Chicago, IL – More than 1000 people rallied and marched in Chicago, May 15, in an emergency response to Israel’s brutality, and a rejection of the Trump administration’s dangerous and illegal U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. The protest also coincided with the commemoration of 70 years of Nakba, what Palestinians call “The Catastrophe,” which marks the ethnic cleansing of almost 800,000 Palestinians upon the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Minneapolis, MN – The Anti-War Committee is organizing a bannering to show solidarity with Palestinians facing repression from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. It will take place on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the intersection of Central Avenue and 43rd Avenue NE.

Milwaukee, WI – In Venezuela's first presidential election since 2013, President Nicolás Maduro was re-elected in a landslide, receiving 67% of the vote in an election where the opposition was deeply divided and unwilling to unite behind a candidate. Henri Falcón, the most prominent opposition figure to run, received the endorsement of only a handful of parties and only got 27% of the vote. The majority of the right-wing opposition refused to even participate, pre-emptively condemning as fraudulent the very electoral system praised by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter as “the best in the world.”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, Office of the Chairperson Jose Maria Sison.

New York, NY – At least 900 people gathered in Times Square, May 19, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. The rally was called for by NY4Palestine, a coalition of organizations that stand for the liberation of historic Palestine.

Oshkosh, WI – On May 14 members of United Action Oshkosh (UAO) and supporters assembled in the Opera House Square on Main Street to publicly condemn the mass murder of more than 50 unarmed Palestinians by Israeli Defense Forces, to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinians mission to reclaim their homeland, and to oppose the move of the U.S. embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Jacksonville, FL – On May 14, 25 community members rallied in front of the Duval County Courthouse to condemn the massacre of 60-plus Palestinians who took part in Great Return March protests, as well as the opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.

Minneapolis, MN – Over 100 people protested outside Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office at the intersection of Interstate 35W and Washington Avenue in Minneapolis on May 15. The protest was originally called to mark the 70th anniversary of the 1948 Al Nakba massacre, “The Catastrophe” in Arabic, but it was overshadowed by the Israeli massacre in Gaza the day before, where at least 58 Palestinian protesters were killed by the Israeli military.

Dallas, TX – On May 12, about 80 people with the Dallas Palestine Coalition and allies gathered at Dealey Plaza in Downtown Dallas to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, when Zionists forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes, paving the way for the creation of the apartheid state of Israel.

Chicago, IL – Elmer “Bong” Labog is chairperson of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), or May First Movement, one of the largest industrial labor federations in the Philippines. Ka Bong, as he is known by his kasamas, or comrades in Filipino, came to Chicago May 14 and 15 to pay tribute to the Haymarket martyrs. He was hosted by the Illinois Labor History Society, who invited the KMU to be the international union this year to place a plaque at the memorial to the Haymarket martyrs in Chicago.

New York, NY – Over 200 people gathered in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn for a press conference, rally and march, May 14, in response to moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the historical capital of Palestine. It also marked 70 years since the Nakba, or the catastrophe, where Palestinians were driven from their homes. The protest stood in solidarity with the Great Return March, and took place right after the massacre of Palestinian protesters in Gaza.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) condemns the terrible violence inflicted by the occupation Israeli soldiers on Palestinians in Gaza. On May 14, alone, several dozen Palestinians have been murdered and the death toll continues to rise. Several thousand Palestinians have been injured in the brutal and vicious attack by Israel which saw troops indiscriminately opening fire on crowds of unarmed protesters. Israel Defense Forces snipers killed paramedics trying to assist the injured.

“Netanyahu, you will learn. By the millions we’ll return!”

Chicago, IL – On Friday evening, May 11, 500 Palestinians and their supporters marched on the Israeli consulate in Chicago. For the consulate staff, no chant could have unnerved them more than, “Netanyahu, you will learn. By the millions we’ll return!”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following May 12 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

May 15, 2018 marks the 70th year since al Nakba, or the Catastrophe, in Palestine. The Nakba refers to the day in 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes and off their land by Israeli troops, precipitating the creation of the colonial, apartheid state of Israel. Since then, the Israeli government and its military has continued their attempt to squeeze Palestine into submission. But this attempt has been futile, as recent events in Gaza have illustrated.

Milwaukee, WI – On May 12, the people of Iraq will be casting ballots for the Council of Representatives, their national legislature, for the third time since the 2003 U.S. invasion. Recent events have further proved that the U.S. failed to establish a new, pro-American order, and instead have emboldened the Iraqi masses to drive imperialism from their land.

El Partido Comunista de Venezuela (PCV) es la “segunda fuerza” bajo la candidatura de Nicolás Maduro en las elecciones presidenciales en el 20 de mayo. En este articulo publicado en Tribuna Popular, el Comité Central del PCV adelanta su posición sobre el proceso electoral, la necesidad por la agitación comunista, y el futuro del país.

The Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) is the second-largest party supporting Nicolás Maduro for president in the May 20 elections. In this piece published in their party newspaper Tribuna Popular, the PCV Central Committee lays out their position of the electoral process, the need for communist agitation, and the future of the country. It is provided below in English, translated by Fight Back! News staff.

¡Implementar el acuerdo de paz!

La Organización Socialista del Camino para la Libertad (FRSO) exige la libertad inmediata de el negociador de la paz colombiano Jesús Santrich, quien está bajo arresto por una solicitud de extradición de los E.E.U.U.

Implement the Peace Agreement!

Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) calls for the immediate release of Colombian peace negotiator Jesús Santrich, who is under arrest pursuant to an extradition request from the U.S.