Justin, TX – En una muestra audaz de unidad, los trabajadores del Centro de Distribución de Piezas de Volvo en Justin marcharon ante la gerencia el 13 de abril para exigir el reconocimiento sindical, intensificando su lucha por el respeto, seguridad y una voz real en el trabajo.

Los trabajadores del almacén entraron juntos a la oficina del jefe, entregando su mensaje directamente, declarando, “Estamos organizados, somos militantes y esperamos que reconozcan a nuestro sindicato”. La acción marca un punto de inflexión en una campaña de organización donde los trabajadores han dejado de lado sus diferencias en favor del poder colectivo.

El almacén, operado por Volvo Group, constituye un vínculo crítico en la cadena de suministro de la compañía. Los trabajadores manejan el flujo constante de piezas que mantienen en movimiento camiones y equipos pesados en todo el país. Pero quienes realizan el trabajo dicen que los han llevado al límite – enfrentando horarios agotadores, aumentos en las demandas de producción y constantes preocupaciones de seguridad.

Los trabajadores describen un trabajo donde la velocidad es todo y las heridas son un riesgo siempre presente. La falta de personal ha empeorado las condiciones, obligándolos a jornadas más largas y cargas de trabajo más pesadas. Muchos dicen que la gerencia ha ignorado sus preocupaciones durante años, dejándoles poca opción más que organizarse.

La acción también toma impulso más allá de Texas. Hace apenas unos meses, los trabajadores de Volvo en una instalación de distribución de piezas en Joliet, Illinois votaron para unirse a la Local 179 de la Hermandad Internacional de Camioneros (International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179 en inglés), demostrando que los trabajadores en toda la red de la empresa están empezando a moverse en la misma dirección. Esa victoria ayudó a mostrar lo que es posible y les dio a los trabajadores de Justin la confianza adicional para dar un paso adelante.

Al marchar ante el jefe como grupo, los trabajadores dejaron claro que este esfuerzo no viene de un puñado de individuos, sino que es una demanda colectiva respaldada por un creciente apoyo en todo el almacén.

Marchar ante el jefe es una táctica con una larga historia en el movimiento obrero – los trabajadores actuando juntos, presentando sus exigencias directamente y demostrando su unidad de una forma que la gerencia no puede ignorar. Suele ser un paso clave para ganar reconocimiento y construir la confianza necesaria para la lucha por el contrato.

La demanda es directa: reconocimiento sindical y el derecho a negociar un contrato digno. Los trabajadores quieren mejores salarios, condiciones más seguras, cargas de trabajo razonables y el fin de la falta de respeto que dicen ha definido este empleo.

Para los trabajadores de Volvo que actuaron, esto es solo el comienzo. La gerencia ahora enfrenta una decisión. Puede reconocer al sindicato y respetar la decisión de los trabajadores o enfrentar el poder de la solidaridad de sus trabajadores.

De cualquier manera, el mensaje desde el taller es claro. Los trabajadores están organizados, son militantes y están listos para luchar por lo que merecen.

#DallasTX #TX #DFW #JustinTX #UPS #Labor #Volvo #Teamsters

Justin, TX – In a bold show of unity, workers at the Volvo Parts Distribution Center in Justin marched on management, April 13, to demand union recognition, escalating their fight for respect, safety and a real voice on the job.

Warehouse workers walked into the boss’s office together, delivering their message directly, stating, “We are organized, we are militant, and we expect their union to be recognized.” The action marks a turning point in an organizing drive that has seen workers put aside their differences in the interest of collective power.

The warehouse, operated by Volvo Group, is a critical link in the company’s supply chain. Workers there handle the constant flow of parts that keep trucks and heavy equipment moving across the country. But those doing the work say they’ve been pushed to the limit – dealing with exhausting schedules, rising production demands and ongoing safety concerns.

Workers describe a job where speed is everything and injuries are an ever-present risk. Short staffing has made conditions worse, forcing longer hours and heavier workloads. Many say management has ignored their concerns for years, leaving them little choice but to organize.

The action also builds on momentum beyond Texas. Just months ago, Volvo workers at a parts distribution facility in Joliet, Illinois voted to join the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 179, showing that workers across the company’s network are beginning to move in the same direction. That victory helped demonstrate what’s possible and gave workers in Justin added confidence to step forward.

By marching on the boss as a group, workers made clear that this effort isn’t coming from a handful of individuals, it’s a collective demand backed by growing support across the warehouse.

Marching on the boss is a tactic with a long history in the labor movement – workers acting together, presenting their demands directly, and demonstrating their unity in a way management can’t ignore. It’s often a key step in winning recognition and building the confidence needed for the contract fight.

The demand is straightforward: union recognition and the right to negotiate a decent contract. Workers want better pay, safer conditions, reasonable workloads and an end to the disrespect they say has defined the job.

For the Volvo workers who acted, this is just the beginning. Management now faces a choice. They can recognize the union and respect the workers’ decision or face the power of their workers’ solidarity.

Either way, the message from the shop floor is clear. Workers are organized, they are militant and they’re ready to fight for what they deserve.

#JustinTX #TX #DallasTX #Labor #Teamsters #Volvo #Featured

Dallas, TX – A coalition of Dallas anti-war organizations met at Main Street Garden Park Wednesday evening, April 8, in response to the Trump administration’s genocidal calls for violence against the Iranian people and the wholesale destruction of their infrastructure.

A crowd of 200 community members gathered around 7 p.m., arriving to chants of “From Iran to Palestine, Israel is on borrowed time!” Energy remained high while DFW Foot Not Bombs set up a hot food table.

Ryan Ahmadi of DFW Shias for justice told the crowd, “Just yesterday it seemed that we were on the brink of a genocidal, apocalyptic nuclear war. Donald Trump used his war-mongering and genocidal language, and tactic of psychological warfare that had the entire world sick to their stomachs and on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if he would carry out his threat where he said ‘an entire civilization will die tonight.” A 3000-year-old civilization, a nation of over 90 million people. Well, we’ve got news for you – you gambled, and you lost.” 

Nura Bawab of Palestinian Youth Movement stated, “The Iranian people held their ground with honor and steadfastness and showed the world that their sovereignty would not be compromised by imperialists and Zionists without global repercussions. We are proud of the resilience of the people of Iran.”

Jo Hargis of DFW Anti War Committee spoke on the role of North Texas weapons manufacturers in the last month of attacks, stating, “The factory producing the bombs Israel is using to attack Lebanon and Iran, and to carry out genocide in Palestine? Many of you know that bomb factory is in our own backyard. Many of you know that this bomb factory normalizes its complicity in murder by participating in the FAME program, partnering with schools in Garland, in Mesquite, and at Dallas College to bring students into this very facility. Many of you know DAWC is working to end those partnerships that use students at home to make the bombs killing students abroad, that DAWC has a petition at tinyurl.com/NoFAMEPaligen which all of you should sign before you leave today. And many of you know that infamous bomb factory by an old name: REPKON USA.“

Hargis continued, “The owners of this factory are the same, but seemingly overnight they changed their name to Paligen. This change happened so abruptly that when a DAWC member drove by, the old REPKON signs were simply flipped around and haven’t been replaced with anything. Paligen urgently felt the need to distance themselves from the name REPKON, and that is because they are scared. Paligen is scared of the negative international press they are receiving for arming Israel as it expands this war.”

The evening ended in chants and evening prayers as community members cleaned the park and packed out. 

DFW Anti War Committee’s next rally is April 15, directly outside the Paligen Technologies facility in Garland, to draw attention on Tax Day to the gross misuse of our tax dollars to weapons of war.

The protest was organized by DFW Anti War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Code Pink, Communist Party DFW, DFW Food Not Bombs, Young Active Labor Leaders, and others.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine #Lebanon

Dallas, TX – On March 7, Freedom Road Socialist Organization hosted a rally for International Women’s Day at Civic Garden Park.

The demands for this year’s International Women’s Day included freedom for political prisoners Leqaa Kordia, Cilia Flores and Aafia Siddiqui; justice for women killed by ICE repression; keep families together; legalization for all; justice for Palestinian mothers and children orphaned by Zionism, and justice for mothers and their children killed by police repression.

A variety of organizations supported the action, including Planned Parenthood, Texas Equal Access Fund, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, DFW Anti-War Coming, DFW Free Aafia Siddiqui, Indivisible Dallas, Palestinian Youth Movement, DSA North Texas, Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, Revolutionary Front, Shias 4 Justice, Communist Party USA DFW, Codepink and Workers World Party.

Jo Hargis from FRSO said, “It is a grave mistake to think that what happens to women in Iran and Palestine does not connect to women here in the United States, and to fight for liberation of women across the world means participation in the movements for international solidarity. We cannot stay in a bubble here. The liberation of women demands participation in the labor movement, in the movement for community control of the police, in the movement for international solidarity and in the student movement.”

AJ Rugambwa a member of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Dallas connected the history of the Alliance since its formation through the efforts of women like Charlene Mitchell and Angela Davis and said, “ Mitchell and Davis made it clear that you cannot win without a movement, you cannot win without being connected to the people, and NAARAPR Dallas is doing exactly that in our programs to fight ICE repression and community control of the police.”

Yuliana Valdes with the DFW Anti War Committee, “Today, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, we the Anti War Committee demand an end to U.S. aggression and U.S. hands off everywhere. BLU109 bunker buster bombs, and MK82 missiles are manufactured right here at the Repkon factory in Garland, Texas. We are part of a campaign to end the manufacturing of these bombs.”

Despite bad weather 60 people attended the rally and chanted, “Keep families together,” “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “U.S. hands off Iran!”

After the rally, FRSO hosted a letter-writing session for political prisoners Aafia Siddiqui, Leqaa Kordia and Cilia Flores.

#DallasTX #TX #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #DFW

Dallas TX – Dallas antiwar organizations met at the Grassy Knoll downtown on Sunday afternoon, March 1, to speak against the attacks on Iran.

Beginning in the early morning of February 28 amid weeks of deteriorating negotiations, the United States and Israel launched a series of attacks that initially destroyed a girl’s school killing over 180 people. These attacks were met with mixed reactions across the United States, with Dallas’ reactionary monarchist groups rallying downtown on Saturday to praise these imperialist attacks.

Iran retaliated to these escalations with a series of strikes targeting Tel Aviv alongside U.S. bases and targets in Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The crowd grew to hundreds just after 3 p.m., with chants of “One olution: Revolution!” and “No boots on the ground or bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!”

Sabah Shah from DFW Shias for Justice spoke in observance of Khamenei's murder. “We know that our leaders are martyrs and our martyrs are leaders, and Al Quds and Palestine are the axis of the hereafter. I’ve felt so much grief, and I’m not going to stand here and tell you that I don’t feel physically suffocated because we are not just mourning a leader. We are losing a guardian, a father of resistance, a voice that stood when others trembled, a soul that carried the weight of Islam while the world watched in silence.”

Dillan Ahmadi of Revolutionary Front DFW told the crowd, “When you become the target of the imperialists’ ire, you only have two options: You can either capitulate and become their dog, or you can stand defiant and resist.”

Rick Majumdar, a Teamster, spoke on behalf of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, “This empire is realizing that these movements, the anti-imperialist movements, the movements against ICE, the labor movement, are growing faster than they can control it. They are realizing that this Trumpian movement is not going to survive.”

Majumdar continued, “There is no precedent to believe the United States will act in any moral way. And so, since these movements are growing, if you consider yourself an activated member of a community it is time for you to stop being activists and start being organizers.”

Jo Hargis of the DFW Anti War Committee brought the conversation back to the Garland neighborhoods of the DFW area, “We know for a fact that BLU109 Bunker Buster bombs and MK 82 and MK84 missiles were used in these bombings, and as many of you know the BLU109 and MK 80 series bombs are only made in one place, and that place is Garland, Texas, 34 minutes away from here at the REPKON ordinance facility.”

Hargis continued, “While REPKON sees fit to arm Israel as it carries out its genocide in Palestine and beyond, REPKON simultaneously partners with schools here at home. REPKON partners with Dallas College with Garland ISD and with other school districts in our communities, using students at home to normalize their complicity in the slaughter of students across the world. DFW Anti War Committee is working to end REPKON’s partnerships with our schools and we need everyone’s help if that effort is going to succeed.”

Organizations participating in the protest included the Palestinian Youth Movement, DFW Antiwar Committee, Indivisible Dallas, DFW Shias for Justice, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Revolutionary Front DFW, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression among others.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Iran

During the three days Kordia was hospitalized, neither family nor counsel laid eyes on her, heard her voice, or received any information about her current health status. Kordia’s legal team learned of her location from a journalist who got the information from the Department of Homeland Security.

One of her habeas counsel rushed to the location but was denied access to Kordia at the hospital, even by phone. Despite a looming deadline in her immigration case, Kordia’s immigration attorney had also been denied access, even by phone, and despite repeated, written requests.

ICE has been confining Ms. Kordia unlawfully in Prairieland Detention Facility for nearly a year. She is the last Columbia University protestor still in immigration confinement after speaking out about the ongoing genocide in Gaza that has killed nearly 200 of her family members. While in ICE custody, she has struggled with dizziness, fainting episodes, and other signs of poor nutrition on top of blatant violations of her religious liberties.

Kordia is represented in her federal lawsuit by the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), Muslim Advocates (MA), CLEAR, and Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel (WKPS) and in her immigration removal proceedings by the Boston University School of Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.

“While we are relieved Leqaa is out of the hospital, we still have no idea what her medical condition is and what happened to her the past three days. Now she is forced back to the nightmarish conditions of ICE detention that put her in the hospital. It has never been more urgent to call for her release,” said Hamzah Abushaban, Leqaa Kordia’s cousin and designated spokesperson.

“We were separated for nearly 20 years, and now my daughter has been snatched away from me and unjustly he’d by ICE for almost a year. Not knowing what hospital she was in, or what condition she was in has been agonizing. Like any other family, we were worried sick,” said Kordia’s mother.

“ICE has yet again demonstrated their inhumane cruelty by disconnecting Leqaa from her loved ones and legal representatives during an extremely critical time, all while risking her health and safety,” said Travis Fife, staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project. “She was detained almost a year ago, and the government continues to punish her excessively and unjustly for exercising her First Amendment rights to assembly and expression.”

“Nearly one year ago, ICE detained Leqaa because she dared to speak out in support of Palestinian liberation. In the midst of a medical crisis, and despite repeated requests and an imminent court deadline, ICE denied her access to her family and to her legal team, in violation of her Constitutional rights. Leqaa should be free, recovering in New Jersey with her family. Instead, her family is left to wonder whether she would be another casualty of ICE custody,” said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, supervising attorney with the Boston University School of Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.

“Leqaa should be at home with her family after this episode in the hospital. Instead, because ICE continues to seek to punish her for her advocacy for Palestine and Palestinians, including her own family, she was sent back to deplorable conditions, where no one could expect to recuperate meaningfully,” said Naz Ahmad, co-director of CLEAR.

“ICE disappeared Leqaa into a hospital without any access to her legal counsel and family, subjecting her loved ones to unbearable pain. This lack of transparency is straight from ICE’s playbook: isolate, conceal, and punish whomever it disfavors. Leqaa remains confined for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza and its toll on her family. We continue to demand her immediate freedom and the freedom of everyone hidden behind the bars of the debilitating and deadly immigration system,” said Sadaf Hasan, staff attorney at Muslim Advocates.

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Saginaw, TX – On February 9, over 200 students and community members from Boswell High in Saginaw, Texas marched in protest over the ongoing violence ICE has used against their community. This march comes after a walkout that the students of Boswell High organized on February 2, which brought threats of suspensions and expulsions upon the student body from Principal Ryan Wilson.

The action was jointly run by the student organizers and National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) Dallas.

Members of the NAARPR-Dallas assisted the march by providing the student organizers with marshals, protest signs, chanters and a “Legalization for all” banner. The march and protest were in conjunction with the Legalization for All Network's National day of action to demand justice for Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter and immigrants killed by ICE.

As the students rallied at the Effie Center on school property, they were immediately met by police who demanded the marchers disperse immediately. Nevertheless, students stayed strong and marched despite the threats.

As the students marched along the sidewalk, they chanted, “ICE out of DFW” and “No justice, no peace – ICE out of our streets” as supportive drivers honking their horns in response. The students demanded legalization for all and spoke out against ice repression.

Brody Jones, one of the student organizers, said, “We are here for our families, for our fellow students and our friends, we demand ICE out of everywhere.”

The march passed through major streets, and some counter-protesters threatened one of the students with a gun. NAARPR marshals dealt with the situation while legal observers documented the incident.

The march ended on the outskirts of Boswell High School. Despite all the challenges, the students remained enthusiastic and wanted to continue organizing protests.

Glen Reed, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “It is amazing to see the next generation of freedom fighters take democracy into their own hands and protest against ICE and demand the end of the Trump agenda, as well as legalization for all.”

#SaginawTX #DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #HighSchool #NAARPR

Dallas, TX – On Friday, January 29, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – Dallas organized a rally and march against ICE murders in Minneapolis and across the country. The event drew about 1000 people, protesting the killings of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Keith Porter as well as immigrants killed by ICE namely Geraldo Campos, Luiz Caceres, Luiz Cruz, Parady La, Victor Diaz and Heber Dominguez.

Community members marched around downtown Dallas calling for the Dallas Police Department to stop working with ICE and to seek justice for those murdered by ICE.

The protest was endorsed and supported by organizations such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Vecinos Unidos, El Moviemiento, Palestinian Youth Movement-Dallas, Shias for Justice, DFW Anti-war Committee, Revolutionary Front, Indivisible-Dallas amongst others.

Faye Damara from NAARAPR-Dallas spoke about ICE have extra-judicially murdered people stating, “It’s time to wake up and fight back, not to reclaim values that were never there in the first place, but to actualize those values for the first time on your own terms as a community.”

Chants rung around the march such as “ICE out of DFW,” “ICE out of Texas!” and “ICE out of everywhere!”

Xavier Velasquez, the chair of NAARPR-Dallas told the crowd, “Your rights don't stop at voting, it's getting involved, getting on the streets, marching, going on barrio walks, and assisting people during court appointments. The people who were killed by ICE did all of these things and more, and we should remember them by getting involved.”

People paid their respects at the altar set up to remember the people murdered by ICE. There was space made for messages for people to write to pay their respects.

Rick Majumdar, a member of the FRSO and Teamsters local 767 spoke at the rally, stating, “ We should mourn the dead but fight like hell for those that are living. People’s power will drive ICE out of our cities. We cannot let ICE scare us into submission. We will fight relentlessly to defeat Trump’s agenda.”

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE #AlexPretti #NAARPR

The panel kicked off with Faye Damara, the barrio walk coordinator for NAARPR-Dallas who stated, “King recognized, like all of us here, that for a people to achieve individual moral freedom means to achieve collective political freedom; that to achieve political freedom means the endowment of the right to the pursuit of national self-determination for all; that this pursuit can only be achieved by a radical redistribution of both economic and state power in favor of the exploited and of the marginalized.”

Kya Gonzalez of JUPI stated, “Advocating for Puerto Rican sovereignty has been routinely disrupted and targeted by the U.S. government, something MLK himself experienced in his fight for civil rights.” Gonzalez also highlighted the oppression of Haitians by ICE.

Justin Mitchell, a member of FRSO and the media coordinator for DFW-Anti War Committee, reported on the recent solidarity delegation to Venezuela, “The same people that have been attacking them, sanctioning them, bombing their fishermen, and now of course kidnapped their president, are the same people exploiting our labor, killing our planet, putting us under the thumb of student and medical debt, and the same people attacking oppressed peoples here in the United States.”

Sumayyah Chennault of Palestinian Youth Movement connected the occupation of Palestine to ICE terror, saying, “This moment provides us with a critical opportunity to make the ties between imperial violence abroad and repression and violence domestically.”

Sabah Shaw of Shias for Justice – Dallas closed out the panel with her analysis of Iran’s connection to the Palestinian resistance and the role of sanctions in destabilizing and delegitimizing opponents of the United States.

“Any analysis that talks about hardships in Iran without centering sanctions, regime-change agendas, and Western violence, is analysis that is justifying intervention,” concluded Shah.

The panel was followed by a Q&A and calls to action to upcoming events, including a NAARPR rally at Dallas City Hall on January 29 at 7 p.m. to condemn the latest murder by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #DAWC #NAARPRDFW

Dallas, TX – On January 19, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 97th anniversary of his birth, by participating in the MLK Day parade in Dallas. Marching through the streets with a banner reading “One day the South will recognize its real heroes” and “Freedom is a constant struggle,” NAARPR honored the radical legacy of MLK Jr.

In a time of ICE repression and the rolling back of the Civil Rights Act, NAARPR continues to remind the community of Dallas that there are still people who remember the dream of MLK and his movement.

Xavier Velasquez, the chair of NAARPR-Dallas, said, “We will live in a United States where ICE thugs kidnap innocent immigrants, tear families apart and murder people along the way. We also cannot ignore the warmongering against Venezuela and the illegal kidnapping of the president and first lady of that country. We have to remember that Martin Luther King Jr. said 'The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and evils of racism.’”

The contingent of members of NAARPR chanted while parade onlookers joined in: “Power to the people!” “Community control now” and “DPD, ICE, KKK they're all the same!”

#DallasTX #TX #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #MLKDay #NAARPRDFW

Dallas, TX– On Friday, January 16, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) Dallas organized a noise demonstration against ICE agents being housed at taxpayers’ expense in at Hilton Anatole. People from all over the DFW community arrived and showed that the community does not stand for the kidnapping and brutalizing of friends and neighbors.

More than 100 people showed up, bullhorns in hand whistles mouth to make noise – and keep the ICE agents from sleeping. ICE has been terrorizing timmigrant and oppressed communities in DFW, using a mixture of intimidation, violence and kidnappings to torment and break down communities. The crowd also protested the fact that the Hilton Anatole in Dallas was the venue of choice for the Zionist-funded Jewish National Fund Convention in 2024.

After the murder of Renee Nicole Good, eyes have turned onto ICE and the cruel abuse of power they have enjoyed for far too long, Protesters demanded the jailing of Jonathan Ross, and justice for Renee Good.

Kevin Acosta, an organizer and community liaison for NAARPR – Dallas, said ,“The reason we put this noise demonstration today is because the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas is housing ICE agents. Therefore, we wanted to show them that they are not welcomed here in our community. They are tearing families apart every single day without any remorse towards them. The acts of inhuman conditions that they are put through needs to stop today. We put out a call to boycott all Hilton Hotels for complying with ICE agents that create terror in our communities. We will always stand in solidarity with our communities being affected by this administration.”

Many organizations, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Dallas, El Moviemiento and Vecinos Unidos and many others showed up in solidarity with the communities being targeted by ICE.

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #ICE #NAARPR

Dallas, TX – DFW Anti-War Committee hosted a January 11 watch party for the Anti War Action Network’s report back webinar “No to Trump’s War on Venezuela!” The webinar featured anti-war organizers who recently traveled to Caracas, Venezuela for a peace conference to build international solidarity and stand up to U.S. imperialism. A banner calling for “No war on Venezuela” was also painted during the watch party.

Allison Gunderson of the Minneapolis Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness, who was part of the delegation, said, “Seeing President Maduro speak about building solidarity with Palestine and Cuba, speaking about real, tangible ways to give power back to the people, it has been disgusting coming back to the U.S. and seeing Trump’s rhetoric about war and division. I couldn’t think of a more stark comparison about how Venezuela does not reflect the United States.”

Jim Byrne from Tucson Anti-War Committee said, “It was a real honor to be able to participate in the workers congress.” He mentioned that in attendance to the congress was Alex Saab, the former Venezuelan Minister of Industry and National Production who was held captive by the Trump administration and later freed from pressure from activists across the United States as part of the campaign to “Free Alex Saab!”

Jim Byrne continued by saying, “At the congress, the workers presented a proposal in what they called a ‘constituent assembly’ calling for all trade unionist representatives to be active on the shop floor. They would work in those places and be subject to immediate recall.” He concluded by saying, “Unions are integrated into the national plan for resistance so that every workplace with a union participates in defending against U.S. aggression.”

Jessica Plichta from Grand Rapids Opponents of War, who was recently publicly arrested for standing up against Trump’s violent kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the weeks after the conference, concluded, “If we fight one struggle, we fight them all!”

Josh Rudd with the DFW Anti-War Committee remarked, “This watch party was a great opportunity to learn more about Venezuela and to hear from people who had first-hand experience in the country. DAWC is currently working on a Stop the Bombs Garland campaign against the Repkon bomb factory that makes the U.S. arsenal that the Trump regime is threatening to use on Venezuela and now Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia.”

Rudd continued, “We will be responding to AWAN’s call to action by having a banner drop in Dallas on Saturday, January 17 from 3 to 5 p.m. Check out our Instagram to get involved and help us call for ‘No War On Venezuela.’”

Anti War Action Network will be hosting another webinar on Saturday, January 17 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time featuring Jesús Rodríguez-Espinoza, former Consul General of the Venezuelan Consulate in Chicago, for on-the-ground analysis from Venezuela.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #DAWC #AWAN #Venezuela

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following January 12 statement from the Dallas-Fort Worth Anti-War Committee.

Pete Hegseth is not welcome in Dallas-Fort Worth!

Today, Pete Hegseth, the so-called Secretary of War, came to Fort Worth because DFW produces the weapons of war and genocide. From the Lockheed Martin F-35 factory in Fort Worth that Hegseth visited today to the Repkon bomb factory in Garland, our metroplex’s taxes, resources, and labor are being used for imperialist bloodshed.

DFW is home to every major weapons manufacturer in the world, including:

• Lockheed Martin F-35 factory in Fort Worth

• Lockheed Martin Missile & Fire Control International Headquarters in Grand Prairie

• RTX (Raytheon) surveillance system factory in Richardson

• Elbit Systems National Headquarters in Fort Worth

• Repkon MK-80 and BLU-109 bomb factory in Garland

• And more…

We are working on a “Stop the Bombs Garland” campaign to fight back against these genocidal companies and Hegseth’s Department of War, starting with Repkon’s bomb factory in Garland. This factory produces the bombs used by the U.S. and Israel in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran and that the Trump regime is now threatening to use in Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia.

Join the DFW Anti-War Committee this Saturday, January 17th from 3-5pm for a No War On Venezuela banner drop at Mockingbird and Highway 75 in Dallas. Later this month, we will be hosting a presentation in Garland, Texas about the Stop the Bombs Garland campaign and how you can get involved!

#DallasTX #TX #FtWorthTX #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Palestine #DAWC #WeaponsIndustry #PeteHegseth

Dallas, TX – Dallas activists gathered on a chilly night in downtown Dallas, January 10, to demand freedom for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and condemn the war launched by the U.S.

Groups set up tables to share literature, resources and to connect individuals with organizations. At the demonstration’s peak, around 200 people came out to make noise and demand no war on Venezuela.

A speaker from the DFW Anti-War Committee connected the struggle against the attacks to the local arms industry. In her speech, Camille Kaplan said, “The factories that build the bombs used by the U.S. and its allies are right here in North Texas. Shame!”

Groups such as the North Texas Labor Federation, the North Texas DSA, Young Active Labor Leaders, and Freedom Road Socialist organization delivered speeches with shared demands to free Nicolas Maduro, defend the peoples' revolution in Venezuela, and end U.S. wars of aggression.

Kai Leslie from FRSO said “The Freedom Road Socialist Organization supports the steadfastness of those fighting back against U.S. imperialism. We unite with the working class and the nationally oppressed peoples of the world and are working to build a lasting movement against imperialism here in the belly of the beast!”

Ella Haag with the North Texas DSA chapter shared, “Venezuela’s only crime was to strive for self-determination and for common ownership of their country's resources, and by doing so set themselves up against this most destructive and murderous country. Yet, they have persisted, fighting to keep the revolution alive no matter the cost. Make no mistake, our ruling class has already inflicted wide scale suffering on Venezuela. This war of aggression did not start last week. The U.S. is escalating from economic strangulation to open savagery and barbarism.”

Speakers connected the U.S. thirst for war worldwide with declining conditions at home. The crowd chanted “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation” and “No invasions, no more coups, Venezuela is not for you.”

One heckler showed up, who was drowned out by the organized chanting of hundreds as they demonstrated the power of organization to advance the cause. He left after a few minutes, unable to sway even a single passerby to join him.

The noise rally capped off a busy weekend in North Texas of rising opposition to the current administration's bloodthirsty policies. A huge anti-ICE protest in downtown Fort Worth drew hundreds earlier in the day, with additional actions against ICE and in support of Venezuela already planned across in coming weeks.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #DAWC #NTLF #NTDSA #YALL #FRSO

Dallas, TX – Over 1000 community members gathered Thursday evening, January 8 at Dallas City Hall to protest the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE in Minneapolis and to demand ICE out of Dallas.

Attendees marched around downtown Dallas calling for the Dallas Police Department to stop working with ICE. The protest was called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas).

Andy Ayala said, “From its inception, our organization has had one fundamental and steadfast goal from which all others stem – to resist the brutalities of state repression. What happened yesterday in Minneapolis represents an unprecedented level of violence perpetrated by ICE on our communities.”

Ayala continued, “So many of us here today do, in our daily lives, exactly what Renee did: stand up to racist and brutal injustice. For this, ICE viscously murdered her. For this, Renee Nicole Good was taken from her community. She was taken from her friends. She was taken from her wife and she was taken from her son.”

During the speeches, community members held up signs reading “No one is illegal on stolen land” and “Justice for Renee Nicole Good.”

William Capper, a speaker on behalf of the DFW Anti-War Committee, said, “The bullets used to take Renee's life link ICE to the web of military contractors that pawn their supplies to ICE and police forces, cycling the war machine's violence abroad back onto our streets. Our struggle is one.”

Capper continued, “There is a world in which her murder by ICE has a chilling effect on us. We become afraid to step out of line, to do our part to fight repression. But we have to resist the fear that horror invites on us. Renee was an organizer. We must answer her loss by organizing ourselves. Show ICE that when they take down one organizer, a thousand fill in their place. The ONLY solution is to get organized.”

During the protest, community members chanted, “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here,” “No more deportations, we demand legalization” and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” [the people united will never be defeated].

Speaking for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DFW District, Kai Leslie said, “Renee Nicole Good's murder was an unacceptable crime, but it wasn’t the first time ICE has executed an innocent person. 25 people that we know of in the last year have been murdered by ICE, and countless lives have been ruined. We know the actions of ICE are deplorable. But we also know people are in the streets fighting back! Across the U.S., people are interfering with ICE ghouls in any way they can, spreading the word of ICE’s presence, slowing down their raids, blocking their vehicles, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization is proud to stand with the people rising up against ICE.”

Andy Ayala concluded, “We are not scared. We will not back down. You have started something here, and we will continue to act in solidarity with Renee Nicole Good. We will carry her in our minds, in our hearts, and in our fiery spirits in all the work we do to bring an end to the very injustices Renee Nicole Good fought against.”

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #DAWC #InJusticeSystem #KillerCops #KillerICE #ReneeGood #NAARPR

Dallas, TX – Over 150 Dallas-Fort Worth residents gathered together to protest the United States’ bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Maduro and First Lady Flores on January 3. This emergency protest was called after the U.S. launched an unprecedented escalation against Venezuela. Speakers emphasized that the F-35 fighter jets used in the attack on Caracas were produced by Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas.

Speakers with the DFW Anti-War Committee (DAWC) talked about their “Stop the Bombs Garland” campaign against Repkon, a bomb factory in Garland, Texas that produces large portions of the U.S. and Israeli bomb arsenals to be used against Palestine, Yemen, and now Venezuela.

Kai Leslie, a member of DAWC said, “The DFW Anti-War Committee came out to this action to show our solidarity for the government of Venezuela in the wake of Trump’s brazen act of imperialist violence upon the people of Venezuela. We demand that Venezuelan’s President Nicolás Maduro be freed and returned safely and an immediate end to hostilities. The bombs being used right now in Gaza and will be used in Venezuela are created right here in DFW at a factory named Repkon, formally General Dynamics, and the DFW Anti War Committee’s campaign ‘Stop the Bombs Garland’ demands that the production of these weapons be ceased.”

During the protest, attendees chanted, “From Venezuela to the Middle East, we demand justice, we demand peace,” “U.S. Navy, CIA, you’re not welcome, go away” and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” Community members brought signs reading “No war with Venezuela!” and “Free President Maduro!”

During the protest, Scot Godfrey with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization remarked, “I came to the protest today because I find the imperialist actions of the U.S. disgusting and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. It is brutally obvious that this attack on Venezuela’s sovereignty is an attempt to steal the natural resources of the Bolivarian Republic; particularly their oil. I also came because I want to make my voice heard and demand the freeing of the Maduro family and an immediate end to war mongering in the western hemisphere by the American empire.”

Protesters rallied across the street from The Dallas Morning News headquarters, calling out the media’s complicity in manufacturing consent for another war, using the claim of “drugs” this time instead of “weapons of mass destruction.” Community members loudly demanded no war with Venezuela and the immediate release of President Maduro and First Lady Flores.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #DAWC #FRSO

Dallas, TX – On December 20, 30 activists and community members from across the area gathered for the first annual holiday fundraiser and social event, Red Christmas. 

The continued escalation by the United States towards Venezuela loomed large in the background and was a central point of discussion. The event brought together organizers, families and supporters for an evening of music, food, games and political discussion, celebrating struggle and solidarity during the holiday season.

Red Christmas honored the many freedom fighters in Dallas and across North Texas organizing against capitalism, ICE terror and U.S. imperialism in Venezuela and around the world.

Organizations in attendance included Vecinos Unidos DFW, DFW Anti War Committee, El Movimiento, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), as well as members of Local 767 Teamsters, reflecting the broad coalition of groups committed to advancing people's struggles across on all fronts across North Texas.

Justin Mitchell, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the DFW Anti-War Committee, spoke about the recent solidarity delegation of Americans who traveled to Venezuela to stand with the Bolivarian government against continued threats, sabotage and illegal acts of piracy by the United States. While many delegates were prevented from traveling due to the ongoing blockade and no-fly zone, a small number were able to break through the blockade.

As Mitchell noted, “Having just a few people make it through was a huge win.”

Jo Hargis, also of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the DFW Anti War Committee spoke on the necessity of organizing a broad front of organizations across the DFW area to build a people’s movement against “another war that is very openly for conquest and oil.” Participants were encouraged to bring as many organizations as possible into the recent call by the Anti War Action network to organize demonstrations in the event of a direct attack on Venezuela

Rick Majumdar, a Teamster and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, closed out the event stating, “By any definition this is an act of war,” referring to the recent illegal seizure of unarmed Venezuelan oil tankers. 

The event brought in over a $1000 in donations and was by all accounts a major success, strengthening ties amongst organizations and individuals on the frontline of building people’s movements across North Texas and beyond.

#DallasTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Christmas #Fundraiser #FRSO #VUDFW #DFWAWC #NAARPR

The Governor’s argument for persecuting CAIR builds on the legacy of the sham prosecution of the Holy Land 5, which was based in the North Texas city of Richardson, and conflates support for Palestinians with “terrorist activity.”

Groups in Dallas-Fort Worth showed their firm solidarity with CAIR, the co-coordinator of DFW Anti-War Committee (DAWC), Josh Rudd had this to say, “We as DAWC firmly oppose these racist attacks on CAIR by the Abbott regime. We will always stand in solidarity with our Muslim siblings against Islamophobia. We recognize the way the U.S. weaponizes Islamophobia and other forms of racism to continue ‘forever wars’ against Asian and African communities. We are working to shut down the bomb factory, Repkon, in Garland, Texas, that builds the genocidal weapons of U.S. imperialism.”

Greg Abbot and the Texas GOP have repeatedly tried to use Islamophobic sentiment to rally their base, but they have been repeatedly defeated in their attempts. In Republican controlled Tarrant County, the district attorney sought to send Raunaq Alam and Afsheen Khan to prison for decades for pro-Palestine graffiti. They failed in part due to organizations like the National Lawyers Guild, CAIR and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), which organized support committees for the targeted individuals.

Other tactics by the state against Muslims include the targeting of the East Plano Islamic Center, which announced plans in March 2024 to build a residential community and mosque in rural Collin County. In that case, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed multiple frivolous lawsuits against the developers and directed state agencies to launch fraudulent investigations into all aspects of the mosque, including directing the Texas Funeral Services Commission to revoke EPIC’s permission to perform burial services.

Texts unearthed in the lawsuit revealed that Kristin Tips, the director of the Texas Funeral Services Commission and an Abbot appointee, was sending anti-Islam media from a pro-Israel media network to her executive director. Notably, these tactics of administrative investigation presaged a similar wave of tactics used by the national Republican party to investigate critics and whistleblowers in the federal workforce, such as the cooperation by the Federal Finance Housing Agency in prosecution of New York Attorney General Letita James.

To date, all of these unjust prosecutions and administrative actions have been defeated in courts. But instead of accepting his losses, Greg Abbot continues with the unjust and likely illegal attacks. In their response to the publicity stunt by the right-wing governor, CAIR touts their record, having defeated Abbot numerous times, including thwarting a 2019 anti-BDS law that led to the firing of a Muslim teacher, his 2024 efforts to ban Palestinian solidarity organizations from campuses, and protecting the rights of individuals with pro-Palestine views to qualify for public employment and contracts.

But the fight is not over. Local organizations, including PYM and the Muslim American Society, have joined the chorus of opposition to Abbot’s anti-Muslim agenda. As Texas continues to serve as a right-wing laboratory for state persecution, all eyes should turn to the organizing that has successfully pushed back this Islamophobic agenda.

#DallasTX #TX #OppressedNationalities #AntiWarMovement #CAIR #ArabAmericans #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #DAWC #PoliticalRepression

Dallas, TX – On November 13, Starbucks workers who are represented by Starbucks Workers United (SBWU), an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), began and open-ended strike over unfair labor practices they say that Starbucks has committed. The SBWU workers say that Starbucks has been unwilling to bargain in good faith to reach a first contract with the newly formed union.

The strike is nationwide, and the timing coincided with Starbucks’ “Red Cup Day,” which the company uses as the launch of its holiday season. In response, the union has launched what it is calling a Red Cup Rebellion, an open-ended strike of over 1000 baristas demanding better staffing, higher pay and resolution for hundreds of unfair labor practice charges. The strike began with 65 stores on November 13, but the union says if needed it could extend the strike to over 550 stores across the country.

In Dallas, SBWU baristas and allies launched picket lines across the DFW Metro Plex. At a Starbucks location in Valley View, Farmers Branch, SBWU workers joined the strike on Thursday, and continued pickets on Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 15. The picket was attended by various groups including Teamsters from Local 767, members of the Young Active Labor Leaders, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Rayne Mele is a Starbucks worker and had this to say, “Our strike is definitely making an impact. Every day we come up here and meet early up in the morning, we chant we bring people's attention to our strike, we have more people joining our picket line. We have people getting out of the Starbucks drive through line we're picketing at. We're not numbers on a screen we are actual people coming here and making a difference”. 

As the day closed out store workers and supporters could be heard loudly chanting. Some of their chants included “No contract, no coffee,” “No workers, no Starbucks, and “2, 4, 6, 8! Starbucks come negotiate! 3, 5, 7, 9! Don’t cross that picket line.”

Starbucks Workers United says that they intend to continue striking until Starbucks brings an offer to the table that they can accept for a first union contract.

#DallasTX #TX #Labor #SBWU #Starbucks #Strike

Dallas, TX – On September 21, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression-Dallas (NAARPR-Dallas) hosted a rally in solidarity with Chicago, Washington DC and Los Angeles, along with other cities impacted by the deployment or threatened deployment of the National Guard and mass ICE raids.

Approximately 100 community members attended the event on a very sunny day at the Main Street Garden Park in central Dallas.

The rally was endorsed by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Dallas, El Moviemiento, Vecinos Unidos, The Dallas-Fort Worth Anti-War Committee, Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Democratic Socialists of America and Communist Party USA.

Cole Nemitz from NAARPR-Dallas said, “We stand in solidarity with our comrades and condemn the federal overreach with these proposed invasions. We also condemn the continued collusion between the Dallas police department and ICE; they still refuse to have transparency enough to admit that they’re even doing it!”

Chants at the rally included “Arriba! ¡Adelante! La gente inmigrante!!!, “No fear; no hate, no ICE our state!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for mass deportation!”

#DallasTX #TX #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #NationalGuard #NAARPR