Chicago, IL On Wednesday afternoon, February 25, dozens of demonstrators gathered downtown Chicago at the State Building, carrying signs that read “Zionism, like apartheid, cannot last” and “Stop buying Israel Bonds.”

This protest, organized by Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) Chicago – a project of the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Anti-War Committee Chicago – was called after Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced in early February that he would renew Illinois’ investment in two Israel Bonds, totaling $15 million together.

“We are here today outside Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs’ office because for over a year, his constituents, Illinois taxpayers, pension holders, and community members have been consistently coming to him with one simple demand; And that is to divest our public funds from genocide!” said Noura Ebrahim, an organizer of BDS Chicago, opened up the rally.

Michael Frerichs released a statement about the renewal of the bonds on February 5. Ahead of the February 1 bond expiration deadline was a mounting pressure campaign demanding Frerichs not renew the two expiring investments in Israel Bonds. Calls and emails from constituents were left unanswered by Frerichs’ offices, and phone lines disconnected. Despite the elevated calls for divestment, Michael Frerichs remains committed to investing Illinois taxpayer dollars in Israel Bonds. 

Wednesday’s event was organized as part of a statewide campaign of the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, made up of 56 organizations across Illinois demanding divestment of Illinois public funds from genocide. While demonstrations took place outside of Frerich’s Chicago office, Illinois residents and organizers with the Illinois Divest From Genocide Network in Springfield gathered to demonstrate in front of the Treasurer’s Springfield office. Michael Frerichs was confirmed to be at his Springfield office during the time of the rally.

Although Illinois investment in two Israel Bonds has been renewed, activists vow to continue to demand the end of the treasurer’s appropriation of taxpayer dollars to aid in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 

“We will keep showing up, we will keep organizing. No police violence will intimidate or stop us. And we will keep exposing his hypocrisy until every single Illinois dollar is divested from genocide, and reinvested here at home,” Ebrahim stated.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #BDS #USPCN #AWCChicago

Chicago, IL – On January 23, Chicagoans across the city targeted various Target locations to protest the corporation’s support for ICE terror.

The Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) led and mobilized people to the Target in Hyde Park. This included members from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), Mexican Students de Aztlan (MeSA), U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) and more.

Outside the Target store in Hyde Park, Kobi Guillory, a member of CTU stated, “We are here in solidarity with our siblings in Minnesota who are right now 100K strong outside of the Target Center saying that Target should stop helping ICE. Target should stop its complicity with the violence that ICE is inflicting on Black and brown communities. Just the other day, Target employees in Minnesota were abducted by ICE in a Target. Did Target take a stand to defend their employees? Did they take a stand to defend the communities who make Target’s profits?”

Guillory continued, “We are demanding that Target honor the Fourth Amendment that you cannot be subject to unlawful search and seizure inside your workplace. This is illegal, what ICE is doing. We the people are going to use our people and we are going to force these corporations and elected officials to do the right thing.”

Inside the Target store, protesters delivered a list of demands to the store manager, including, “Call for an end to the ICE surge in Minnesota, and for ICE to leave the state; we want Target to affirm the Fourth Amendment; we want Target to post signage prohibiting ICE from entering their buildings, and we want Target to publicly call on congress to stop funding ICE.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #ICE #CATA #CTU #CAARPR #MESA #USPCN #AWCChicago

Chicago, IL – On Saturday, January 3, around 2000 people gathered downtown in Chicago’s Federal Plaza to join an emergency rally denouncing the U.S. empire’s latest series of military aggression against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

This rally was one of many emergency responses called by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) after the United States government conducted bomb strikes across several Venezuelan territories: the capital Caracas, Aragua, La Guaira and Miranda. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the invasion concluded with the kidnapping of the democratically-elected president Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

This latest escalation was preceded by months of the U.S. military targeting and striking boats in the Caribbean waters off the coast of Venezuela, and the illegal seizure of two Venezuelan oil tankers. Organizers from an array of anti-war and anti-imperialists organizations joined forces to condemn the strikes and kidnapping as the violation of Venezuela's sovereignty. Protestors in the Saturday night rally chanted “Hands off Venezuela!”

Hands off Venezuela!

“These actions do not represent the people of the U.S. We want an end to forever wars. We absolutely demand it!” stated Jae Franklin of the Anti-War Committee Chicago. Franklin was one of the anti-war activists on a solidarity delegation to Venezuela recently.

Franklin recollected and reassured who the Venezuelan people are, stating, “The people there are strong, they are determined, and they refuse to back down from their enemies like Trump and his administration!”

The rally had speeches from Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC), Alma de Izote, United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), and 25th ward alderperson Byron Sicho-Lopez. These speakers represented different areas of the people’s movement, drawing the parallels between the struggle for national liberation in Latin America, Palestine, and the liberation of the nationally oppressed in the U.S.

The rally then moved to march from Federal Plaza to Trump Tower. The crowd for the protest stretched across several city blocks. The march paused at the midpoint of a busy city shopping center when Nesreen, an organizer from the USPCN, made an impassioned call to people on the sidewalks to join the march.

The march route ended at the Trump Tower where the crowd gathered on the streets of Michigan Avenue to hear from Joe Isobaker of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and David Borris of Chicago Area Peace Action.

Chicago was among the 75 cities in the U.S. to rally in solidarity with Venezuela and denounce another U.S. forever-war. The protest’s turnout was one of the largest that the city has seen in recent months, many seeing this show of solidarity as a display of revolutionary optimism at a time where the U.S. erratically grows more desperate to maintain their imperial control of the developing world. Activists and organizers vow to continue their support for the Bolivarian Republic and demand the release of President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores, who is being held captive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will work on a team to enforce an existing “oil quarantine” in Venezuela, and preparations for a military occupation are on the way. Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in as acting president in Maduro’s absence, has vowed to defend the sovereignty of the country.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #AWAN #USPCN #AWCChicago #PYM

Chicago, IL – Over 60 protesters gathered on the frigid morning of Friday, December 19 outside of the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) quarterly meeting. Protesters demanded the board divest from all corporations complicit in Israel’s genocide and occupation against the Palestinian people, and that State Treasurer Michael Frerichs (ISBI’s vice chair) divest from Israel Bonds. 

This action marked the one-year anniversary of protests targeting ISBI and Frerichs co-led by Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC-Chicago) and BDS-Chicago—a project of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). In the last 12 months, the campaign has grown into a network of over 55 organizations throughout Illinois. 

“Illinois is one of the leading state governments in the U.S. in regards to supplying material support to Israel. The state of Illinois has $100 million actively invested in Israeli Bonds,” said Tulsi McDaniels from Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR). “[Israel’s] 25 months of slaughter, of destruction, of violence has resulted in a man-made famine affecting over 2 million people in Gaza alone. The governing bodies of Illinois enable this by choosing to renew Israeli bonds.”

River Argyilan from the New Students for a Democratic Society at University of Illinois Chicago (New SDS at UIC) spoke to the board’s investments. Instead of investing Illinoisian public funds “in housing, healthcare and education, ISBI invests our money in war profiteers like Boeing, Cadre Holdings, Caterpillar, Lockheed Martin and Palantir, that directly benefit from bloodshed and genocide in Gaza. While Illinoisans live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to put food on the table, our government funds starvation overseas,” stated Argyilan.

Chanel Crittenden from AWC-Chicago stated, “ISBI has invested millions of dollars in private companies that aid and profit from the federal occupation, raiding and kidnappings of our neighbors. Companies like Motorola Solutions and Cadre Holdings have made a profit-building surveillance technologies and repression tools that have been used by the Israeli occupational forces to repress Palestinians and uphold their apartheid regime.”

After ISBI kept members of the public outside in the cold by delaying their meeting by over an hour, building security let 20 people in one by one, telling them to remove “political paraphernalia” such as keffiyehs and hats with pro-Palestinian or anti-police violence messaging. Over 40 members of the public were left outside the building, in freezing, 10 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures, and were given no access to an overflow area or lobby. 

Once in the meeting room, Noura Ebrahim from BDS-Chicago handed board members research packets describing the complicity of their investments in genocide and attacks on our immigrant communities, including a photo of an empty Cadre Holdings tear gas canister left by ICE during Operation Midway Blitz. She then addressed the board stating, “We know divestment can happen because we have seen it. Michigan has divested from Israel bonds. Minnesota has divested from Israel Bonds. North Carolina has divested from Israel Bonds. What is the holdup, Illinois?”

At the end of public comment, six protesters peacefully linked arms and stated clearly that they would refuse to leave without a verbal confirmation from the board that they would divest. Not only did Illinois State Police violently drag them out of the room and the building, they also aggressively pushed, grabbed and shoved members of the public out of the building. Those people were simply attending the meeting and recording proceedings, which is a legally protected right under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

Husam Marajda from USPCN closed the rally, stating, that ISBI “escalated their oppression against us, and so we have to escalate our actions and our pressure. And so let’s make sure that they know, loud and clear, that we’ll be back! We’ll be back!” The crowd joined in the chant, turning their voices up toward the fifth floor of the building where the board members carried on with their meeting.

Sign the letter to divest!

Illinois residents can sign the letter as an individual or endorse as an organization to join the divestment network. For updates about the campaign and further calls to action regarding divestment, follow @uspcn, @bdschicago, and @antiwarchicago on Instagram.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #AWCChicago #USPCN #BDSChicago

Chicago, IL – On December 20, over 175 people gathered in the Chicago Teachers Union Hall to stand in solidarity with Gustavo Petro and the people of Colombia as their country faces an intensification of U.S. aggression.

Petro has had his visa revoked by the Trump administration, and the country is seeing attacks in the form of sanctions, tariffs and military threats. These attacks have been because of his un-fearful stance against U.S. imperialism, from calling out the U.S./Israel’s genocide in Gaza to defending the sovereignty of Latin American nations. Petro is a popular and progressive internationalist.

In attendance were members of the Colombian consulate, progressive Chicago politicians, and leaders in the people's struggle, speaking on what Colombia needs from the people of Chicago.

Our solidarity must be concrete as well

“We must stand in solidarity with Gustavo Petro and the beautiful people of Colombia, as they have stood with Palestinians in Gaza and beyond, with forces fighting for climate and environmental justice, as they have stood with their neighbors in Venezuela who are in the crosshairs of the U.S. military,” said Hatem Abudayyeh from the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

Abudayyeh continued, “Together we will reject sanctions, threats, intervention and war against the people of Colombia.”

Daniel Garcia-Peña, the Colombian ambassador to the United States, spoke on the achievements that Colombia has made under the leadership of Petro. He also spoke of the need for solidarity with the nation during rising tensions. Peña stated, “We are very concerned about what is happening in the Caribbean. It’s a clear sign of how the U.S. is threatening not only Venezuela but all of Latin America, which continue to be seen as a backyard that can be trampled on.”

Garcia-Peña noted “But me and President Petro have been clear, times are different. Colombians and Latin Americans are not going to stand for interventionism as they may have happened in the past. We need each other's solidarity. Palestinians can count on Colombians, but we also need the world to stand with Colombians and our Latin American neighbors in these trying times.”

Speakers from the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), the Anti-War Committee (AWC) and the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda (CATA) also spoke, representing the progressive movements which they work in.

Alderperson Byron Sicho-Lopez echoed the message of late Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton on the need for solidarity. Lopez introduced the resolution commemorating the historic 2024 visit of Petro to Chicago – a city that, much like Colombia, is a beacon of hope in the resistance against the reactionary Trump administration.

#ChicagoIL #IL #International #Colombia #AntiWarMovement #CAARPR #AWCChicago #CATA #CTU #Labor #Teachers

Chicago, IL – On November 19, over 100 protesters gathered at Federal Plaza for a Venezuela solidarity rally, chanting “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and “No war on Venezuela!” 

“The U.S. has tightened its ongoing sanctions on Venezuela and doubled its bounty on President Maduro to $50 million because U.S. billionaires have set their eyes on Venezuelan oil. Invading Venezuela is a violation of international law, so the Trump administration is fabricating a completely false pretense to justify its war: narco-terrorism and immigration,” said Caeli Kean, co-chair of Anti-War Committee (AWC) Chicago. 

President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are attacking boats in missile strikes off the Caribbean coast. Trump also approved CIA operations within the country in an effort to overthrow Venezuela’s current government under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro. 

The U.S. military has staged 15,000 troops and large military aircraft carriers off the coast of Venezuela. The escalation has left other Caribbean nations in the crosshairs. Trinidad and Tobago, within eyesight of Venezuela, has U.S. warships docking in its capital. Trinidadian and Colombian fishermen were among the 83 victims killed from the illegal U.S. military strikes.

“To be clear – war is being waged from Chicago to Caracas. All over the Americas region, the consolidation and strengthening of military forces to be deployed against colonized people is taking place,” stated a member of BAP. “This is why, in the Black Alliance for Peace, we are calling for a population movement to build a Zone of Peace in our Americas.” 

“Trump and his administration are using similar propaganda to manufacture consent that the U.S. used in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other places. And we all know the damage that these lies have caused. He’s using the same rhetoric and fear mongering about drugs and crime to justify illegal invasions of our cities and the kidnapping of our people by ICE agents. We call bullshit!” said Husam Marajda of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

“Look at this country. Every year, they swear they’re broke. But when it’s time for war, ICE raids, some new billion-dollar weapon, suddenly money appears like magic,” Jai from Good Kids Madd City stated. “We have to unite against oppression globally.”

“We cannot see U.S. imperialism abroad and defending immigrant rights here at home as separate issues. Our struggles are interconnected. U.S. imperialism forces people to leave their homes; thus standing with immigrant rights and standing against U.S. imperialism is something that we should all do,” stated Gianna of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR).

The action was organized by Anti-War Committee Chicago and Black Alliance for Peace. It was part of a week of action calling for the international anti-imperialist movement to defend the sovereignty of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela under attack by the Trump administration.

After the rally, the crowd marched to the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) office. ISBI invests public funds into companies like Defense Technologies, Motorola Solutions, Palantir and others which supply ICE and police agencies with tear gas canisters and technology deployed against residents. These were used during everything from neighborhood ICE raids to attacks on protesters during the George Floyd Uprising. 

These companies also contract with the Israeli occupational forces aiding the recent genocide on Gaza. In addition, ISBI Vice Chair and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has invested $100 million of public funds into Israeli bonds, directly supporting the Zionists’ occupation of Palestine. 

AWC, USPCN, Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) Chicago, and the Illinois Divest From Genocide Network, representing more than 50 organizations, have mobilized to ISBI’s quarterly board meetings since December 2024 to demand divestment The next board meeting is on December 19th. 

Follow AWC, BAP and AWAN on social media at @antiwarchicago, @BAP-Chicago and @antiwaractionnetwork, and sign as an individual and/or as an organization to divest Illinois from genocide, apartheid, and ICE. 

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #AWCChicago #USPCN #BAP #AWAN #USPCN

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, November 4, several organizations led by the Chicago Committee Against War & Racism organized a press conference demanding that the United States stay out of Venezuela.

“Viva viva Venezuela,” the crowd chanted, showcasing their support of Venezuela and opposition to a U.S. invasion.

“While Trump wages his war here against the people of Chicago, cutting jobs, deporting immigrants and sending police and ICE to terrorize our neighborhoods, he is also waging a war on our brothers and sisters in Latin America,” Evelyn Zepeda from Ceiba Colectiva stated.

Since August, the United States has repeatedly attacked the Venezuelan people, making them a prime target of U.S. imperialism. The United States aims to topple their democracy, pushing back the gains they have achieved under the Bolivarian government and their presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicholas Maduro. It also seeks access to Venezuela’s plentiful natural resources such as gold and oil.”

Since Hugo Chavez came into office and, with the support of the people’s movements, initiated the Bolivarian Revolution, the United States has attempted to forcefully overthrow both Chavez and now Nicholas Maduro. From the infamous failure of the 2002 coup, to the 2018 backing of far right candidate Juan Guiado, to now open calls for invasion, the United States has tried but failed many times due to the will of the Venezuelan people behind their government.

“This is not about drugs, this is about hegemony,” said Jae Franklin from Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC). Since the escalation, the U.S. has attacked fishing vessels on international waters claiming they were cartel boats, killing innocent Venezuelans and Colombians.

Franklin continued, “The Venezuelan people refuse to subordinate themselves to U.S. oil giants. The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is being punished for its steadfast principled solidarity with the Palestinian people,” referencing how Presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicholas Maduro have stood with Palestine and cut all ties with Israel despite international pressure.

“The people and sovereignty of Venezuela are not negotiable, so we must continue to be in the streets to say U.S. hands off of Venezuela. Mark your calendars – the national Anti-War Action Network, joined by over 30 organizations, has a week of action to demand U.S. hands off Venezuela from November 14 to November 23,” said Franklin

Keep an eye out for more updates on actions surrounding Venezuela. More info on the Anti-War Action Network/AWC Chicago week of action can be found at @antiwarchicago and @BAP-Chicago on Instagram.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #AWAN #AWCChicago #BAPC

Chicago, IL – “Hands off Iran!” echoed loud in downtown Chicago on June 23, after U.S. bombing of Iran nuclear sites. Over 500 people rallied at Federal Plaza and marched to demand “U.S. out of Iran and the Middle East” and an end to the genocide and all U.S aid to Israel.

The demonstration was called by the Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC) and the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

Hands off Iran!

”No war on Iran! Let us be clear, this is not about nuclear weapons. We’ve seen this before. What we are witnessing is not an attempt of global security, but a ruthless punishment of Iran for its refusal to bow down to U.S. imperialism and its unwavering opposition to Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation. This campaign of aggression must end now!” said Luna Ebrahim of USPCN.

Caeli Kean of AWC reinforced solidarity with Iran and other Arab resistance against U.S. aggression, saying, “They want to blame Iran for its internationally recognized right to defend itself from U.S. and Israeli aggression. They want to blame Palestine for its international right to resist oppression and occupation. They want to blame Yemen for its international right to intervene and prevent genocide. They want to blame everyone stopping this violence. It is crystal clear that U.S. imperialism is the source of all of this violence!”

Early during the demonstration, Husam Marajda of USPCN had announced to the crowd the ceasefire announced by Donald Trump agreed upon by Iran, Israel and the U.S. Marajda stated, “That’s a good thing. We don’t want war. And we want an end to U.S. and Israeli aggression in the region immediately.”

Marajda emphasized the power of the people in the United States in pushing the government to keep its hands off Iran, he stated, “Let’s be clear, the reason why this war did not escalate was because the people here in the United States rejected it. They opposed it and mobilized against it, here in Chicago and all over the country.”

Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupations!

After the rally at Federal Plaza, protesters flooded into the streets of downtown Chicago, taking Michigan Avenue and ending at Trump Tower. Chants demanded an end to the U.S. military in the Middle East and the Philippines, and an end to oppressive walls and surveillance, from Palestine to Mexico.

The attention of bystanders was captured by Husam Marajda, who stated, “They are sending and spending billions of dollars on weapons to bomb other countries and we say, that ain’t right! “

“Marajda continued, We want money to go to disenfranchised communities. We wanna fund our schools, our infrastructure, our healthcare. We wanna get money to communities long impacted by colonialism and by racism. We wanna invest in the people, not in the destruction of other countries.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine #USPCN #AWCChicago

Chicago, IL – Only a few hours before the public learned of the U.S. military’s attack on Iran’s three nuclear sites, hundreds took to the streets in Chicago, June 21, with the Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) to demand hands off Iran. The protest was one of the Coalition’s recurring downtown protests, demanding an end to the ongoing U.S.– backed Israeli genocide of Palestine.

Over the last eight days, Israel has been at war with Iran, beginning with its unprovoked attack on Iran on June 13. Iran launched waves of retaliatory missiles in response, confusing Israeli defense systems and striking key locations in Tel Aviv, Haifa and the surrounding areas.

In sweltering 93-degree heat, over 200 protesters gathered at Ida B. Wells Drive and Michigan Avenue yesterday, with community-based organizations such as the Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC-Chicago) Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (CAARPR), and Students for Democratic Society at University Illinois Chicago (SDS at UIC) mobilizing in support.

“There is one country in the middle east that has refused—that has vehemently rejected—to be a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty; that is not Iran, that is Israel!” Tarek Khalil from American Muslims for Palestine Chicago, a member of CJP, said in his address to the crowd.

Khalil continued, “There is one country in the Middle East that is, as I speak, committing a genocide against the Palestinian people; that is not Iran, that is Israel!” Israel and the U.S.’s recent attacks on Iran come in the 21st month of the ongoing genocide of the Palestine people, carried out by the Israeli apartheid regime, with full diplomatic support, weapons, billions of dollars of military aid, and intelligence from the U.S.

After the rally, protesters took to the streets, marching along Michigan Avenue, and drawing public attention from downtown Saturday shoppers, tourists, workers and businesspeople.

The protest’s demands were timely, with Trump announcing only four hours later that the U.S. military had attacked Iran’s nuclear facility, Fordo, with six B-2 stealth bombers, dropping 396,000 pounds of bunker buster bombs on the underground site. The U.S. Navy reportedly fired 30 TLAM cruise missiles at two other nuclear sites. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the U.S. attack as “a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT.” NPT is the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Lara Haddadin from U.S. Palestinian Community Network linked the attacks on Iran to the genocide in Palestine, saying, “The U.S. and Israel are always the aggressors – from Palestine to Lebanon to Syria to Iran, it is clear that the pattern of sanctions, destabilization, occupation and more is all to maintain U.S. dominance in the Middle East and all of the Third World.”

An emergency response action, called by U.S. Palestinian Community Network, a member of CJP, and Anti-War Committee Chicago is set for Monday at 5 p.m. in Federal Plaza.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine #USPCN #AWCChicago #CJP

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.”

Done in tandem with the government of Canada, this designation serves only to repress Palestinian solidarity at a time where Israeli war crimes spit in the face of international law. The same week both governments colluded to designate Samidoun with these outrageous sanctions, Israeli Occupation Forces burned Palestinians alive in Al Aqsa Hospital, destroyed an entire village in south Lebanon, and bombed Syria.

It is also evidently clear this designation comes at a time where Palestinian solidarity is at the highest it has been, not only in the US and Canada, but worldwide. The world can no longer ignore the plight of the Palestinian cause. US insistence of the world following its “rules based order” is contradicted by the endless financial and political protection it gives to Israel, which cannot go a day without violating international law – the very “rules based order” the U.S. insists everyone else follow.

This heinous designation should raise several red flags for anyone in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. This is an attempt to normalize repression on behalf of imperialist, colonialist interests who profit from the death and destruction of sovereign countries and people.

Since the onset of the October 7 Al Aqsa Flood Operation, the US has begun a crackdown of Palestinian activists – harassing peace activists at home, in schools, at airports, at work, and disrupting their daily lives and livelihoods in order to intimidate them into silence. The U.S. government and the Canadian government both insist that the general public should look the other way as they sponsor genocide through the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This is but one instance in this country’s history of criminalizing liberation movements from indigenous American organizations to Black liberation organizations.

While actual, racist and domestic terrorist gangs are on record operating within the Chicago Police Department, the U.S. government instead chooses to criminalize opposition to their genocide. Opposing genocide is not a crime! Solidarity is not a crime! Demanding an end to apartheid and occupation is not a crime!

We demand the immediate removal of these designations and an end to unjustified lawfare imposed on organizations seeking justice for Palestine. Hands off Samidoun! An attack on one is an attack on us all! Free Palestine, no more aid to Israel, no more arms to Israel!

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Samidoun #AWCChicago #PoliticalRepression

Chicago IL – Students at the University of Chicago set up an encampment in solidarity with Gaza on Monday, April 29. After a week of threats from the university administration, the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD) raided the encampment before dawn on Tuesday, May 7.

Videos circulated on social media show UCPD officers tearing down tents, throwing objects, and pushing sleep deprived students to the ground. UCPD also barred journalists and legal observers from entering the quad where the encampment was located. Some officers covered their badge numbers in an effort to escape accountability.

“They waited like cowards until the supporters had left for the night and most of the students were asleep,” an organizer with UChicago United for Palestine told protesters who gathered in solidarity the morning of the raid.

The 300 students and community members who rallied on Tuesday morning outside the U of C quad chanted “UCPD, KKK, IOF they're all the same” and “Paul, Paul, you can't hide, you're supporting genocide” in reference to U of C President Paul Alivisatos. Alivisatos is still the main target of students' demands that the university divest from Israel and all weapons manufacturers, publicly disclose its investments, and commit to a program of reparations for Palestine and the South Side of Chicago.

“President Paul Alivisatos won't even acknowledge the scholasticide that's been happening in Gaza,” a leader of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UChicago said during the rally. “Every university in Gaza has been destroyed! We will not accept our tax and tuition dollars being used to fund genocide and apartheid,” they continued.

The raid at University of Chicago marks the third student encampment to close in the Chicagoland area. Northwestern University students closed their encampment after negotiations with the administration, and students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago faced a CPD raid shortly after setting their encampment up on Saturday. The student encampment at DePaul University is still running over a week after it was set up on Tuesday, April 30.

In addition to police raids, Chicago student encampments have encountered aggression from Zionist counter-protesters and university administrations. On the other hand, the students have received plenty of community support led by organizations such as the Coalition for Justice in Palestine, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and the Anti War Committee – Chicago.

“In truth, the encampment is never over,” SJP said in a social media post in response to a statement from Alivisatos titled “ending the encampment.”

The SJP statement continued, “UCPD may steal some tents, but they cannot break the bonds and steadfastness we built there.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #SJP #AWCChicago #CAARPR #CJP

Chicago, IL – Groups supporting Palestine are suing Chicago to ensure that Joe Biden “can hear us and see us” at the Democratic National Convention in August, sats Kobi Guillory, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC.

When the convention opens at the United Center, August 19, the coalition is adamant that they get the attention they deserve.

Guillory states, “As the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza continues unabated – with over 32,000 killed, almost all by U.S. bombs and missiles – we must march. This is the party in power, the party of Genocide Joe Biden. Biden could stop the war with one phone call. He refuses to take action, and so we must protest.”

A press conference was held at Federal Plaza, March 22, with Attorney Chris Williams, who acted on behalf of three clients: the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Students for a Democratic Society, and the Chicago Anti-War Committee. All of the organizations are part of the coalition.

The three organizations had submitted a total of four permits. Williams pointed out, “The city made no effort to find a narrowly tailored restriction on protected political speech, offering only one alternative route, three miles from the DNC.”

The opening paragraphs of the complaint said, “Defendants unconstitutionally denied Plaintiffs and their members’ right to engage in political speech through peaceful assembly on public forums, thereby violating their First Amendment rights.”

Tens of thousands of Palestinians to march on the DNC

Leading the press conference Friday morning was Hatem Abudayyeh, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) National Chair. Abudayyeh has become a familiar face as his organization has been at the forefront of the Coalition for Justice in Palestine. Chicago continues to see protests of thousands of Palestinians and their supporters on a weekly basis, six months into the war on civilians waged by the regime in Tel Aviv.

Speaking from the Palestinian community about the protests at the convention, Abudayyeh said, “We mean business.”

Explaining that remark, Abudayyeh continued, “I am guaranteeing tens of thousands of people in the streets with thousands of Palestinian flags, with Palestinians from all walks of life, from all over the country.”

Lawsuit, pressure campaign and a pledge to march without a permit

Williams, of the Workers’ Law Office, also said, “The city’s ordinance at issue is an unconstitutional restriction on political speech on its face and in how it is being applied. And these are not just theoretical threats to First Amendment speech. The city has threatened to seek potentially thousands of dollars in fines and even jail time if organizations even seek a permit that the city interprets as duplicative under the ordinance, creating a serious chilling effect discouraging political speech at the DNC.”

According to Zhenya Polozova, a co-chair with the Anti-War Committee, “In addition to initiating a federal lawsuit to protect our right to protest, we’re calling on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to stand with the people and grant us a permit to have a family-friendly protest within sight and sound of the DNC. We are urging everyone in support of this campaign to call and email the Chicago Department of Transportation and the mayor’s chief of staff. More information can be found on our website, marchondnc2024.org.”

Polozova continued, “Whether or not the permits are granted, we will be marching on the DNC, and we invite all those who stand in solidarity with Palestine and with working and oppressed people to join us on August 19 and 22 in Chicago where the whole world will be watching.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #uspcn #caarpr #AWCChicago #Feature

Chicago, IL – On Friday morning, March 8, House of Blues Chicago announced that the concert of Zionist musician Matisyahu, scheduled for that night, was canceled. The last minute cancellation came after weeks of pressure from the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), the Anti War Committee – Chicago, Students for a Democratic Society, and members of the Chicago Black and brown coalition for Palestine.

“Chicago has made it clear that it stands with Palestine, and that supporters of the Gaza genocide are not welcome here,” said Nazek Sankari, USPCN-Chicago co-chair. “Matisyahu is a clear apologist for Israel and its crimes against humanity, so he is a legitimate political target, and we are celebrating this victory tonight.”

Matisyahu, whose real name is Matthew Paul Miller, is a white American and self-proclaimed Zionist who performs reggae music. A few months prior to his scheduled performance at the House of Blues, Matisyahu played for the infamous Israeli “Golani Brigade,” who have taken part in numerous massacres since the illegal establishment of the Israeli occupation and have been deployed in Gaza since October 7 where they have suffered numerous losses.

Zionism is a fundamental part of the Matisyahu performance. He often brings out the Israeli flag, affirms his support for the “Israeli Defense Forces” and the Zionist occupation, which has murdered over 30,000 Palestinians to date and is displacing hundreds of thousands more. His lyrics contain vague themes of “peace” and “unity” but these lyrics are at odds with his Zionist views, at one point expressing “There was never a country called Palestine.”

In the week leading up to the scheduled concert, over 250 artists signed a petition to House of Blues which said, “We will not allow for a musician who has performed for the Israeli Occupation Forces, raised money in support of Israel and the AIPAC lobbying group, and who continues to deny ongoing genocide, to perform in our city.”

“It's only fitting that an artist who built his career on Black and brown culture is being held accountable by a Black and brown Coalition for Palestine,” said Merawi Gerima, a leading member of CAARPR and one of the artists who signed the petition.

In addition to the petition from artists, over 1000 people sent emails to House of Blues demanding the cancellation of the zionist’s performance. The venue also received hundreds of phone calls. USPCN and the allied organizations had planned to protest outside House of Blues during the concert. According to a leaked statement from the neighboring Marina Towers, the Chicago Police Department was expecting thousands of protesters.

This was the third cancellation of one of Matisyahu’s performances after his Tucson and Santa Fe concerts were shut down. He was also met by pro-Palestinian protests in Portland and Minneapolis, and people are preparing to protest his upcoming concerts in Detroit and Cleveland among other cities.

“We are proud that we were able to shut Matisyahu down, but there are many other targets out there as well,” said Olan Mijana of CAARPR. “Our Black and brown coalition says, 'No business as usual while Israel is committing genocide,' and this is why we will be mobilizing tens of thousands for the DNC in Chicago in August, to expose the Democratic Party for its complicity. Genocide Joe Biden, Blinken, Schumer, Durbin, Duckworth, Genocide Jan Schakowsky, Casten, and others in the Democratic Party have blood on their hands and must be held accountable.”

#ChicagoIL #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CAARPR #USPCN #Matisyahu #SDS #SDSChicago #AWCChicago