Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in solidarity the 1500 Palestinian prisoners who are entering their 35th day of an open-ended hunger strike – the “Battle for Dignity.” We salute the revolutionary steadfastness and discipline or all those who have chosen to put their lives on the line to resist the deplorable treatment they face, as Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following May 11 statement from the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU).

Los Angeles, CA – On July 8, 30,000 prisoners in California began a massive, system-wide hunger strike and work stoppage. This is likely the largest prison strike in U.S. history. The prisoners have five demands, centered on stopping long-term solitary confinement, group punishment and administrative abuse, as well as other issues of appalling prison conditions, many of which can be classified as torture. The strike is uniting prisoners across lines of race and nationality throughout the California prison system.

Gainesville, FL – On March 21, Palestine solidarity activists came together on the University of Florida campus to protest inhumane Israeli prison conditions and the mistreatment of political prisoner Samer Issawi. In the middle of a 24-hour solidarity hunger strike, students sat in the center of Turlington plaza with blindfolds over their eyes and duct tape over their mouths.

Justice for Arafat Jaradat, Samer Issawi and all Palestinian hunger strikers

St. Paul, MN – On March 1, people of conscience gathered here during rush hour at a busy Saint Paul intersection, to show solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian political prisoners and to demand justice for Arafat Jaradat, who died Feb. 23 as a result of being tortured by Israeli security. Many passing cars honked in support of the protest.

Chicago, IL – More than 125 people gathered here for a candlelight vigil in support of over 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently on hunger strike in Israeli jails.

Dr. Maher Taher, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and leader of its branch in exile, said on April 30, that the life of Comrade Ahmad Sa’adat, General Secretary of the PFLP, is in danger.

Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails did not eat on Palestinian Prisoners Day, April 17, as part of a growing protest against conditions in Israeli prisons. Prison authorities reported that 3500 prisoners turned away their meals. 1200 vow to continue the fast beyond April 17, joining several administrative detainees. Two of these detainees have been on a hunger strike for over 40 days and are in the hospital in perilous health. Eight ‘flytilla’ activists who were detained for flying into Israel to protest the Israeli occupation and are awaiting deportation fasted in solidarity with the prisoners.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following joint statement from the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and Al-Haq. Hana Shalabi on her 34th day of hunger strike: Israeli Prison Service refusing to transfer her to hospital despite Immediate risk of death “To all the free and loyal Palestinian people, I direct my words to you—while I and all my brothers and sisters in the occupier’s prisons are on hunger strike, we call on you to continue your solidarity and for the issue of prisoners to be on the highest priority list […] I call on foreign states to continue action in applying pressure [on Israel] towards the release of all our courageous prisoners.”

Lakeland, FL – After a six day fast, members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) broke bread with 1000 supporters to protest the Publix food corporation un-fair treatment of its workers, March 10. The CIW is a group of Latin American and Haitian farm workers and tomato-pickers fighting against modern day slavery and for living wages. Presently, the Immokalee Workers are putting pressure on Publix Supermarket for not paying a penny more per pound of tomatoes. Publix is mainly located in Florida but also has stores in Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa'adat on the upcoming hunger strike of Palestinian political prisoners.

Del Norte County, CA – On July 1, prisoners in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at California's Pelican Bay State Prison started an indefinite hunger strike to protest the cruel, inhumane and tortuous conditions of their imprisonment. The hunger strike has been organized by prisoners in an unusual show of unity across prison-manufactured racial and geographical lines.

Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 10, seven students here started a hunger strike to demand that Congress pass the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act is a proposed law that would give some undocumented immigrant youth the possibility to gain legalization if they go to college or join the military.

Firsthand Report on Growing Resistance

Fight Back!: You traveled to Palestine with a delegation of other people from the U.S. Why did you go?

Saint Paul, MN – “Tell the monsters to come out. They want to tell those monsters how angry they are,” said Ya Vang, Hmong interpreter for the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC). “They won't come out, they're afraid of us. They know we're out here,” responded Birgid Maschenik of WRC. The “monsters” that the Welfare Rights Committee members were talking about were the Republican members of the MN House of Representatives.

Minneapolis, MN – Ten registration, scheduling and insurance processing staff who had been working at Boynton Health Services joined the picket lines, Sept. 13. When asked why they joined the picket lines all agreed that, “We wanted to join the picket lines to support all of our co-workers who have been out on the lines before us.” Tammy Harris, Boynton outpatient clinic assistant said, “I went out on strike because I want change.”

Statement of Freedom Road Socialist Organization