Fight Back News Service is circulating the following December 9 statement from the MN Anti-War Committee.

The government of Syria led by President Bashar al-Assad has collapsed. This upheaval has major implications for the struggle against U.S. imperialism and Israeli aggression in the region. Regardless of who leads Syria, the Anti-War Committee remains opposed to interference in Syria by the United States, Israel, and their imperialist allies.

Israel has occupied and illegally settled Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, and is already using Syria’s instability to expand its so-called “buffer zone,” while continuing its bombing raids in Syria. Israel seeks to pressure Syria into accepting the theft of the Golan Heights and normalizing relations. It also may have its eye on expanding its occupation in Syria for future Zionist settlement.

As part of its support for Israel, the United States has been working to weaken and destabilize Syria for years. The U.S. has openly backed certain factions in Syria since at least 2012, with the now-declassified “Timber Sycamore” weapons smuggling operation led by the CIA, and the “Syrian Train and Equip” program led by the Pentagon. The U.S. has economically sanctioned Syria since 1979 when it first labeled the country as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” In 2020, brutal new U.S. sanctions devastated Syria’s financial, energy and construction sectors, severely limiting access to electricity and basic humanitarian goods for millions of Syrians, while harming reconstruction efforts. And since 2015, the U.S. military has directly had boots on the ground in Syria, notably occupying Syria’s oil fields.

Some are celebrating what they see as the fall of a repressive tyrant. Others are mourning the collapse of a bulwark of resistance to Israel, with Syria providing a crucial supply line for resistance groups in neighboring Lebanon as well as Gaza. In any case, we know Israel sees Assad’s downfall as a victory, and is already eagerly taking advantage of the situation with an unchecked onslaught of attacks on Syria.

Ultimately, it’s not yet clear what political forces will shape the new Syria. From our perspective of international solidarity against Israel’s expanding genocide in the Levant, we hope any new government that emerges is able to resist U.S./Israeli attacks, and continues Syria’s support for the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine.

We encourage our followers to remain committed to the principles of anti-imperialism, sovereignty and independence for all nations, and steadfast, united opposition to the U.S.-backed Zionist project.

#International #Syria #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Oakland, CA – Oakland has long been a cornerstone of the country’s revolutionary people’s movements, from the founding of the Black Panther Party to the enduring fight for justice against systemic racism and police violence. On the evening of November 19, at the 510 Firehouse Projects, this legacy was revisited as Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) Oakland, in collaboration with East Side Cultural Center’s Community Archival Resource Project (CARP), hosted a film screening centered around some of these historical moments.

Roughly 25 community members came together to watch two films that spotlight the city’s pivotal role in the fight for liberation: Agnès Varda’s Black Panthers 1968 and Shola Lynch’s Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners. The films offered not only a window into the past but a mirror reflecting the struggles and solidarity still needed in Oakland today.

Agnès Varda’s Black Panthers 1968 is an on-the-ground documentary capturing the resiliency of the Black Panther Party as they rallied to free Huey Newton, co-founder of the movement. Filmed in Oakland at the height of the Panthers’ activism, the film is a testament to their ability to unite working-class people and oppressed communities against police violence and systemic injustice. Varda’s work doesn’t just document history; it brings to life the defiant hope of the movement and its roots in the city’s streets.

The second film, Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners, is an account of Angela Davis’s trial and the international movement to secure her release. Davis, a scholar, communist and activist, was charged with crimes related to a 1970 courthouse shootout. Lynch’s documentary recounts the global solidarity campaign that demanded her freedom, framing it as both a personal and collective story of resistance. It’s a powerful reminder of what can be accomplished when movements cross borders and people stand united against oppression.

FRSO Oakland members led the program, situating these stories in Oakland’s broader revolutionary history. They reminded attendees of the Black Panther Party’s core mission – building unity between oppressed nationalities and working-class people to fight systemic inequality. They also illuminated the government’s counterattacks, particularly through COINTELPRO, the FBI’s covert program that sought to dismantle revolutionary movements.

The discussion didn’t stop with history. Participants connected the lessons of the films to ongoing struggles in Oakland, particularly the work of the newly formed Oakland Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (OAARPR). This group, a local chapter of the national NAARPR which emerged from the fight to free Angela Davis, works alongside families of police violence victims and pushes for community control of the police.

In this context, the group also critiqued the failures of Oakland’s Community Police Review Agency, highlighting its ineffectiveness as a key example of the city's ongoing systemic issues with police corruption and violence. This discussion tied the historical and contemporary struggles together, underscoring the urgent need for real change.

Adding a tangible connection to the past, CARP displayed a collection of artifacts that captured the spirit of the Black Panthers and the Free Angela Davis campaigns. Old political pins reading “Free Angela Davis and all political prisoners” and “Black Panther Party: All power to the people” sat alongside the Panthers’ iconic “Ten-Point Program”, photo books, and pamphlets from the 1980s. These materials bridged generations, underscoring the enduring relevance of these struggles.

The films and discussions drove home a powerful message: the fight for justice is as urgent today as ever. In a city shaped by revolutionary victories and ongoing battles, the event called on everyone to organize, educate and resist with renewed purpose.

Oakland's legacy as a beacon for liberation movements lives on – not just in history books but in the work unfolding right now. From the Black Panther Party’s bold defiance to today’s campaigns for police accountability, the message resonated loud and clear, the struggle continues, and our commitment must match its urgency.

#OaklandCA #CA #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackPanthers #NAARPR #FRSO #CARP