Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
On March 8, women of the world mark this day as one that honors the role of women and their struggle in their families and communities to confront discrimination, oppression and marginalization, emphasizing the struggle of working class women and nationally and racially oppressed women. This day takes on additional importance for Palestinian women in the context of their struggle and participation in the Palestinian national liberation movement since the very beginning of the struggle against colonization on the land of Palestine, confronting Zionist invasion and occupation of the land of Palestine.
Chicago, IL – Over 1000 people gathered at the headquarters of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) to celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8. Speakers from CTU, Fight For 15, the teachers union at the Charter School Aspira, AFSCME and other unions shared the stage with Rasmea Odeh, along with Filipino, Iranian and undocumented immigrant women.
More than 250 people gathered here on March 8, International Women’s Day, to oppose Trump’s attacks on women. After rallying in Mayday Plaza, in the West Bank neighborhood, protesters marched on the headquarters of the Minnesota Republican Party.
Jacksonville, FL – Workers and trade unionists are preparing for a rally to defend the working class in Jacksonville. On March 11, beginning at 2 p.m. in Hemming Park, labor activists plan to rally and march to protest attacks on the working class, including national ‘right to work’ laws being debated in Congress. The rally, originally proposed by the Young Workers of Jacksonville, has been endorsed by the North Florida Central Labor Council (CLC), a strong coalition of AFL-CIO unions.
The U.S. has a long history of women rising up against their bosses and demanding economic justice. The first industrial strike in the U.S. was in May 1824, when 102 women workers in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, left their looms after the mill’s owners announced a wage cut. They refused to return to their stations and, instead, gathered the rest of the workers (including children) and took to the streets. They marched to the factory owner’s house while throwing rocks and shouting obscenities. Before the strike ended, the protests affected factories in eight nearby towns. The workers only returned when the factory owners reinstated their wages.
St. Paul, MN – Pro-Trump supporters came to the MN state capitol, March 4, for their “March 4 Trump” rally, while protesters showed up to oppose the Trump regime and to shut down the rally. The counter protest was organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Minnesota. They were joined by other citywide groups and Twin Cities residents to unite against the Trump rally under the slogan “Make Racists Afraid Again.”
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles, Jan. 21, for the LA Women’s March, calling for women’s rights. The massive protest was one of hundreds that took place across the U.S. the day after Trump’s inauguration.
On a bright, warm day, an estimated 250,000 people turned out for the Chicago Women's March. As supporters of the Women's March Chicago filled the streets, their number grew so large that event organizers canceled a planned march to the Federal Plaza. Thousands took to the streets anyway, raising their voices and chants for women's rights, immigrant rights, and against Trumps’ destructive agenda. Chants could be heard that women will not “go back,” they will fight back.
Chanting “Forward together, not one step back!” a crowd of approximately 10,000 people, predominantly women, rallied and marched through downtown Asheville as part of a national day of action following the inauguration of the billionaire misogynist and bigot Donald Trump.
Hundreds of thousands of women and supporters gathered in DC, Jan. 21, to stand up to Trump’s agenda and march throughout the city. The protest was set for the day after Donald Trump was sworn as the 46th president. The organizers of the protest wanted to promote unity of all movements against bigotry and hate.
Minneapolis, MN – Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, embodies an anti-woman agenda. He promotes rape culture, attacking women who dare speak out against him as fat and ugly. He is guilty of serial sexual harassment and believes that women want to be grabbed by him because he is a celebrity. It’s difficult not to read the election of Trump as an attack on women’s gains against sexual harassment and assault and for full equality – not so much because of who didn’t win the election but because of who did. A system run by the rich and powerful, in the interests of the rich and powerful does not serve the interests of the vast majority of us no matter what face represents it.
Washington, DC – The day after Trump’s inauguration, hundreds of thousands of people, predominantly women, are marching thought the streets of Washington DC.
Minneapolis, MN – Recently the Washington Post exposed Donald Trump’s conversation with Billy Bush where he bragged about sexually assaulting multiple women. Then Trump dismissed the discussion as “locker room talk” and in the presidential debate denied that he had ever sexually assaulted anyone. Every time I turn on the radio or open my computer I see or hear woman after woman accusing Trump of sexual assault. Since that time I have found myself experiencing moments of rage, depression and anxiety and have been shocked at the ways these events have rocked the U.S.
Tampa, FL – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression – Tampa (CSFR-Tampa) held a rally attended by 15 activists and community members here, June 13, at the corner of 56th and Fowler Avenue, to stand with Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh.
New York, NY – 45 activists and community organizers gathered at 19 W 44 th Street, the office of G4S Security Solutions, June 10, to stand in support for Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American leader who is facing jail and deportation on a trumped-up immigration charge. G4S provides security services to Israeli prisons, where countless Palestinians prisoners have been held without due process, persecuted and tortured.
Houston, TX – Over 30 activists marched in Houston, March 13, to celebrate International Women's Day. The Autonomous Brown Berets was one of the organizations participating in the event. The main focus of the march was on Berta Caceres, a Honduran indigenous human rights activist who was recently murdered for her activism. The celebration was held in the East End, a Chicano/Mexicano neighborhood, and began with a traditional indigenous blessing ceremony.
Tucson, AZ – A dozen activists, students and community members celebrated International Women’s Day, March 8, at Revolutionary Grounds bookstore. After a brief presentation on the history of the socialist-inspired day, the group discussed the contributions of revolutionary women past and present.
