New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, March 11, the local Palestine solidarity movement sprang into action to demand the release of student activist Mahmoud Khalil, a Syrian-born Palestinian illegally detained by ICE last week for his role in the Palestine-solidarity encampment at Columbia University. Although Khalil is a resident of New York, he was transported to a detention facility four hours away from the city of New Orleans, Jena, Louisiana for holding.

Activists rapidly mobilized a press conference, phone zap, and demonstrations, making it clear to the Trump administration and ICE that the movement in Louisiana will fight for Khalil’s release.

Press conference and phone zap calls on Representative Troy Carter to take action

At noon, six organizations spoke at an emergency press conference in front of Louisiana Representative Troy Carter’s downtown office demanding that he pushes for the release of Khalil and the reinstatement of his green card. The New Orleans for Palestine Coalition organized a day-long phone zap to ring his office.

Majdi Jaber of the New Orleans chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement reiterated the Coalition’s demand for Troy Carter to “align his actions with his words and meet with the Palestinian Youth, our elders, and our coalition partners, and also to join [Congresswoman] Rashida Tlaib and 13 other colleagues in the House in signing a letter that formally calls for the release of Mahmoud Khalil.”

Rory MacDonald, a Tulane student suspended for participationin a university encampment for Gaza, spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). MacDonald said that Trump and his administration “are under the impression that they can get away with things in Louisiana that they cannot get away with in New York. We are here to tell them that they are dead wrong. The people and the students in New Orleans and Louisiana are watching, and we are going to raise hell in this city until Mahmoud Khalil is free!”

Troy Carter’s office has since released a statement condemning Trump’s attacks on students, stating, “I stand firmly against the misuse of federal power to suppress free speech. I am committed to protecting the rights of all individuals and will continue to push back against any effort that undermines the Constitution.”

Students take the streets in solidarity, demand sanctuary policies for immigrants

Later in the day at 4:30 p.m., over 100 people rallied and took to the streets demanding Khalil’s release and that Tulane and Loyola Universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses and refuse to comply with ICE. The rally began with chants like “Don’t give in to racist fears, immigrants are welcome here!” and “We want justice, you say how: free Mahmoud Khalil now!”

Student speeches called out their universities’ failures to protect immigrant students and explained why their demands must be met.

“In 2016 when students first organized to fight for this very struggle, the Tulane Undergraduate Assembly passed a resolution in favor of sanctuary. However, Tulane ignored them,” ​said Navya Prakash, a member of Together United SDS. Prakash elaborated that sanctuary policies would make it so that universities would not disclose information about students’immigration statuses to ICE, and not permit ICE on campus without a warrant.

Protesters then marched down to Saint Charles Avenue, a major roadway and home to both Tulane and Loyola University. The action halted traffic and occupied the street as Nadir Benslimane, a member of Liberate and Unite New Orleans SDS, spoke out against the purpose of political repression against activists.

Benslimane stated, “The goal of the Trump administration right now is to ensure that no one can use their free speech to speak out against the injustices that Trump and his cronies are committing here or supporting abroad.” The Trump administration has particularly targeted universities with threats to end federal funding for those that maintain their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Students then relocated to the sidewalk in front of Loyola University, chanting “Loyola, don’t comply, we are keeping DEI!” The protest concluded with calls to join one of the many organizations present to continue struggling for their demands to be met.

#NewOrleansLA #NOLA #LoyolaUniversity #LOYNO #Trump #PYM #FreePalestine #FreeMahmoudKhalil #MahmoudKhalil #SDS #ICE #TulaneUniversity #Loyola #Tulane

New York, NY – On February 25, over 20 NYU students, faculty and workers picketed the board of trustees meeting demanding they disclose and divest from all companies supplying Israel in its genocidal occupation of Palestine.

In addition to disclosure and divestment, the NYU People’s Solidarity Coalition demanded the closure of the NYU Tel Aviv campus, built upon stolen Palestinian land, and the reversal of all suspensions and probation charges of Palestine student activists. The coalition’s demands aim to cut the university’s ties to the state of Israel.

As board of trustee members were escorted into their meeting by campus security officers, they were confronted by picketersdemanding that they disclose and divest. As the meeting went on, picketers chanted “Trustees pick a side, justice or genocide” and “We want justice you say how! Answer our demands now!”

The picket was called for by the NYU People’s Solidarity Coalition, which consists of the NYU Students for a Democratic Society, NYU Students for Justice in Palestine, Shut It Down NYU, NYU Graduate Student Workers Union – UAW, and several other organizations.

The participating organizations vow to continue their fight against NYU, no matter what repressive tactics are thrown their way. They will continue struggling until they win all their demands.

#NewYorkCityNY #NewYorkNY #NYC #NYU NYUPSC #SDS #NYUSDS #NYUSJP #SJP #BDS #UAW #NYUGSWU #FreePalestine #Disclose #Divest

Los Angeles, CA – On February 17, over 1000 Chicanos gathered at Placita Olvera in downtown Los Angeles to protest against ICE deportations and to fight back against Trump's racist, right-wing agenda.

The rally and march were called for by Chicana activists who used social media to get the word out. Recent protests in Los Angeles have brought out large crowds of Chicanos ready to stand up and fight, with the last one, on February 2, drawing tens of thousands who took to the streets. That afternoon protesters even took over the 101 Freeway, shutting it down for hours and completely overwhelming LAPD, LASD and CHP, which were completely unprepared and caught off guard by Raza fighting back.

The rally and march on Presidents’ Day was officially endorsed and supported by the Community Self-Defense Coalition, which is a new coalition recently announced in Los Angeles, consisting of over 60 organizations and unions. Growing every day, the Community Self-Defense Coalition is determined to defend Raza out in the streets in the face of attacks by migra. The program featured speakers from different members of the coalition like Centro CSO, Union Del Barrio, Black Alliance for Peace SoCal and many more. The spirited march made stops at the Metropolitan Detention Center and City Hall before circling back to Placita Olvera.

During the march, the large protest had a soundtrack and that played music, and ledchants like “Raza si, migra no! ” “La que no salta es migra” (Whoever doesn’t jump is migra) and “El Pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (The people united will never be defeated). The march had multiple banners of the different organizations as well dozens of flags representing countries in South America, Central America, Palestine, and Lebanon.

The leading truck flew a large Aztlán flag through the sunny spring morning in Los Angeles. When the march passed through historic Little Tokyo, the organizers shouted out and gave their respects to the Japanese people who themselves were forcefully displaced and put into concentration camps by the United States during World War II.

Veria Topete, a member of Centro CSO, said at the rally, “It felt very beautiful and empowering being with our community, standing in unity to let our brothers and sisters know that it’s not just their fight it’s our fight and they are not alone. That we are here to stand up and defend them.”

Karina Lopez, who represented Centro CSO on the program, said, “Don’t let this be the last action you take. This is only the beginning of the struggle that we have ahead of us when we organize and connect our struggles, we build power. Trump is also saying he will take over Gaza, we say hands off Palestine! Our fight against repression is connected with the fight to liberate Palestine!”

Centro CSO is a grassroots organization focused on fighting for oppressed Chicanos in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. They uplift the demands of Legalization for All, Community Control of the Police and Protect Public Education. They are proud members of the Legalization 4 All Network and affiliates of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).

You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook under the username @CentroCSO

#LosAngelesCA #NAARPR #Legalization4All #LegalizationforAll #ELA #BoyleHeights #Chicano #VivaLaRaza #NoDeportations #ICE #ImmigrantRights #Immigration #FreePalestine #Aztlan #Trump #PresidentsDay #LAPD #LASD #CHP

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, February 17, about 30 Tulane students and faculty held a rally on campus to protest Trump’s agenda. They particularly focused on fighting back against Trump’s ethnic cleansing plans for Gaza, and demanded that Tulane become a sanctuary campus immigrant students. 

Students and faculty gathered in Pocket Park, with signs reading, “Make Tulane a sanctuary campus” and “Gaza is not for sale!” They chanted, “Immigrants are here to stay, Donald Trump go away!” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Tulane students organized the rally in response to ICE activity in the New Orleans area. The fear of ICE raids has led to a drastic decrease in school attendance by Chicano and Latino students in Orleans Parish and surrounding areas. Sandy Thomas, a first-generation Latina student at Tulane, stated, “Trump wants to send 30,000 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay, a detention camp. We may scream as much as we want for change, but change does not happen without action.” 

The rally also defended the ceasefire in Gaza, after Trump’s remarks threatening to ethnically cleanse the strip. Millicent Helmka, a member of Together United Students for a Democratic Society (TU SDS), condemned Trump’s plans to expand military operations in Palestine and displace 2 million Palestinians from their homeland, stating, “The U.S. government uses your cash to build dystopian and monstrous war technology. And those machines get used on people on the other side of the planet, who had dreams, like you.”

As students and faculty continue to push for a free Palestine and sanctuary campus policies, they emphasized that their awareness and outrage must translate into fighting back.

#NewOrleansLA #TUSDS #SDS #Tulane #ICE #Guantanamo #FreePalestine #Sanctuary #SanctuaryCampus

Grand Rapids, MI – The social hall at Fountain Street Church in the heart of downtown was packed to capacity with up to 300 people, February 1. While the folks inside listened intently to the dozen organizers speaking, over 200 people were outside in the freezing weather, patiently waiting to march.

Reverend Nathan Dannison began by telling the audience how excited the church was to be fulfilling its role as a progressive space to host events like these, stating, “the attendance is astonishing.” Fountain Street Church has a long history of being a hub and sanctuary for organizers in the city. Legendary leaders in the Black Liberation movement, like Angela Davis and Malcolm X, have spoken and held rallies at the church. 

The rally organizers, the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated their goal was to build coalitions and relationships with organizers throughout the city. Speakers from these organizations included Planned Parenthood, GR Climate Coalition, Grand Rapids Pride Center, GVSU Progressive Student Union, Grand Rapids School Board, GR Rapid Response to ICE, and others.

Sam Tunningley, an organizer of the event and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated, “Trans rights and 2S-LGBTQ rights are extremely personal to me. My closest friends are queer, my sibling is trans, so Trump and his attacks are extremely personal, and we’re going to fight this on the front lines of every struggle!”

Eduardo Montiel, the chair of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, stated, “I’m optimistic because I know the people, the working-class people who aren’t under risk of deportation, alongside immigrants will come together and stand up to Trump's racist and reactionary agenda. Together a better world is possible and that’s what everyone in this room is here to do right now. To come together and say enough is enough.”

An organizer of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said, “You who showed up for Patrick Lyoya, Samuel Sterling and Riley Doggett, for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, we call on you to join us in our demand, community control of the police now!” In 2024 the GRPD officers killed Samuel Sterling, Riley Doggett, and many more community members. Justice is still yet to come for the family of Patrick Lyoya, who was killed by GRPD Officer Christopher Schurr in April of 2022.

Anthony Hegarty, a member of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, stated, “The ceasefire came at a great cost and it's already being used as a political football by the ruling class in this country, first Trump takes credit, then Biden takes credit. It makes no difference; the Palestinians are ones who deserve credit!” 

The majority of speeches were also translated into Spanish, either by a volunteer translator or by speakers who were already fluent. The event continued into the streets of downtown Grand Rapids as over 500 community members marched for nearly an hour in the blistering cold, waving flags of Mexico and other Latin American countries, and chanting to drown out the sound of GRPD sirens and arrest warnings.

#GrandRapidsMI #GRAARPR #GRPD #GVSUPSU #GRClimateCoalition #PlannedParenthood #Trump #LGBTQRights #FreePalestine #ImmigrantRights

Portland, OR – On Saturday, January 25, about 200 people rallied at Terry Schrunk Plaza in Portland for a post-inauguration protest of Donald Trump. Many protesters held signs denouncing Trump and in defense of the people’s movements. After the rally, the protesters took the streets in a march through downtown.

Portland for Palestine organizer Kacey DeSantis welcomed the crowd, saying, “It is so good to see Portland standing against Trump and his reactionary, right-wing politics. As he repeals over 60 years of progressive legislation, we show up today to say that we will not go backwards. We must fight back against these attacks on our communities!”

Immediately after taking office, Trump greenlit action against immigrants, allowing raids to be conducted in churches, schools and hospitals. As a response, Mayor Keith Wilson reaffirmed Portland’s status as a sanctuary city and the importance of immigrants in our community. Despite this, local organizations and activists have become more vigilant due to the increased ICE presence across the country.

Omar Gil from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the crowd, “these attacks were not possible without the inaction of the Democrats. Under Biden, border militarization and deportations continued. Trump is not an isolated evil; he is the inheritor of a system that operates like this by design. He is a representation of the fetter that capitalism has on the progression of society!”

Mutaz Al-Shawa spoke of his own experience as a Palestinian with family in Gaza, the utter defeat of Israel in accepting a ceasefire, and the inevitability of Palestinian liberation. Elaine Armstrong of CODEPINK Portland spoke of her personal experience growing up during the northern Ireland conflict, drawing parallels to the immense trauma that the children of Gaza have endured during the past 68 weeks of genocide.

When asked about Gaza, Donald Trump’s reactionary rhetoric is one of “cleaning out” Gaza, forcing neighboring countries to take in Palestinians, in an attempt to end the Palestinian national liberation struggle.

Sky Reimer, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at Portland State University, spoke on student’s rights and the importance of putting pressure on Portland State University administration. Portland State is currently under federal investigation for violation of Title VI, a section of federal civil rights law that protects students from discrimination based on race, color or national origin.

Reimer stated, “Islamophobic posters, hate speech, and harassment are allowed on campus. Meanwhile, PSU administration reprimands and expels students for protesting PSU’s ties to the genocide of Palestinians. They've put pro-Palestine organizations on probation, threatening them with dissolution. But the truth is clear, the administration is scared of us. They're scared because by fighting for positive change alongside each other, by joining organizations like SDS, we can make positive change, both on campus, and in the world!”

Trump has voiced support for the police crackdowns on the student encampments of 2024. He has vowed to increase repression on students, threatening foreign students with deportation if they dare to struggle against their administrations’ties to Israel and war profiteers.

Other speakers included a Starbucks Workers United member on worker’s rights and the necessity for class struggle unionism, and an organizer from the People’s March on women’s rights and healthcare.

During the march, protest chants like “No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA!” and “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all!” echoed throughout the crowd. Cars drove past honking in support. Bystanders waved and raised fists in solidarity, some of them joined the march. People from a pro-immigrant demonstration also joined the march as it passed by Pioneer Courthouse Square.

The march ended with high energy and many people showed interest in how to get further involved. When asked about the event, Raea Dente replied, “What always has me coming back to events like these is community, uniting with others and passionately fighting for our collective future. It’s so empowering to see people show up and fight back together- this rally showed the heart and determination that Portland has.”

The organizers concluded the protest by urging attendees to organize and to continue building the mass movements necessary for the fight against Donald Trump and his right-wing reactionary agenda. The protest was organized by Portland for Palestine in coalition with SDS, FRSO and CODEPINK.

#PortlandOR #SDS #FRSO #CODEPINK #PortlandForPalestine #FreePalestine #SBWU #Trump #Inauguration #PSU

Jacksonville, FL – On January 20, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a broad coalition of 20 organizations united to bring out over 150 people to the Duval County Courthouse to protest Trump’s agenda. Hearing from speakers representing various struggles, the people of Jacksonville affirm their fight for national liberation movements, workers, immigrants, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights and more.

With a backdrop of the American flag, the Jacksonville community stood committed to making Trump’s America ungovernable; “We are here to honor Dr. King’s dream by being Trump’s nightmare,” said a member of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee.

The crowd also heard from organizations such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Students for a Democratic Society. To combat Trump’s racist, reactionary agenda over these next four years, these organizations stressed the necessity of uniting various people’s movements. Passersby could hear the crowd chanting, “The people united, will never be defeated!”

A second Trump term promises an escalation of discrimination and repression of Arab communities, reminiscent of the 2017 Muslim ban. Far from an anti-war administration, the impunity provided to Israel by the U.S will not lessen.

“The last 15 months of genocide in Gaza and the persistence of resistance has given new life to people’s movements all around the globe, signaling a decline of imperial powers and a broadening of political consciousness. We must use this moment not to relax our fight for Palestinian liberation, but to escalate it,” said Ryan Delaney from the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

A general theme heard throughout the evening was of perseverance; that the people must not despair and instead get organized. It was emphasized that over the next four years, the people in Jacksonville will not falter in the struggle against Trump's agenda.

#JacksonvilleFL #Jax #JCAC #Trump #Inauguration #JPSN #FreePalestine #MLK #MLKday #FRSO #SDS

St. Paul, MN - As Donald Trump was inaugurated the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, people gathered in Saint Paul to make a promise that from day one they would resist Trump’s agenda. 

The day began at the Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct. With temperatures dipping to negative five degrees, a single hearse led a caravan of over 100 cars in remembrance of Marcus Golden. At the young age of 24, Mr. Golden was murdered by Saint Paul Police on January 14, 2015. He is the nephew of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities organizer Monique Cullars-Doty. 

The caravan participants decorated their cars with Palestinian flags and signs in support of the defense of Black lives, immigrant rights, and reproductive rights. The caravan proceeded from The Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct along University Avenue. Two young men exited their parked cars in subzero weather to wave a Palestinian flag in support as the caravan passed. The caravan participants honked as they continued east toward downtown.

Cullars-Doty spoke about the significance of the single hearse leading the caravan today. “The hearse is from the same undertaker who took my nephew Marcus Golden’s body from Ramsey County Coroner’s office, but it also represents all the revolutionaries this country has killed and silenced. It is also symbolic that we all follow the hearse because we are still fighting. So as this Trump administration rolls in, we cannot let our dreams die. It means we have to keep fighting.” 

A coalition of organizations led by Black Lives Matter Twin Cities (BLM-TC Metro), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) organized the car caravan and indoor rally.

In the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol, the caravan arrived at Saint Paul College where 500 attendees filled the cafeteria to chants of “Black Lives, they matter here! and “Immigrants are welcome here!” 

Despite the somber occasion of Trump’s second inauguration, the room buzzed with enthusiasm as the emcees led the crowd in chants. Speaking for MIRAC was Manuel Pascual - a first generation Filipino immigrant who witnessed the violence of ICE raids against his community first hand. 

Pascual stated, “Immigrants and the working class are the backbone of this country. It is extremely important we don’t panic or fall into despair in this time of uncertainty. Instead, we organize. We take to the streets. We continue speaking up, showing up, and fighting for one another.” 

Charlie Berg, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, affirmed the task ahead of everyone in the room: “It is up to all of us to unite the many in order to defeat the few. We need to make this country ungovernable! Our job is to take the fight to higher stages than ever before.”

Toshira Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, whose fiancé was murdered by the Saint Paul Police in 2009, inspired the crowd saying, “When we see someone being hurt or harmed or mistreated for any reason at all it’s going to take every nationality of people from every walk of life to stand up against the evil and the corruption in this world and we are going to win!”

Sarah Murphy from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee who spoke about the fight for abortion access under Trump and the fight against the predatory crisis pregnancy centers that are run by the Christian right and embed themselves in predominantly Black and brown working-class communities and college towns to dissuade people from getting abortions.

The crowd also heard speeches from the Climate Justice Committee, the TCC4J, the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, among many others. Other groups were present to table and talk to community members and other organizers throughout the day to share information and get more community members involved in joining the fight against Trump. 

Closing out the program was Anti-War Committee and Free Palestine Coalition member Sabry Wazwaz, who connected the fights for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “This connection is not something new. It has always been there. They don’t want us to remind each other that our struggle is one struggle! If you go to Palestine, you will see murals all along the apartheid walls of Martin Luther King, of Malcom X, of George Floyd - because our struggle is one struggle!”

After the program, participants returned to their cars to caravan to the Minnesota State Capitol building where they ended the day of protest honking outside of the Minnesota State Capitol to send the message that Minnesotans will be in the streets to fight Trump’s agenda starting on day one, even in extreme subzero weather.

#StPaulMN #MLKDay #MLK #Trump #Inauguration #Minnesota #AntiWarCommittee #FreePalestineCoalition #FreePalestine #Abortion #AbortionAccess #ReproductiveFreedom #ReproRights #BLM #BlackLivesMatter

Minneapolis, MN – During the harsh winter conditions on January 11, the streets of Minneapolis were filled with the flags, signs, vehicles and chants of the pro-Palestine movement. 

Marking the one-year anniversary of the Great Ride of Return, an international cycling movement dedicated to raising awareness and funds to support aid efforts for the people of Gaza, a caravan was held to take the streets of the city in an effort to continue applying pressure to get Governor Tim Walz to divest the billions of Minnesota pension holder’s funds from modern day apartheid and genocidal efforts.

The caravan was initiated by the MN Anti-War Committee. It began at Minneapolis South High School, wove through one of Minneapolis’ busiest roads, Lake Street, crossed the Mississippi River, and ended in front of Governor Walz’s mansion in St. Paul.

Before the caravan, participants heard from several speakers. Liz Bolsoni of Minnesota’s Anti-War Committee praised the efforts of the Gaza Sunbirds, a paracycling team that has worked tirelessly to distribute aid throughout the Gaza Strip for the past year. Signifying Minnesota’s complicity with the ongoing genocide, Bolsoni told the crowd, “In a statement of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the Office of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the besieged Gaza Strip is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in history. Each day, tenchildren are losing one or both legs.” 

Bolsoni continued, “Right now, the Minnesota State Board of Investment - chaired by Walz - has over $700 million invested in weapons manufacturers that are actively selling to Israel. This being only a fraction of the $5.4 billion invested in other corporations that kill, displace, and terrorize Palestinians.”

Brian Chval of Minnesota’s Anti-War Committee explained, “From weapons, tech, and heavy machinery companies, whose inventory marks Palestinian existence for death to demolition the banks, businesses, and government bonds of Israel itself, the SBI has put our tax money and the retirement funds of workers around the state to the service of genocide.” 

Naveen Borojerdi, a unionized public employee and member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, stated, “You would think after losing an election on the national stage, Tim Walz would start listening to his constituents. Time will tell if he, and the rest of the State Board of Investment, will start listening to us. Otherwise, it will be a repeat of what happened this past November.” 

Borojerdi also told how the State Board of Investments recently closed their public meetings to community members, by no longer allowing the public to participate in the meetings in person, limiting their participation to being able to watch the meeting as a live stream. 

After the powerful speeches, a caravan of 75 vehicles and cyclists took to the streets of Minneapolis to begin their journeytowards the mansion of Governor Walz. Slowly traversing the traffic of streets, the caravan continued to grow in size as it approached the mansion.

Cheers echoed, fists were raised, and pride in the continued fight against oppression was experienced by thousands who were witness to the action. Upon arriving at the Governor’s mansion, protesters exited their vehicles to plant and hang signs and messages to make it clear to Walz that his willing participation in genocide will not be forgotten.

#MinneapolisMN #Walz #TimWalz #FreePalestine #MNAWC #AntiWarCommittee

Tallahassee, FL – Tuesday, November 19, Student Activists at Florida State University came together to condemn the institution’s complicity in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. Student demonstrators laid themselves along the graveled concrete, just outside one of the campus’s most busy academic buildings and refused to move – symbolizing the 40,000 plus Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023.

The demonstration was organized by the Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in coalition with other community advocacy groups. The turnout was about 30 people, with an even greater number of law enforcement watching from afar.

Throughout the demonstration, student activists held up signs detailing the lives of Palestinian children whose stories had been cut short, while others stood up and spoke against the university’s cooperation with war profiteers.

As soon as the student activists began to lead the crowd in chant, campus police quickly intervened, ordering the demonstration to “quiet down,” lest the FSU students studying inside “be made aware of their university’s complicity in genocide,” as one of the activists powerfully put it.

Eventually it rained. Despite the unfortunate weather, the student activists picked up their things and got together for a final march, solemnly chanting affirmations of Palestinian liberation.

Florida State University (FSU) and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) have a joint engineering school, with long-held ties to weapons manufacturers Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and the Boeing corporation, among others. These corporations sponsor internships, make massive donations to the universities, and often appear as guest speakers on campus in engineering classrooms in the hopes that new talent will funnel into the weapons manufacturing industry. These corporations actively produce and sell the weapons given to Israel, which are then used to carry out the televised genocide.

FSU sophomore JJ Glueck has been organizing with the Tallahassee SDS for the better part of a year now and was beyond enthusiastic to talk about FSU’s involvement with the genocide, and her own, deeply passionate reasons for activism.

Glueck stated, “If you, as a person in Palestine who has experienced genocide, can continue to resist and speak, the least I can do is speak up for them in my own country, playground, and backyard and try my absolute best to demand FSU divest from Israel.

Glueck’s advocacy, and “radicalization,” as she puts it, is anything but new, with roots tracing far back to her youth. Glueck was in elementary school during the Ferguson unrest - a series of large-scale protests against police violence and militarization, sparked by the killing of African American Michael Brown in Saint Louis, Missouri. She witnessed the protests firsthand from her car window.

This experience had certainly taken root in her; by the time she had moved to Florida and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 had begun, she was out there with the rest of them – organizing and doing the work.

“I saw what police officers did to protesters. I saw it when I was young in Saint Louis, and I saw it again in Florida – I saw what police did to Black people. That was my radicalizing experience.” Glueck’s passion for advocacy didn’t end at racial injustice in America, however. The similarities between the struggles of African Americans in the U.S. and Palestinians in the Middle East were a turning point for Glueck.

“I think back to what I remember of the Ferguson [unrest], I remember seeing that from a car, but also seeing it on the news, and seeing the way the police responded to those protests; seeing the way the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] responds to the people of Palestine, if you take out the headlines, it’s the same god damn thing. It’s so eerily similar, and they’re shooting people in the streets, massive amounts of people, our police don’t look that different - it should terrify all Americans,” stated Glueck.

Repression at FSU

During the wave of pro-Palestinian student encampments across the country, FSU students held their own, only for campus police to relocate the protesters several times, ultimately turning on sprinklers to disburse demonstrators.

Tallahassee’s SDS was then interrupted again by campus police. During SDS’s general body meeting set to discuss tactics on keeping protests safe, campus police arrived and ordered them to relocate from the Landis Green, despite it being designated as a “free speech zone.”

Police presence escalated further after Ron Desantis signed a bill into law banning DEI initiatives in public Florida colleges. SDS held a protest in opposition to the law, only for police to watch from afar in a militarized armored vehicle, as what Glueck described to be an intimidation tactic.

Then, Tallahassee’s SDS was de-listed as a registered student organization after protesting at the university’s board of trustees meeting. The university alleged that the students failed to leave after being asked by police, despite video evidence of the contrary. Tallahassee’s SDS released a statement condemning the university’s decision, alleging that FSU has “shown their fear of the student movement by wielding campus police in cowardice.”

At the time of writing, members of Tallahassee’s SDS are currently undergoing mandatory disciplinary hearings at the hands of the FSU administration. Considering the University of South Florida’s willingness to expel student protesters, these disciplinary hearings aren’t to be ignored, and could have grave, disproportionate consequences for the students activists involved.

Students across Florida have shown their teeth, and university administrations have done the same. If the suppression of FSU students is anything to go off of, life as a politically conscious Florida college student may just get worse – somehow. Only continued activism and organizing can prevent this and build the student movement into an even more powerful vehicle for striking blows against this rotten system.

#TallahasseeFL #Tally #TallySDS #SDS #FAMU #FSU #Desantis #NorthropGrumman #LockheedMartin #Boeing #FreePalestine

Milwaukee, WI – On November 21, the UWM Popular University for Palestine (PUP) Coalition took bold action to rename the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library. As part of the National Students for Justice in Palestine’s International Strike for Palestine, students hand-delivered a petition signed by over 500 students, alumni, faculty and community members. The petition, denounced UWM’s dehumanizing language and policies toward Palestinians, and was brought to Chancellor Mark Mone’s office. The protest ended in a banner drop at the campus library, and a call for renaming the building to Electa Quinney Library.

Coalition member organizations including Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Muslim Student Association, and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) - led the campaign to put an end to UWM’s continued financial and academic ties to the genocidal state of Israel and to challenge the ongoing repression of Palestinian and pro-Palestine students on campus. 

Fed up with repeated dismissals of their demands by the administration, students taped the petition to the chancellor’s office’s doors at Chapman Hall before continuing their march to the library. The banner drop came after months of frustration with UWM administrators, who repeatedly dismissed student demands against the admin’s support of Israel as it carries out an ongoing genocide. Students also decried the library being named after a Zionist former prime minister of Israel, Golda Meir. 

The PUP coalition demands that UWM rename it to the Electa Quinney Library. Electa Quinney is Wisconsin’s first public schoolteacher and an indigenous woman from the Stockbridge-Munsee band of Mohicans. The demand represents the future that students want for UWM, “Just as countless institutions have removed the names of figures tied to oppression, UWM must take responsibility and rename the library,” said student organizer, Ameen Atta.

Over the last year, Muslim, Palestinian and pro-Palestine students have faced attacks for standing with Palestine, while the university administration does nothing but pay lip service. 

“Over the past year, UWM has undermined the safety of its Palestinian and Muslim students, and in many instances, put us directly in harm's way. Having a library named after someone who's basically denied the existence of Palestinian people only puts us in even more danger,” said Students for Justice in Palestine president, Waleed Nassar. “We’ve attempted literally all conventional means of communication with admin to address this issue of student safety, but all we are met with are empty promises and words of ‘sympathy.’” 

Despite the constant repression faced on campus, students and allies remain steadfast in their demands. The PUP coalition continues to fight for UWM to sever all ties - academic, financial, and social - with the state of Israel.

#MilwaukeeWI #UWM #SJP #SDS #UWMSDS #PUP #YDSA #InternationalStrikeForPalestine #GoldaMeir #FreePalestine #BDS #CulturalBoycott #AcademicBoycott #Israel #ElectaQuinney #NativePower #IndigenousPower #Mohican

Jacksonville, FL – On Saturday, November 16, people of conscience in Jacksonville rallied in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Over 100 protesters demanded an arms embargo on Israel, chanting “Israel bombs, USA pays!” Protesters also had local demands for the Jacksonville Port Authority-JAXPORT to cut ties with the shipping and logistics company Maersk, as long as that company continues to ship weapons and weapons components used by Israel. 

Speakers emphasized that the people's movements would remain steadfast in the fight for the self-determination of the Palestinian people. “Our fire is still lit, and we won't stop until Gaza is free,” said a member of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network. 

Onlookers and passing drivers showed their support by joining chants, honking and cheering the protesters on. With signs reading, “We want genocide out of JAXPORT,” the crowd chanted, “Mask off Maersk, mask off Maersk!”

Community leaders made it clear that the fight for a liberated Palestine is a part of the fight against U.S. imperialism - that only the people can save us, and that the power of the people is much greater than the ruling class. Ryan Delaney from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization emphasized, “When we see moments of revolution, of people taking their futures into their hands, we see that as the right side of history, and we see that as the road to freedom.” 

As the U.S. Senate is days away from voting on a bill that would block $20 billion of weapons to Israel, protesters in Jacksonville maintain that the people's movements are at the helm of this fight, and they won't stop until they win.

#JacksonvilleFL #JAXPORT #FreePalestine #JaxPSN #MaskOffMaersk

New Orleans, LA - On November 13, students packed a room to hear about their university’s difficult financial future and anincreasingly bloated and unaccountable administration.

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) and members of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) created an exposé highlighting their campaign demanding that Loyola disclose their $250 million endowment fund.

Students were especially frustrated with tuition increases and cuts to their financial aid to bail out the university from its poor financial management.

“Loyola’s plans for the future are not looking great. You can expect tuition to increase from $47,390 to $51,656 and total financial aid to drop by 3%. This is all for what admin has called a ‘premium education’,” said Nadir Benslimane, a Liberate and Unite New Orleans (LUNO) SDS member. “If you think this premium education means more classes and higher paid professors, you’d be wrong. Loyola plans to hire two more vice presidents who will make over $300K, bloating our administration while professors who have worked here for 15 years haven’t ever seen a raise.”

On top of extreme tuition increases, this panel exposed the board of trustees and the corporation that controls the endowment fund and where that fund is invested. “The board of trustees iscomposed of wealthy business owners whose interests do not align with students’ material interests by any means,” said Miu Sims, an SDS member.

The exposé revealed that the university’s “ethical investment statement,” despite pandering to the Jesuit and Catholic values regarding investments, includes a clause that says ethical investing is very hard, and so they are free to do as they wish. The “corporation” is a small group of high-ranking Jesuits who control the board of trustees and have the ultimate say on where the investment fund ends up.

“The corporation excludes all outside perspectives by only hiring Jesuits and those in ‘good standing’ in the Society of Jesus, meaning only men can be on this corporation,” said Mae Guidry, SDS member.

The Jesuit Order has released several statements on the genocide of Palestinians and Pope Francis, a Jesuit, has called Israel a terrorist state. “They [the corporation] claim to represent Jesuit values but only at their convenience and your silence,” continued Mae.

The panelists then explained the retaliation that students have faced for demanding disclosure and exercising free speech and expression. “We’ve been consistently struggling for financial transparency, the right to free expression, and a meeting with admin. Now, two students have been fired for protesting; people are on disciplinary probation, and the administration is consolidating its power to shut down student free speech,” said Nour Saad, president of Loyola MSA.

The panelists concluded with a call to action to sign a letter to the president of Loyola, Xavier Cole, the Loyola board of trustees and the corporation with the following demands: Disclose all investments made by the university; divest from all companies related to Israeli apartheid; rescind all institutional sanctions placed on students related to free speech and expression, including but not limited to protesting, and calling for meetings with relevant university administrators regarding the above demands, including but not limited to President Xavier Cole.

This event served as a way to unite students around disclosure and institutional transparency.

#NewOrleansLA #NOLA #SDS #FreePalestine #LoyolaMSA #Loyola #Budget #Disclose #Divest #BDS #Endowment

Highlands Ranch, CO – On Monday, November 4, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by 25 community members to march and rally in front of Lockheed Martin’s Human Spaceflight Center. The group demanded disclosure to the public regarding the purpose of Lockheed Martin's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. 

The event began with a march on the building; however, themarch was short lived due to police cracking down with the threat of arrests unless organizers backed up to the sidewalk. DAWA member and emcee Solveig Swain stated, “These cops care about shutting down our right to peaceful protest, but turn a blind eye to the endless war crimes being carried out by Lockheed? Shame!”

The event continued on the sidewalk, where a picket and rally were held with speeches from socialist, student and anti-war organizations. 

Vincent Verheij with DAWA spoke on how militarism harms the average American, stating, ”Last year $1748 of the average Americans hard-earned tax dollars went to military contractors for the Pentagon.” The crowd found this fact shameful, and expressed that, especially in times as financially hard as these, this money should be going towards addressing the needs of people at home, rather than harming people overseas. 

Many of these weapons that Lockheed Martin and other weapons manufacturers produce are sold directly to Israel, with the intent to be used upon the Palestinian people.

Khalid Hamu from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The resistance in Palestine is waging a struggle to see their people liberated. Israel has not been able to stamp out the resistance after more than a year now. The biggest military power in the Middle East has been failing to win their military objectives.” Despite the Israeli military failing its objectives in Palestine, the genocidal siege carries on; yet so does the resistance in Palestine and resistance to weapons manufacturers the world over. 

After speeches, chants, and marching along the sidewalk, the event wrapped up. Organizers stated that this is only the beginning of their actions targeting the Lockheed Martin Human Spaceflight Center, and that they will be returning soon to continue fighting for their demands.

DAWA held a teach-in the previous week to raise awareness about space militarism and Lockheed Martin’s role in Colorado. The DRACO program, funded by NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), is often marketed as a peaceful advancement of technology for space travel. However, DARPA’s funding, primarily for military applications, signals a new arms race in space.

Lockheed Martin’s partnership with DARPA has historically led to significant military advancements, including the F-35 fighter jet and MLRS artillery systems, sold to Israel. In 2022, Eric Brown, a vice president of Lockheed Martin’s space program, described the DRACO program as a “watershed moment,” comparing it to the Manhattan Project of today.

DAWA urged community members to recognize Lockheed Martin’s space program as another means of developing technologies for genocide and to reject attempts to portray these developments as technologies for neutral space exploration applications. DARPA’s funding, with a history of U.S. government investment in military technologies that were later sold to Israel and other bad actors, confirms space militarism as the new arms race and market for war profiteers.

DAWA is poised to continue fighting against space militarism and Lockheed Martin until their demands to achieve disclosure, end Lockheed Martin’s aid to Israel, and to push the company out of Colorado are met.

#HighlandsRanchCO #DAWA #AntiWar #DRACO #DARPA #LockheedMartin #FreePalestine

New Orleans, LA – Starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23, pro-Palestine students at Tulane University quietly entered the library and took up space at nearly every table on the first floor. Almost all the students wore keffiyehs and taped signs to their laptops. Some slogans read, “Tulane divest from genocide”, “While we’re learning, Lebanon is burning”, and “Our tuition funds genocide.” Food, coffee, keffiyehs, signs, and books on Palestine were provided to any student who wanted to join.

The action, called a “study-in”, drew attention from Tulane’s administrators, university police, and pro-genocide students. Usually open to the public, the library required student IDs to access that week. Police and administrators stood around throughout the 24 hours. Several pro-genocide students arrived and occupied a table, wearing Israeli flags and attempting to speak to students trying to study. They also frequently recorded pro-Palestine students without their consent, often getting very close to their faces. When reported to the library administration, they replied that there was no policy to stop students from recording without permission.

Despite the intimidation attempts, pro-Palestinian students maintained the study-in for 24 hours. At times, more than 50 students were participating. The action was a resounding show of Tulane students’ support for Palestine. The message from the students was clear, “Tulane divest from genocide.”

#NewOrleansLA #Tulane #StudyIn #StudentIntifada #FreePalestine

Milwaukee, WI - 700 pro-Palestine Wisconsinites gathered October 5 to honor the Palestinian resistance and condemn one year of Israel’s escalated genocide. The protest was led by the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine Janan Najeeb, co-chair and convener of the WCJP, kicked off the protest by affirming, “the resistance and the call for justice is not subsiding. It is growing.”

With recent escalations by Israel and the US bombing Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and threatening war with Iran, Milwaukee organizations have mobilized and demanded “U.S. hands off the Middle East.” Najeeb, who is also a leader of the Milwaukee Muslim Women Coalition, told the crowd, “The U.S. has over 750 bases in 90 countries to control their people and natural resources, but the people are winning!”

Since Israel escalated its genocide on the Palestinian people and stoked a regional war, the U.S. has doubled down and entrenched the war machine in support of the Zionist occupation. Locally, Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin back the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council (WDIC), which is complicit with genocide. Accordingly, the march made its first stop outside the WDIC, where Sara Onitsuka, chair of Milwaukee Anti-War Committee, stated, “Palestinians and other oppressed communities in the region will free themselves through their struggle and their resistance. But we will do as much we possibly can to weaken the U.S. war machine from the inside, build up the kind of strong organizing ecosystem here to take on our own government and its war crimes and win.”

Frida Rose Hamad, UW-Milwaukee student and second generation Palestinian- American, spoke on the direct links her family and many others have to the struggles in Gaza. She spoke of family members martyred by the Israeli occupation forces since 1948, with an aunt who was a speech therapist for children, and a great uncle who was older than the apartheid state of Israel being martyred since October 9, 2023. Hamad finished her moving speech with “We refuse to move, we will rebuild we will remain, we will return. Free Palestine!”

The march then moved on to shut down the busy Wisconsin Avenue outside of Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office. Bryan Atinsky of Jewish Voice for Peace spoke outside of Baldwin’s Milwaukee office to call out the hypocrisy of U.S. politiciansclaiming to speak for all Jewish people. Speaking on his time as a journalist covering Israel’s crimes in occupied Palestine, Atinsky said, “In 2010, my daughter, son, wife, and mother in law were killed by the criminal negligence of the Israeli Defense Forces.”

Atinsky continued, “The massacres in Gaza continue in pace - It feels like 1982, 1990, 2006, and 2016 all over again, but worse, more extreme, more ruthless. And yet, the well-funded Jewish establishment, like the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, is working tirelessly to stifle the growing Jewish voices who stand in resistance to this carnage!”

Throughout the march, chants of “Kamala Harris, you can’t hide we charge you with genocide!” and “Brick by brick, wall by wall, Zionism will fall!” rang throughout Milwaukee’s downtown. Despite the 700-person rally and the recent escalations by genocidal Israel, the mainstream media has largely ignored pro-Palestine protests.

Nonetheless, the protesters made it clear that they are not tiring out. Chris Van Valkenberg, of the Students for a Democratic Society chapter in Milwaukee, said, “After a year of genocide and nearly a century of Zionist occupation, the indisputable scholasticide is hitting students everywhere. We are inspired to rise up and fight against the billions of dollars that the U.S. has been sending to Israel to sustain the genocide The unwavering Palestinian resistance hasn't backed down, and we won’t stop either until the complete liberation of Palestine!”

#MilwaukeeWI #SDS #FreePalestine #WCJP

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Since last fall SDS and the UMN Divest Coalition have been demanding the UMN administration divest from Israel. After months of protests, die-ins, a campus-wide resolution that won by 75%, and continued silence on the genocide from UMN administration, an encampment was set up to pressure the administration to meet our demands. During the encampment that occurred last spring, students banded together to demand 1. Divestment from Israel and all companies complicit in their crimes 2. Ban these companies from hosting workshops and job fairs where they poach our best and brightest to run their war machine 3. Sever all ties with Israeli universities 4. Disclose all University investments and spending 5. Release a statement supporting the Thawabit, and 6. Ensure amnesty for all students and staff involved in the Palestinian liberation at the University of Minnesota. These demands were agreed to by Interim President Ettinger. It has been six months since then, and Ettinger did not follow through on his promises when he left our campus in the hands of Rebecca Cunningham.

Shortly after President Cunningham started working at our university, she and the Board of Regents held an emergency meeting, a week before students returned to campus, where they passed a policy of neutrality for the UMN endowment. Regent Jamie Meyron introduced the institutional neutrality policy declaring the University’s endowment funds “politically neutral”, effectively making it impossible for students to campaign for the University to divest from certain companies. In this same meeting, they resurrected restrictive protest policies, including banning unpermitted protests of more than 100 people and the use of more than one sound amplification device, and put size limits on signs and banners. To enforce these rules, administrators have followed any pro-Palestine protest around with clipboards, taken pictures of protesters without their consent, and repeatedly threatened students with suspension.

While any sort of speech about Palestine has been repressed on campus,  Cunningham and the board of regents have been preaching about how our university is a beacon of inclusivity in public while saying heinous things in private, supporting the genocide of the Palestinian people to appease Zionist shareholders and ultimately increase their bottom lines. SDS could not in good conscience let this continue and after months of attempted negotiations, our only choice was to escalate our actions. As we had promised during the encampment negotiations with Interim President Ettinger, we would be back.

This lack of urgency shown by the administration shows both a disregard of student voices as well as a disregard of the rapidly worsening conditions in Gaza. While we attend classes and debate policy, horrific images and stories have been coming out of Northern Gaza. Israel is now believed to be carrying out the “General's Plan” to forcefully starve the remaining population of north Gaza, according to a former Israeli National Security Council deputy director. For the first two weeks of October, the entirety of North Gaza was cut off from any aid by Israel. Aid continues to be severely restricted. As of 10/25, the last remaining hospital in Northern Gaza was raided by IDF soldiers, leaving the entire population of north Gaza without access to any medical treatment.

On October 21st, student protesters entered Morrill Hall and occupied it as a form of protest. When entering the building protesters made it abundantly clear to all those inside they were free to leave and were in no form of danger.  Our people explicitly left the central door on the west end of the building open for those who wished to leave. All others stayed willingly. Additionally, our protesters did not vandalize any property, and any damage was done either by police or in self-defense.

Once students took the building, they hung a banner renaming it in honor of Medo Halimy. Medo Halimy was a 19 year old Gazan student who was brutally murdered by Israel; he posted on social media about his ‘tent life’ and the lives of thousands of other people during the ongoing genocide. Halimy deserved an education and life just as much as the students at the University of Minnesota.

About two hours into the occupation of Halimy Hall, Safe U notifications were sent out causing fear and confusion around campus. This in combination with an exponentially heightened police presence -over 30 UMPD, MPD, State Patrol, and SWAT cars along with a helicopter- made the wider population of students uneasy, but nonetheless our protest persisted.

UMPD, in conjunction with the Minneapolis Police Department, and Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, forcibly entered HalimyHall through the tunnels, using a battery ram to break through barricades, yelling, and pointing guns at protesters. They demanded them to get on the ground, and even after this order was complied with, multiple people were still physically restrained and dog-piled by police. They went from door to door until they had arrested eleven protesters and detained a member of the press who had been reporting, despite them wearing a vest clearly dictating their role; when press started taking photos of their colleague being detained, cops tried blocking the camera. Everyone was held in the basement, including members of the press, until 7:35; two hours after the police had entered the building. During this time, we were unable to determine the location of the protestors and were concerned for their safety. The belongings of the protestors inside, including those of the press, were subsequently confiscated. The press member was eventually able to collect their belongings on Wednesday, but the arrestees have not yet received their belongings and have not been given a concrete timeline of when they will get them back. This is despite the fact that some of the belongings collected are essential to their safety, including glasses, prescription medications, and house keys.

The arrestees were then brought to Hennepin County Jail. It wasn’t until 4 AM that they all were processed. They were held under a probable cause hold, which has a maximum limit of 36 hours. Protestors were held under this supposed “36-hour” hold from late Monday night until 5:30 on Wednesday when the last protestor was processed to be released. While they could have been released anytime within the 36 hours – we were hopeful they would be- the University Police did not send over the charges. There was no transparency for us or the arrestees on how long they would be kept. During this time, protesters had to endure insults from law enforcement, inadequate food, the release of dead names to the public, and were separated and put in blocks despite their gender identities. Trans women were put together in a men's cell and kept in there for 23 hours a day without knowing what time of day it was. During the 36-hour hold, arrestees were interrogated by UMPD, as well as the FBI. One arrestee’s processing was delayed by 5 hours, meaning that they stayed in custody hours after they should have been released despite not being charged. Protestors had to continually remind officers and guards that they were being kept past the 36-hour hold they were supposed to be held for. Our students dealt with these dehumanizing conditions with grace and bravery, but this suffering though could have been far shorter if the University police had sent through complete charges sooner. Instead, they dragged their feet and let their students suffer for merely for exercising their constitutional right.

While all eleven arrestees were released without bail and without charges, as of yesterday one arrestee, Robyn Harbinson, received word that they were charged with fourth-degree assault. Robyn's first court date is on November 7th, look out for a court rally for our brave protestor. Additionally, all students who were detained received an email that they had been placed under immediate interim suspension. Not only does this mean that they can no longer attend classes, but students who relied on student housing and food plans were left scrambling to find new accommodations for the foreseeable future. These emails also included blatant misinformation, citing incorrect dates of arrest stating people were arrested on September 21st instead of October, and stating that protestors had prevented staff from leaving Halimy Hall, a point that has been disproven by staff members themselves.

While our students were in jail President Cunningham sent out an email to the student body claiming our protesters caused intentional property damage and held staff in the building against their wills, statements which are factually incorrect and actively defame our brave protesters.

That leads us to our current situation where all 11 of our arrestees may still be unjustly charged for their heroic actions. We as SDS need the support of our community now more than ever to bring our brave students back to campus to receive the education they deserve. More importantly, the people of Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen need your support more than ever as they are bombed, starved, dehumanized, and burnt alive.

They may arrest us, jail us, suspend us, and evict us but we will never stop fighting for our university to divest from Israel and we won't stop fighting until there is a free and liberated Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #UMN #FreePalestine #SDS #UMNSDS #HalimyHall #StudentIntifada #Divest #Feature

Green Bay, WI - On October 6, several dozen protesters marched through downtown Green Bay in an event marking one year of resistance to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Members of Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Hate Free Outagamie began the march with a rally at Leicht Park. From there the protesters marched in a loop through Washington Street and Broadway, chanting “Free free Palestine!” and “From Lebanon to Falasteen, end the U.S. war machine!” The chants resonated with passersby who joined the march. 

The demonstration had significance beyond the eve of the anniversary of October 7; it highlighted the intensifying class struggle against imperialist aggression. Israel’s recent invasion of Lebanon - after the Israeli terror attacks involving pagers and cell phones, which resulted in at least 3000 civilians injured and at least 12 killed - has escalated tensions between Israel and states resisting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. For workers of the world, the need for an anti-war stance becomes increasingly urgent.

The chair of the Green Bay Anti-War Committee spoke at the rally before the march, stating “Our position is founded on the fact that the flames of conflict have a way of spreading. While billions flow into military operations abroad, our own citizens struggle with crumbling infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, and underfunded education.” His speech emphasized that not only is war destructive abroad but also at home, making the anti-war stance the only rational choice by all workers worldwide.

The march was followed by a vigil for the Palestinian and Lebanese martyrs at Leicht Memorial Park. Members of Hate Free Outagamie and Green Bay Anti-War Committee read avigil statement. Massacres committed by Israeli Occupation Forces since October 7 were listed followed by a moment of silence for the over 42,000 victims of the ongoing genocide. The glow of vigil candles illuminated the park as the closing statements were made, and the poem If I Must Die by Palestinian poet Rafaat Alareer was read. 

As members of Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Hate Free Outagamie will continue actions in the Fox Valley and Northeast Wisconsin as well as participating in marches and rallies calling for an arms embargo and an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel.

#GreenBayWI #FreePalestine #GreenBayAntiWarCommittee #AntiWar

On October 7, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Wayne State University joined the National SDS Student Walkout to remember one year of genocide, resistance, and student struggle against our administrations all over the country. We hoped to be able to protest without the threats of repression and violence by the Wayne State Police Department (WSU PD). However, this was not the case. 

At 2 p.m., we marched from Gullen Mall to the Admin Building without using amplified sound. Within minutes of standing outside, we were surrounded by WSU PD. Officer Daniel Williams approached one SDS member, telling them to immediately disperse. When asked why, he cited a new, anti-democratic policy, claiming, “protests must be registered with the school.” This is a policy SDS was never informed of at our prior two protests. Furthermore, the policy cited is difficult to locate on the Wayne State website, nor are all its stipulations localized. Specifically, the policies regarding the use of amplified sound and what activities do or do not require a reservation are inaccessible, contradictory, and confusing. The unpredictable enforcement of these policies violates students’ rights to know the rules by which they are governed. These rights have been in place since 1967, meaning Wayne State administration is violating some of its oldest principles. 

More than violating our rights as students, Wayne State Administration and WSU PD denied our constitutional right to assembly and speech under threat of violence. After informing us of the policy, Officer Williams threatened our members, saying to one, “This is your first warning to disperse or leave campus, I’ll give you a second warning, and if I have to give you a third, I’ll use force.” These threats are unacceptable, but they are shamefully common. Over the past year, Wayne State Police have met students with immense violence, which has been left unchecked by the administration. This is shameful, seeing as Wayne State is a public university that claims to support freedom of speech. Instead of uplifting student voices, they resort to police intimidation and unconstitutional policies to silence us. 

SDS stands proud in the history of the student movement. We draw inspiration from the Chicano, Black, and Asian student walkouts in 1968, the student strikes of 1969, the historic struggle against the war in Vietnam, and the struggle against South African apartheid. Like the students in those times, we also stand in solidarity with the national liberation movements taking on the U.S. empire. New SDS was founded in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and since then, SDS has never shied away from standing up to the U.S. war machine. It is our duty to resist from within the belly of the beast.

 The Wayne State PD and Admin want to intimidate us and stop us from continuing our struggle for Wayne State to Cut the Ties with the IOF, but instead, they have hardened our resolve. We must continue fighting for change on campus. Because of the repression experienced on Monday, we issue the following demands to counteract threats of brutalization from WSU PD:

A. An end to the policy requiring registered protests, which undermines the spirit of freedom of speech and right to protest.

B. End the threats of brutalization from police by designating a staff of trained, unarmed, non-PD admin liaisons to communicate with student protesters rather than police. 

C. Issuing a resolution enshrining the right to student led protests on campus without restriction.

D. And once again: Cut the Ties Between the “israeli” Occupation Forces and the WSUPD

As we represent the one year of struggle against the ongoing genocide, Wayne State University students stand together to demand justice. We will not allow WSU PD or any other institution to silence us. Our fight for justice continues, and we will remain united against oppression.

#DetroitMI #WayneState #WSUPD #WSUSDS #WSU #SDS #SDSWSU #Divest #BDS #FreePalestine #StudentIntifada #PoliticalRepression #Repression #StudentMovement

Portland, OR - Over 100 people gathered Portland’s Sewallcrest Park on October 7 to protest one year of escalated genocide in Palestine. The date is marked the one year anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, an operation carried out by Palestinian resistance groups that targeted Israeli military bases just outside of the Gaza strip; a historic display of resistance against the, at the time, 75-year occupation of Palestine. The event was organized by Portland for Palestine.

Signs around the rally read “Stop arming Israel,” “Fund schools not genocide,” “End the occupation” and “Nothing justifies genocide.” 

The rally began with a speech from Mutaz Al-Shawa, a member of Portland for Palestine with direct ties to Gaza, who stated, “this has been going not just for a year, but for over 100 years.” He encouraged the crowd to action, “being quiet and sitting in the back saying ‘oh, I’m sorry,’ this doesn’t help, we have to stand and fight!” 

Speakers for the evening’s program also included members from Resist U.S. Led War PDX, People Organizing for Philippine Solidarity (POPS) and Freedom Road Socialist Organization PDX (FRSO).

 The rally turned into a march down Hawthorne Boulevard, taking up half the street and blocking one-way traffic. During the march, chants such as “We rise up, we mobilize, no more funding genocide!” “We want justice, you say how? Stop bombing Gaza now!” and “Resistance is justified, when people are occupied!” echoed from the crowd and were heard by drivers, shoppers and those dining and sitting outside.

Many people came out of shops and restaurants to observe the march, some recording on their phones and raising their fists in solidarity; cars rolled by and honked and waved their hands out of windows. As the march turned down a residential street to make its way back up the main road, a few people came out of their houses and joined in on chants from their doorsteps. 

Local Oregon news station, KOIN Channel 6, was on the scene to document both the rally and march. The event was featured on the 11 o’clock news that evening. During the segment, the coverage of the protest was juxtaposed by Oregon Senator and AIPAC poster child Ron Wyden’s reassertion that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” a statement he made at a meeting earlier that day. 

The march wrapped up after about one mile back at the park from which it started, with the crowd in unison chanting “Palestine will live forever!”

Kacey Desantis ended the day's events with some closing remarks. “The fight for Palestinian liberation is the fight for liberation of all oppressed people! Going forward, the fight for collective liberation will be hard won by all of us working together. When we dare to struggle, we dare to win!”

When asked about what they thought about the night’s event, Holly Brown stated, “Tonight showed me that the people stand with Palestine. We will continue to show up, march in the streets and demand an end of U.S. aid to Israel, for as long as it takes.” 

Portland for Palestine affirms their commitment to the struggle for Palestinian liberation for as long as Palestine is under occupation. They continue to demand an end of all U.S. aid to Israel in all forms and aim to target the different ways Portland, Oregon is complicit with the Zionist occupation.

#PortlandOR #FreePalestine #PortlandForPalestine #AlAqsaFlood