News and Views from the People's Struggle
Denver, CO – On Monday, May 13, members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) occupied the Bursar's office of the University of Colorado, Denver to demand divestment from Israel.
Denver, CO – On Tuesday, May 7, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a rally and sit-in at the Aerospace and Engineering Sciences (AES) building at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Since April 25, students have been camping on the Tivoli Quad on campus to demand that the University of Colorado and the Metropolitan State University of Denver divest from Israel.
Although student leaders have met with the administration of both universities multiple times, thus far negotiations have stalled, and the schools seem unwilling to grant the students' demands. MSU Denver specifically has a partnership with Lockheed Martin, with an entire floor of the AES building dedicated to Lockheed manufacturing.
Denver, CO – On Saturday, April 27, the Auraria Encampment for Palestine entered its third day. Despite police violence and the arrest of 44 protesters the day before, campers were in high spirits to continue.
The encampment is organized by Students for a Democratic Society with community support from the Colorado Palestine Coalition. Throughout the day, hundreds of students, faculty and community supporters spent time at the camp. At 1 p.m., there was a rally featuring speakers from SDS, supportive city council members, and veteran organizers from groups such as the American Indian Movement.
Denver, CO – On Saturday, April 27, the Auraria Campus Encampment for Palestine entered its third day. Despite freezing temperatures and downpouring rain, dozens of protesters have remained through the second night at the encampment.
The previous day the encampment faced attacks from the Denver Police Department. After arresting over 70 protesters, DPD retreated from the encampment before returning a few hours later. Dozens of riot police surrounded the encampment and issued an order to disperse. The crowd linked arms and did not move.
Denver, CO – On Friday, April 26, the Denver Police Department (DPD) attacked an encampment for Palestine set up by Students for a Democratic Society.
Denver, CO – On April 11, members of Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) rallied and held several disruptions outside the University of Colorado Denver board of regents meeting to further Denver SDS’s demands for the University of Colorado to divest from companies tied with Israel.
Denver, CO – Students organized by the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society gathered on Auraria campus April 2 to solemnly commemorate Transgender Day Of Visibility. The candlelight event recalled the suffering and lives lost from violence and hatred aimed at the trans community. News publications and watchdog agencies, spurred on by trans activists, have noted a sharp uptick in hate crimes under the Biden administration, with a steady increase each year since the record numbers committed during the 2020 election year.
Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, March 27, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) kicked off their new campaign against Lockheed Martin with a powerful all-day picket, bringing around 80 protesters to Lockheed’s Colorado headquarters campus.
With thousands of cars passing by throughout the day, the action gave a massive amount of visibility to DAWA’s message that Coloradans do not support Lockheed’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. If this action is a preview of events to come, the days of Lockheed hiding in the shadows outside of suburban Littleton are behind them, as it appears that the people have had enough of the company.
Denver, CO – On March 23, the Democratic party hosted “Demfest” at the Denver Performing Arts Center. In response, the Colorado Palestine Coalition held a protest and disruption of the event in response to the Democrats’ continuous support of Israel’s genocidal actions against the Palestinian people.
Denver, CO – On the evening of March 9, the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) kicked off an event focused on highlighting Palestinian women for International Women’s Day. The action drew over 250 attendees who gathered to listen to a powerful lineup comprised entirely of Palestinian speakers. After an hour and a half, the event concluded with an emotional speech from longtime Palestinian organizer Reema Wahdan, who brought every Palestinian woman in the audience on stage.
Cherry Creek, CO – As Israel escalates its genocidal campaign against Palestinians with events such as the Flour Massacre and other mass killings, the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) responded March 2 with their largest event in months. With over 2000 attendees marching through Cherry Creek, the aspirations of the people were crystal clear – they demand a free Palestine.
Denver, CO – On Saturday, February 17, over 1000 people gathered at the Colorado State Capitol to answer the call for a Global March for Rafah. The action was called for by the Colorado Palestine Coalition and marks the largest pro-Palestine march in Denver for the last few months.
Denver, CO – On February 13, over 300 flight attendants gathered outside of the plaza of the Westin Hotel located in the Denver International Airport as part of a Flight Attendants International Day of Action.
The group of flight attendants were made up of members from two unions who are fighting for a good contract, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA, and Association of Flight Attendants (AFA).
Denver, CO – On the afternoon of February 11 activists kicked off a car rally to loudly occupy and make noise in the streets of Denver in the name of Palestinian liberation. Pro-Palestinian protesters continue to push back at any attempts at business as usual in Denver, occupying and blocking off multiple intersections in front of the Capitol building for over an hour on Super Bowl Sunday.
Denver, CO – On Monday, February 12, members of the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) rallied at the City and County Building to speak in favor of a Denver city council vote to approve a ceasefire proclamation.
Denver, CO – On February 6, the Denver Students for a Democratic society hosted a Teach-In Against Genocide in the North Building on the Denver Auraria campus. Students asked questions, and heard the perspective of Dr. Rabab Ibrahim Abdulhadi, a Palestinian American born and raised in Nablus, who graciously called in remotely to speak about her academic and lived experiences as they relate to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the history of Palestine, and other fights against injustice across the world.
Denver, CO – On Monday, January 29, the Auraria campus was disgraced by the presence of Yoseph Haddad. Haddad is a wounded member of the Israeli occupation forces who now serves as a “defender of Israel” on social media and in publicity stunts to provide cover for the Zionist occupation and its genocide.
Haddad came to speak on campus and present a showing of an occupation forces’ “documentary” about the events of Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
The event was held in the Tivoli Student Union building in the Tivoli Turnhalle, a venue that costs outside vendors $1950 to rent. At $40 a ticket, this event certainly didn’t cover all the barricades and dozens of police present to protect Haddad. Instead, this cost was paid by the students who attend Auraria campus and get little to no say in how the campus is used.
There are Palestinian students on Auraria campus who have lost more than 120 members of their family to the genocide that Haddad speaks in favor of. The welcome mat that Auraria Campus rolled out for him constitutes a deeply discriminatory and dangerous decision on the part of campus administration.
Haddad is charged with going on public relations damage control for the occupation, as universities and colleges across the country are increasingly organizing marches, protests, sit-ins, call-ins, and a variety of other actions in solidarity with the cause of Palestinian liberation. His lies are intended to freeze and silence the Pro-Palestinian movement with accusations of antisemitism, and by mischaracterizing the genocide of Palestinians as some righteous battle for the defense of Israel.
An SDS member who had been planted on the inside noted that Haddad’s speech was made up of thoroughly debunked Zionist talking points in what has become a fool’s toolkit of fakes and falsehoods. The more than 60 students and community members demonstrating outside the event weren’t buying any of it.
The action was a long one. Starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 7:30, the Denver chapter of Students for a Democratic Society joined forces with the Colorado Palestine Coalition and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization to show opposition to genocide-washing events.
A banner that read “End the aid, end the trade: No more funds for genocide!” was prominently displayed on the sidewalk outside the Turnhalle. Members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization held up a banner painting of a Palestinian resistance fighter holding a book and a gun and the slogan “Victory to the Palestinian resistance!”
Speeches by local organizers were interrupted by Haddad himself, who slinked up to the metal barricades that had been set up to keep the students out of the Tivoli Student Union building. Haddad tried first shouting over the speakers but was thoroughly drowned out by a rising chant of “Get this fascist, off our campus!” before he retreated inside to continue his misinformation spree.
Those protesting continued, with renewed vigor, taking to a picket-style march just outside the film screening, audible to all those inside. Towards the end of the event the march proceeded around the Student Union.
The Denver SDS and a growing coalition of student organizations on Auraria are waging a Palestine solidarity campaign to get the University of Colorado to divest from the corporations arming and enabling the U.S./Israeli genocide. It is this mounting pressure and rising level of consciousness amongst the youth on issues like Palestine that threaten U.S. aid to Israel and motivate Haddad to speak at schools here in the U.S. – thousands of miles from the genocidal project he so obediently serves.
#DenverCO #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO
Denver, CO – On Monday, January 22, at 11 a.m., roughly 100 pro-Palestine protesters rallied on the Auraria campus before taking to the streets and halting business as usual.
The activists stopped at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard, occupying the block and remaining there for over an hour and a half. This disruption of one of the busiest junctions in Denver caused traffic delays throughout the entire city and marked an escalation in the militancy of the actions taken by pro-Palestinian organizers.
Denver, CO – On January 6, the Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by organizers with the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) to host a march and rally that drew around 400 attendees to the streets of Denver.
This was quite the first action for a new organization. The DAWA appears to be set to continue their fight for Palestinian liberation and an end to U.S. aid to Israel in their home state of Colorado.
Denver, CO – Around 12:30 p.m. on January 7, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) to host a car rally through Denver in support of the Palestinian resistance.
The event drew about 50 cars and caused chaos throughout the streets of Denver, resulting in traffic backups as far as the eye could see and protesters chanting out of beds of trucks winding through the streets. Anyone passing through Denver on Sunday could not ignore the calls for a free Palestine.