Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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Denver SDS demands divestment from apartheid Israel.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Denver, CO – On October 31, the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally outside of the Metropolitan State University (MSU) Presidential Cabinet Meeting, calling on the university to divest from genocide and end its partnerships with war profiteers.

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Milwaukee SDS resists repression.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Students for a Democratic Society University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Chapter.

The Students for a Democratic Society UWM chapter condemns the ongoing political repression against Robby Knapp, Patricia Fish, Kayla Paterson, and Audari Tamayo. Knapp is currently facing suspension after refusing to stop protesting for Palestine and has been hit with multiple disciplinary sanctions. Fish is now being hit with disciplinary sanctions from the Chapman Hall occupation in February. Patterson and Tamayo were unable to enroll in time for the Fall 2024 semester after bogus holds were placed on their school accounts. This was just part of the string of repression unleashed by the university in its attempt to intimidate members of SDS and the student movement at large for standing with Palestine.

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U.S. out of Korea conference in Aurora, Colorado.   | Staff/Fight Back! News

Aurora, CO – On October 26, community groups came together in Aurora, Colorado, for a conference supporting the “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign, launched by Nodutdol last June. The event took place at the Active Adult Center on Del Mar Circle in Aurora.

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Left to right: Eric Struch, an elder from the Cuba Sí Coalition, Aaron Dille, and Haki Drake Materre

Chicago, IL – Socialist Cuba has been in the news quite a bit lately, from its resounding victory at the recent UN vote condemning the blockade of the revolutionary island to its people-centered response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. What is it about the political and social system in Cuba that has simultaneously drawn the wrath of U.S. imperialism and also allowed it to resist and develop the revolution under the most difficult conditions? Over 100 activists and revolutionaries decided to travel to Cuba to find out.

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San Jose students stand in solidarity with Palestine.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

San Jose, CA – On Tuesday, October 1, San Jose Students for a Democratic Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, and other organizations gathered in a speakout against the ongoing genocide as well as presenting their political demands to San Jose State University administration. Approximately 40 or 50 students attended.

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Grand Rapids, MI – En una poderosa muestra de solidaridad, los manifestantes pro-Palestina se reunieron en las dos ciudades más grandes del oeste de Michigan la semana pasada para condenar el apoyo de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris al genocidio estadounidense/israelí.

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Tampa students resist political repression on campus.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – On October 26, at 5 p.m., 25 students and community members held a rally near campus to defend free speech on campus. The rally was held in response to the University of South Florida (USF)'s escalated political repression of the student movement, where administration has expelled Victoria Hinckley, suspended Saba Indawala, and deported Joseph Charry, all organizers with Students for a Democratic Society, for their solidarity with Palestine.

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Los trabajadores del servicio de alimentación escolar del condado de Duval exigen un contrato digno.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Jacksonville, FL – Alrededor de 55 trabajadores de servicios de alimentos y miembros del Local 2941 de AFSCME se manifestaron frente a las oficinas de la empresa Chartwells el lunes en Jacksonville, expresando su descontento contra lo que describen como salarios de pobreza, falta crónica de personal y falta de respeto por parte de la gerencia.

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Omali Yeshitela \[a la derecha\]  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – El jueves 10 de octubre, el abogado Leonard Goodman presentó una moción posterior al juicio en nombre de los Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess y Jesse Nevel – pidiendo al juez William Jung una “sentencia absolutoria por el cargo de conspiración” o un nuevo juicio por ese cargo.

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Marchers carry signs and Palestinian and Lebanese flags behind banner that reads “Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine”

Milwaukee, WI - 700 pro-Palestine Wisconsinites gathered October 5 to honor the Palestinian resistance and condemn one year of Israel’s escalated genocide. The protest was led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine Janan Najeeb, co-chair and convener of the WCJP, kicked off the protest by affirming, “the resistance and the call for justice is not subsiding. It is growing.”

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Stolen Lives Day event in Milwaukee, WI.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, October 22, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) and numerous families of those impacted by police violence, lack of transparency, and by the conditions in the Milwaukee County Jail honored their loved ones in a panel and vigil for Stolen Lives Day at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, with around 100 people in attendance.

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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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