News and Views from the People's Struggle
Tucson, AZ – On July 11 more than 60 people protested Israel’s war of terror against the Palestinian people. Those gathered demanded justice and the return home to Tampa, Florida of Palestinian American teen-ager Tariq Khdeir, recently beaten by Israeli police until he blacked out.
Dallas, TX – About 700 people gathered on the Grassy Knoll in 100-degree weather to denounce the Israeli assault on Gaza, July 13. Protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and other slogans. The protest lasted about two hours, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 300 people gathered in the Cedar Riverside area here, July 14, to oppose the U.S.-backed Israeli war on Palestine. Braving a torrential rainstorm, protesters were met by enthusiastic support from passersby in the mainly Somali neighborhood.
Chicago, IL – Several thousand Palestinians and their supporters rallied and marched here, July 9. This was the second such protest this week. Angered by Israel’s military assault on Gaza, this protest was even larger than the previous outpouring, which had been held to condemn the murder of Muhammad Abu Khdeir, who was burned alive by a vicious group of Israeli settlers.
#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #RasmeaOdeh #MuhammadAbuKhdeir #MiddleEast
San José, CA – On June 10, the South Bay Committee Against Political Repression (South Bay CAPR), the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, and Justice for Palestinians sponsored a rally at the Martin Luther King, Junior library in support of Rasmea Odeh. They called on the prosecutor to drop the charges and asked why the Obama administration was persecuting a victim of torture. In addition to those organizations, speakers from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), La Colectiva Justicia and the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) gave solidarity statements and Kalila did a peace dance before and after the speakers.
Salt Lake City, UT – Activists gathered at the Salt Lake City Public Library on June 4 to hear Tom Burke, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Fifteen people listened intently as Burke recounted his experiences as a longtime political activist targeted for repression by the U.S. government. Burke is one of the Anti-war 23.
Tampa, FL – A group of Tampa activists gathered at the intersection of 56th Street and Fowler Avenue, May 27, to show support for Rasmea Odeh, an Arab American leader in Chicago. Cars honked and people waved as the activists chanted, “From Tampa to Palestine, solidarity is not a crime!”
Detroit, MI – Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American organizer from Chicago, appeared in U.S. District Court here for a status hearing, May 28, along with her new attorney, Michael Deutsch of the People’s Law Office.
Many press reports incorrect
Detroit, MI – Contrary to erroneous press reports, Rasmea Odeh is not pleading guilty. Today in the U.S. District Court here she requested a change of counsel and reported to Judge Paul Borman that she is going to trial.
Miami, FL – Anti-war activists, students and Palestinian Americans gathered here to commemorate Al Nakba, which means “the catastrophe.” Al Nakba refers to the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians when they were violently forced off their land by Zionist militia groups in May 1948.