Tampa, FL- Over 20 students at the University of South Florida marched April 18 to demand no U.S. attacks on Iran and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Tampa Bay SDS organized this protest and march as part of a National Day of Action called by National SDS in response to the April 1 Israeli bombing of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria. Students marched from the library to the student center to show their support for Palestine and for the solidarity that Iran has shown towards Palestine.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society.
On April 1 , UCF Students for a Democratic Society was informed that the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity was moving forward with charging one of its members with several violations of student conduct in addition to filing legal charges for criminal mischief, in response to pro-Palestine activism.
Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, April 15, the Free Palestine Coalition led a protest of around 100 people outside of Education Minnesota’s Representative Convention. Education Minnesota (EDMN) is a large state-level educators union that announced only the day before that they would be delaying their entire program to host the opening event of First Lady Dr .Jill Biden’s “Educators for Biden-Harris” national tour.
Minneapolis, MN – On April 20, on a brisk spring afternoon, over 350 pro-Palestine demonstrators rallied at Bryant Square Park in the Minneapolis Uptown neighborhood for the first large scale march initiated by the Minnesota chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and the Arab Student Association at the U of MN.
Chicago, IL – The Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention (DNC) met in Chicago the weekend of April 13. Speaker after speaker testified with fire in their eyes about the need to march against the genocide in Gaza. Along with the speeches, people got down to the tasks needed to bring tens of thousands to Chicago in August to protest the DNC.
The 450 in attendance were overwhelmingly youth. Many are brand new to protest movements, having been thrown into motion by the anti-war and Palestine solidarity movement.
Tacoma, WA – On April 14, in Tollefson Plaza, approximately 30 protesters gathered in Tacoma to demand “U.S hands off Iran” at a rally called for by several Students for a Democratic Society chapters (SDS).
Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, April 17, dozens of students and community members gathered on the University of Minnesota campus to rally against war with Iran. On Saturday, April 13, Iran launched a series of attacks on Israel in retaliation for the recent Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.
On March 27, 2024, in a blatant violation of free speech, Meta removed the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s national Facebook page and restricted the national FRSO Instagram account. Meta’s actions are a direct attempt to silence FRSO’s vocal support of the Palestinian cause in general and of Palestinian women in particular.
Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, April 14, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) marched from Walker Square to Ivy House in the Walker’s Point neighborhood of Milwaukee, where local congressional Representative Gwen Moore was holding her birthday party.
The spirited crowd of about 100 supporters joined the emergency action and marched toward the Ivy House, chanting “Hands off Iran!” and “Free free Palestine!” the whole way over. Meanwhile, two MAC members mingled inside Moore’s birthday dinner. Despite the birthday party costing a pricey $100 per person to attend, serving as a fundraiser for Representative Moore, the two MAC members had secured complimentary tickets and sat patiently.
On April 17, The bi-partisan House Education Committee held a congressional hearing focused on Columbia University’s response to alleged antisemitism on campus. This hearing is part of a larger investigation into universities in the wake of widespread pro-Palestinian protests nationwide.
