Seattle, WA – On Saturday afternoon, November 9, the people of Seattle rallied on the grounds of the Space Needle, seeking to build the people’s movement and fight war, repression and genocide in the wake of the Trump election.

Students, immigrants, activists and concerned locals wearing keffiyehs and holding anti-Trump and anti-war banners gathered despite the rain, chanting, “The people united will never be defeated! ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”

Jessica Rojas from the International Migrant’s Alliance spoke on the hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric Trump employed in his campaign saying that Trump is, “promising the largest mass deportation this country has ever seen, promising to deport 20 million undocumented migrants. He wants to revoke citizenship from children who were born here in the United States. He intends to deport migrants who are here legally.”

Rojas went on to point out how key immigrants are to the global economy, stating, “Migrants pay $13 billion in taxes in this country, which then are used by the U.S. government to fund wars and intervention in our homelands, creating the very conditions that force us to have to leave our homes in the first place!”

Each speaker, representing a wide range of local and national organizations, talked about the importance of building a people’s coalition to stand up and fight back.

Representing the Affected Person’s Program was activist Castill Hightower, who spoke on the obstruction she has faced at the hands of Seattle city officials while fighting for a new city office that gives direct resources to victims of police violence.

Hightower stated, “We don’t need to wait for elected officials who have obstructed our initiative twice already. But we can’t do it alone. So join our fight for a new reality for victims of police violence and their families. Reach out to get involved with the Affected Persons Program initiative.”

After speeches and chants, thousands of activists, organizers, and community members marched to the Amazon Spheres in downtown Seattle, where the rally continued.

Labor organizer Clio Jensen, stated, “I think now is the time to join an organization and fight back! All the rights we have in this country were not given to us, they were fought for by the working class, by oppressed nationalities, by immigrants, by standing up and fighting back. We’re not going to, under any presidency, win rights just by staying home by doing nothing. I feel hopeful because I’m part of an organization that’s capable of standing up to the Republicans, standing up to Trump, and winning.”

The Anakbayan USA representative said, “Our strength is in our ability to be with one another, to show up for each other, to organize and fight together, to solve our problems together. We call on everyone to not leave it here, to not leave it on these streets, but to move forward together, to join an organization, to join a campaign to take our enemies down, together!”

The rally and march were organized by the International League of People’s Struggle - Seattle, and was endorsed by a wide coalition of organizations, including, Bayan Seattle, South Asians Resisting Imperialism (SARI), Services not Sweeps Coalition, No Tech for Apartheid, and the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

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