Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

FRSO

By Thomas Spiers

Tallahassee community members gather to demand justice for Calvin Riley. | Ben Grant/Fight Back! News

Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, June 1, around 25 community members held a rally at Leon County Courthouse to continue to demand that the false and racist charges against Calvin Riley be dropped.

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By Lucas Harrell

Mandeville residents carry a giant Pride flag across the street.  | Fight Back! News/Naomi Retherford

Mandeville, LA – In a groundbreaking advance for the Louisiana LGBTQ rights movement, a Pride parade has premiered in Mandeville for the first time on June 1. Organized by Queer Northshore, over 500 people signed up to participate in the historic march called “PRIDE Northshore 2024.” The parade’s slogan was, “Y’all Means All.”

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By Kyle Cansler

Philadelphia pro-Palestine marchers surround the quad with banners and signs, shielding the encampment. | Photo: Amber Kahn

Philadelphia, PA– On May 18, hundreds of people gathered outside Philadelphia City Hall to rally and march in remembrance of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba. Protesters marched west throughout the city, eventually arriving at Drexel University. With the support and protection of the people, student organizers established a new encampment on Drexel’s Korman quad.

Nakba Day commemorates the violent displacement of Palestinians that occurred during and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which resulted in the establishment of the state of Israel. The term “Nakba” means “catastrophe” in Arabic and reflects the mass exodus of 400,000 plus Palestinians from their homes and homeland, and the subsequent loss of 15,000 Palestinian lives.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Wisconsin District

Since October 7, 2023, the dedicated people of the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin have been organizing and mobilizing for Palestine nearly non-stop. Whether it be a banner drop, a march or rally, disrupting political fundraisers, or divestment campaigns at several local universities, the people of northeastern Wisconsin have shown time and time again that they will not rest until the U.S. ends aid to Israel and stops being an active participant in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been one of the main forces behind these actions, uniting with student and community activists alike to struggle for change.

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By David Jones

Nakba Day protest in Atlanta, Georgia.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On May 18, a Nakba Day protest took place outside of the CNN headquarters, as part of the global commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948.

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By Henry Cornejo

Chicanos rally in East Los Angeles in solidarity with Palestine.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Los Angeles, CA – On May 17, Chicanos from the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, California held a rally for the 76th anniversary of the Nakba. Chants like “Desde el río hasta el mar, Palestina va ganar!” rang through the Cesar E. Chavez and Soto intersection. The rally was organized by members of Centro CSO, a Chicano-led grassroots organization, fighting for oppressed people in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.

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By staff

Marchers stop to listen to speakers on May Day in North Philadelphia   | Fight Back! News/staff

Philadelphia, PA – Over 70 people took to the streets of North Philadelphia on May 1, International Workers Day. Community members and political organizations rallied together at the Philadelphia Peace Park, an area that has been liberated by the community from the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s racist management. It is now the site of a community garden where Peace Park volunteers are building a structure to hold community and educational events.

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By David Pulido

Palestine solidarity encampment at University of California, Irivne.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Irvine, CA – “We demand amnesty for student protesters!” said a Palestinian student organizer at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Gaza solidarity encampment. “We’ve made it clear that we are not leaving until all of our demands are met. If anything, the student suspensions have only made us more determined to stay and hold our ground, because this fight is bigger than us. It’s a fight against genocide and our tuition money going towards the weapons that are murdering Palestinians by the Israeli government!”

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By staff

FRSO May Day panel at the George Washington University Palestine solidarity encampment.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Washington, DC – On May 1, at the invitation of the DC, Maryland, Virginia (DMV) chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), the students at the George Washington University Encampment, informally called the Popular University for Gaza, hosted the Freedom Road Socialist Organization for a May Day panel.

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By Kristin Bonner

NAARPR Executive Director Frank Chapman, guest keynote speaker,  gives opening remarks to begin the local DC Alliance Conference.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Washington, D.C. – On May 4, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), hosted its first local conference. A first of its kind for a branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR), the conference brought about 50 organizers, activists and community members together for a discussion on police accountability and community control. Many of the attendees were Black, Latino, Arab, Asian, and Pacific Islanders.

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