News and Views from the People's Struggle
Tampa, FL – On October 8, 300 pro-Palestine protesters lined the intersection of Fowler Avenue and 56th Street in the Tampa area in solidarity with the ongoing fight in Palestine against the Israeli occupation. The crowd was energetic, denouncing the terroristic Israeli government and the massive monetary support from the United States, chanting “Hey Joe Biden can’t you see? Gaza will be free!”
The Palestinian resistance is dealing a heavy blow to the Israeli apartheid state. The decades of oppression, humiliation and callous cruelty by the occupiers of Palestine are being answered in the only language oppressors truly understand.
Tucson, AZ – On Saturday, October 7, with just a three-hour notice, nearly 30 Tucson activists gathered at a busy street corner to demonstrate their solidarity with the advancing Palestinian resistance forces.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following October 3 statement from the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).
Normalization with the racist, settler-colonialist, zionist entity of Israel often begins with a U.S. directive aimed at Arab regimes, as evidenced by the first attempt with the Camp David Accords in 1978, which led to a “peace” agreement between Egypt and Israel. In essence, normalization coerces Arab regimes in the region to accept their subjugated status as compliant agents, which serves the zionist agenda and its U.S. imperialist patron. In light of the fast pace of change in today’s world order, the U.S. finds it necessary to push for normalization in order to maintain its global, imperialist dominance over Arab nations and thwart their progress toward independent, modern democracies.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution, adopted by the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO Executive Board on October 2, 2023.
Resolution in Solidarity with Organized Labor in the Philippines
WHEREAS, legislative and violent attacks on organized labor in the Philippines have resulted in the country being ranked among the world’s deadliest countries for trade unionists, where over 70 workers have been murdered since 2016, and;
WHEREAS, unions and labor activists are frequently targeted with forced union disaffiliation, intimidation, harassment, aggressive surveillance, torture, imprisonment, and killings, and;
WHEREAS, thousands of workers have been arrested on false charges in an attempt to silence their voices, including Anne Krueger, who was working to organize call center workers and hosted two delegations of Communications Workers of America (CWA) members to the Philippines, (1) and;
WHEREAS, in April 2023, Alex Dolorosa, a union organizer whose work was funded by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), was violently murdered, and no effort has been made by the authorities to investigate his murder, (2) and;
WHEREAS, in the face of legislative attacks, violent repression, and human rights violations committed by the repressive Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regime, unionists in the Philippines continue to organize a vibrant and growing labor movement that merits great respect and solidarity, and;
WHEREAS, the government of the Philippines is by far the largest recipient of US military aid in the Indo-Pacific, having received $1.14 billion in US military aid since 2015, (3) and;
WHEREAS, on May 1st, 2019 the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Congress to end military aid to the government of the Philippines, and;
WHEREAS, in June, 2020 the AFL-CIO issued a statement calling on Congress to pass the Philippines Human Rights Act (1), which would suspend US military aid to the Philippines, (4) and;
WHEREAS, The Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO, The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), and the AFL-CIO Executive Council have issued resolutions and statements calling for Congressional action to address ongoing human and labor rights violations by the government of the Philippines, and;
WHEREAS, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, representing nearly 20,000 union members, believes fundamentally in the power of worker solidarity, and actively supports trade unionists and all people of conscience working to stop attacks on labor and democratic rights.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO reaffirms our solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the labor movement of the Philippines, and;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO demands accountability from the Philippine government and supports international calls for a comprehensive investigation of the killings in the Philippines, and;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Milwaukee Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO calls for the urgent passage and signing of the Philippines Human Rights Act.
#MilwaukeeWI #MALC #AFLCIO #Unions #LaborCouncil #Philippines #Labor #InternationalSolidarity
New York City, NY – On Saturday, September 23, more than 500 anti-war organizers and activists from across the United States converged for “Voices of Dignity: The People vs. Blockades,” an evening program in support of Cuba and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The event was hosted by the Let Cuba Live Coalition and took place at the Society for Ethical Culture of New York .
Falcon Heights, MN – Instead of the regular Cuba car caravan on Sunday, August 27, twelve Cuban Solidarity activists bannered and held signs at the Minnesota State Fair to call for an end to the 60-year U.S. blockade of Cuba – made even more brutal by U.S.’s incomprehensible designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. Standing at the main gate of the “Great Minnesota get together,” the activists got a chance to talk to many people about Cuba and share information. They gave out stickers about ending the blockade as well as Cuba’s recently passed extremely progressive family code which ensures the rights of the LGBT community.
Fight Back New Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following August 21 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.
The 15th BRICS summit took place in South Africa August 22-24 to discuss the expansion of the group of countries, and to counter the influence of Western countries like the U.S., France and Britain on developing countries.
St. Paul, MN – On August 23, over a dozen protesters gathered on the bottom floor of the Minnesota State Capitol building to demand that Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota State Board of Investments (SBI) divest all state funds from companies which profit from Israeli apartheid. Governor Walz and SBI members were greeted at the entrance of the meeting room with signs decrying Israeli apartheid and a large banner in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
New Orleans, LA- On August 12, New Orleans students and their supporters demonstrated during a 120-degree heat index against the potential U.S. intervention in the West African country of Niger. They gathered on the University of New Orleans campus with the group Students United UNO and chanted under a Nigerien flag and a banner reading “US: Hands off Africa.” Demonstrators passed information handouts to students as they returned to campus on move-in day.
Paris, Michigan – On August 1, student activists attended a city council meeting in Paris, Michigan just north of Big Rapids. The city council convened to discuss multiple matters, but the primary topic was the planned construction by Gotion of a battery plant for electric vehicles. Gotion is a Chinese-owned firm with its U.S. subsidiary incorporated in California since 2014.
St. Paul, MN – On July 31, the Women Against Military Madness’ Solidarity Committee of the Americas (SCOTA) and the MN Cuba Committee continued their monthly car caravans to show solidarity with Cuba and to demand Cuba be taken off the U.S. terrorist list.
A new transitional government was formed in Niger after a takeover conducted and led by the military leader Abdourahamane Tchiani against Mohammed Bazoum, July 26.
Fight Back news service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Milwaukee, WI – On July 26, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) joined with members of the Milwaukee chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace to protest outside of U.S. Representative Gwen Moore’s district office downtown. A week before, Representative Moore and 194 of her Democrat colleagues sided with House Republicans to pass a resolution of blind support for the state of Israel.
By Anti-War Work Team of Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Los Angeles, CA – On July 23, hundreds of protesters marched down Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles for the People’s State of the Nation Address. The PSONA is an annual protest to counter the Filipino president’s state of the nation address and expose the real struggles of the Filipino people. This year it highlighted the issues under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presidency, including record high inflation and miserable wages, intense political repression with prosecution and killings, and increased U.S. military presence.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 25 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.