Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Jim Byrne

By Jim Byrne

(Fight Back! News)  Tucson rally in solidarity with Palestine

Tucson, AZ – The Federal Building in downtown Tucson saw the largest rally since the pandemic, May 17, with over 300 people demanding an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza. The demonstration, organized by the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Tucson chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, drew protesters from the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities, along with other supporters of Palestine.

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By Jim Byrne

(Fight Back! News)  Tucson rally in solidarity with Palestine

Tucson, AZ – The Federal Building in downtown Tucson saw the largest rally since the pandemic, May 17, with over 300 people demanding an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza. The demonstration, organized by the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Tucson chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, drew protesters from the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities, along with other supporters of Palestine.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – On March 1, a dozen people rallied outside the Federal building in downtown Tucson to protest the recent U.S. airstrikes in Syria by the Biden administration. The crowd received honks of solidarity, and held signs that reading, “U.S. Hands Off Syria! U.S. out of Iraq! U.S. out of the Middle East!”

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – As the state of Arizona reached the highest rate in the world of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, hundreds of Arizona educators prepared a sick-out to demand two weeks of virtual learning. In the Chandler School District, the educator’s union’s consistent organizing efforts achieved big wins.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – As COVID-19 rates and deaths continue to rise in Arizona, as many as 750 educators in the districts of Chandler, Dysart, Peoria and Deer Valley are planning a sick-out to resist the order to return to in-person instruction.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – When the Chandler Unified School District governing board decided to stay with in-person instruction as Arizona continues to experience another spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths, some educators organized their resistance in the form of a sickout. Over 100 educators in CUSD called in sick on Friday, December 11 to express their opposition to the negligent board. The local union, Chandler Education Association (CEA) had issued a number of demands that include: educator representation on the district COVID committee, use of the more stringent county health metrics, and creating a COVID Task Force of educators, students, families, community and health professionals.

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By Jim Byrne

Asarco strike hits six-month mark

Tucson, AZ -Despite the closure of the physical presence of picket lines due to COVID-19, the eight unions representing nearly 2000 workers on strike at five Asarco facilities in Texas and Arizona remain “One day longer, one day stronger” against the abusive global copper giant.

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By Jim Byrne

Members of Bolarivian Militia with some of the FRSO delegation

Caracas, Venezuela – During the World Anti-Imperialist Congress, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation talked with women in the Bolivarian Militia. The Bolivarian Militia was created in 2005 in response to U.S. intervention. As of December 2019, President Maduro said he is moving toward making the Militia into “combat units” within the Armed Forces. In 2019, with multiple U.S.-backed coup attempts to install Juan Guaidó in place of democratically elected President Maduro, the Bolivarian Militia nearly doubled to 3.3 million members in a country of around 30 million people. Their role and responsibilities have increased in that time as Maduro assigned them to the food distribution program in May 2019.

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By Jim Byrne

President Nicólas Maduro at World Anti Imperialist Congress.

Caracas, Venezuela – On the final day of the World Anti Imperialist Congress, January 24, Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro spoke to the hundreds of international delegates from over fifty countries. A delegation from Freedom Road Socialist Organization is participating in the Congress.

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By Jim Byrne

President Maduro speaking in Caracas Jan. 23.

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 23, thousands marched in Caracas and listened to a fiery speech from President Maduro to mark two important historic events. In 1958, mass movements joined with patriotic forces in the military to bring down the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jímenez. This was the model of civic-military unity that President Hugo Chávez used in his vision of a Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. Unfortunately for Venezuelans, the fall of the Jímenez dictatorship was a short-lived victory. The betrayal of this victory ushered in 40 years of violent repression of communists and other dissidents and disastrous economic policies like import substitution and neoliberal privatizations of important public services. By 1989, the massive poverty created by neoliberal policies led to an urban rebellion of workers and the poor, which led to a vicious police crackdown that killed over 3000 people. Three years later, paratrooper commander Hugo Chávez led a military uprising that ultimately failed but created a lasting popularity in the minds of millions of Venezuelans.

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By Jim Byrne

Diosdado Cabello, member of the National Assembly from the Venezuelan United So

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 22, hundreds of international delegates from 52 countries heard from leaders from Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil to kick off the World Anti-Imperialist Congress.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – The nearly 2000 workers represented by eight unions at Asarco mining operations will soon reach Day 100 of their strike. This comes as a result of years of Asarco failing to offer a new contract, raise wages, or even negotiate. That is why back in October, these unions filed for an Unfair Labor Practice strike on the copper corporation.

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By Jim Byrne

Arizona Asarco strikers.

Tucson, AZ – As one of the country’s longest running strikes continues into week 13, educators from Arizona’s RedForEd movement brought food donations to the picket line. The eight unions serving nearly 2000 workers at five Asarco copper mining operations have created a tradition at the Pima Mine: Sunday dinner. It’s a beautiful display of worker solidarity and union power as striking workers and their families come eat a warm meal and enjoy their camaraderie. It is there that a van-full of non-perishable goods from Phoenix-area educators was delivered.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ protest against war with Iran.

Tucson, AZ – On January 4, around 200 people flooded the sidewalk of a busy Tucson intersection to demonstrate their solidarity with the Iranian and Iraqi peoples and voice their anger at murderous billionaire President Trump.

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By Jim Byrne

Picket line of Arizona copper workers.

Tucson, AZ – On day 77 of the Asarco strike of 2000 workers from eight different unions, Teamster International President Jimmy Hoffa Jr. came by to voice his solidarity. “We are with you!” shouted Hoffa in front of the long tables where dozens of strikers and their families ate together on Sunday, December 29.

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By Jim Byrne

Protest against ALEC

Tucson, AZ – On December 4, a coalition of union educators, immigrant rights, police crimes, and climate change activists confronted the agenda of corporations like UPS and energy industry giants and billionaires like Charles Koch and Sheldon Achelson. At its height the crowd numbered around 200 with signs reading: “ALEC: Oligarchy in progress” and “Privatization, criminalization, incarceration, climate change, imperialism: #ALECisBehindIt.”

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By Jim Byrne

Educators show solidarity with Asarco strikers.

Tucson, AZ – It has become tradition in Arizona to wear red and take selfies on Wednesdays to support the #RedForEd movement to demand that the legislature fully fund schools. However, since there are currently 2000 workers on strike at the Asarco mines, educators took selfies with Steelworkers and Teamsters on their picket line on Wednesday, October 16.

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ – Nearly a dozen anti-war activists answered the call for an emergency rally Friday afternoon, October 11, to make the demand that the U.S. and NATO member Turkey leave Syria. Amid rush hour traffic moving through downtown, there were several honks of solidarity with the message on posters saying: “U.S.-NATO out of Syria” and “U.S. hands off Syria.”

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By Jim Byrne

Tucson, AZ protest against Trump's attacks on immigrants

Tucson, AZ – Over 100 people braved the intense desert sun Tuesday morning, July 2, to demonstrate their anger at Trump’s threat for ICE raids aimed at thousands of undocumented families. Many demonstrators also expressed their demand to reunite families and to close the concentration camps operating as detention centers.

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By Jim Byrne

Arizona teachers protest prosecution of  humanitarian activist Scott Warren.

Tucson, AZ – On June 6, nearly 150 people gathered outside the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tucson to demonstrate solidarity with humanitarian activist Scott Warren. Warren, an Arizona State University geography professor from the border town of Ajo, is facing 20 years in federal prison for providing humanitarian aid to crossing immigrants.

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