News and Views from the People's Struggle
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.
Activists are calling for “A New Year Without Israeli Genocide in Gaza,” by holding a week of actions January 1 through January 7. Initiated by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for a Democratic Society, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), the nationwide protests will send the messages, “Stand with Palestine” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.”
Milwaukee, WI – U.S. President Joe Biden paid Milwaukee a visit on December 20 to deliver remarks at the Black Chamber of Commerce as part of his “Bidenomics” talks. Details of his visit were kept minimal until Tuesday evening, but that did not deter members and supporters of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine from assembling outside of the security perimeter set up around the venue.
For the Biden campaign, it was a strategic visit, as Wisconsin will play a key role in the presidential elections next fall, and if Biden can’t win Milwaukee, odds are small for winning Wisconsin.
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, December 17, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee co-hosted a commemoration of International Human Rights Day alongside the Freedom Road Socialist Organization . International Human Rights Day, observed annually on December 10, marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948. The event featured speakers and the 2nd annual Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award, given to Janan Najeeb of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition.
Minneapolis, MN – Over 100 protesters gathered outside of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office on Wednesday evening, December 20, calling for Senator Klobuchar to vote no on a bill that would send billions in military funding to Israel and Ukraine, as well as implement anti-immigrant policies that would have disastrous effects on immigrants in the U.S.
Protesters gathered waving Palestinian flags and signs that read “Klobuchar: We say no to U.S. aid to Israel! We will not pay for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.”
Latifah Moss, a member of MIRAC connected the fight for liberation in Palestine and the fight for immigrants in the U.S., saying: “MIRAC continues to stand in solidarity with immigrants and demand that our elected officials do what is right. In a time when we are watching families be torn apart by war, genocide, Border Patrol, and harmful anti-immigrant laws all over the world, we say no more separating families here in the U.S. at the border or overseas with U.S. money aiding war.”
The bill, which will now be voted on in January, is still in negotiations. Some legislators have insisted on the addition of anti-immigrant policies that would dismantle key asylum protections, allow for faster deportations with fewer protections, and close legal immigration pathways for immigrants from several countries.
Anti-War Committee speaker Meredith Aby-Keirstead spoke about the U.S. funding wars across the world. She stated that funding to both Ukraine and Israel should be stopped.
After speakers, activists picketed outside of the office. Chants for the end of deportations, no border walls, and no more money for war.
The protest was initiated by Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and was endorsed by MN Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, The Free Palestine Coalition, Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, and other organizations.
#MinneapolisMN #ImmigrantRights #International #Palestine #AntiWar #MIRAC #MNAWC
Madison, WI – On December 17, a crowd of 50 people marched around the State Capitol building to denounce “pinkwashing” and Democratic Party politicians using the LGBTQ+ community to justify genocide.
The action was organized by the Trans Resistance Action Committee (TRAC), a newer grassroots community organization in Madison which fights for trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people’s rights.
Miami, FL – Alex Saab, a Venezuelan diplomat, is now free after long negotiations between Venezuela’s government and the U.S. State Department. Saab flew back to Venezuela on Wednesday, December 20 into the waiting arms of his wife, Camilla Fabri Saab. He will be able to hug his children after more than three years of detention and imprisonment by the U.S. government.
Detroit, MI – On December 18, over 100 people gathered at Grand Circus Park to protest Congressman Shri Thanedar for his support of Israel.
Spring Lake Park, MN – December 19, 25 Palestine solidarity activists bannered over a busy highway at rush hour in a northern suburb of Minneapolis, near Spring Lake Park High School. The banners read, “The oldest Christians in the world are Palestinian. End Israeli apartheid. End Israeli occupation,” and “Equal rights for all! Say no to Israeli apartheid.”
Oak Creek, WI – On Friday, December 15, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and community members went to Astronautics Corporation of America in Oak Creek to continue their campaign against the company’s role in the genocide of Palestinians.
The rally marked the second time MAC has protested Astronautics over the last few weeks, as members made it clear that they will not be quiet while a company so close to home gets away with profiting from murder.
Minneapolis, MN – On December 18, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee held a press conference to proudly announce the installation of four billboards in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. These billboards will serve as a visual call to action, reinforcing the committee's demands: “Divest Minnesota from Israel” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.”
Strategically placed, these billboards will be a powerful tool to amplify the Anti-War Committee's demands that Minnesota divest from Israel and for the U.S. to end all support for Israel's apartheid regime.
Appleton, WI – On the evening of Friday, December 15, the community held a vigil for the Palestinian martyrs of the ongoing genocide. The event came in the wake of the grim milestone of over 19,000 Palestinians murdered by the U.S.-funded and armed Israeli regime since October 7.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Juliet de Lima, the Interim Chairperson, Negotiating Panel, National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
Gibo Teodoro’s head-scratching insinuation that the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) was willing to surrender is simply untrue. To say that this is the basis for the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) agreeing to explore the resumption of peace negotiations is also incorrect. It was the GRP who first approached the NDFP and not the other way around.
Minneapolis, MN – On December 14 members of the Solidarity Committee on the Americas and the MN Cuba Committee rallied at Chicago and Lake Avenues to demand the U.S. government to take Cuba off the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list and continued to pressure the U.S. to end the blockade of Cuba. The people who live in the neighborhood are multinational working-class families. The people passed by cheering and waving fits in the arm in support of the people. As the rally continued, cars and trucks drove past honking loudly and continuously approving the message.
Madison, WI – 6000 people answered the call of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) to go all out on December 9. The action marks the largest demonstration of solidarity with Palestine in the history of the state, passing the mark set only several weeks early at an action in Milwaukee.
The WCJP comprises 60-plus organizations from across Wisconsin and continues to grow nearly every day.
Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, December 11, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), alongside other students and community members, gathered at the Golda Meir Library to launch their Divest from Israel campaign and to honor the Palestinian martyrs.
The event began with speeches from the representatives of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Muslim Students Association and Un-PAC. Then SDS representatives officially announced the launch of the Divest from Israel Campaign and congratulated the Tampa 5 on their recent victory against political repression. This was followed by a Muslim prayer.
St. Paul, MN – On December 15, dozens of Palestine solidarity activists rallied and chanted at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) bannering to call for an end to the bombing of Gaza, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and for a free Palestine. The positive response from motorists was nonstop.
Minneapolis, MN – On December 14, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) led a caravan of over 40 cars with the Free Palestine Coalition to draw attention to the people of Palestine facing genocidal violence during evening rush hour.
Protesters decorated their cars with signs and Palestinian flags. Half of them drove slowly on Interstate-94 between Minneapolis and Saint Paul while the other half drove slowly south to Lake Street, then to Hennepin Avenue and to Franklin Avenue. At the same time, protesters held banners and Palestinian flags over I-94 on the 25th Avenue bridge near Augsburg University in Minneapolis and on the Lexington Avenue bridge in Saint Paul.
Bloomington, MN – Students from Jefferson and Kennedy High Schools in Bloomington walked out of class on December 14, to demand justice for Palestine. 70 students walked out before their sixth period class and marched to Bloomington City Hall for a joint rally.
This was the sixth student walkout in the Twin Cities metro area in the past two months. The Bloomington students organized this action to show their support with the people in Palestine and to express their concern about the rising death toll of Palestinians – over 18,000 so far.
Edina, MN – On the evening of Monday, December 11, 300 community members gathered for a rally outside the Edina School Board meeting at the Edina Community Center, denouncing the suspension of Muslim Somali students who led a pro-Palestine protest on October 26.
The school issued false claims of antisemitism against the students for using the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during a walkout protesting the ongoing genocide by the Israeli apartheid state. “From the river to the sea” is a call for Palestinian liberation from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. It is not antisemitic to oppose apartheid and genocide. Monday’s protest began with that same chant.