Minneapolis, MN – Hundreds of Palestinian community members and supporters gathered here July 8, outside the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, to demand an end to Israel’s recent campaign of collective punishment against Palestinians.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Over fifty people protested U.S. backed Israeli violence on July 6 at the U.S. Federal Building in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. The Israeli government is using airstrikes and the army to attack Palestinians. In tandem, Israeli settlers kidnapped, tortured, and burned to death a teenager. Then an Israeli police intelligence unit was caught on video, brutally beating a fifteen-year-old boy from Tampa, Florida.

It is vital that everyone who wants peace with justice raise their voices against another new war on Iraq. This means no troops, no military ‘advisors,’ no drones, no air strikes, no weapons shipments and no financial aid packages. For the last 20-plus years the U.S. government has been either waging a war on Iraq or preparing to wage a war – it time for this to stop once and for all.

Provo, UT- Facing disaster in Iraq, President Obama addressed the rapidly developing conflict in a June 19 address. President Obama claimed, “American troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again.” However, in the next breath Obama also laid out his plans to expand U.S. intervention.

New York, NY – In front of 35 members of the United Nations Correspondence Association (UNCA), Ambassador Dr. Bashar Jaafari of the Syrian Mission hosted a report-back, June 18, by five members of the U.S. delegation of election observers who had traveled to Damascus for the June 3 presidential elections. Included among the election observers were Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-War Committee-Chicago; Paul Larudee of the Syrian Solidarity Movement; Jane Stillwater, a freelance journalist; Scott Williams of the International Action Center and Judy Bello of New York’s Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars. Both Bello and Iosbaker are also members of the administrative committee of the United National Antiwar Coalition.

New York, NY – Anti-war activists joined Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Bashar Jaafari, for a press conference at the U.N. on June 18, at 11:00 a.m. Paul Larudee, Joe Iosbaker, Judy Bello, Scott Williams and Jane Stillwater were observers of the presidential elections in Syria on June 3. They joined official governmental delegations from 11 countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Iran and Brazil.

Damasucs, Syria – On June 4, a group of parliamentarians met with the delegation of election observers from Canada, Ireland and the U.S. for a press event, which was covered by SANA, the Syrian public news company.

The Ukraine crisis is an attack by U.S. imperialism, along with local fascists, on the people of Ukraine. The European Union has been ally of the U.S. attack.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following June 5 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). CPP denounces US intervention in Zamboanga siege

Damascus, Syria – Election observers gathered June 4, the day after election day, to discuss what they had seen and adopted a statement that the elections were democratic and wished the Syrian people a new stage of stability, national unity and reconciliation. Parliamentarians from 11 countries officially participated as observers, including Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and The Philippines. There were also journalists, anti-war and international solidarity activists from Canada, the U.S., Ireland, Pakistan, Malaysia and Bahrain.

Homs, Syria – In an emotional day, mixed with sadness for the loss of life and a celebration of victory, the people of Homs, Syria came out to vote in their presidential election, June 3. Outside many polling places, hundreds of people gathered to rally, chant and dance dabke, the traditional dance of Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. The celebratory mood was because in the past month, the armies backed by the U.S., NATO, Israel and the Gulf states that had been fighting in the Old City of Homs were finally driven out.

Editors note: Prominent Chicago- based anti-war activist Joe Iosbaker is in route to Damascus, Syria where he will participate in a delegation of observers for the Syrian election’s. Fight Back! will publish commentary by Iosbaker as we receive it.

Damascus, Syria – Ten people from the U.S., Canada and Ireland have traveled to Syria to observe the presidential elections taking place here June 3. Our delegation is mainly anti-war and international solidarity activists who are members of organizations including the International Action Center, Syria Solidarity Committee, the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, the United National Antiwar Coalition and the International Solidarity Movement. We are hosted by a Iranian non-governmental organization, the International Union of Unified Ummah (Muslim community).

Over the past two weeks, the U.S. and NATO-backed junta in Kiev has persistently pushed Ukraine further down the path of civil war. Regime-orchestrated violence against the anti-fascist resistance is escalating, with a crackdown on both independent militias and civilians in the east.

Minneapolis, MN – President Obama announced May 27, that by 2015 the U.S. will have 9,800 troops in Afghanistan and that by the end of 2016 the U.S. will leave troops to guard the U.S. embassy in Kabul. The next day when Secretary of State John Kerry was interviewed by Chuck Todd on MSNBC, Todd pointed out that “there’s eight more years of that agreement, and the next president, without the authorization of Congress, without seeking new permission from Afghanistan, could end up sending more troops back in” and Kerry agreed that it is possible that the U.S. could send in more troops. He was quick to point out that that decision would be made under a different administration though.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following May 27 statement from the United Electrical Workers (UE) on developments in the Ukraine and U.S. intervention.

Tucson, AZ – Tucson activists organized a presentation and discussion on the crisis in Ukraine, May 23. The teach-in was part of the nationwide emergency action campaign, initiated by the United National Antiwar Coalition, against U.S. intervention in Ukraine.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB) on the May 25 elections.

Grand Rapids, MI – Many are out marching and protesting Monsanto this spring, demanding food be healthy and safe, that Monsanto products be labeled as GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and insisting that one corporation should not control the entire seed supply or corner the market. Unions and immigrant rights groups are demanding protections and decent pay for farm workers who use Monsanto products in the fields.