Fort Lauderdale, FL – On Sunday, April 15, about 25 members of the South Florida activist community joined together outside of the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale to protest the latest U.S. attacks on Syria. The event was in reaction to the attack Friday night by U.S. and its accomplices, in which they illegally bombed three government-controlled sites in and around heavily populated areas in Syria.

Protesters held several “Hands off Syria!” signs and a large hand-painted banner that read, “Stop the endless war! U.S out of the Middle East!” As cars drove by along the busy downtown roads, the spirited group of protesters chanted slogans such as, “Hey, hey Donald J, how many bombs did you drop today?”

After about one hour of chanting and sign-waving, the group formed a circle to hear the organizers of the event speak about why protesting these endless wars is imperative.

Lifetime anti-war activist Ray del Papa, of Pax Christi, addressed the crowd by reminding them of the lies told by the media and the politicians in the months leading up to the Iraq War. He warned that the U.S. is playing a world-ending game against Russia in Syria, and that the stakes are high.

Conor Munro, an organizer with People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), also addressed the crowd, stating, “We know it’s not going to be Trump junior or senators’ sons that are going to fight and die in war against the people of Syria. It’s the 99% that will have to fight, and all to line the pockets of the big corporations.”

Munro continued, “While Donald Trump was out bombing Syria, we could have used that money to fix the poisoned water in Flint, or give health care to all Americans, or to provide free college for millions of students. And don’t let the news media fool you into thinking this is a humanitarian war. Do we really think that Donald Trump is a humanitarian?”

To show the hypocrisy in American ‘humanitarian intervention,’ Munro mentioned the desperate humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by Saudi Arabia, the slaughter of dozens of Palestinians in recent weeks by Israel, and the millions of Iraqis killed in the U.S. ‘War on Terror,’ all acts committed by or assisted by the U.S.

#FortLauderdaleFL #AntiwarMovement #Syria #POWIR #PeoplesOppositionToWarImperialismAndRacism

Fort Lauderdale, FL- On Feb. 3, 30 members of the South Florida community gathered outside of the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale to protest the illegal and unjust imprisonment of 16-year-old Palestinian Ahed Tamimi. The protest, which was called, “Free Ahed and ALL Child Prisoners,” focused not only on young Ms. Tamimi but also the 300-plus other child prisoners being held in Israeli occupation jails.

At the protest, activists held signs that read, “Free all children from occupation,” and “Stand up for Ahed and all of Palestine.” As they congregated along the sidewalk along the busy intersection at Broward Boulevard and SE 3rd street, the group shouted chants such as, “Jail Bibi, free Tamimi!” and “IDF, what do you say? How many kids you kill today?”

After about an hour of chanting and sign-waving, the group gathered to hear speeches from various organizations. Donna Nevel, a lead organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace, was one of those who addressed the crowd.

“We stand firmly with the Palestinian people and join them in their calls for justice, to live in their homes and on their land without constant violence and abuse at the hands of the Israeli government,” Nevel said. “We stand with Ahed Tamimi and her family and the people of her village, Nabi Saleh, who are courageously resisting injustice!”

Thousands of Palestinians remain in Israeli occupation prisons under phony charges or without having been formally charged with any crimes. In these prisons, they are often subjected to harsh conditions, threats against their families, and torture. It is in these same prisons that the Israeli Defense Forces lock up young Palestinian children for throwing rocks at armored tanks, attending protests, or simply being related to politically active people.

Young Palestinians standing up against the Israeli government and its soldiers are forming a new threat to the Israeli establishment. They are deciding to fight back against the U.S. insistence that Palestinians accept a fate doled out to them by imperialist U.S. and apartheid Israel. Ahed Tamimi is a symbol of the new resistance, born and raised under occupation, violence and war; refusing to accept anything but a totally free Palestine.

As the chants died down in Fort Lauderdale, the protesters reaffirmed their commitment to do their part as activists in the U.S, to combat U.S foreign policy that does harm to children and all others in Palestine and in countries throughout the world.

The protest was organized by a coalition of various groups including POWIR, Al-Awda South Florida, Jewish Voice for Peace South Florida, National Lawyers Guild Miami and Friends of Sabeel South Florida.

#FortLauderdaleFL #Palestine #POWIR #AhedTamimi #MiddleEast

POWIR [People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism] unequivocally stands in solidarity with 16 year old Palestinian youth activist Ahhed Tamimi and all other Palestinian child prisoners illegally detained in Israeli prisons.

Ahed has been targeted by the Israeli state for her family’s long standing anti-colonial activism that opposes the Israeli occupation and the continued annexation of their village lands by Israeli settlements. On January 1, Ahed was indicted with 12 charges for activism, including assault of an IDF soldier and incitement based on social media posts. This punishment has also been collectively extended to her mother Nariman and her cousin Muhammad Tamimi who was shot in the face with rubber bullets at an Anti-Trump action.

Since the year 2000, over 8,000 Palestinian children have been detained in Israeli jails. These children are often not allowed legal counseling or even allowed contact with their parents. Israel, using its “emergency rules,” operates under 1,500 military laws that can be arbitrarily changed. This often denies Palestinians the right for legal representation or trial, leading to indefinite detainment. Mass arrest is commonly used as a tool of collective punishment which is illegal under international law. Israel is the only country to prosecute children in military courts.

We stand against this practice and the larger colonization of Palestinian lands that has been ongoing for decades. We support all those, young and old, who resist Israeli occupation. We denounce the charges against Ahed and the criminalization of young freedom fighters, while violent while IDF soldiers are given free range to abuse Palestinians with no consequences.

In Solidarity,

People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism

“My daughter is just 16 years old. In another world, in your world, her life would look completely different. In our world, Ahed is a representative of a new generation of our people, of young freedom fighters. This generation has to wage its struggle on two fronts. On the one hand, they have the duty, of course, to keep on challenging and fighting the Israeli colonialism into which they were born, until the day it collapses. On the other hand, they have to boldly face the political stagnation and degeneration that has spread among us. They have to become the living artery that will revive our revolution and bring it back from the death entailed in a growing culture of passivity that has arisen from decades of political inactivity.” Bassem Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi's father.

#FtLauderdaleFl #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #Florida #POWIR #AhedTamimi #PeoplesOppositionToWarAndImperialism #MiddleEast

Miami, FL – Over 4000 people took to the streets of Miami Friday night, Nov. 11 to protest the presidential election and President-elect Donald Trump. Like the dozens of major protests that have erupted across the country, this impromptu emergency call to action was issued one day after the election results were announced and immediately spread like wildfire over social media.

The massive march was a denunciation of the racist, anti-women and xenophobic rhetoric and policies put forth by Donald Trump and his campaign, as well as a condemnation of both major political parties’ corrupt practices and collusion with the 1%.

The protest began outside of Bayfront Amphitheater in Biscayne Bay, at the heart of downtown Miami. Even before the scheduled start-time, hundreds of people began gathering at the meetup location, carrying signs that read, “Not my president,” and “The DNC gave us Trump.” By 7 p.m., the numbers had swelled, chants grew louder and louder, and the group left the park and took to Biscayne Boulevard chanting, “The people, united, will never be divided!”

The massive group, led by a banner that read “Dump Trump! No hate In FL!” took over downtown Miami and halted all traffic going in and out of downtown. Cars honked in support, many drivers joining in the chants with their windows lowered. After an hour of marching north on Biscayne Blvd, the group abandoned their original route and took to the MacArthur Causeway, hopping the barriers to stop traffic from both directions.

As protesters marched down the highway for a mile, more and more people joined in. After leaving the Causeway, protesters marched back to Biscayne Bay only to retake another one of Miami’s busiest highways, Interstate 95. Once on the highway, they chanted “Muslim lives matter!” and “We reject the president elect!”

The group marched for miles from 6 to 10 p.m., never backing down, never stopping to rest. The protesters were diverse in gender, age and nationality. People marched for LGBTQ rights, climate change, peace, women’s rights and against racist discrimination. They marched against hate, fear and bigotry.

An attack on the march came from the balcony of a Miami condo building near the I-95 exit to Biscayne Boulevard, from which spiteful onlookers opposed to the march threw several glass bottles down at the protesters from several stories up. The bottles shattered on the street below; a woman and an eleven-year-old girl arm was struck and bruised, causing her to fall to the ground in tears. The height from which the bottle was thrown could have done much more serious damage.

The protest in Miami was one of three major protests held throughout South Florida over the weekend. More protests are planned for the coming days and weeks in South Florida to denounce Donald Trump. Plans are also in the making to converge on the nation’s capital on inauguration day.

#MiamiFl #US #PeoplesStruggles #Florida #POWIR #Elections #Elections2016

Miami, FL – About 30 anti-war activists in South Florida gathered together, Aug. 18, to hear Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin speak about her new book, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S-Saudi Connection. Miami was Benjamin’s first stop on a tour meant to increase awareness and create more dialogue around the ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Kingdom of the Unjust, largely centers around the human rights abuses and war crimes committed by the Saudi government, and how the U.S. supports, utilizes, and defends those actions. Benjamin spoke about the millions of dollars’ worth of weapons the U.S. sells to Saudi Arabia each year, their mutual interests in the Middle East, as well as their involvement in American politics.

Her book and the tour itself could not have come at a more opportune time. Over the last five years, the Saudis have not only exported weapons and money to terrorist groups throughout the Middle East fighting in Syria, Iraq and Libya. These Saudi-backed groups have created violence and chaos throughout the region which has killed hundreds of thousands.

Benjamin talked of the current waves of illegal bombing raids the Saudi government is conducting against the people of Yemen. These strikes have targeted schools, hospitals and heavily populated neighborhoods, killing thousands of civilians. Yet despite these horrific war crimes, the U.S. continues to support their regime.

Several progressive groups came together to discuss these topics with Benjamin, including the Green Party of Miami and People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR). The audience was able to ask questions and give input during the event.

“In her lucid presentation, Medea dismantled false dominant paradigms about the U.S.'s interests in the Middle East,” said Carlos Valnera of POWIR.

“It was important for Benjamin to speak in south Florida to inspire a new wave of peace and justice activists to get mobilized,” said David Gibson of Peace, Justice and Sustainability Florida. “She supported current activists who continue to work for positive change and informed us on the coming struggles so we can organize a powerful and effective response to the abuses of those currently in power.”

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #Florida #POWIR #MedeaBenjamin

North Miami, FL- About 50 activists and members of the North Miami community gathered at the North Miami Police Department, July 25, to protest the recent shooting Charles Kinsey. Protesters held signs that read, “Fire and jail all (wannabe) killer cops,” and “All lives will matter when Black lives do.” The protest included an hour long sit-in inside the police station, where they demanded answers for the attack on Charles Kinsey.

Kinsey is a Black behavioral healthcare worker who was shot twice in the leg by police officer Jonathon Aledda. He got shot while attempting to assist a nonverbal autistic man, Arnaldo Rios, who was a client at the group home where Kinsey works.

At the time Kinsey was shot, he was lying on the ground with his hands up, explaining to the officers that he was a healthcare worker and that the young autistic man sitting on the ground next to him only had a toy truck, not a gun. When Kinsey asked why the cop shot him, Aledda answered, “I don’t know.” This prompted protesters to chant “’I don’t know’ is not enough!” outside of the police station.

To add insult to injury, after shooting Kinsey, cops proceeded to put him in handcuffs rather than call an ambulance. And in a disgraceful attempt to defend officer Aledda, the Police Benevolent Association explained that Aledda was trying to shoot Rios, the 26-year-old autistic man, but missed.

Once they all squeezed inside the police station, protesters demanded complaint forms, so that each person there could file an official complaint against Aledda. The police told the activists that they do not have official complaint forms or an official mechanism for filing their complaints, so police tore out pieces of paper from a notepad and handed them out.

Activists felt slighted by this action, knowing that complaints on random pieces of paper would not be taken seriously. So they used the papers to also write up speeches that they later delivered, explaining why they were there and why communities across the nation must keep fighting for justice.

Many of the protesters at the sit-in were teachers, who explained that police brutality is an issue that affects their students on a daily basis and that they feel they must speak out against. Some even spoke about how teachers are trained and certified in interacting with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and mental disabilities. One teacher in attendance asked, “Why aren’t these police officers trained to deal with mental breakdowns and people with disabilities the way we are? Why was their first instinct to shoot? Can you guarantee us that our autistic children will not be victims of police brutality?”

This was the second protest at the North Miami Police station for Charles Kinsey, and activists vowed to continue fighting until the police officer is fired and put on trial.

#NorthMiamiFl #PoliceBrutality #PeoplesStruggles #POWIR #SouthFlorida #CharlesKinsey

Cassia Laham of People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) in Fort Lauderdale states, “The South Florida anti-war and pro-Palestine communities have been mobilizing for Rasmea ever since her case first went to trial. We understand the importance of keeping this amazing Palestinian hero out of jail. She survived the unlivable horrors in occupied Palestine at the hands of Israeli soldiers, and, instead of coming to the U.S. and forgetting her homeland, Rasmea began organizing in the streets of Chicago for immigrant rights, women's justice and against police brutality. She is a relentless warrior and we have supported her through this witch-hunt against her and we will continue to do so in Cincinnati at her trial.”

Laham continued, “If one 67-year-old woman can survive occupation and torture at the hands of Israeli military, come to the U.S. and continue organizing for justice even after her imprisonment, then surely the pro-Palestine community can mobilize in her defense!”

A rally will take place in front of the Federal Courthouse at 8:00 a.m., Oct. 14, and supporters will attend the hearing.

#FtLauderdale #FL #Palestine #PoliticalPrisoners #Florida #GrandJuries #PoliticalRepression #POWIR #RasmeaOdeh #SouthFlorida

Fort Lauderdale, FL – Over 100 people held a vigil, rally and march the evening of June 23, in a community response to the Charleston massacre of nine African American churchgoers.

The organizers’ statement read, “The South Florida community unites with communities throughout the country in remembering the victims of this attack.” After the vigil there was a “rally against national oppression and racist violence in the U.S.”

The vigil and rally began in front of the African American Research Library in the Sistrunk neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, a predominantly African American community. Protesters gathered chanting, “When Black and brown bodies are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” Their signs read, “Black lives matter,” and “Stand up against white supremacy and racism.”

It then turned into a two-mile march as protesters took to the streets. They chanted loudly as they marched down Sistrunk Boulevard. People from the neighborhood joined the chanting and several joined the march. Halfway through, protesters energetically took over an intersection at NW 6th Street and NW 9th Avenue for several minutes, blocking traffic and shouting, “If we don’t get it, shut it down! Shut it down!”

The attack on the AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina was committed by a white supremacist hoping to start a race war against African Americans. The AME Church was specifically chosen for its historic importance to the African American people and because it was the target for Klan violence in the past. The white killer’s goal was to intimidate, but instead the result is a strengthening of the African American people’s resolve to end their oppression. Rather than give into fear and racist violence, people throughout the country are joining African Americans and rising up in unity to stand against racism and oppression. The South Florida protest was a part of that fight back.

Didier Ortiz, one of the organizers of the South Florida march, spoke to the crowd. “Together we have the power to end racial violence,” he said, “It starts with solidarity and ends in liberation!”

The march ended at the Mount Hermon AME Church, where protesters gathered for a vigil to remember the nine victims of the Charleston massacre. They held moments of silence for all victims of racist hate. People also held candles and listened to speeches from community organizers and religious leaders.

“Let's call this what it is: the massacre in Charleston was a terrorist attack,” said St. James Valsin, an organizer of the event. “And long before ISIS or Al-Qaeda ever existed Black and brown people in America – Black, brown, and poor people all over this world – have felt the sting of American terror in the form of imperialism and capitalism. The institutionalized racism and sexism that we are fighting against are all byproducts of the American dream.”

The protest was organized by local community organizations including People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), Broward Dream Defenders, and Broward Green Party. Protesters say that they will march again and again until they “finally get the freedom and justice we all deserve.”

#FortLauderdaleFL #AfricanAmerican #Antiracism #POWIR #CharlestonMassacre

According to anti-war activist Pamela Maldonado, a lead organizer with People’s Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), all members of the South Florida pro-Palestine and pro-justice community should attend. “We want the dedicated South Florida community to keep up the support for this incredible fighter for justice. They will have the opportunity to ask Michael Deutsch and Rasmea Odeh questions and find out what else we, her supporters, can do to support her appeal and to keep Rasmea free.”

Odeh is a 68-year-old Palestinian American leader who is facing 18 months in prison followed by deportation. Odeh was born in occupied Palestine and, like many Palestinians, organized to oppose Israeli injustices against her people. Because of her activism, Odeh was jailed and tortured in an Israeli prison for ten years before moving to the U.S. While here, she has helped lead the Arab American Action Network in the Chicago community for over two decades.

Two years ago, however, she was arrested part of a wave of political arrests and grand jury subpoenas against people’s movements in the U.S. They arrested her on charges of immigration fraud and then proceeded to put on a sham trail where Odeh was denied her best defense and found guilty.

As Odeh and her legal team work on her appeal, it is up to her supporters to continue to keep this case alive in public discourse, to continue to publicly support this courageous woman and to take action on her behalf.

“We have seen what people power has been able to accomplish in her trial – the shortened sentence and the popular support she now has—and so we know our work on the ground is important,” Maldonado said. “We know victory takes people coming together and taking a stand against injustice!”

Face Book on the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1597604233812127/

#FortLauderdaleFL #PoliticalRepression #POWIR #RasmeaOdeh #MichaelDeutsch