Chicago, IL – Representatives of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) met this morning, August 8, with Maria Rincon, Consul General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Frank Chapman, FRSO Central Committee member, and Joe Iosbaker, a leading member in the Chicago FRSO district, reiterated the statement issued by the organization in the hours following the attempted assassination of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Comrades Chapman and Iosbaker also offered any assistance that the movement in the U.S. can provide to support the Bolivarian revolution, and to end U.S. Intervention in their internal affairs.

Rincon explained that the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is demanding that two suspects who were involved in the attempted assassination who are living in the United States be returned to Venezuela for prosecution.

Rincon expressed her appreciation for FRSO’s solidarity and said the FRSO statement will be published on the website of the Foreign Ministry of Venezuela. She also asked for FRSO’s continuing support for their demands for an end to sanctions imposed by the U.S. government.

Rincon expressed her support for the struggle of people in this country for justice, especially for the rights of immigrants, and for Black people's struggle against police crimes. Chapman, who is also the Field Organizer for the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, updated her about the struggle for community control of the police in Chicago, a campaign which is at a critical point because of the crisis in Chicago since the exposure of the cover up of the murder of Laquan McDonald. Iosbaker, a steering committee member of the Alliance, related that it was at an event at the consulate in 2016 that Alderman Carlos Rosa first offered to sponsor the legislation for an elected civilian, police accountability council (CPAC).

#ChicagoIL #Venezuela #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #JoeIosbaker #frso #Socialism #NicolásMaduro #FrankChapman #Americas

Chicago, IL – Chicago-based anti-war leader Joe Iosbaker is speaking out against the latest U.S./Turkey attacks on Syria and the Kurds. “What does it mean that the U.S. and its NATO junior partner, Turkey, are creating a ‘Safe Zone’ along the Turkey-Syria border? The first result is that dozens of Turkish fighter planes are engaging in attacks against the Kurdistan Workers Party in Syria as well as in Iraq. In Turkey, they’re cracking down on Kurds and the left, with hundreds of arrests.”

“And what of U.S. aims in Syria with this so-called Safe Zone? U.S. air strikes against the ‘Islamic State’ will increase, no doubt. They’ll drive them out of this area, and then turn it over to a more compliant puppet army,” continued Iosbaker.

Speaking on the aims of this widening war, Iosbaker stated, “The real purpose to the U.S. attacks on the so called Islamic State is the overthrow of the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. The plan for this Safe Zone is to turn it into the first ‘No Fly Zone’ over Syria. No Fly Zones are a tool in the imperialist arsenal, as we saw when the U.S. and NATO imposed the No Fly Zone on Libya in 2011. U.S. objectives haven’t changed in the Middle East: it wants to impose the Wall Street agenda on the people there.”

#ChicagoIL #JoeIosbaker #turkey #Kurds #Asia

Chicago, IL – 40 people gathered in Millennium Park here, April 25, to protest the U.S./Saudi bombing of Yemen.

In Yemen, a movement of the poor and oppressed people is fighting for bread and justice, against imperialism, monarchy and Zionism. The fight back there is led by the Ansurallah movement, which the Western media calls the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia has been bombing for a month, causing over 1000 deaths. The World Health Organization reports over 3487 wounded, most of them civilians. The U.S. is providing the Saudis with data on targets and mid-air refueling of their bombers.

Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-War Committee-Chicago spoke to those gathered and pointed out that this has to be seen as a U.S./Saudi War. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no arms industry. Their weapons come from the U.S. Saudi Arabia could not act if the U.S. withdrew their support. We have to demand, “U.S., Saudi Arabia, hands off Yemen!”

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #Yemen #AntiWarCommitteeChicago #SaudiArabia

There is a growing degree of repression and racist violence in the U.S. Witness the murders of the three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina a few weeks ago. For the Black communities in the U.S., there is a police state, which has existed since the Africans were brought to America as slaves. And the U.S. government war on Arabs and Muslims, both abroad and at home, continues and expands, despite the drawing down of troops in Afghanistan and the end of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. I want to highlight the case of the Palestinian activist from Chicago, Rasmea Odeh, as the an example of repression of that community.

Attacks on democracy domestically have always accompanied wars of aggression abroad. To understand U.S. imperialism today, it’s useful to look at the recent developments in the War on Arabs and Muslims; the wars fought abroad just in the past year; the level of racism and Islamophobia whipped up by the politicians and media; and the prosecution of Rasmea Odeh, the newest victim of political repression by Washington.

This War on Arabs and Muslims began with George W. Bush. He used the 911 attacks to justify launch-ing wars of conquest in Afghanistan and Iraq, with plans for Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. The U.S. had been in decline on the world stage since defeat at the hands of the Vietnamese in 1975. What he named the War on Terrorism was intended to put the U.S. back on top, to regain a position of power and profitability enjoyed in the 1950s and ‘60s.

Things didn’t work out that way. The Iraq War ended a disastrous loss, and Afghanistan is an unfolding defeat.

The empire didn’t learn the lesson from these losses that regular people learned – that the era where big powers can remake the map using military force has come to an end. The White House thinks it is a matter of smarter tactics, choosing wars more carefully and keeping the junior partners in NATO on board. Now President Obama deploys a variety of war fighting methods: drone warfare, special operations, color revolutions and proxy armies – but their objective is the same – to use military force and the murder of hundreds of thousands, as in Syria, to maintain and expand U.S. hegemony, to control markets and to ensure profitability.

The newest Iraq War that started in August might seem to be a response to the danger to the world from the Islamic State. However, there’s nothing new about wars of ‘humanitarian intervention.’ The same pretext was used in Libya in 2011. The U.S. was looking for a reason to justify going back into Iraq, and now they have it.

Officially, the War on Terrorism has ended. That rhetoric is no longer used. But in truth, there continues to be a war on the countries and nations of the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Why are they targeted? Because the countries where they are the majority are the largest oil producers. Because those peoples have had the audacity to believe that their national resources should be theirs to develop.

The endless war on these peoples is required because they refuse to accept the dictates by Washington.

In the U.S., there is a necessary corollary to these wars. It is a domestic war on Arabs and Muslims. The U.S. Attorney’s offices in Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan, went after a Palestinian community activist in Chicago named Rasmea Odeh. Rasmea is 67 years old. She was put on trial and convicted in November, and now faces a possible sentence of ten years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and deportation. What crime did she commit? When she emigrated to the U.S. from Palestine, she failed to admit that she had been brutally tortured and raped by Israeli guards in 1969. She didn’t say on her application for citizenship that a kangaroo court of the Israeli occupation – a military occupation which is illegitimate and criminal in the eyes of the world, convicted her of a bombing, based on a confession that they tortured out of her, and which she immediately denied.

There is no due process in Israeli military courts, which ‘convict’ over 99% of Palestinians who come before them, and ‘evidence’ from these should not be accepted in a court in the U.S. U.S. law doesn't allow the use of evidence obtained through torture. The War on Arabs and Muslims has changed that. We use torture against prisoners in our wars abroad, and our courts now uphold the use of torture by the Israelis.

Rasmea was targeted by the U.S. government also as part of the repression of the pro-Palestinian movement. This movement, often called the BDS movement for Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions, has grown in recent years against Israel’s occupation and wars on Gaza.

The case against her grew out of the investigation of 23 anti-war and Palestinian community organizers in Chicago and Minneapolis, who were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in 2010. I am one of those activists. My home was raided by 25 FBI agents on Sept. 24, 2010. I was targeted for my role as an or-ganizer of a large protest against the Iraq War, and because I am a supporter of the cause of the Palestinian people.

The grand jury is investigating myself and the 23 activists for allegations that we provided ‘material support of terrorism.’ This is a lie. The FBI and the Justice Department investigated us and are at-tempting to ‘criminalize’ efforts to empower Chicago’s Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities, as well as work to build solidarity with the struggle in Palestine. No one testified to that grand jury and, due to broad public support and a strong defense campaign, no one was indicted.

Rasmea was not one of the 23, but she is a colleague of Hatem Abudayyeh, who was raided on the same morning I was. Hatem is the director of the Arab American Action Network in Chicago, a community service organization. Rasmea is the associate director. But it is clear that Rasmea came under attack by the U.S. government because she is Palestinian, and because for decades, she has organized for Palestinian liberation and self-determination, the Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees to their homes, and an end to U.S. funding of Israeli occupation.

On March 12, Rasmea will be sentenced. We are asking the judge for leniency, and we are preparing for the appeal. Rasmea’s story is the tale of the Palestinian people. She and the Palestinians are victims of a brutal occupation that has cost many lives and much suffering.

A growing movement has pledged to continue to work for her until she is out of prison and among the Palestinian community and their supporters. Free Rasmea Odeh.

#MoscowRussia #Moscow #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Moscow, Russia – The delegation of U.S. anti-war activists met today, Dec. 16, with the Embassy of the State of Palestine Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Dr. Fa’ed Mustafa. Ambassador Mustafa agreed to the meeting after a request was made by the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, the hosts of the international conference of anti-war forces.

The delegation that met with the ambassador included Joe Lombardo, co-chair of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), Bill Doares of the International Action Center and UNAC and Mo Hannah, also a member of UNAC and me.

First on the agenda for our delegation was to talk with Ambassador Mustafa about the case of Rasmea Odeh, the Palestinian activist from Chicago and the newest political prisoner in the U.S. She was convicted in a federal court in November of a violation in her immigration application in 2004. In 1969, she was imprisoned by the Israeli occupying army in Palestine. She was convicted by a military ‘court’ there after being sadistically tortured, which caused her to confess to a crime she didn’t commit. In her trial last month, the judge ruled that no evidence could be presented of the crimes of the Israeli occupation.

The ambassador of course knew a lot about her case, and expressed support for her. He agreed to share our report with Ramallah, and to continue to raise awareness about her among people in Palestine. He urged our delegation to link her case to the stories of thousands of Palestinians who are also falsely arrested and imprisoned, tortured and brutalized by the Israelis.

Finally, we expressed to him that the U.S. government complicity with the Israeli occupation in Rasmea Odeh’s case exposes their overall role as the main backer of Israel’s occupation.

#MoscowRussia #Moscow #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #JoeIosbaker #DrFaedMustafa

Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh es una activista en la comunidad palestina en Chicago. Su historia es la historia de los refugiados palestinos aquí.

Ella perdió su casa familiar en Palestina durante Al Nakba, “la catástrofe”, como los palestinos llaman a la fundación del estado de Israel en 1948. Cientos de aldeas palestinas fueron agredidos por las milicias terroristas israelíes que mataron a miles y obligaron a 750.000 al exilio.

Luego en 1967, Israel ocupó el resto de Palestina, incluyendo el West Bank, donde Odeh era un estudiante universitario. Bajo la ocupación ilegal, condenada innumerables veces por votos en la ONU, fue detenido el 20% de la población palestina. Como decenas de miles viviendo bajo la ocupación, Odeh fue arrestado por el ejército israelí y acusado de un delito; ella luego fue juzgada sin el debido proceso, torturada a confesar el crimen y condenada a cadena perpetua.

Diez años más tarde, Odeh fue liberado en un intercambio de prisioneros. Ella testificó en una audiencia de la ONU sobre la tortura. Algunos años despues, ella emigró a los Estados Unidos, donde se convirtió en un ciudadano. Se ha dedicado décadas de su vida a las cuestiones de justicia social, incluyendo los últimos diez años a su trabajo en Chicago con la organización Arab American Action Network, donde es un líder defensor de los derechos de las mujeres y los derechos de los inmigrantes.

Porque ella ha trabajado abiertamente en defensa de su comunidad y de Palestina, en el otoño de 2013 fue arrestada en su casa en los suburbios de Chicago por el Departamento de seguridad nacional (DHS).

Cuando ella fue llevada ante un juez esa mañana, sólo yo, Hatem Abudayyeh, su abogado, Jim Fennerty, solo unos pocos amigos y miembros de la familia estaban con ella. Una vez que corrió la voz, muchos miles han tomado a su lado, con apoyo, y promesas de actuar en su defensa.

¿Por qué el gobierno la esta juzgando?

Esa mañana en octubre, un asistente del fiscal de Estados Unidos en Chicago había acusado Odeh de una violación en su solicitud de ciudadanía. Pero eso es sólo un pretexto.

Un fiscal federal con una historia de odio de Palestina estuvo presente en la corte cuando apareció Odeh: Barry Jonas, mejor conocido por haber procesado los cinco de Fundación de Tierra Santa, los hombres palestinos quienes encabezaron la caridad musulmana más grande en los Estados Unidos. Ellos están encarcelados por 65 años por el delito de suministro de alimentos y medicamentos a los niños de Gaza. Para Jonas, alimentación de los niños está ayudando al terrorismo, y el sistema judicial de Estados Unidos ha adoptado esa posición también. Para el gobierno de Estados Unidos, los palestinos, los árabes y musulmanes merecen ser atacados por su oposición a Israel y a las guerras de Estados Unidos en sus patrias.

Desde la mañana de su arresto, el caso de Odeh ha demostrado ser ligadas a la investigación por Jonas de activistas de solidaridad internacional y contra la guerra. Esa investigación comenzó durante una protesta de paz permitida en la Convención Nacional Republicana en 2008. El FBI y la Fuerza de Equipo Contra Terrorismo enviaron agentes encubiertos para espiar a los organizadores. Cuando los agentes se enteraron que el movimiento anti-guerra también se solidariza con los pueblos de Colombia y Palestina, el fiscal estableció un gran jurado federal y un juez firmo una orden de cateo para organizar redadas a las casas de líderes laborales, comunitarios y anti-guerra en Chicago y Minneapolis.

En la mañana del 24 de septiembre de 2010, 70 agentes de la Fuerza de Equipo Contra Terrorismo redaron siete viviendas y una oficina y visitaron casas en otros tres Estados. 23 personas fueron citadas ante el gran jurado. Este caso es el más grande acto coordinado de represión de las personas involucradas en el activismo político desde los años sesenta.

Los 23 negaron a testificar – se negaron a testificar al jurado lo que ellos conocían y trabajan en el movimiento contra la guerra, en el trabajo de solidaridad Palestina o en Colombia. Los activistas fueron capaces de detener el gran jurado, pese a la amenaza de la cárcel por negarse a testificar, gracias al apoyo recibido por el movimiento por la paz, trabajo y libertarios civiles, incluyendo una docena de miembros del Congreso. Un asistente del fiscal de Estados Unidos había sido escuchado quejándose de que los activistas estaban teniendo “su día bajo el sol”, pero amenazaron que no había terminado el caso. Hasta hoy, el gobierno se ha negado de abandonar la investigación.

Hatem Abudayyeh fue uno de aquellos cuya casa fue redada en Chicago en 2010. Abudayyeh es el director de la Arab American Action Network, y Odeh es su compañero de trabajo. La conexión no puede ser más clara. Pero para puntuar la conexión, el FBI visitó a un empresario palestino en Chicago en abril y le preguntó acerca de los Abudayyeh y Odeh.

Sistema legal de Estados Unidos confirma la ocupación israelí

Fuera de la sala de corte en Chicago en octubre, Abudayyeh vio la multitud de siete u ocho agentes DHS parados fuera de la sala donde Odeh se reunió con su abogado, Jim Fennerty, después de la lectura de la acusación. Después de escuchar el asistente fiscal citando la confesión de Odeh, obtenida mediante tortura sádica por el ejército de Israel en su ocupación ilegal, Abudayyeh comentó lo suficientemente fuerte para que los agentes lo escucharon, “así que ahora trabajas para Israel?”

En el sistema legal de Estados Unidos, las confesiones obtenidas mediante tortura no son aceptables en un tribunal de justicia. Sin embargo, una y otra vez, se han hecho excepciones cuando se trata de las acciones de los palestinos en apoyo y defensa de sus compatriotas. En dos casos federales anteriores, los cinco de Tierra Santa y el caso de Muhammad Salah, confesiones bajo tortura podían ser registrados como evidencia y ambos fueron clave para la condena. Ahora la tortura de Odeh es ser confirmada por el Departamento de justicia otra vez.

En Chicago, el Departamento de policía es tan conocido por su tortura de sospechosos afroamericanos que le costó al alcalde Richard M. Daley los Juegos Olímpicos de 2016. El hecho de que Chicago se ha convertido en la capital de la tortura de los Estados Unidos no se puede desaprovechar.

Para justificar su uso de una confesión bajo tortura, el fiscal tuvo que recurrir a demonización, alegando que Rasmea Odeh es una ‘terrorista’ escondido en los suburbios de Chicago. Los activistas de solidaridad internacional y contra la guerra son “violentos”, conspiran para dar “apoyo material” a “organizaciones terroristas extranjeras” en Palestina y Colombia.

Es la intención de Barry Jonas y el Departamento de justicia criminalizar la protesta. Quieren que sea un crimen oponerse a la fuente número una de la violencia en el mundo hoy en día: las guerras de Estados Unidos. Quieren hacer solidaridad un delito, si se expresa por personas que luchan contra los gobiernos apoyados por EEUU, como Colombia y financiado por los EEUU, como la ocupación israelí de Palestina.

Un imperio en crisis

Atacando Rasmea Odeh por algo que ocurrió en 1969 parece un acto de desesperación. En la mente de Barry Jonas, una mujer de 67 años de edad que ha trabajado durante décadas alimentando las comunidades de inmigrantes y refugiados es peligrosa y tiene que ser puesto en prisión y luego deportada. De la misma manera, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) destroza cientos de miles de familias de inmigrantes latinos para mantener “la seguridad fronteriza.”

¿Por qué esta Barry Jonas tan asustado? ¿Podría ser que ve el final del llamado proceso de paz y la solución de dos Estados, ya que las protestas de la primavera árabe arrasaron con el régimen de Mubarak, el gobierno árabe más poderoso de alianzas con los criminales en Tel Aviv? Tal vez teme que la subida del movimiento de la desinversión/boicot/sanciones será para Israel lo que era para la original apartheid estado de Sudáfrica – su fin. Barry Jonas, como todos los sionistas, debe abrigar el temor de que el veredicto es que Israel: es un estado racista, viviendo en tierras robadas y tiempo prestado.

Llamado a la acción

Detroit es el lugar del juicio. Juez Paul Borman ha creado el lunes, 8 de septiembre para la apertura del procedimiento. Todos aquellos que conocen Rasmea Odeh, la apoyan y aman la justicia, se están movilizando para estar en la corte con ella. Aquellos que no pueden ir deberían ayudar a recaudar fondos para la defensa y para ayudar a enviar a otros a Detroit.

Llenamos la sala de la corte. Poner a Israel en un juicio por sus crímenes. Justicia para Rasmea.

#ChicagoIL #JoeIosbaker #RasmeaOdeh #PoliticalRepression

Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh is an activist in the Palestinian community in Chicago. Her story is the story of Palestinian refugees here.

She lost her family home in Palestine during Al Nakba, “the Catastrophe,” as Palestinians call the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. Hundreds of Palestinian villages were assaulted by the Israeli terrorist militias that slaughtered thousands and drove 750,000 into exile.

Then in 1967, Israel occupied the rest of Palestine, including the West Bank, where Odeh was a college student. Under the illegal occupation, condemned countless times by votes in the U.N., 20% of the Palestinian people were detained. Like tens of thousands living under that occupation, Odeh was arrested by the Israeli army and charged with a crime; she was then tried without due process, tortured into confessing to the crime and sentenced to life in prison.

Ten years later, Odeh was released in a prisoner exchange. She testified to a U.N. hearing on torture. Some years later, she emigrated to the U.S., where she became a citizen. She has devoted decades of her life to social justice issues, including the past ten years to her work in Chicago with the Arab American Action Network, where she is a leading advocate for women’s rights and immigrant rights.

Because she has been outspoken in defense of her community and Palestine, in the fall of 2013 she was arrested in her home in the Chicago suburbs by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

When she was brought before a judge that morning, only Hatem Abudayyeh, her lawyer, Jim Fennerty, myself and a few friends and family members were with her. Once word got out, many thousands have taken her side, rallying, pledging and acting in her defense.

Why is the government putting her on trial?

That morning in October, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago charged Odeh with a violation on her application for citizenship. But that is only a pretext.

A federal prosecutor with a history of hatred of Palestine was present at court when Odeh appeared: Barry Jonas, best known for having prosecuted the Holy Land Five, the Palestinian men who headed the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. They are imprisoned for as long as 65 years for the crime of providing food and medicine to the wrong children – the children of Gaza. For Jonas, feeding those children is aiding terrorism, and the U.S. court system has taken that stand as well. For the U.S. government, Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims are targeted for their opposition to Israel and to U.S. wars in their homelands.

Since the morning of her arrest, Odeh’s case has been shown to be linked to the investigation by Jonas of anti-war and international solidarity activists. That investigation began during a permitted peace protest at the Republican National Convention in 2008. The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force sent in undercover agents to spy on the organizers. When the agents learned that the anti-war movement also supports the people of Colombia and Palestine, the U.S. Attorney set up a federal grand jury and got a judge to swear out warrants to search the homes of long time community, labor and anti-war leaders in Chicago and Minneapolis.

On the morning of Sept. 24, 2010, 70 Joint Terrorism Task Force agents raided seven homes and an office and visited homes in three other states. Ultimately, 23 people were subpoenaed to the grand jury. This case is the largest coordinated act of repression of people involved in political activism since the 1960s.

All 23 refused to testify – refused to tell the grand jury who they knew and worked with in the anti-war movement, in Palestine solidarity work, or in Colombia or Palestine. Those activists were able to stop the grand jury, despite the threat of prison time for refusing to testify, because of support received by the peace movement, labor and civil libertarians, including a dozen members of Congress. An Assistant U.S. Attorney had been overheard complaining that the activists were having “their day in the sun,” but threatened that the case against them wasn’t over. Until today, the government has refused to drop the investigation.

Hatem Abudayyeh was one of those whose home was raided in Chicago in 2010. Abudayyeh is the director of the Arab American Action Network, and Odeh is his co-worker. The connection could not be clearer. But to punctuate the connection, the FBI visited a Palestinian businessman in Chicago in April, and asked him about both Abudayyeh and Odeh.

U.S. legal system upholds Israeli occupation

Outside the courtroom in Chicago in October, Abudayyeh looked over the crowd of seven or eight DHS agents milling around outside the room where Odeh met with her lawyer, Jim Fennerty, after the reading of the indictment. After listening to the Assistant U.S. Attorney citing Odeh’s confession, gained through sadistic torture by Israel’s army in their illegal occupation, Abudayyeh remarked loud enough for the agents to hear, “So you work for Israel now?”

In the U.S. legal system, confessions extracted through torture are not acceptable in a court of law. However, over and again, exceptions have been made when it comes to the actions of Palestinians in support and defense of their compatriots. In two previous federal cases, the Holy Land Five and the case of Muhammad Salah, tortured confessions were allowed to be entered as evidence and both were key to the convictions. Now Odeh’s torture is being upheld by the Department of Justice again.

In Chicago, the police department is so well known for its torture of African American suspects that it cost Mayor Richard M. Daley the 2016 Olympics. The fact that Chicago has become the torture capital of the U.S. can’t be missed.

To justify their use of a coerced confession, the U.S. Attorney has had to resort to demonization, claiming that Rasmea Odeh is a ‘terrorist’ hiding in the Chicago suburbs. The anti-war and international solidarity activists were “violent,” conspiring to provide “material support” to “foreign terrorist organizations” in Palestine and Colombia.

The intent of Barry Jonas and the Department of Justice is to criminalize protest. They want to make a crime out of opposing the number one source of violence in the world today: U.S. wars. They want to make solidarity a crime, if it is expressed for people struggling against U.S.-backed governments, like Colombia, and U.S.-funded occupations, like the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

An empire in crisis

Attacking Rasmea Odeh for something that occurred in 1969 seems like an act of desperation. In the mind of Barry Jonas, a 67-year-old woman who has worked for decades nurturing refugee and immigrant communities is dangerous, and has to be put in prison and then deported. In the same way, Immigration and Customs Enforcement tears apart hundreds of thousands of Latino immigrant families to maintain ‘border security.’

Why is Barry Jonas so scared? Could it be he sees the end of the so-called Peace Process and the Two State Solution, since the Arab Spring protests swept away the Mubarak regime, the most powerful Arab government partnering with the criminals in Tel Aviv? Perhaps he fears that the rise of the Boycott/Divestment/ Sanctions movement will be for Israel what it was for the original apartheid state of South Africa – the tolling of the bell of justice. Barry Jonas, like all Zionists, must harbor the fear that the verdict is in on Israel: it is a racist state, living on stolen land and borrowed time.

Call to action

Detroit is the location of the trial. Judge Paul Borman has set Monday, Sept. 8 for the opening of the proceedings. All those who know Rasmea Odeh, care for her, and love justice, are mobilizing to be in court with her. Those that can’t go should help raise money for the defense and to help send others to Detroit.

Pack the courtroom. Put Israel on trial for its crimes. Justice for Rasmea.

#ChicagoIL #Palestine #JoeIosbaker #RasmeaOdeh #PoliticalRepression

In addition the statements from the delegation, Ambassador Jaafari also addressed the press. He began by lamenting the terrible relations between the U.S. government and Syria, noting that Washington closed its embassy in Damascus several years earlier. From his office at the UN, he noted, “I’m restricted to travel no further than 25 miles. I don’t know why.”

The American mainstream media, especially Fox News, were openly disrespectful of the ambassador. They questioned him about the humanitarian crisis in his country and the remaining 7% of chemical weapons stockpiles that had still to be destroyed.

In response, Jaafari told a story about Luxembourg and Australia’s ambassadors coming to him recently with an offer to help on the humanitarian issue. He proposed that they assist the relief effort for the U.S./NATO-sponsored war by providing wheelchairs. They said they would test the waters, and never came back to him. He remarked, “Speaking of improving the humanitarian situation in Syria is one thing; doing something about it is different.”

In the hallway after the session, the reporters were badgering the ambassador with questions about aligning Syria with the U.S. to oppose the Al Qaeda type group, ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria), that has been at war with Syria for over a year and has now invaded Iraq. When one reporter returned to the issue again of disposing of the remaining chemical weapons in Syria, he answered, “We’ll destroy the remaining weapons when NATO stops arming the terrorists.”

About ISIS, Jaafari said, “It’s not ‘Who is ISIS?’ The issue is, who is behind ISIS, funding, training, helping them cross the border. The FOX News reporter responded aggressively, “Are you going to tell us?” To which the ambassador responded, “Who is backing ISIS? The backers are Saudi and Qatari, financed by Gulf petrodollars. There was a Youtube video of Sheikh Yusef Qurdawi, broadcast from Saudi Arabia. He says to the ISIS fighters, 'Guys, I won’t be able to sleep tonight unless you kill 300 Christians and 300 Alawites.””

Later that evening, Jaafari addressed a room packed with over 50 Syrian Americans and 25 anti-war activists, organized largely by the Syrian American Forum. In his remarks, he talked about the U.S. use of 'creative chaos.' “The objective is to get the Arab countries to deviate from their attention on the Israelis. This gives them time to kill the objective of the Palestinian state.”

Then he told a story that left jaws dropped throughout the room. Complaining about the degeneration of the UN as a body, he stated that Israel was nominated to be the vice chair of the Fourth Committee, and they won. “What is the Fourth Committee? The body that oversees the status of Palestine and the Golan Heights, among others. Israel will now chairing the UN meetings addressing the status of Palestine.”

Here is a video of the press conference:

#NewYorkNY #Elections #Syria #JoeIosbaker #DrBasharJaafari #MiddleEast

The Americans were in four different Syrian cities, but their experiences were largely the same. They witnessed an outpouring of sentiment by 11 million Syrians for an end to the foreign-backed invasion of their land, and national unity to reconstruct a society that is secular and prosperous. They expressed this mainly by a vote for President Bashar al Assad, who has led the country in defeating the extremist, Al Qaeda-linked armies.

The observers are united in returning home to work against the American government’s intervention in Syria, without which this war would have been over long ago.

The following is a statement by Joe Iosbaker at the press conference:

My name is Joe Iosbaker. I’m an activist with the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, and also I’m part of the leadership of the United National Antiwar Coalition.

The Syrian people are an inspiration. They have withstood a terrible war, brought to their country by my government and its allies.

I observed the elections in Homs, where the death toll has been in the thousands, and one week after our visit, a car bomb targeting civilians was exploded by foreign-backed right-wing rebels.

I spoke with a medical student who wants to be an ophthalmologist like her president, Bashar al Assad. She and her young friends were confident that the Syrian people would go forward and rebuild their country.

The U.S. government denounced the election before it was held, and the governments that are behind the war in Syria closed the Syrian embassies in their countries so Syrians abroad could not participate. The Western media was shocked by the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Beirut, Lebanon who lined up for three days to vote at the embassy there. These things showed me what these elections represent: a defeat for the U.S., NATO, the Zionists and the Gulf States, and a victory for the Syrians.

#NewYorkNY #AntiwarMovement #Elections #Syria #JoeIosbaker #UnitedNations #DrBasharJaafari #MiddleEast

The chairwoman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the People's Assembly, Dr. Fadia Deeb, convened the meeting. Assemblywoman Deeb is from the city of Homs, which had been one of the starting places for the uprising of right-wing rebels that has torn apart the country for three years.

The following is a statement made by Joe Iosbaker, who served as an observer for the elections and is prominent Chicago based anti war activist:

“I was an election observer in Homs, where I spent time at multiple polling places. I directly observed several dozen people casting their ballots; I spoke with several of them at each of the precincts; I listened as other members of the delegation spoke with voters, as well as precinct workers.

“The election I observed was as free and fair as any I’ve witnessed in the U.S. The election was characterized by a high level of participation, with hundreds at enthusiastic voters, as well as the children of the community, rallying at each poll. Politically, it was more than a first multi-party election for president; it was a celebration of victory over the foreign armies that had finally withdrawn less than one month earlier.

“I am an experienced electoral activist in Chicago, where I am from. I want to compare the Syrian election with elections in the U.S. First, there is a much lower level of participation in the U.S. There are several reasons for this. For one, political parties work to depress turn out among workers, the poor, African Americans, Latinos and immigrants and youth. Also the electoral system requires a special registration to vote.

“Given the lies being told by the White House, I wanted to share with you a feature of the political system in the city of Chicago. Chicago, a city of 3 million, is a one-party state. The Democratic Party has controlled city government for 80 years. The last Republican mayor left office in 1931. There are 50 members of city council. They are all Democrats and there hasn’t been a Republican council member since the 1940s. Chicago is in Cook County, and all those elected from Chicago to county government are Democrats. The state assembly representatives and senators for the city of Chicago, of which there are a total of 45, are all Democrats. The six federal congresswomen and men for the city of Chicago are all Democrats as well. And on election day in Chicago, the precincts are required to have both Democratic and Republican party judges. It is routine that the ‘Republican’ judges are in fact Democrats, wearing the Republican badge for the day.

“Furthermore, I believe this is true in many cities in the U.S. In conclusion, the U.S. government has no right to criticize the elections in Syria.”

#DamascusSyria #Damascus #Syria #JoeIosbaker #MiddleEast

Joe Iosbaker, an activist with the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, was asked to address the meeting and comment on what he witnessed in Homs, where he was stationed as an observer.

Iosbaker told attendees, “In Homs we saw, first, the tragedy and horror of the U.S.-backed armies. We spoke with survivors and saw the photos of 900 martyrs.

“Second, we saw the triumph of the people, as hundreds rallied in each neighborhood and surged into the polling places to cast their ballot.

“Third, we witnessed Sawa, the coming together of the people, the parties and the leader of the country, President Bashar al Assad.

“Fourth, we were drawn into the warm embrace of the Syrian people, we danced debka and we put our fingers in ink as a symbol of solidarity.

“We will return home to bring to the American people what we saw, the truth of a democratic election, a constitution that is popular and a president who is being given the mandate by the people of Syria: to defeat the imperialist U.S., NATO, Zionist aggression; to reconstruct the country, and to heal a people who have suffered this vicious intervention.

“At this time, I want to say that the Syrian people represent that which is best, most noble and most beautiful of humanity: resistance to injustice, to war and occupation. You take your place with the people of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and most recently Ukraine, in the long pantheon of heroic peoples.

“Long live Syria! End the war now! U.S./NATO, hands off Syria!”

#DamascusSyria #Damascus #AntiwarMovement #Elections #Syria #JoeIosbaker #USImperialism #AntiWarCommitteeChicago #basharAlassad #MiddleEast

Editors note: Prominent Chicago- based anti-war activist Joe Iosbaker is in route to Damascus, Syria where he will participate in a delegation of observers for the Syrian election’s. Fight Back! will publish commentary by Iosbaker as we receive it.

Beirut, Lebanon – In a front page story, May 30, headlined “Foreign Jihadis in Syria Pose Risk to West,” the New York Times reports that the U.S. and the UK are concerned about the blowback from the U.S./NATO war on Syria. Hundreds of sectarian fighters have been recruited from the UK and France, and according to the U.S. government, 70 from the US. The article describes efforts by Al Qaeda groups to prepare these recruits to “strike back home.”

In President Obama’s speech at West Point this week, he announced plans for increasing U.S. support for “moderates” among the Free Syrian Army (FSA). This is another effort to get their war in Syria on course. But this aid to so-called moderates is for public relations in the West. The FSA is not a unified, disciplined army. It is well known that weapons provided to a ‘moderate’ reactionary force today end up in the hands of the most brutal of the sectarian forces tomorrow.

The most successful armies fighting to overthrow Syria’s government are those of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Fighters tired of losing will join them. In the fall, the largest of the brigades linked to the U.S.-supported Syrian National Council crossed over and announced they would be affiliating with the Nusra Front.

To spell it out, the U.S. support of the ‘moderates’ won’t achieve the stated objective of countering the influence of sectarians. So what is the real objective of the White House?

Ousting Assad by any means

For three years, the U.S. has funded foreign-led, foreign-dominated armies in Syria. U.S. allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have been responsible for most of the direct aid and delivered most of the weapons. The U.S. began directly providing small arms and other battlefield equipment in the summer of 2013, but was involved from the outset in vetting the forces that the Qataris were backing.

In the U.S., the Obama administration and the mainstream media stick to the mantra that the U.S. allies operate independent of Washington. This is a pretty weak story. Over a year ago, the New York Times revealed that back in 2011, the CIA had been in the Qatari cabinet meetings where the decisions were being made about which of the Syrian fighters to arm. More than that, the Gulf States and Turkey would never have made those moves if the U.S. hadn’t given them the OK.

The monarchies in the Gulf States have supplied several billion dollars worth of arms, not just to any of the fighters arrayed against the Syrian Arab Army; they have especially backed the most sectarian of those. Saudi Arabia is the main backer of those linked to Al Qaeda. If Washington truly wanted that stopped, how could the Saudi’s have continued it? The tail doesn’t wag the dog.

New rhetoric, unchanged U.S. objective

Increased U.S. training of the ‘moderates’ in the FSA has two purposes. The main goal of everything the U.S. is doing in Syria is to get a government that is compliant with U.S. and Israeli wishes. They have decided that President Assad must go.

But the problems with the jihadists are something that the U.S. has to address. The imperialists have to be concerned that the fighters will move against targets other than Assad – Israel, for example. Or returning to the U.S. or the UK. This is a public relations problem, as well as a military matter.

But bad PR won’t stop the U.S. from their course: using any means necessary to achieve their objective in Syria. The anti-war movement must build the movement against the U.S. war of intervention in Syria. We have our work cut out for us.

#BeirutLebanon #Beirut #AntiwarMovement #Elections #AntiWarCommittee #Syria #JoeIosbaker #Lebanon #USImperialism #MiddleEast

Damascus, Syria – Ten people from the U.S., Canada and Ireland have traveled to Syria to observe the presidential elections taking place here June 3. Our delegation is mainly anti-war and international solidarity activists who are members of organizations including the International Action Center, Syria Solidarity Committee, the Anti-War Committee-Chicago, the United National Antiwar Coalition and the International Solidarity Movement. We are hosted by a Iranian non-governmental organization, the International Union of Unified Ummah (Muslim community).

Since arriving in Damascus yesterday, we’ve had several meetings with officials and experts to get an understanding of the elections and what’s at stake. Our first meeting was with Dr. Bassam Abu Abdallah, a local member of the nationalist Baath Party and director of the Damascus Security Center. He talked about how this will be the first multi-party election for president. The rules of the election were established in a new constitution voted on last year.

The three candidates on the ballot were selected from an initial list of 24. The requirements to run include being Syrian, having lived in the country for at least the last ten years, and having the endorsement of 35 members of the national assembly. Previously, the Baath Party was constitutionally the only party that could lead the government. This change was a big concession to demands raised by the protests in the Arab Spring in 2011.

Dr. Abu Abdallah was asked if the elections would have an effect on the armies fighting the government. He answered yes, that it will demoralize them, saying, “First, they see that the U.S. won’t send troops. They’re tired of fighting and they have no vision, other than dying and going to paradise.”

As with the liberation of the Old City in Homs, the mercenaries can see the writing on the wall. “First we put them under siege. The foreign-backed armies previously had perhaps 500,000 with them. Now they have only 100,000. Our soldiers in the Syrian Arab Army [SAA] will continue to fight until the last centimeters of land,” Abdullah added.

Election commission

On the second day, we met with the election commission. Hasham Al Shaher, the commission head, told us we were free to go where we wanted to observe at the polling places. Some will go to Homs, or Atakia and others will stay in Damascus.

He explained that the commission is independent of the administration and appointed to four-year terms. People over 18 years of age (15 million people) are eligible to vote. All that is needed to vote is to be a citizen and to have an ID. No one is required to register in advance.

The Western media was stunned when hundreds of thousands of refugees turned out to vote in Beirut in neighboring Lebanon. It turns out that the commissioners were surprised by the turnout as well. As a result, many thousands were turned away. The Lebanese authorities told them if they returned to Syria to vote, they’d be denied re-entry into Lebanon.

The outpouring was overwhelmingly people wanting to vote for the current president, Bashar al Assad. Coming from people displaced by the war, this was a clear message of opposition to the so-called rebels. Commissioner Al Shaher said, “This shows the insistence and nationalist feelings of the Syrians. Over 95% of those eligible registered to vote.”

Speaker of the Parliament

Speaker of the Parliament Jihad Laham described the political situation they are facing with this war. “We take issue with the criminal American policy to Syria and Palestine. China and Russia have used their veto power to stop the criminal war, while the U.S. has used their veto power 60 times to shield Israel.”

“Unfortunately,” he continued, “we live in dog eat dog times, where the powerful eat the less powerful.” He explained that they had invited parliamentarians to see the truth, but U.S. and NATO governments pressured them not to. “The U.S. is partnered with Saudi Arabia, which has no elections.”

He told us, “Most of the organizations fighting have extreme Islamic orientation. Syria has survived because we are in the right.” The speaker related some of the features of the social program of the government. “Basic food is subsidized: two kilos of bread is less than 10 cents. Education is free. Health care is free. Fuel is subsidized.”

Returning to the countries behind the war, he continued, “Where did the rebels get their weapons? From neighbors with the support of the U.S. and NATO.”

Regarding the moment of the chemical weapon attack last summer that was President Obama’s ‘red line,’ upon which he threatened to hit Syria with hundreds of cruise missiles, the speaker said, “Syria had requested the U.N. to investigate a sarin gas attack in March 2013. It took three months for the inspection committee to arrive, and just then, there was another attack in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.”

He denied the use of sarin by the government forces, noting, “The SAA is victorious daily; why would we need sarin?”

A question was asked about U.S. objectives and next steps after the election. Laham replied, “The U.S. plan is unchangeable, but sometimes they are forced to delay.” This helped make it clear to the anti-war forces in the room that we had to return to the U.S. and educate people about what we learn from the elections, in order to win people to taking a stand against the U.S. war which has already killed as many as 160,000 people.

#DamascusSyria #Damascus #AntiwarMovement #Elections #AntiWarCommittee #Syria #JoeIosbaker #USImperialism #basharAlassad #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – 100 Syrians gathered here, April 5, in front of the Turkish consulate to demand “Turkey, NATO, hands off Syria!” The group also called out their love for their homeland in Arabic, chanting “Tahya Suria!” Long live Syria!

The incident that caused this international day of protest in places with Syrian and Armenian immigrant communities is an attack on the village of Kessab in northwestern Syria. Kessab is a mainly Armenian Christian community, which was attacked by the Turkish-backed terrorist group Al Nusra Front in late March. Thousands have fled Kessab, and the fear of a repeat of the Armenian genocide has caused even Armenian American Kim Kardashian to speak out.

Mark Ahmad of the Syrian American Forum addressed the protest. “We want Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey to stop supporting and sending the terrorists to attack our motherland. Every one of you must inform your neighbors and coworkers and contact their legislators with the message that our U.S. policy should not support repeated aggression against Syria by the government of Turkey.”

Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-war Committee-Chicago addressed the crowd. “We have to oppose the U.S. and its junior partners in NATO, which include Turkey; the U.S. puppets in the Gulf States; and of course Israel, the main provocateur and biggest cheerleader for war in Syria.” Iosbaker also called for the Syrians to support the Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh, who is facing charges by the U.S. Attorney in Detroit for her work in the Palestinian community in Chicago.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #turkey #Syria #AntiWarCommitteeChicago #SyrianAmericanForum #RasmeaOdeh #AlNusraFront #KimKardashian #MiddleEast

The workers are represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73. The voting will take place from Monday, March 31 through Thursday, April 3.

Fight Back! interviewed Joe Iosbaker, a clerical worker at UIC who chairs the joint committee.

“In negotiations with management, their chief negotiator Steve Katz said, ‘None of your members are underpaid.’ In other words, management is saying, ‘just be glad you have a job and stop expecting raises.’

“Now management is threatening us that the politicians in Springfield want to cut 12.5% of the university’s budget for next year. They say it's because the state will lose that much revenue when the temporary income tax increase ends on Jan. 1, 2015. Management wants us to give up any hope of a fair contract.

“The three bargaining committees met and agreed to fight on both fronts. Our message to Springfield: No pension cuts! No budget cuts! Make the rich pay their share of taxes! We adopted a resolution to send a message to the politicians.

“And our message to management: We’re prepared to fight, and even strike if we have to. Salaries for top management have exploded while we have struggled to keep up with the cost of living, with no hope of getting ahead.

“We are asking all union members to come out to vote Yes! to authorize our committees to call a 3 day strike.”

Below is the resolution adopted unanimously by the joint meeting of bargaining committees (Clerical and Administrative, Service and Maintenance, and Technical units) of the Service Employees International Union Local 73 at the University of Illinois at Chicago:

Tax the Rich!

Resolution adopted unanimously by the joint meeting of bargaining committees (Clerical and Administrative, Service and Maintenance, and Technical units) of the Service Employees International Union Local 73 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, representing 3000 workers.

The State of Illinois has an unfair tax system. Wealthy people don’t pay their share. In Illinois, the rich pay less in taxes that 42 other states.

Many major corporations located in Illinois pay little or no taxes. Take for example the Boeing Company. They are the second largest arms manufacturer, and get most of their contracts from the federal government. From 2003 through 2012, Boeing had $35 billion in profits, but paid zero in state taxes.

Now the politicians in Illinois want to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the higher education budget, and billions from other programs that benefit working class people.

We shouldn’t pay for this crisis! The politicians have been raiding our pension funds for 30 years because they don’t tax the rich enough. Illinois state workers have met our obligation by paying into our pension fund from each paycheck. Our pensions are under attack already. Now we’re being threatened with this 12.5% budget cut.

No pension cuts! No budget cuts! Make the rich pay their share of taxes!

#ChicagoIL #TaxTheRich #UniversityOfChicago #SEIULocal73 #JoeIosbaker #Capitalism #workersRights #laborStrike

Grand Rapids, MI – 20 people met at the Yankee Clipper Library here to hear two leading “No Drones” activists from Chicago. On May 4, Kait McIntyre and Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-war Committee of Chicago spoke about the deadly use of drones by the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. They showed a short film detailing how the U.S. government has killed 4700 people, including 178 children in Pakistan and Yemen, and 849 Pakistanis.

Kait McIntyre said, “The U.S. government is murdering thousands of poor rural people on the other side of the world using drones. So we are targeting one manufacturer, the Boeing Company, and their new killer drone called “the Phantom”, with our No Drones campaign.”

McIntyre continued, “People are hearing our No Drones and anti-war message because we link it their concerns. People in the U.S. want jobs, education and healthcare, not tax breaks for Boeing to profit from making more drones and killing innocents.”

Joe Iosbaker, one of the leaders of the 15,000 person anti-NATO march last May in Chicago, said, “We oppose all U.S. wars. There are no ‘good’ ones. Using drones does not make U.S. wars any more ‘just.’ We want to invite activists from around the Midwest to a No Drones conference in July, so we can plan for a big mass action against Boeing.”

Members of the audience asked question for over an hour. Mike Kowalski of Grand Rapids commented, “While Michigan schools and cities scramble for funding, the ten-year Pentagon budget for drones is $250 billion. We need to end the dominance of the big military corporations over our country.”

Joe Iosbaker updated the audience on the FBI raids and U.S. government political repression of 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists, including in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Institute for Global Education (IGE), the Grand Rapids Left Forum and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom sponsored the event.

#GrandRapidsMI #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #drones

“Hands off our families, hands off our friends! Barry Jonas, this must end!” This chant rang out in front of DePaul’s College of Law in Chicago, where over 30 protesters gathered to denounce Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas’ speaking at an event titled, “Fighting Terrorism in the Courtroom,” about government targeting of charity organizations that send humanitarian aid to Palestinians, especially the Holy Land Foundation (HLF). The Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at DePaul raised the call, “Hey DePaul, let’s be clear – racists are not welcome here!” Other members of SJP organized a silent protest outside the door of the event, giving visual representation to how Palestinians are often silenced and reminding attendees of the killing of Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli military.

Jonas is the notorious anti-Palestinian ideologue who is guilty of prosecutorial misconduct in the HLF case – most egregiously denying the defendants their constitutional right to confront witnesses against them, specifically an Israeli intelligence officer who refused to release his identity, agreeing only to testify under a pseudonym. This and many other constitutional violations led to the convictions of five leaders of HLF, each now serving decades in prison.

A number of protesters went inside the event to confront Jonas directly, putting themselves face to face with him and his supporters. Some questioned the audience, asking how an institution that claims to stand for justice could allow a presentation rooted in Islamophobia and racism. Others spoke to Jonas directly.

Joe Iosbaker, one of the 23 antiwar activists who were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury by Jonas’ superiors in 2010, queried him: “My wife and I had our home raided two and a half years ago due to similar allegations of material support for terrorism. No indictments have been issued but we have had a dark cloud hanging over our heads ever since. How long is the statute of limitations on cases like this?” Jonas responded that the statute of limitations was eight years but added that he could not comment on ongoing investigations. Iosbaker left the room while shouting: “Solidarity is not a crime! Charity is not a crime! Organizing is not a crime!”

Jonas’ supporters revealed even more about the true nature and character of these investigations. One shouted that he hoped Iosbaker would be “indicted tomorrow,” and another suggested using torture techniques on a protester who was being escorted out of the event by the police. In the morning, an organizer of the event told a DePaul law student, who was passing out leaflets about Jonas’ history of attacks on Palestinians, that she would make the rest of his career at the College of Law very difficult for him. She also stated that he may be in violation of student conduct rules by objecting to Jonas and that his protest would most certainly be a roadblock to his ability to practice law in the future.

Despite the bloodthirstiness of his supporters, Jonas and his co-panelist, Stephen J. Landes, crumbled under the pressure of the dissenters. They could not make it through the whole presentation and the event ended half an hour early, much to the embarrassment of the Judaic Studies faculty, students and staff who organized the event.

Jonas was escorted out of a back entrance to avoid contact with protesters, but the picket outside DePaul continued. Attendees left hearing the sound of chants like, “Hey hey, ho ho, Islamophobia has got to go!” Muhammad Sankari, a member of the Chicago chapter of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and a protester, said, “Our shutting down of Jonas was a major victory. These people cannot just spew their racism with impunity.”

Kait McIntyre is a member of the Chicago Antiwar Committee

#ChicagoIL #PalestineSolidarity #JoeIosbaker #AssistantUSAttorneyBarryJonas #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #HolyLand5 #PoliticalRepression

Iosbaker, who is helping to organize a campaign against U.S. drone warfare, stated “A U.S. drone base in Niger is a terrible development. President Obama says the base will provide intelligence to support Western intervention in the war in Mali. The base is part of U.S. and French plans for recolonizing Africa.”

The government of Niger, a former French colony, is dominated by U.S. and France.

In a Feb. 22 letter to congress, Obama stated, “This deployment will provide support for intelligence collection and will also facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali and with other partners in the region. The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger is approximately 100.”

In January, 2013, France began a large scale military intervention in mineral-rich Mali, in an effort to defeat an anti-Western rebellion. The U.S., which had long been planning to use troops from western African counties for its own invasion of Mali, is currently providing military assistance to France.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #USImperialism #colonialism #drones #Mali #France #Niger

Chicago, IL – “Fitzgerald doesn’t belong on the Board of Trustees. He’s against the right to dissent, and he’s responsible for some of the worst persecutions of Palestinians in the US,” stated Joe Iosbaker of the Committee Against Political Repression in a statement to gathered news media, on Jan 24.

That’s what former US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald heard as he left his first meeting of the University of Illinois Board. A small crowd was on the sidewalk when he exited the doors to the Student Center West on the campus of the University of Illinois Chicago. The press conference was held to oppose Governor Quinn’s appointment of Fitzgerald to the Board of Trustees.

Fitzgerald apparently was the only member of the Board who requested two plain clothes police officers to accompany him to his car. The other members of the Board left through the same door and walked past the press conference unescorted.

Iosbaker, one of the 23 anti-war activists raided by FBI agents and subpoenaed to a grand jury in 2010 at Fitzgerald’s direction, is also a long time employee of UIC. The protest included officials from the Service Employees International Union Local 73, which represents 3000 workers at UIC. Iosbaker is an officer in the local. Others present represented student groups and Latino employees at the campus.

#ChicagoIL #JoeIosbaker #CommitteeAgainstPoliticalRepression #USAttorneyPatrickFitzgerald #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Chicago, IL – Joe Iosbaker, a leader of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and one of the main organizers of the massive march on the NATO summit, gave an important speech June 30, summing up the some of the lessons of the anti-NATO protest.

Click to hear an MP3 of the speech.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #JoeIosbaker #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganizationFRSO #NATOG8Summit2012 #ChicagoNATOSummit