Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Student Movement

By Anthony Taylor-Gouge

Group of students, some of whom are holding handwritten signs or wearing keffiyehs, congregate around a student with a microphone who is speaking.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 31, students at Washburn High School in south Minneapolis held a walk-out for Palestine. Around 50 students, primarily Muslim girls, walked out of class of the public high school at 1:30 p.m. After walking out the front doors with signs in hand they marched through the neighborhood chanting “Free free Palestine!” The march was met with honks of approval by cars driving by and eventually ended a few blocks away at Fuller Park.

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By Carson Cruse

A crowd is photographed from behind ith a large banner visible that reads "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"

New Orleans, LA – On October 26, over 250 students and community members gathered for a rally near Tulane University’s campus. Despite a counter-protest of obviously intoxicated students shouting Islamophobic and racist slurs, demonstrators outnumbered them and drowned them out. Chants like “Tulane, Tulane you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!” energized the crowd. 

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By Robyn Harbison

Students congregate outside school with school staff looking on. 

Edina, MN – In alignment with the national student walkout in solidarity with Palestine, held Wednesday, October 25, students at Edina High School held a walkout and speak-out for Palestine.

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By staff

Participants in a panel against the repression of progressive speech on campus chant, "Protesting is not a crime!"  | Fight Back! News/staff

Salt Lake City, UT – On October 23, members of the Salt Lake City community filled a room on the University of Utah campus for a panel against the repression of progressive speech on campus. Chrisley Carpio of the Tampa 5 was the keynote presenter and was joined by MECHA at the University of Utah and Armed Queers SLC.

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By Justin Bent

Tampa 5 speaking tour event in Arlington, Texas. | Fight Back! News/staff

Arlington, TX – On Wednesday, October 25, the Progressive Student Union at University of Texas, Arlington hosted Laura Rodriguez on her tour across the South and Southwest, to raise awareness about the repression she and the other members of the Tampa 5 are facing.

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By Gage Lacharite

Students protest university funding of Israeli apartheid. | Fight Back! News/staff

Tampa, FL – Students at the University of South Florida demonstrated their opposition to the ongoing bombing of Gaza on Thursday, October 26. 75 students representing a slew of organizations marched across campus from a busy intersection across from the administrative building, over to a plaza near the student center, chanting “Free Palestine” and “Hey USF you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!”

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By staff

Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 | Fight Back! News/staff

Seattle, WA – On October 23, Gia Davila of the Tampa 5 spoke before an enthusiastic crowd of 50 people at the University of Washington’s Ethnic Cultural Center. The Tampa 5 are charged with felonies for protesting against Governor Ron DeSantis’s assaults on education. The five, three student organizers, a union member, and a community activist – are currently on a tour of the United States to raise awareness of their case, and how to resist political repression.

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By Solveig Swain

Denver students walk out in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On October 25 at 11:30 a.m., approximately 150 students, led by the Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), marched out of their classrooms on Auraria Campus in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. Student protesters staged a speak-out and rally at the former home of Zionist war criminal Golda Meir.

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By Liz Rathburn

Chicago students walk out, rally in support of Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Chicago IL – On October 25, over 400 students at the University of Illinois Chicago walked out of their classes and rallied to demand that Israel end its genocidal siege of Gaza. The protest was coordinated with dozens of campuses across the country holding actions simultaneously.

UIC’s protest was called by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Students for a Democratic Society, Anakbayan, and Dissenters.

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By Jake Holtzman

Event to defend the Tampa 5 in Austin, Texas. | Fight Back! News/staff

Austin, TX – Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5 came to the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, October 24, to speak about political repression, defending diversity programs and ethnic studies in schools, and the call to drop the charges on the Tampa 5.

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By Serena Sojic-Borne

Speaking event participants pose behind Loyola SDS banner. | Fight Back! News/staff

New Orleans, LA – On Monday evening, October 23, close to 100 people gathered in a lecture hall at Loyola University of New Orleans to listen to Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5. The Tampa 5 are three student organizers, a community leader, and a union member facing up to ten years’ imprisonment on felony charges. The charges came after their brutalization and the arrests of four of them, while they participated in a protest against DeSantis’ attacks on education at the University of South Florida. The state later charged a fifth. Members of the Tampa 5 are touring the U.S. to raise support for their case.

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By Sebastian Miscenich

Protesters chant 'Not another nickel! Not another dime! No more money for Israel's crimes!' at the foot of the University of Utah administrative building. | Fight Back! News/staff

Salt Lake City, UT – On October 21, hundreds of protesters gathered at the steps of the University of Utah’s administrative offices in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. Speakers condemned the University’s cooperation with Israel and called for the community to take action towards an academic boycott of Israel.

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By Shaine Carrol-Frey

SDS national convention held in Chicago. | Fight Back! News/staff

Chicago, IL – On October 14 and 15, roughly 180 members and affiliates of the New Students for a Democratic Society(SDS) from over 20 campuses met for their annual National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

The students came from all over the U.S. to unite under the slogan of “Students Defend Education, Unions Strike Back!” to highlight both the attacks of education, especially ethnic studies such as Black studies and American Indian studies, and the increased level of union activity in 2023. Attendees listened to panels and gave workshops over a variety of topics, sharing strategy and tactics with SDS chapters from across the country.

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By Justin Bent

 Students wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags surround one student giving a speech in front of a brick building

Arlington TX - On Wednesday, October 18, the Progressive Student Union (PSU) organized two rallies on the campus of University of Texas Arlington.

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By staff

Laura Rodriguez of Tampa 5 speaking at NYC action in solidarity with Palestine.  | Fight Back! News/staff

New York, NY – Around 300 students and community members gathered outside the steps of the CUNY grad center in Midtown, October 18, to protest CUNY's involvement with Israel and to support the Palestinian resistance.

Organized by CUNY 4 Palestine, the energetic crowd was loud in their chants and vocal in their support for the Palestinian cause.

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By Fa‘aumu Kaimana

Students wrap their arms around one another with mouths open, chanting. In the background a sign that has devil ears on a portrait of Amy Coney Barrett can be seen.

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, October 16, a group of students and community members rallied on the steps of Northrop Hall at University of Minnesota. They were there to protest U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett at the annual donor-funded Law School public lecture.

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By staff

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students hold banner, "Long live the popular Palestinian resistance from Milwaukee to Palestine." | Fight Back! News/staff

Milwaukee, WI – On October 10, the UW-Milwaukee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Students for Justice in Palestine joined together for a banner drop. The 30-foot-long banner was held above Maryland Avenue on the pedestrian bridge that crosses over the street. The message on the banner read, “Long live the popular Palestinian resistance, from Milwaukee to Palestine!”

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By staff

Seattle SDS demands the University of Washington increase oppressed nationality student enrollment.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Seattle, WA – On Thursday, October 5, the Progressive Student Union at the University of Washington held a rally to begin a campaign to increase enrollment of Black, Latino and native students at the university. Over 20 students gathered at the steps of Suzzallo Library to demonstrate their support for the demands.

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By staff

The Appleton, WI stop on the Tampa 5 speaking tour. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On Saturday, September 23, students, faculty, and other members of the Fox Valley community gathered at Lawrence University’s Warch Cinema in defense of the Tampa 5. In their second stop on their national tour, Lauren Pineiro and Chrisley Carpio of the Tampa 5 spoke to the LU community. Opening with chants of ‘drop the charges now!’ and ‘fight back!’, the Tampa 5 representatives spoke in detail of their case and its repercussions to the group of 35 people. For some, it was their first time hearing of the infuriating case, where the five protesters are facing five to ten years in prison on false charges.

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By Chrisley Carpio

Chicago, IL – On October 14 and 15, dozens of New Students for a Democratic Society chapters and affiliates will be convening at the University of Illinois Chicago for their annual convention.

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