News and Views from the People's Struggle
![Tampa, Florida vigil organized by Students for a Democratic Society \[SDS\] demands justice for Nex Benedict. | Fight Back! News/staff](https://i.snap.as/fuQfqVXl.jpg "Tampa, Florida vigil organized by Students for a Democratic Society [SDS] demands justice for Nex Benedict. | Fight Back! News/staff")
Tampa, FL – On March 29, around 20 students gathered in front of the University of South Florida library to participate in a vigil held by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to celebrate the life of, and demand justice for, Nex Benedict.
Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, March 27, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) kicked off their new campaign against Lockheed Martin with a powerful all-day picket, bringing around 80 protesters to Lockheed’s Colorado headquarters campus.
With thousands of cars passing by throughout the day, the action gave a massive amount of visibility to DAWA’s message that Coloradans do not support Lockheed’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. If this action is a preview of events to come, the days of Lockheed hiding in the shadows outside of suburban Littleton are behind them, as it appears that the people have had enough of the company.
Chicago – On March 30, thousands of Palestinians, Arab Americans and others took to the streets of Chicago to protest the ongoing genocide in Palestine and to demand an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Protesters rallied in the Federal Plaza and then marched to and occupied Michigan Avenue- a major street in downtown Chicago. This action was the 30th mass mobilization called by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) since the Al-Aqsa Flood began on October 7.
Fight Back! is circulating the following statement by two Dallas activist groups that stand with Palestine and are organizing to stop the U.S./Israeli campaign of genocide in Gaza.
The DFW Anti-War Committee and Jewish Voice for Peace DFW strongly condemn Texas Governor Abbott’s Racist and Islamophobic executive order GA-44 targeting Palestinian student organizations.
On March 27th, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed executive order GA-44, which directly calls for universities in Texas to “establish appropriate punishments, including expulsion from the institution” for students who engage in alleged “antisemitic speech and acts”. However, the order simultaneously demands that universities adopt the Zionist IHRA definition of antisemitism (via Texas Code Section 448.001), which inherently penalizes any speech supportive of Palestinians. The order also demands “that groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine are disciplined”.
This Anti-Palestinian executive order directly attacks Palestinian students and organizations by falsely labeling them as intrinsically antisemitic. This definition of antisemitism criminalizes any attempts by Palestinians to call for liberation or in calling out racist policies enacted by the Israeli Government. Further, it is in and of itself racist by declaring all Jewish Americans must have dual loyalties to the apartheid state of Israel. We condemn these attacks on Palestinian students, on First Amendment rights to free speech, and on concerned community members speaking out against the current U.S.-backed genocide in Gaza and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.
The DFW Anti-War Committee continues to stand strongly in support of Palestinian and allied organizations in Texas who are fighting for a Free Palestine. We will continue to support the Students for Justice in Palestine and Palestine Solidarity Committee chapters and members in their just struggle against Zionism, Anti-Arab Racism, and Islamophobia. We additionally will continue to stand strongly in support of Anti-Zionist Jewish and allied organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace as they continue to fight against the genuine scourge of antisemitic violence in this state. It must be made clear that antisemitism should not be redefined to include any criticisms of the racist policies of Israel.
The struggle of the Palestinian people is one marked by decades of steadfast resistance to occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. However, it is also marked by the resounding strength of commitment the Palestinian people have to preserving their culture, history, art forms, and communities in the face of such violent repression under Zionist occupation. We also recognize the long and ongoing role of our own government, both at the federal United States level and here locally in Texas. Whether it is the millions of dollars of Israeli war bonds Abbott has purchased, the bloody footprints of weapon manufacturer corporations littered across DFW, or the political cover the Biden regime is providing for the Israeli genocide on Gaza, we condemn these racist systems for their complicity in genocide and occupation and we reject their reframing of Palestinian organizing as antisemitic. We refuse to accept the moral high ground from an Abbott administration that has done nothing to support and protect Arab and Muslim communities amidst a rise in racist and Islamophobic violence, including the stabbing of a young Palestinian community member in Austin just miles from the governor’s mansion.
We stand steadfast in support of the liberation of all peoples from under the boot of imperialism and we recognize that imperialism will not fall until Palestine is free from the river to the sea. We will continue to struggle towards a just and lasting peace for all peoples and a world free of imperialist violence, genocide, apartheid, and occupation. From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the US war machine!
#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #DAWC #JFW
East Los Angeles, CA – On March 23, 50 people gathered at the East LA Sheriff Station to demand justice for David Ordaz Jr. and commemorate his three-year angelversary. On March 14, 2021, Los Angeles Sheriff's deputies killed Ordaz outside his family home after his family called 911 to request support for him while he was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Los Angeles, CA – On March 13, organized tenants from El Apetito-Finessa Colectivo, neighborhood council members, and concerned residents appeared before a hearing at Ramona Hall Community Center in Highland Park. They were supporting an appeal against a major corporate development in Boyle Heights.
Denver, CO – On March 23, the Democratic party hosted “Demfest” at the Denver Performing Arts Center. In response, the Colorado Palestine Coalition held a protest and disruption of the event in response to the Democrats’ continuous support of Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people.
Washington, DC – A crowd of 50 angry protesters gathered outside the U.S. State Department on Monday, March 25 to meet and denounce the arrival of Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.
Tallahassee, FL – On the evening of March 24, 25 community members gathered to honor the life of Nex Benedict, an Oklahoma transgender teenager who was murdered. The vigil was held at Common Ground Books, a local LGBTQ bookstore.
Tacoma, WA – On March 20, approximately 50 people gathered in front of the Northwest Detention Center as part of the 24/7 vigil currently being led by La Resistencia and Tsuru for Solidarity.
Tacoma, WA - On March 12, an encampment began outside Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center in response to the death of Charles Leo Daniel, who committed suicide after over two years of solitary confinement. This followed two subsequent suicide attempts inside the detention center.
Seattle, WA – On March 16, a crowd of around 40 activists, organizers and community members marched around the King County prosecutor’s office. In February, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion’s office declined to file charges against Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who over a year ago struck and killed a student at a crosswalk with his car.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 23 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The English translation appeared on the Resistance News Network on Telegram.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine denounced the actions of some Arab governments, especially in Morocco and Jordan, for pursuing, arresting, and prosecuting a number of political and human rights activists leading the popular mobilization in support of Gaza and condemning the ongoing zionist genocide, rejecting normalization, and protesting against these governments' weak positions on the aggression.
New York, New York – A crowd of 100 demonstrators rallied in front of New York City Hall on Friday, March 22, to support home health aides on a hunger strike to end the inhumane 24-hour workdays that home attendants in New York City are forced to endure.
Tacoma, WA – On March 20, about 50 people gathered in Tollefson Plaza for a protest in solidarity with Rafah organized by School Of The Arts Students For A Democratic Society (SOTA SDS). Through this action, the protesters stood in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance and demanded an end of U.S. aid to Israel.
New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, March 21, 60 supporters of Palestine organized by New Orleans Stop Helping Israel's Ports (NOSHIP) gathered to give public comments at the monthly board meeting of the Port of New Orleans. Participants condemned the creation of the “Innovation Embassy,” a direct business alliance and technological partnership between the Port of New Orleans and the Port of Ashdod, in Israel.
Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, March 18, organizers with the Coalition to March on the RNC gathered at Milwaukee City Hall to push back on a repressive ordinance being heard at rushed meeting of the Public Works Committee. The ordinance was meant to derail the coalition's efforts and would have given the Milwaukee Police Department special powers to decide who gets to speak and power over the parade route. Furthermore, it would have restricted the protest to a quarter mile away from where the RNC will be held – far from being within sight and sound of the RNC, and far from being what the Coalition to March on the RNC has been demanding for the last year.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from New Orleans Stop Helping Israel's Ports (NOSHIP).
New Orleans, LA – March 21, around 3:00 pm, during public comments at the Port of New Orleans monthly board meeting, local activist Felix Allen was brutalized and arrested for standing in solidarity with Palestine.
Chicago, IL – The fight to get permits to march on the Democratic National Convention is heating up. On August 19 to the 22, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) comes Chicago. The massive movement against the genocide in Gaza is preparing to march to the United Center where the convention will be held.
The Coalition to March on the DNC has raised the slogans, “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Legalization for All Network.
In an outrageous ruling the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) gave the green light to Texas State Bill 4 (SB4) putting it immediately into effect in Texas. This bill is also known as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill, as it gives Texas law enforcement powers that only federal agencies possess – the power to stop, question, and arrest a person about U.S. citizenship status, as well as power to deport.