Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Jan. 3 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Los Angeles, CA – On December 23, 2021, the crowded North Hollywood Burlington store became the scene of two lives taken by LAPD. Daniel Elena Lopez was assaulting a woman, and 911 calls were placed by witnesses. One witness incorrectly reported that shots had been fired inside of the store. LAPD showed up to the scene. Police body cam video recently released shows the LAPD negligence and disregard for human lives.

For over six decades the Cuban people created a system that provides free universal health care, free public education from kindergarten through university, and housing to people at around 10% of their income. That system is socialism. Despite six decades of U.S. invasion attempts, blockades, embargos, assassination attempts, sanctions and demonization, the achievement record of the socialist mode of production in Cuba speaks for itself. As Mao said, “The fundamental cause of the development of a thing is not external but internal.” So, we must look at what has been happening inside Cuba to account of the success of its socialist path.

As 2021 concludes and we look forward to a new year, it makes sense to survey the political landscape and discuss what’s to be done.

Tucson, AZ – It is with heavy heart that the news of the passing of longtime anti-imperialist organizer Chuck Kaufman reached communities on December 28. Born in a small Indiana town, Chuck’s life saw travels to numerous countries, most notably in the Latin American countries most firmly in the crosshairs of U.S. imperialism.

From: Freedom Road Socialist Organization

To mark the 128th anniversary of the birth of Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong on December 26, 2021, Fight Back News Service is circulating his famous 1939 article “In memory of Norman Bethune.”

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following article written by Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong on the 60th birthday of Joseph Stalin. Stalin, Friend of the Chinese People

Minneapolis, MN – On December 16, around 2500 hundred clerical, technical and healthcare workers at the University of Minnesota reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The workers are members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Locals 3800, 3801, 3260 and 3937 and have been working with an expired contract since July 1. The agreement is for a one-year contract, which means even as this long round of negotiations and contract campaign actions wraps up, the locals are already gearing up to begin bargaining their next contract.

Milwaukee, WI – In the middle of a cold winter evening, on December 17, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression organized a picket with the family of Theodore Malcolm Edgecomb to amplify awareness of Edgecomb’s case, which is set for a jury trial on January 3, 2022.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Dec. 18 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines

Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg’s workers are continuing the fight after a rejection of a proposed contract last week. At the Battle Creek headquarters, there is determination to hold the line despite the company’s plan to permanently replace 1400 workers.

Minneapolis, MN – On December 13, over 3500 Hennepin County clerical and social service workers who are members AFSCME Locals 34 and 2822 rejected the county’s “last best and final” contract offer and authorized a strike across both locals. The two locals represent the largest blocks of organized workers in the Hennepin County system.

Minneapolis, MN – Despite a 12-inch snowfall, more than 60 people marched in recognition of International Human Rights Day in Midtown Minneapolis, shutting down a major business thoroughfare on December 11.

Dallas, TX – On April 11, Omar al-Bashir, the military leader of Sudan for over 20 years, from 1989 to 2019, was deposed in a military coup. The coup occurred amidst largescale protests calling for the overthrow of al-Bashir, demanding democracy and an end to austerity measures enacted by the government in response to the country being over $60 billion in debt to the International Monetary Fund and France.

New Orleans, LA – On December 11, people from Texas and Louisiana came together to discuss recent attacks on reproductive freedom and transgender rights. They held an in-person forum at the New Orleans First Unitarian Universalist Church, with virtual attendance through Zoom and social media.

Dallas, TX – Hundreds of members of Dallas's large Ethiopian community rallied outside Dallas City Hall on November 21 against U.S. intervention in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The protest was associated with the nationwide #NoMore movement and was called by community members, though the rally was also attended by members of the All African People's Revolutionary Party and the Dallas Anti-War Committee.

Activists from 22 cities attend NAARPR conference in Chicago

Chicago, IL – Two years after the refounding of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) in November 2019, over 125 NAARPR members and affiliates from around the country convened for the second NAARPR conference in Chicago starting on Saturday, December 4. They shared updates about their work fighting against police crimes and for community control of the police, among other areas of struggle, then voted on resolutions and new leadership for the next two years.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Dec. 6 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).