Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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Sheikh Naim Qassem.

Atlanta, GA – On October 29, Hezbollah announced the election of Sheikh Naim Qassem as the party’s new secretary-general. Qassem is the successor to Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israeli forces in an airstrike last month.

In a public statement, Hezbollah’s leading body, the Shura Council, recognized that the election of Sheikh Qassem represents a reaffirmation of the group’s long-standing commitment to defending Lebanon’s national sovereignty and the cause of Palestinian liberation.

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Duval County school food service workers demand a decent contract.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Jacksonville, FL – Around 55 food service workers and members of AFSCME Local 2941 rallied in front of Chartwells company offices on Monday in Jacksonville, speaking out against what workers described as poverty wages, chronic understaffing and a lack of respect from management.

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Omali Yeshitela \[right\].  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, October 10, Attorney Leonard Goodman filed a post-trial motion on behalf of the Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel – asking Judge William Jung for a “judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy charge” or a new trial on that charge.

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Jacksonville, Florida rally demands justice for Dejuane “Woo” Hayden.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday afternoon, October 19, the steps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) became a platform for calls for justice as over 80 people rallied to honor Dejuane “Woo” Hayden, a 30-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by police officer Bradley Griffitts. Organized by the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), the event drew family, friends, and community members demanding accountability and answers.

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Pro-Palestine protest slams VP Harris.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Grand Rapids, MI – In a powerful display of solidarity, pro-Palestine protesters gathered across West Michigan’s two largest cities this past week to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris's support of the U.S./Israeli genocide.

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Speakout against over policing in Brooklyn, New York.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

New York, NY – On Saturday, October 26, members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) led a speakout in Restoration Plaza in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. Speakers highlighted NYAARPR’s campaign, Cops Off the Trains - an initiative aimed at reducing the over-policing of the subway and buses.

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Julie de Lima.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Julie de Lima, Chairperson, Negotiating Panel, of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel strongly condemns the recent illegal arrests of NDFP consultants Simeon Naogsan, Porferio Tuna, and Wigberto Villarico. The arbitrary detention of these consultants is yet another in a string of blatant violations by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), signed to provide both parties to the negotiations the conducive conditions to engage without the threat of arrest, killing or harassment.

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Students gather for diversity teach-in on University of Utah campus.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Salt Lake City, UT – On Thursday, October 24, over 40 students and community members gathered in protest on the University of Utah campus to defend diversity in higher education. The protesters demanded that the school reopen the resource centers for Black, women and LGBTQ students closed by HB 261, the Utah Republicans’ bill attacking diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

The teach-in for diversity countered a racist event held by Young Americans for Freedom, a small and unpopular student group supported by Republicans. Despite the chilly temperatures, that group’s turnout was dwarfed by students chanting and listening as leaders from affected student groups and movements explained how HB 261 and racist attacks on education impact their organizations and constituencies.

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Nurses picket outside University Medical Center in New Orleans.  | Toni Duplechain-Jones/Fight Back! News

New Orleans, LA – On October 25, nurses at University Medical Center gathered on the corner of Canal and Galvez Streets for a one-day strike to demand safe staffing ratios, workplace safety protections, higher pay and improved benefits.

The strike began at 7 a.m. on Friday, when nurses joined the picket line outside the hospital. They were joined by dozens of community members, chanting loudly and proudly as they marched. Chants included “What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now!” Some signs read “If nurses are outside, there’s something wrong inside.”

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Administration building with a white banner hanging off of it that reads “HALIMY HALL”.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

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Washington DC – Flight attendants at United Express carrier Mesa Air, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), are ramping up their fight for a decent contract as they enter the first session of federally mediated negotiations, under the supervision of the National Mediation Board (NMB). AFA filed for federal mediation in September to press forward on a new contract for 560 flight attendants.

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Marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Praxis Press, together with Friends of Socialist China, has released an excellent new book, People’s China at 75: The Flag Stays Red. This book is edited by Keith Bennett and Carlos Martinez, and compiles articles by China experts from all over the world explaining and defending Chinese socialism. Anyone who wants to understand socialism in China, from 1949 to today, should read this book.

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Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Philadelphia PA – On October 16, over the objections of students, Temple University Beasley School of Law adopted anti-protest policies mandated by the American Bar Association. In the spring of 2024, the American Bar Association (ABA) adopted a mandate forcing all law schools to adopt policies designed to prevent the student protests that have taken place since October 7, 2023.

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Chris Bernadel and Jordan Peña during the discussion of the film.  | Luis Sifuentes/Fight Back! News

Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, October 18, Centro Community Service Organization (CSO) members and community gathered at local bookstore ReArte in Boyle Heights for a film screening and discussion. The film was on the history of Haiti and was shown in light of recent racist remarks by Donald Trump in Ohio. Haitian American and CSO member Chris Bernadel and the CSO immigration rapid response team chair Jordan Peña co-facilitated the event.

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Brooklyn, New York speakout against additional policing on subways.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

New York, NY – On Saturday, October 19, members of the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NYAARPR) gathered in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood to speak out against increased policing in the city’s transit system. The action occurred just a month after the police shot three people at the nearby Sutter Avenue subway station, over a suspected fare evasion.

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Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Anti-War Committee of Chicago.

The Anti-War Committee of Chicago strongly condemns the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designation of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a sanctioned entity and gross slander as a “sham charity.”

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Atlanta vigil marks a year of genocide in Palestine.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Atlanta, Ga – On October 9, students, faculty and community members gathered on the green space at Georgia State University (GSU) for a vigil for Palestine. Over 80 people joined in honoring the lives taken by the U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza, and to call out GSU’s active involvement in the genocide.

The event began with an Islamic prayer practiced in times of calamity and in support of the oppressed. Tears ran down dozens of faces listening to the prayer pleading “O Allah, grant victory to the people of Palestine.” A few GSU cops popped up in full gear to watch students mourn.

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Philadelphia Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Members join United Here stadium workers picket.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Philadelphia, PA – On September 26, the Philadelphia Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression members joined the UNITE HERE Local 274 picket line as Philadelphia stadium workers struggled for healthcare and a living wage.

The strikes were a culmination of negotiations which began in January of this year. Despite Aramark making over $18 billion in revenue last year, workers are still getting the shaft. At $14.11 an hour, the wages that Aramark food service employees earn are among the lowest in comparison to concession workers in other parts of the country.

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San Jose Against War holds rally to marks a  year of Palestinian resistance to genocide.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

San Jose, CA – On October 6 – a day before the anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – 250 people gathered in front of San Jose City Hall to show their solidarity with the resistance in Palestine and their commitment to the movement for a free Palestine.

Signs bearing slogans such as “San Jose divest from genocide,” “Divest from Alphabet and Microsoft,” “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands,” “End U.S. aid to Israel,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were held by participants. Despite the record-breaking heat, the community came together with energy and determination.

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El noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! está difundiendo la siguiente declaración del Frente Popular para la Liberación de Palestina (FPLP). La traducción al inglés fue publicada en Resistance News Network en Telegram. Posteriormente, el noticiero ¡Lucha y Resiste! realizó la traducción de esa versión al español.

Durante nueve días consecutivos, la maquinaria de guerra sionista ha llevado a cabo masacres genocidas y limpieza étnica contra nuestro pueblo en el norte de Gaza, en particular en el campamento de Jabalia.

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