connor

Dan Kovalik speaks at the Lucy Parsons Center.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 14, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee hosted an event at the Lucy Parsons Center with author Dan Kovalik and discussed the history of U.S. imperialism in Iran, centered around his book, The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran.

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By Organización Socialista del Camino a la Libertad

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad denuncia el más reciente ataque del presidente de EE. UU., Donald Trump, contra el presidente de Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro. Es otro intento escandaloso de EE. UU. por criminalizar a Venezuela y a sus líderes. La fiscal general de EE. UU., Pam Bondi, declaró que EE. UU. ofrecía 50 millones de dólares por información que llevara al arresto del presidente venezolano. ¡Nosotros decimos que el presidente Maduro vale mucho, mucho más!

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization denounces U.S. President Donald Trump’s most recent attack on Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro. It is yet another outrageous U.S. attempt to criminalize Venezuela and its leaders. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi declared the U.S. was offering $50 million for information leading to the arrest of the Venezuelan president. We say President Maduro is worth much, much more!

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By staff

A group of people standing in front of a meeting hall with Chinese characters over the entrance.

Fight Back! sat down with Sydney Loving, a participant in the 2025 Friends of Socialist China delegation, which recently returned from a ten-day visit across five cities in China. From revolutionary bases to high-tech cities and green development, the delegation witnessed firsthand the power of socialism to uplift the lives of the people. Loving is a member of the Central Committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Fight Back!: How did you go to China? What was the purpose of the trip?

Sydney Loving: The delegation was organized by Friends of Socialist China, a political project aiming to strengthen understanding and support for China on the basis of solidarity and truth. I repped Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the delegation included folks from Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World, Progressive International, Communist Party of Britain Young Communist League, Black Liberation Alliance, Qiao Collective, Iskra Books, and others.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

The attempts by the U.S. military to whitewash its heightened presence in the Philippines through “disaster training” are utterly despicable. The U.S. imperialists, in collusion with the Marcos regime and the U.S. mercenary officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must be condemned by the Filipino people for exploiting the recent climate disasters to mount another publicity stunt that camouflages the brazen violations of Philippine sovereignty.

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By John Duroyan

A person speaking into a microphone in front of a protest banner.

San Francsico, CA – On July 28, over 350 activists rallied outside the Philippines consulate in San Francisco for the People’s State of the Nation Address. The PSONA is an annual event meant to contrast with the state of the nation address given by Philippines President Ferdinand “Bong-bong” Marcos Junior. The PSONA addresses the struggles faced by Filipino workers both at home and abroad, and the neglect that the Marcos administration has for the people it claims to protect.

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By Trent Fast and Cedar Larson

A group of people posing for a picture with their fists raised.

New York, NY – On the weekend of July 25-27, the Anti-War Action Network sent members from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Detroit Anti-War Committee, Tucson Anti-War, and Seattle Against War to the first ever People’s Summit for Korea in New York City.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Committee to Free Simón Trinidad. His birthday is July 30.

Colombian revolutionary Simón Trinidad has lived 75 years on this earth and his last 21 have been spent as a prisoner of the U.S. Empire. Once a valuable thinker and peace negotiator for the FARC-EP, four sham trials based on bogus charges saw a U.S. federal court eventually sentence Trinidad to 60 years in the Federal Supermax prison in Florence, CO. The terms of his imprisonment included the psychologically challenging isolation of Special Administrative Measures (SAMs) and the restrictive access to legal support. His U.S. lawyer battled and helped win him access to his Colombian lawyer working on his cases in the U.S.-support Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) handling peace, justice, and reconciliation.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International League of Peoples’ Struggle.

We hail with revolutionary fervor the long-overdue release of Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the indomitable Lebanese resistance fighter who, after 41 years of unjust imprisonment in the dungeons of the French state, walks free at last. His liberation is not a gift from the oppressors – it is a victory wrestled from the jaws of imperialist vengeance through decades of struggle, solidarity, and resistance.

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By Alexandra Westberry

A protester speaks into a microphone in front of cut out graphics signs.

Chicago IL – 50 demonstrators rallied outside Chicago’s Philippine consulate for a People’s State of the Nation Address (PSONA), July 27. Filipino activists organized the PSONA to illuminate the real conditions faced by the Filipino masses a day before Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. delivered his SONA. Protesters demanded freedom for Filipino immigrants in the U.S. arrested by ICE, and an end to U.S. support for the Marcos regime.

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By staff

Washington, DC – Filipino community organizations and allies rallied in front of the Philippine Embassy in DC on Monday, July 28, to protest the U.S.-backed Marcos regime’s State of the Nation Address, and to deliver their own “Peoples State of the Nation Address”.

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International Office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Marcos Jr’s recent visit to the United States, has demonstrated once again the regime’s deep-seated subservience to US imperialism. His trade and military concessions to Trump have reached new heights of treachery as he sacrificed the country’s sovereignty and economic integrity in exchange for crumbs from his US master.

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By staff

Manila, Philippines – On July 13, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) stated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s state visit to the United States from July 20 to 22 is an urgent summons from Donald Trump to receive clear instructions from his imperialist master ahead of his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.

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By staff

Jacksonville, Florida march against attacks on Iran.

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, June 28, over 100 community members gathered at Memorial Park to protest the US’s attacks on Iran. The rally, organized by the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), went mobile as the demonstrators marched through the Riverside area, and near the very populated Riverside Arts Market.

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