News and Views from the People's Struggle
Milwaukee, WI – On Friday, February 16, Reproductive Justice Action – Milwaukee (RJAM) held a press conference outside of Milwaukee City Hall to call on Wisconsin Assembly Leader Robin Vos to hold a public hearing for the Reproductive Freedom Act.
Minneapolis, MN – On March 7 the Minneapolis city council passed an ordinance forcing rideshare corporations like Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers the equivalent of the city’s minimum wage of $15.57 an hour if they want to continue to operate in the city.
Milwaukee, WI – To end the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine’s (WCJP) Day of Action with an exclamation point, the Milwaukee International Women’s Day Coalition convened hundreds for the celebration of this important working-class holiday.
St. Paul, MN – On March 5, students belonging to the Mac for Palestine Coalition staged a die-in at the Macalester Center for Study Away. The students continued to occupy the building for the next 48 hours, a marked escalation in their months-long campaign to pressure the college to cut its institutional ties with Israeli universities.
Milwaukee, WI – The Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) responded to the call for a International day of action on Saturday, March 2. This incredible day of action began with morning banner drops across Milwaukee, led into a press conference to call out the brutal attacks on Rafah, continued with a massive march, and culminated with an International Women’s Day celebration.
The sun shone brightly as the crowd slowly amassed at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s main center. Janan Najeeb, co-chair of the WCJP, welcomed the crowd and spoke to the significance of the day of action. Najeeb stated, “We have power in our unity, and we will continue. We will continue until this genocide ends, Gaza and Palestine is free, and our government develops a conscience and stops arming the racist apartheid state of Israel!”
Ahead of the day of action, Israeli Occupation Forces attacked Palestinians standing in line for flour in an unconscionable massacre that killed and wounded hundreds. The genocidal efforts in Palestine are intensifying, and people in the U.S. continue to mobilize in order to put an end to U.S. aid to Israel. In Milwaukee, the crowd of around 2000 marched through the streets calling out Joe Biden and all the Democrats who are helping fund this genocide.
With every day the people’s disapproval of the Democratic Party increases. Despite the pleas of elected officials to vote for Biden in an effort to keep Trump away from the White House, Najeeb expressed the sentiments of the crowd when she stated, “We refuse to hold our nose and vote for the better of two evils because they are both evil!”
The movement for Palestine is only growing stronger in Milwaukee. Being able to coordinate an entire day of action and carry out each component successfully should speak volumes to the WCJP’s capacity to lead the movement locally. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!
#MilwaukeeWI #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #WCJP
Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, March 4, after a five hour meeting that included 162 people offering public testimony, the Milwaukee County Committee on Intergovernmental Relations failed to recommend the unamended permanent ceasefire resolution to the full Milwaukee County board of supervisors meeting set for March 21. Despite this, the resolution is moving on to the full board, just without formal recommendation.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 1 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The English translation appeared on the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
The statements made by the American Vice President, Kamala Harris, yesterday about Gaza and her lamentation over the catastrophic humanitarian situation there, reflect the hypocrisy of the American administration, and its attempts to numb the American public opinion regarding the ongoing Zionist genocide in Gaza, and the direct American involvement in it.
Eagle Pass, TX – Members of the Legalization for All (L4A) Network from Los Angeles, Dallas and Minneapolis traveled to the border towns of Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, México from February 23-25.
They went to show solidarity with immigrants and activists there fighting against Texas Governor Greg Abbott's racist, anti-immigrant attacks. The Eagle Pass Border Coalition hosted the delegation. The Legalization for All delegation was there just days before Donald Trump went to Eagle Pass to spread racist anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Pompano Beach, FL – On Saturday, March 2, over 200 cars traced a route across South Florida maintaining minimum legal speeds on interstates and along busy beachfront roads to protest U.S. support for Israel.
The caravan was launched in remembrance of the over 30,000 Palestinians who have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. In honor of the martyrs, dozens of cars carried posters with the pictures and personal information of individual Palestinians murdered by Israel.
More than 100 people, mostly mining workers, were killed last February 6 in a landslide disaster in a mining community in Maco, Davao de Oro (formerly Compostela Valley). This incident is the latest in a number of similar tragedies in the province which is one of the country’s biggest mining centers. The landslide occurred in Barangay Masara which is part of the area of mining operations of the Apex Mining Company, a company owned by Marcos crony Enrique Razon, one of the biggest bourgeois compradors and among the top billionaires, according to a statement by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 1 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The English translation appeared on the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
Milwaukee, WI – On February 26, five members from the UW-Milwaukee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met with UWM administration to demand they cut ties with Israel.
Milwaukee, WI – On February 15, about 30 community members gathered at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee for a teach-in and discussion on Black and Palestinian liberation. Led by Kobi Guillory, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, this event highlighted the commonalities between the Black and Palestinian fight against oppression and how they have historically helped each other in this fight.
St. Paul – On February 29, dozens of Palestine solidarity protesters packed into the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI)’s first quarterly meeting of the year to demand divestment from apartheid Israel.
San Jose, CA – On February 27, over 100 people gathered at a candlelight vigil in San Jose to honor the life and sacrifice of Aaron Bushnell.
Aaron Bushnell was an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force who self-immolated on Sunday in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. His death was an act of protest against the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Tampa, FL – Dozens of people in the Tampa community came together at the C. Blythe Andrews Library on Saturday, February 24 to discuss the connection between Black and Palestinian Liberation.
The panel members included Deanna Joseph of the Andrew Joseph III Foundation; Lamia Moukaddam, of Central Florida Queers for Palestine; and Kobi Guillory, of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
Jacksonville, FL – A few dozen community members and activists rallied to demand an end to a proposed state legislative bill meant to end civilian review boards investigations into police misconduct.
SB 576/HB 601 is legislation designed to disband civilian oversight in Florida. Currently a few dozen cities and counties have some form of civilian oversight boards. This legislation as designed seeks to stop any civilian investigations into officer misconduct and concentrate civilian oversight appointment into the hands of police chiefs and sheriffs.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
The National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) condemns attacks by Governor Ron DeSantis and the right wing dominated legislature in Florida. During this current legislative session, the Florida Legislature is poised to pass legislation targeting the movements for police accountability, the labor movement, the movement to end white supremacy and remove confederate monuments, attacks on the right to organize for a free Palestine, as well as continued attacks on LGBTQ students, and a continued onslaught on the immigrant community and all oppressed peoples.
![Domingo Compoc \[Ka Silong\], is shown under the custody of a soldier of the 47th IB, shortly after he was arrested in Bilar, Bohol on February 23. He was later subjected to torture and executed by soldiers. | Fight Back! News/staff](https://i.snap.as/6wQqsHy0.png "Domingo Compoc [Ka Silong], is shown under the custody of a soldier of the 47th IB, shortly after he was arrested in Bilar, Bohol on February 23. He was later subjected to torture and executed by soldiers. | Fight Back! News/staff")
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following February 25 statement Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns the US-Marcos fascist regime, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the massacre of five captured revolutionaries in Bilar, Bohol yesterday, and joins the demand for justice for Domingo Compoc, Hannah Cesista, Parlito Historia, Marlon Omosura and Alberto Sancho.
Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, February 10, well over 100 activists, organizers, trade unionists and revolutionaries gathered under the signs and banners from movements past and present to celebrate the work of Fight Back!.
During the short program, various sectors of the people’s movement toasted to the important role of Fight Back! plays in uplifting the demands and wins from the mass movement. Organizers from the student movement, labor, climate, immigrant rights, police crimes, women’s and reproductive rights and the anti-war movement led the attendees in raising their glasses to the revolutionary reporting and editorials of Fight Back!.