UN approved military intervention will have tremendous human cost

Many people first heard about plans for U.S. intervention in the African country of Mali during the third Presidential debate in October. Republican candidate Mitt Romney clumsily tried to speak about Mali’s recent turmoil.

Somalis face New York City trial

Brooklyn, NY – Three men from Somalia, Ali Yasin Ahmed, Madhi Hashi and Mohamed Yusuf, appeared in Federal District Court here, Dec. 21, on charges of violating U.S. “material support for terrorism” and gun laws. What makes this case different from the dozens of U.S. cases involving Somali men and women in Minnesota, California and other states is that there is no indication the men are U.S. residents or citizens, or that they have ever traveled to the U.S.

Protests are continuing in cities across India, Dec. 23, in response to the gang rape of a woman on a Delhi bus, Dec. 16. Police used water cannons to attack demonstrators in Delhi and scores of protesters have been injured.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council about the Dec. 12 raids by Israeli Occupation Forces on Palestinian NGOs. Joint Statement: The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council Condemns the IOF Raid on the Offices of Three Palestinian NGOs in Ramallah

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

Almost ten years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, it's déjà vu all over again.

Fight Back News Service is reprinting the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

A report from the Korea Central News Agency states the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is preparing to launch another satellite later this month.

On Nov. 29, 131 countries voted to recognize Palestinian statehood by granting Palestine “non-member observer state” status. This elevation at the UN further isolates the U.S. and Israel as they pursue the occupation of Palestine and domination over the other countries of the Middle East. Only seven countries voted with the U.S. and Israel, four of them small Pacific island nations under U.S control. Significantly, U.S. allies France, Italy and Japan voted for Palestine, and others abstained – the UK, Germany and Australia. The peoples of the world support Palestine, while the warmongers of the U.S. and Israel are further isolated and in trouble.

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people rallied here, Nov. 24, despite frigid temperatures, to stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. “While it is good that there is a cease fire in Gaza, it is important to be here today because we need to protest the Israeli occupation itself because until Palestine is free there will be more offensives like Operation Pillar. As the U.S. anti-war movement we need to keep demanding an end to U.S. military aid because U.S. money is driving and financing the Israeli occupation,” said the Anti-War Committee’s Meredith Aby in her speech to the crowd.

Milwaukee, WI – The declaration of a cease fire didn't stop 200 people from marching in downtown Milwaukee, Nov. 22, in response to a week of Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip. Protesters demanded the bombing of Gaza stop and called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

St. Paul, MN – More than 100 people joined a vigil and protest here, Nov. 21, to speak out against the Israeli attack on Gaza. Participants lined the sidewalks of the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge, which connects Minneapolis and Saint Paul, during rush-hour traffic, creating a highly visible statement against the attack on Gaza.

Chicago, IL – The military bombardment of Gaza by Israel’s military was applauded by 300 supporters of Israel at a rally organized by the Jewish United Fund (JUF) here, Nov. 20. 100 opponents of the war, including activists from Chicago’s Palestinian community and Palestine solidarity activists, held a counter-protest in response.

Milwaukee, WI – For over a week now, the Israeli government has been launching attacks on the people in the Gaza Strip. For far too long there has been evidence that the Israeli government has been treating the Palestinian people like they are less than human. The Israeli government has been kicking people off their land, making them go through checkpoints, restricting trade to the Gaza region and even bulldozing homes.

Chicago, IL – 2000 people marched in the streets here, Nov. 19 chanting, “Obama, Obama, you will see – Palestine will be free!”

Tallahassee, FL – The Palestinian national flag waved high above Integration Statue in the afternoon breeze, Nov. 19. Below it, about 50 people gathered at Florida State University (FSU) for a protest demanding an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza. Students from FSU and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) joined community activists in a march through the busiest parts of campus to stand with the Palestinian people.

Tampa, FL – On Nov. 17, nearly 100 people stood against Israel's ongoing bloodbath in Gaza. Students for Justice in Palestine organized the demonstration. Black-clad protesters waved Palestinian flags, held signs and stretched banners as thousands of cars drove through the intersection separating Tampa from Temple Terrace – a city with a large Palestinian community. The large contingents on all four corners of Fowler Avenue and 56th Street rotated when the lights changed, making sure that motorists got a long look at banners adorned with statistics on the brutality of occupation and its financial dependence on the U.S. government.

St. Paul, MN – More than 100 rallied here Nov. 16 to protest Israel’s attack on Gaza, which has been escalating since it began two days earlier. Protesters lined one of the busiest intersections in Saint Paul, at Summit and Snelling Avenues. The carried Palestinian flags and banners and signs in solidarity with Palestine and in opposition to U.S. support for Israel.

Homeland Security sends dog

Salt Lake City, UT – In response to brutal attacks by Israeli forces on the Palestinian territory in Gaza, Salt Lake rallied in solidarity on Friday, Nov. 16. Protesters called for an end to the violence and the ongoing Israeli occupation.

Gainesville, FL – A massive Palestinian flag with the words “Free Palestine” was raised in Turlington Plaza Nov. 15 as 40 students gathered to condemn the massacre in Gaza. Gainesville Area Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized the protest in response to the latest wave of brutal Israeli attacks, which claimed the lives of dozens of Palestinians.