News and Views from the People's Struggle
New York, NY – On Aug. 23, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and NYC Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted a panel called “Frontlines of resistance: Bilal Kayed and the struggle for Palestine”, regarding the state of occupied Palestine and the fight that political prisoners are currently waging against their Israeli jailers.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Aug. 22 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Minneapolis, MN – On Aug. 20, Jesus Chucho Garcia, the Venezuelan Consul in New Orleans, spoke in Minneapolis at May Day Bookstore about the current situation and the future of Venezuela. The store was packed with activists from the peace movement, the Latin American solidarity movement and Venezuelans living in the U.S.
New York, NY – On Aug. 19, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network held a picket in front of the G4S office in off of Fifth Avenue. Samidoun has been holding weekly protests to stand in solidarity and demand the freedom of Bilal Kayed, a Palestinian man who is being wrongly detained in the Israeli prisons.
In honor of Fidel Castro’s 90th birthday, Fight Back! is circulating a speech he delivered on May 1, 2003. Castro was born on August 13, 1926. Enjoy.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following August 7 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).
Washington D.C. – According to an Aug. 2 news report from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), “Seven civilians were killed and 25 others were injured due to terrorists attacks with rocket shells on residential neighborhoods in Aleppo, including one attack which used shells containing toxic gas.”
KMU chair talks about genuine trade unionism
. Elmer “Bong” Labog, Chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).
(Photo credit: Peter Murphy)”)
Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines – During the International Conference for People’s Rights in the Philippines, Joe Iosbaker, of Fight Back! had the opportunity to meet and interview Elmer “Bong” Labog, Chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), or May First Movement. The KMU is an independent and democratic labor center in the Philippines, promoting genuine, militant and anti-imperialist trade unionism.
Houston, TX – Over 20 students and community activists gathered at the Consulate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, August 1, to celebrate the life and legacy of Hugo Chavez, the former president of Venezuela. The consul gave a presentation on Hugo Chavez, discussing how he transformed Venezuela and drastically improved the lives of the Venezuelan people.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 31 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Statement No. 11: Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat joins hunger strike for freedom in occupation prisons
Minneapolis, MN – El 21 de julio, la colombiana-americana Jennie Eisert, presentó un conmovido reporte sobre su participación en la delegación enviada por Alliance for Global Justice, para el proceso de paz en Colombia. Eisert estuvo en Colombia en mayo, semanas antes de que el gobierno colombiano y las Fuerzas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejercito Popular (FARC-EP) declararan oficialmente, el 23 de junio, el fin a la guerra de medio siglo.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 26 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
International solidarity mission to the Philippines
Guinoman, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines – On July 16, three vans stuffed with passengers traveled the badly eroded, muddy, narrow road from Pagadian City to the village of Guinoman in Western Min-danao, in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. On the roof of one of them was a dog, standing on all fours, that managed to stay on its feet through one of the torrential downpours that are a daily occur-rence in July.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 19 statement from the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Turkey.
Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines – The recent election of Rodrigo Duterte as president of The Philip-pines (GRP) is a defeat for the pro-U.S. group of wealthy families that have always run the country. Here in Iligan City, there is an outpouring of the hopes from people about what the election could mean.
Iosbaker is part of a human rights delegation in the Philippines from July 16-25.
The British vote to leave the European Union (EU) on June 23 has been recognized by communist and worker organizations across Europe as a substantial victory for the British and European working classes in the fight against EU austerity. However, the intentional media spotlight on the racist and xenophobic declarations of some Leave supporters, such as the former leader of the far-right UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, masks the progressive nature of the leave vote and has left some progressives wondering if Brexit (British exit from the EU) and racism are synonymous.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following July 7 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
Chicago, IL – The Venezuelan Consulate in Chicago celebrated 205 years of independence from the Spanish empire on July 6. In his remarks, Jesus Rodriguez-Espinoza, the Consul General, noted that in the year 1811, Simon Bolivar led an army that defeated Spain, not only in their country, but in several other countries in South America as well. “That is the only time our troops have been outside our border,” he commented. This was apparently to counter U.S. government claims that the Venezuelan government is a threat. The U.S. spends millions of dollars annually to support right-wing, often violent groups in Venezuela working to overthrow the democratically elected government.
