Milwaukee, WI – On January 25, around 40 people gathered at the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and North Avenue to protest the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq and the threat of war with Iran. The protesters occupied each of the four street corners and took to chanting before running through a short lineup of speakers.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Hundreds of protests took place across the world on January 25, to demand no new U.S. war in Iran, an end to Trump’s violence and sanctions against Iran, and the removal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. In Fort Lauderdale, 35 activists gathered outside of the federal courthouse to join the global day of protest.

Fight Back News Service Is circulating the following Jan. 26 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Caracas, Venezuela – On the final day of the World Anti Imperialist Congress, January 24, Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro spoke to the hundreds of international delegates from over fifty countries. A delegation from Freedom Road Socialist Organization is participating in the Congress.

Minneapolis, MN – The Wall Street Journal reported this week that President Trump wants to expand his travel ban to Nigeria, Sudan, Belarus, Myanmar, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Eritrea. January 27 will be the third anniversary of Trump’s first executive order, which was his first attempt at a Muslim ban. AP, BuzzFeed, CNN and other media outlets have previously reported that the White House could announce a dramatic expansion of the ban on or around that date.

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 23, thousands marched in Caracas and listened to a fiery speech from President Maduro to mark two important historic events. In 1958, mass movements joined with patriotic forces in the military to bring down the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jímenez. This was the model of civic-military unity that President Hugo Chávez used in his vision of a Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. Unfortunately for Venezuelans, the fall of the Jímenez dictatorship was a short-lived victory. The betrayal of this victory ushered in 40 years of violent repression of communists and other dissidents and disastrous economic policies like import substitution and neoliberal privatizations of important public services. By 1989, the massive poverty created by neoliberal policies led to an urban rebellion of workers and the poor, which led to a vicious police crackdown that killed over 3000 people. Three years later, paratrooper commander Hugo Chávez led a military uprising that ultimately failed but created a lasting popularity in the minds of millions of Venezuelans.

Caracas, Venezuela – On January 22, hundreds of international delegates from 52 countries heard from leaders from Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil to kick off the World Anti-Imperialist Congress.