News and Views from the People's Struggle
St Paul, MN – Over 400 anti-war activists attended a three day conference organized by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) from April 5-7. The conference was held in Saint Paul with the theme “Decolonization and the Fight against Imperialism.”
Tampa, FL – On April 1, about 15 students from the University of South Florida and community members marched in support of diversity and in opposition to cutbacks.
Maple Grove, MN – On April 6, the Free Palestine Coalition held a rally and march of 100 people outside the Arbor Lakes shopping mall in Maple Grove to protest the upcoming installment of BAE Systems in the Twin Cities. Protesters wanted to highlight the role of BAE Systems in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza since October 7. BAE Systems makes the F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets that Israel uses in their attacks on Gaza.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following April 3 statement from the Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Palestine solidarity activists are celebrating the success of a protest vote campaign in the Wisconsin Presidential Primary. 48,000 people voted “uninstructed” in the April 2 primary, Wisconsin’s version of “uncommitted,” that has found success in several state primaries.
Minneapolis, MN – On March 29, the Divest UMN Coalition at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mobilized more than 50 students to celebrate a historic victory in the movement for divestment in apartheid Israel by the university.
Portland, OR – On March 30, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Portland and across two of the city's bridges, effectively disrupting traffic throughout the city for close to four hours. They demanded the end to the illegal Zionist occupation, and the right of return for exiled Palestinians to their homeland world.
Tucson, AZ – On Monday April 1, 15 Palestine solidarity activists braved the cold spring rain in response to Israel’s latest deadly airstrikes into Syria and Lebanon. The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) organized the protest at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base to condemn the U.S. escalation of its war in the Middle East and the recent decision to send 2500 more bombs and 25 more fighter jets to Israel.
Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, March 27, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) kicked off their new campaign against Lockheed Martin with a powerful all-day picket, bringing around 80 protesters to Lockheed’s Colorado headquarters campus.
With thousands of cars passing by throughout the day, the action gave a massive amount of visibility to DAWA’s message that Coloradans do not support Lockheed’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. If this action is a preview of events to come, the days of Lockheed hiding in the shadows outside of suburban Littleton are behind them, as it appears that the people have had enough of the company.
Minneapolis – On March 30, around 2500 protesters gathered along Lake Street where it crosses a narrow isthmus between Lake of the Isles and Bde Maka Ska in the Chain of Lakes. Organized by the local Free Palestine Coalition, the action marked Land Day, which commemorates the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation and land theft.
Chicago – On March 30, thousands of Palestinians, Arab Americans and others took to the streets of Chicago to protest the ongoing genocide in Palestine and to demand an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Protesters rallied in the Federal Plaza and then marched to and occupied Michigan Avenue- a major street in downtown Chicago. This action was the 30th mass mobilization called by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) since the Al-Aqsa Flood began on October 7.
Fight Back! is circulating the following statement by two Dallas activist groups that stand with Palestine and are organizing to stop the U.S./Israeli campaign of genocide in Gaza.
The DFW Anti-War Committee and Jewish Voice for Peace DFW strongly condemn Texas Governor Abbott’s Racist and Islamophobic executive order GA-44 targeting Palestinian student organizations.
On March 27th, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed executive order GA-44, which directly calls for universities in Texas to “establish appropriate punishments, including expulsion from the institution” for students who engage in alleged “antisemitic speech and acts”. However, the order simultaneously demands that universities adopt the Zionist IHRA definition of antisemitism (via Texas Code Section 448.001), which inherently penalizes any speech supportive of Palestinians. The order also demands “that groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine are disciplined”.
This Anti-Palestinian executive order directly attacks Palestinian students and organizations by falsely labeling them as intrinsically antisemitic. This definition of antisemitism criminalizes any attempts by Palestinians to call for liberation or in calling out racist policies enacted by the Israeli Government. Further, it is in and of itself racist by declaring all Jewish Americans must have dual loyalties to the apartheid state of Israel. We condemn these attacks on Palestinian students, on First Amendment rights to free speech, and on concerned community members speaking out against the current U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
The DFW Anti-War Committee continues to stand strongly in support of Palestinian and allied organizations in Texas who are fighting for a Free Palestine. We will continue to support the Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestine Solidarity Committee chapters and members in their just struggle against Zionism, Anti-Arab Racism, and Islamophobia. We additionally will continue to stand strongly in support of Anti-Zionist Jewish and allied organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace as they continue to fight against the genuine scourge of antisemitic violence in this state. It must be made clear that antisemitism should not be redefined to include any criticisms of the racist policies of Israel.
The struggle of the Palestinian people is one marked by decades of steadfast resistance to occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. However, it is also marked by the resounding strength of commitment the Palestinian people have to preserving their culture, history, art forms, and communities in the face of such violent repression under Zionist occupation. We also recognize the long and ongoing role of our own government, both at the federal United States level and here locally in Texas. Whether it is the millions of dollars of Israeli war bonds Abbott has purchased, the bloody footprints of weapon manufacturer corporations littered across DFW, or the political cover the Biden regime is providing for the Israeli genocide on Gaza, we condemn these racist systems for their complicity in genocide and occupation and we reject their reframing of Palestinian organizing as antisemitic. We refuse to accept the moral high ground from an Abbott administration that has done nothing to support and protect Arab and Muslim communities amidst a rise in racist and Islamophobic violence, including the stabbing of a young Palestinian community member in Austin just miles from the governor’s mansion.
We stand steadfast in support of the liberation of all peoples from under the boot of imperialism and we recognize that imperialism will not fall until Palestine is free from the river to the sea. We will continue to struggle towards a just and lasting peace for all peoples and a world free of imperialist violence, genocide, apartheid, and occupation. From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the US war machine!
#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #DAWC #JFW
Denver, CO – On March 23, the Democratic party hosted “Demfest” at the Denver Performing Arts Center. In response, the Colorado Palestine Coalition held a protest and disruption of the event in response to the Democrats’ continuous support of Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people.
Portland, OR – On March 24, at 1:30 p.m. three dozen protesters gathered at Couch Park in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Portland to show solidarity with the Palestinian struggle and their opposition to the Zionist occupation.
Washington, DC – A crowd of 50 angry protesters gathered outside the U.S. State Department on Monday, March 25 to meet and denounce the arrival of Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
St. Paul, MN – On Saturday, March 23, the Twin Cities Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, on a 22-mile walking journey, made a stop at the Minnesota governor’s residence. There, they joined a vigil organized by the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition for a rally and die-in in front of Governor Tim Walz’s home.
Tacoma, WA – On March 20, approximately 50 people gathered in front of the Northwest Detention Center as part of the 24/7 vigil currently being led by La Resistencia and Tsuru for Solidarity.
Chicago, IL – Groups supporting Palestine are suing Chicago to ensure that Joe Biden “can hear us and see us” at the Democratic National Convention in August, sats Kobi Guillory, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC.
When the convention opens at the United Center, August 19, the coalition is adamant that they get the attention they deserve.
Guillory states, “As the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza continues unabated – with over 32,000 killed, almost all by U.S. bombs and missiles – we must march. This is the party in power, the party of Genocide Joe Biden. Biden could stop the war with one phone call. He refuses to take action, and so we must protest.”
Tacoma, WA – On March 20, about 50 people gathered in Tollefson Plaza for a protest in solidarity with Rafah organized by School Of The Arts Students For A Democratic Society (SOTA SDS). Through this action, the protesters stood in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and demanded an end of U.S. aid to Israel.
New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, March 21, 60 supporters of Palestine organized by New Orleans Stop Helping Israel's Ports (NOSHIP) gathered to give public comments at the monthly board meeting of the Port of New Orleans. Participants condemned the creation of the “Innovation Embassy,” a direct business alliance and technological partnership between the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Ashdod, in Israel.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans Stop Helping Israel's Ports (NOSHIP).
New Orleans, LA – March 21, around 3:00 pm, during public comments at the Port of New Orleans monthly board meeting, local activist Felix Allen was brutalized and arrested for standing in solidarity with Palestine.