Rochester, MN – On May 29, activists from across Minnesota converged outside the Mayo Civic Center to protest the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party’s annual state convention.

Delegates lining up to enter the convention were confronted by several dozen protesters with banners, Palestinian flags, petitions and informational leaflets about the DFL’s ties to Israel and the movement to cut them. The action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) and Rochester Solidarity with Palestine.

Using slogans like “DFL, grow a spine! Stop funding war crimes!” protesters demanded complete divestment of Minnesota money from apartheid Israel, an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon, the release of the unredacted 2024 election autopsy, and that DFL politicians refuse to accept campaign funds from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). DFL Representative Angie Craig and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have received hundreds of thousands in AIPAC funding.

Organizers highlighted DFL members’ condemnation of President Trump’s agenda while investing state funds in corporations that are instrumental to executing that agenda.

For example, the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) invests $57 million in Palantir, the secretive surveillance company contracted by ICE, the DHS, the U.S. military and the Israeli Ministry of Defense. ICE describes Immigration Case Management, Palantir’s deportation support system, as “mission-critical,” and it relies on Palantir’s large language models and custom FALCON targeting system to optimize ICE activity and orchestrate violent raids.

Meanwhile, the U.S. uses the Palantir product Maven to select strike targets in its war on Iran. DFL leader and current governor, Tim Walz, has condemned the Iran war as a product of fascism and likened the experiences of immigrant children under ICE occupation to those of Anne Frank – all while actively funding companies whose products enable the Iran war and ICE operation.

“We’re gathered outside the DFL convention 965 days into the U.S. and Israel’s live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people,’ explained Maeve Aickin, an organizer with the AWC. “This is a genocide that many DFL politicians are helping fund and benefiting from ignoring. The State Board of Investment, which DFL members Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha, and Steve Simon sit on, invests $5.5 billion in companies that have a financial interest in perpetuating Israeli apartheid and genocide.”

“I am a public worker whose pension is invested in genocide against my will, and many of the speakers who you’ll be hearing from today are also public workers with SBI-managed pensions,” Aickin continued. “We wanted to share our horror over the use of funds we earn to plan our futures to extinguish hundreds of thousands of futures in Palestine, Iran and Lebanon, but the SBI canceled a quarterly public meeting for the third time in the past year and a half.”

The SBI canceled two of its quarterly public meetings in 2025, and on Wednesday, May 13, it deleted the details of its previously announced meeting scheduled for June 3. SBI representatives have yet to communicate a reason for continuing to delay and cancel opportunities to engage with public workers. As of press time, no rescheduled date has been posted.

Another public employee with a state-managed pension, Maddy Schwartz, pointed out the DFL’s hypocrisy. “When they claim to be the moral opposition to the Republican Party, and claim to oppose Trump's wars, that isn’t enough! They need to take substantive action to earn people's trust and votes.”

Schwartz continued, “What do the DFL elected leaders on the SBI do instead? Cancel public meetings. What do elected officials do instead? Avoid their constituents and refuse to take accountability for their ties to Israel.”

In 2025, the SBI divested the majority of its holdings in Israel Bonds, which are direct loans to the Israeli apartheid state, after facing immense pressure from a coalition of local grassroots organizations and unions. However, board members refused to acknowledge the removal of almost all Israel Bonds from their investment portfolio as a political divestment act, despite Israel’s historic unpopularity with their constituency, with eight in ten Democrats holding an unpopular view of Israel as of March 2026.

Deah Kinion of Rochester Solidarity with Palestine also spoke outside the convention. “It’s our right and duty and our moral obligation to speak out and do what we can to stop this racist, sadistic war on Palestinian children and others. [The DFL] refused to acknowledge the war crimes Israel and the U.S. are perpetrating on Palestine, Lebanon and Iran.”

“They want us to believe that this is not a Democratic problem, that this is not a state problem,” said Kinion. “It is everyone’s problem.”

Many of the convention attendees expressed support for protesters’ demands. Inside the convention, divestment emerged as a key issue for the state auditor’s race in particular.

The AWC announced it would similarly protest the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale fundraising dinner, to be held one week later on Friday, June 5, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 2nd Avenue S, Minneapolis.

#RochesterMN #MN #Divestment #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #AntiWarCommittee

St Paul, MN – On Friday, May 29, about 40 protesters rallied on the corner of Summit and Snelling Avenues to demand a free Palestine. The action was organized by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), which has run Free Palestine rallies at this location every Friday for decades.

This week, the rally had a special focus on WAMM's “Cut the Contract with Waterfall” campaign. Waterfall Security Solutions is an Israeli cybersecurity company contracted by the city of Saint Paul to provide security services for its infrastructure.

Cedar Larson, a member of WAMM, spoke to the crowd about the importance of cutting the Waterfall contract, “When people say that this is a faraway issue that does not affect us here, I want them to know about Waterfall Security Solutions and the fact that they are using taxpayer dollars to feed Israel's genocide against Palestinians.”

Larson continued, “The tech sector within Israel feeds their war chest and their war economy. WAMM stands firmly against aiding the Israeli economy and we believe that boycott, divestment and sanctions are a crucial strategy for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”

Larson also pointed out that Waterfall is directly led by former Israeli state officials and military officers. This includes its founder, Lior Frenkel, who bragged about doing “offensive cybersecurity” for Israel, and Keren Tal, who once worked for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister and fugitive from the International Criminal Court.

“There is no other way to put it. Waterfall Security Solutions contains a racist, genocidal leadership, and Saint Paul should not do business with them,” said Larson.

Under the pressure of this campaign, the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners has agreed to take a vote on the fate of the Waterfall contract during its July meeting.

In the meantime, WAMM invites concerned Minnesotans to help keep the pressure up by attending the Saint Paul City Council meeting on June 10 at 3:30 p.m., as well as the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners meeting on June 16 at noon.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #WAMM

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following update from the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network regarding the sentencing of pro-Palestine Jax activist, Conor Cauley.

Conor Cauley was sentenced to 60 days with time served, 3 years of probation, court fines, 150 community service hours and a stay away order from the same officer, Officer Aliaga Ruiz, who threw him over a row of chairs!

We will reiterate what our beloved member Conor Cauley has repeatedly mentioned, this fight is for every single person in the city of Jacksonville, and this sentencing will not deter us. We know Palestinians experience torturous conditions in Zionist prisons, and we also acknowledge the decrepit nature and condition of the Duval County Jail.

From Palestine to Jacksonville, Zionists and imperialists will use the system as it’s designed; to break you down and destroy your spirit. But we know the power of the people is greater than the people in power!

Please visit and donate to Conor’s Gofundme and we will see folks later to protest at the Jail! Find the Gofundme here.

SHAME ON MELISSA NELSON!

SHAME ON JSO!

FREE CONOR CAULEY NOW!

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ConorCauley #JPSN #CSFR #AWAN

Jacksonville, FL – On May 29, Community members protested against the harsh sentencing of Conor Cauley and Leah Grady, vowing to continue the fight against their charges and demanding the release of Conor Cauley, who is currently being held in Duval County Jail as a political prisoner.

Despite heavy rainstorms, over 60 community members protested in front of the courthouse and, later, in front of the county jail under tents buckling and breaking from the weight of rainwater. This did not discourage attendees, who continued to chant and rally against the unjust treatment of anti-war organizers.

These protests were led by Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network alongside community organizations including Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, Brentwood 300, Democratic Socialists of America, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Cauley was sentenced to 60 days jail and three years of probation. He is additionally being ordered to stay more than 1000 feet from Officer Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz, the arresting officer who instigated the initial arrest last year by violently grabbing Cauley by the neck and throwing him over a row of chairs. This condition will, as Cauley’s lawyer pointed out in the courtroom, effectively ban him from city council meetings where Aliaga-Ruiz works, directly attacking his right to speak openly to his own elected officials and organize in the city.

Grady was sentenced to six months’ probation, 50 hours of community service, and court-ordered to write a “letter of apology” to the Republican City Council President Randy White.

Both sentences were heavier even than what had been recommended by the prosecutors. The prosecution requested three months’ probation and 25 hours community service for Leah Grady and requested 30 days of jail and one year of probation for Conor Cauley. In both instances, the judges either doubled or tripled the sentences. This comes after public calls by Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters for judges to make an example out of the arrested JPSN organizers in order to politically intimidate them.

This was also in spite of an overwhelming display of community support for both organizers. Over 40 character letters were submitted to the court for Conor Cauley, and high profile character witnesses spoke in Cauley’s favor, including the executive director of the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Local 1408, Courtnee Staples.

“Who came out to defend Conor today?” asked a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization during the rally at the courthouse. “Teachers, neighbors, union workers, students and people from all walks of life in Jacksonville – in short, a microcosm of the entire community. The city could only wrangle up a handful of people to speak against Conor, and who did they pick? The director of city council and chief of police.”

Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network is committing to fight the verdicts of both Conor Cauley and Leah Grady, having developed a plan to fight their convictions through appeal for retrial. They will be rallying to demand Cauley’s release until he is out of jail.

“It’s because of this jail that, for the next 60 days, Conor will see no justice,” said Ryan Delaney of the Anti-War Action Network. “Well that means that we’re gonna be the reason that for the next 60 days, this jail will see no peace!”

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #JPSN #AWAN #Palestine #ConorCauley #Featured

New Orleans, LA – A crowd of around 40 attended the NOLA Freedom Forum on May 15 to hear from local anti-war activists about their successful campaign to remove Chevron as a sponsor of French Quarter Fest. The activists, largely members of New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), presented “Stop Fueling Genocide: Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest Campaign” as a public summation of their efforts.

The struggle, called the “Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest Coalition”, brought together anti-war activists, pro-Palestine organizers, local musicians, and a robust collection of organizations such as Jewish Voices for Peace, New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America, Sunrise Movement New Orleans, and NOLA Musicians for Palestine.

NOSHIP members spoke about the primary platforms – ecocide and genocide – which formed the basis of their public campaign against Chevron.

Organizer Matt Banks spoke about the damage that Chevron has caused to the region’s coast, which led to a Plaquemines Parish jury finding the corporation liable for the loss of 50% of the parish’s land. On April 17 of this year, Chevron won a lawsuit against Plaquemines Parish at the Supreme Court, requiring the case to be removed to federal court. “But this is standard practice for Chevron,” Banks said. From Ecuador to occupied Palestine, where Chevron owns the two largest oil fields, Chevron has gotten rich off of the suffering of other nations.

The organizers explained why and how they chose French Quarter Fest as their target and how they built a strategic coalition. For 13 years, Chevron and French Quarter Fest were considered synonymous, another organizer said, pointing to their website that still features a second line parade with a “Chevron” sign on the front. Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest proved that to be untrue. They noted that, in fact, French Quarter Fest existed for 29 years without Chevron as a primary sponsor.

NOSHIP helped organize teach-ins, public campaigns, petitions and protests that built awareness, another organizer said. They conducted power mapping and identified their primary targets, and they wrote a letter to the French Quarter Fest Board asking them to drop Chevron as early as October of 2025. As a result, they could identify their allies and opponents and develop their strategy. The Coalition got hundreds of signatures on their petition the day they launched their campaign in October.

Melina Diner, another organizer with NOSHIP, discussed the timeline of the coalition’s success and their planned action with the musicians. On February 20, they learned that Chevron would be completely pulling out of its sponsorship of French Quarter Fest in 2027, but they would still sponsor the event this year. This allowed the organizers time to plan an “Oil Free Afterparty” to celebrate.

At French Quarter Fest, instead of staging a disruption, attendees handed out small Palestine flags, donned keffiyehs, and wore “Chevron Out” shirts. The public and the musicians supported them. Four bands in total made statements in support of Palestine, Diner noted. The New Orleans Police Department was ruthless, however, threatening to escalate against them for wearing matching shirts and giving out flags. “But, you’re wearing matching shirts and wearing flags too!” Diner said, evoking laughter from the audience.

The public summation closed with a message of hope, noting that Chevron Out got their lessons from successful BDS campaigns in Austin and Denver. “We hope that our campaign can help the next one win, too,” Banks said.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #NOSHIP #Palestine #AntiWarMovement

Jacksonville, FL- A broad coalition, led by Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), rallied outside Duval County Jail on May 20 to condemn the guilty verdict against local organizer Conor Cauley, who now faces up to five years in prison.

A crowd of over 50 people mobilized within an hour of the verdict. Cauley, who was originally facing ten years with two felony charges, had one felony for resisting violence dropped after a year-long grassroots campaign against the district attorney Melissa Nelson. He is now in jail awaiting sentencing.

Hundreds of people from Jacksonville and across the country called and emailed State Attorney Melissa Nelson, calling on her to drop these trumped-up charges. But, as highlighted in a statement by JPSN, “Melissa Nelson proved to the people that her allegiance is not to them, it's to a corrupt Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and city council that have publicly called for the state to make an example out of us in hopes that they can stop our movement.”

The rally called out the backward political slant of the trial, and the unjust rulings by the judge. Among them were the judge's refusal to allow the political nature of the arrest to be discussed in trial, banning the keffiyeh from the courtroom, not allowing Cauley's lawyer to question arresting Officer Aliaga's history of harassment complaints, and not allowing political repression to be described to the jury.

The judge elected to revoke Cauley's bond upon the guilty verdict, remanding him to police custody. This comes after public pressure on the judge by Sheriff T.K. Waters and multiple Trump-aligned city council members to make an example of Cauley.

“They think they are gods!” shouted Maceo George, president of the Central Labor Council as he spoke to the crowd. “We have to send a message to city council that they won't be in office if they don't support the people!”

The rally was composed of community members, labor leaders, and organizers from JPSN, Jacksonville Community Action Committee, Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, Democratic Socialists of America, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), AFL-CIO's Central Labor Council, and Students for a Democratic Society.

“Here are our demands: Free Conor, no jail time, protesting is not a crime! We want Conor back home with us,” declared María García-Gerardo of FRSO. JPSN and the coalition in attendance have committed to continue the campaign, shifting now from one demanding the state drop the charges to a “Free Conor Cauley” campaign. Cauley is set to appear in court on Tuesday, May 26 for the setting of the sentencing date.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #JPSN #Palestine #PoliticalRepression #ConorCauley #InjusticeSystem

Partners for Palestine set up a poster gallery around the church’s main hall for attendees to browse as they entered, depicting Palestinian artwork and daily life, as well as statistics regarding life under occupation. Attendees shared food potluck-style which included catering from Oasis Cafe, a local Palestinian restaurant, paid for by the uncle of Mohammed Ibrahim. Last year, 16-year-old Ibrahim was kidnapped and illegally detained in an Israeli prison under torturous conditions. He has since been released.

Community activist Luann Roseberry gave a presentation on the history and significance of the Nakba. Caroline Abidin, member of the Space Coast Immigrant Rights Alliance, followed with a lesson on the Palestinian cultural traditions of tatreez and dabke.

Many in attendance had come to know the history of the Nakba after the great Palestinian uprising on October 7, 2023.

When asked what the Nakba and Palestine meant to her, Abidin said, “Palestine became deeply personal to me because the genocide didn't just inform my views, it broke my old world apart and rebuilt me from the inside out. Watching it happen in real time, with undeniable proof, shifted something fundamental. I could no longer believe that justice would come from institutions I once trusted, or that silence was neutral. That realization was world-shifting.”

Abidin added, “I stopped waiting for others to act. That shift pushed me to organize, to use whatever platform or energy I had to bring attention to Palestine because looking away was no longer an option.”

Throughout the event, several calls to action were shared, including a number to call to demand justice for Sayfollah Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian from Tampa killed by settlers in the occupied West Bank in July of 2025.

#SpaceCoastFL #RockledgeFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Minneapolis, MN- Al-Nakba, meaning “The Catastrophe,” is a day of remembrance when communities grieve the over 15,000 Palestinians the Israeli occupation murdered in 1948 and the over 750,000 Palestinians displaced from their homeland. After the Anti-War Action Network called for their third annual day of action commemorating Al-Nakba, the Twin Cities hosted two protests to mark the importance of resisting U.S. funding for Israel.

On Friday, May 15, Women Against Military Madness held their weekly protest at the Summit and Snelling intersection in Saint Paul with a specific focus on the Nakba. Speaker Wyatt Miller from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) said, “I’ve given plenty of speeches like this on past Nakba Days. I usually say something about how Palestinians are the bravest people on Earth. I still believe that, but let’s have this year’s Nakba Day be the one where we say, the Palestinians have been brave enough. They have made enough sacrifices. The world can no longer deny the injustice of the occupation. It’s time for the rest of us to learn to find that bravery in ourselves. The Palestinians have taught the world that dignity doesn’t mean mere politeness or etiquette; true dignity means standing up for what is just and refusing to tolerate anything less than justice.”

On Sunday, May 17, over 30 cyclists gathered at Minnehaha Falls for the Gaza Sunbirds solidarity ride in commemoration of Al-Nakba. The Great Ride of Return global bike rides are organized in support of the Gaza Sunbirds, a Palestinian para-cycling team bringing awareness to the ongoing Israeli siege on Gaza and its production of disability under occupation. The cyclists biked through Minneapolis with Palestinian flags attached to their bikes, chanting “Free, free Palestine” over their bullhorns.

The bikers joined hundreds of activists and community members gathered at Chute Square to march along the Mississippi River in protest of 78 years of Israeli occupation in Palestine. The Nakba Day march was organized by the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and the AWC.

Nadiyah Salawdeh, co-chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network’s Minnesota chapter stated, “Palestinians had been rebelling against British and Zionist forces for decades,” they said. “Every time a fascist settler murders a Palestinian, it’s a catastrophe. Every time a Palestinian is illegally detained, it is a catastrophe. Every time a child starves to death, it is a catastrophe. Home demolition, poisoned water, burning olive trees—these are all catastrophes. Just as the Nakba was not confined to 1948, it is not confined to the borders of historic Palestine. The Lebanese people and the Lebanese resistance have been on the front lines defending their land from Israeli settler expansion. Since the U.S.-Israeli war was launched on Iran and Lebanon, thousands have been murdered, and over a million have been displaced. That is a catastrophe.”

Joe Yamine of the AWC told the crowd, “Today, the Zionist entity is more callous, more destructive, more depraved, and more afraid than it has ever been.”

Yamine continued, “The Western regimes [that] back it have revealed their utter contempt for their people, who turn out in the streets demanding justice and liberation for Palestine now. In Minnesota, we're confronting our municipal governments as they try to sign contracts with Israeli tech companies like Zencity and Waterfall. We are fighting for an end to our state's complicity in Israeli apartheid and the ongoing Nakba by pressuring the State Board of Investment to divest.”

Alissa Washington of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice and the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council expanded on the theme of state detention as she discussed the Palestinian right of return.

“The right to resist oppression, occupation and dehumanization is rooted in the struggle of oppressed people across the world,” Washington affirmed. “That is why we also demand freedom for Salah Sarsour and all people targeted, criminalized, or punished for standing with Palestine and speaking out against injustice.” Sarsour, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee’s president and an AMP board member, has been held in ICE detention since March 30.

Washington contined, “Today, let us remember: They want us divided because united people are dangerous to systems built on oppression. From Minneapolis to Palestine, our struggles are connected. From the prison walls to the refugee camps, our people are connected. From the streets demanding accountability to the marches demanding liberation, our resistance is connected. And as long as oppressed people continue to rise together, there will always be hope for freedom.”

Before the protesters flooded the streets to express their grief, hope and rage, Taher Herzallah of AMP articulated Israel’s commitment to dehumanization, breaching international law and fostering a culture of settler violence, concluding, “Israel has absolved itself of its right to exist.” In this spirit, the crowd marched down to the Mississippi River and disrupted business as usual to demand an end to the ongoing Nakba, Sarsour’s release, and a free Palestine.

After two and a half years of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its continued annexation of the West Bank and southern Lebanon, people of conscience know that the Nakba is an ongoing ethnic cleansing project that the U.S. government has funded for over three-quarters of a century. Indeed, Minnesota state pensions are currently funding Israel’s crimes to the tune of $5.5 billion in SBI investments. The SBI canceled two of its quarterly public meetings in 2025, and on Wednesday, May 13, it deleted the details of its previously announced meeting scheduled for June 3 from its website.

The MN Anti-War Committee will demand answers at the 2026 DFL State Convention, taking place in Rochester, Minnesota on May 29.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba #AntiWarCommittee #USPCN #AMP #SalahSarsour

San Jose, CA – On May 16, around 150 people gathered at the Santa Clara County Government Center to celebrate the county’s 25th annual Palestinian Cultural Day. The event, sponsored by the county supervisors and the Palestinian Heritage Committee, celebrates the 30,000 Palestinian-Americans living in Santa Clara County and their contributions to the South Bay community.

The event began with the raising of the Palestinian and American flags in front of the County Building, as each country’s national anthem played.

The opening speaker was Samir Laymoun, longtime Palestinian community leader and lead organizer of Palestinian Cultural Day since its inception. “A trauma passed down through every single generation. Today our hearts break because the violence has reached a terrifying depth. Israel is not just taking Palestinian lives. It is trying to kill the very soul of Palestine.”

Laymoun continued, “The deliberate destruction of schools and universities aims to silence our children's dreams. This is a cruel attempt to make us forget and erase our history. Here in California, Palestinian students' stories and history of Palestine are censored in K-12 under vague controversial issue policies and laws such as AB 715.”

16-year-old Mariam Al-Tamimi spoke about her personal experiences with this censorship at her

high school. Al-Tamimi wrote an article for her school newspaper about underrepresented students, including Palestinian students. “The moment that I mentioned Palestine in the article, the Zionists in my class immediately pushed back, ready to silence me, as if my article wasn't already advocating for those who are silenced. They complained endlessly to the principal until the principal finally decided to take out the article, which I had worked on for weeks, in mere seconds.”

“However, this didn't silence me. Instead, I was determined to publish my article. “I was able to publish my article in the Silicon Valley Voice, a professional newspaper,” Al-Tamimi continued. “That moment made me realize that they wouldn't work so hard to silence us if we didn't matter.”

Palestinian-American human rights lawyer Jennifer Zacharia stated, “Civil rights laws created to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized among us are being distorted and wielded as well. These attacks on our schools, wrapped in a misrepresentation of antisemitism, are naked efforts to silence both Palestinians and advocates for our liberation. These measures aim to criminalize teaching our history, impugn and make suspect our identity and culture, and quell dissent about the occupation, apartheid, and genocide that define how Zionism has been enacted on the lives and bodies of Palestinians.”

Zacharia continued, “We are dehumanized and told that our existence can only take muted, quiet, hollow shapes that don't offend those who work tirelessly to negate us. But we are still here. We are building institutions and solidarity, and we are cultivating hope and imagination.”

The event concluded with a performance by Al-Juthoor Dabke, with attendees joining in at the end to dance together.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

“May 15 marks the day when Zionist militias destroyed hundreds of villages, massacred thousands, and violently forced 750,000 Palestinians out of their homes and off of their historic land in order to create the state of Israel. Since 2023, the U.S. has sent over $25 billion in aid to Israel and has outfitted the Israeli military with its advanced weaponry. It is a fact that Israel wouldn’t be able to carry out these crimes of massive scale without the backing of the U.S. empire,” said Tucson Anti-War Committee member Nick Winsten when speaking to the crowd.

“That’s our tax dollars, that’s mine and yours, used for the depraved war crimes of the U.S. and Israel. That’s our hard earned money used for the razing of homes, the bombing of schools and hospitals, and the killing of countless families. That’s money not going to health care, education, housing, or any real human need but that has gone to murdering over 70,000 Palestinians,” Winsten added.

Organizers from Arizona-Palestine Solidarity Alliance and Jewish Voice for Peace also spoke to the crowd. Other co-sponsoring organizations of the event were Coalicion de Derechos Humanos, Veterans for Peace, Common Defense, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Tucson.

#TusconAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Nakba #Palestine

San Jose, CA – On May 15, over 50 people in downtown San Jose to commemorate the 78th year since Al Nakba, “The Catastrophe,” where 750,000 Palestinians were violently displaced by Zionist forces for the establishment of the apartheid state of Israel.

Chants included, “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” Protesters held signs reading, “We will not be complicit, San Jose divest from genocide” and “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands.”

Haddy Barghouti of Students for Justice in Palestine at San Jose State University spoke to the crowd about the fearful existence that he and his family endured in Palestine. He implored the crowd, “We cannot stay silent. We have to continue using our voices, telling our stories and speaking for the [Palestinian] people who are living in fear every day.”

Dyon Capote of Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America addressed the crowd, “Nakba Day should not just be a commemoration but also an acknowledgment of the tribulations the Palestinians have endured but they have never given up their dreams of a free Palestine and neither should we!”

Dina Saba, president of Democrats for Palestinian Rights, highlighted the billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars sent to uphold Israel, saying, “78 years of our hard-earned money funding Israel’s atrocities!”

Jack McCann from San Jose Against War commended the brave Palestinian resistance and emphasized that the struggle is local as well, saying, “It is our duty here, in the belly of the beast, to honor their sacrifice, to join in the BDS movement and to fight for a free Palestine!”

McCann continued, “This is why San Jose Against War is waging a struggle at city council, demanding an end to complicity in the crimes of the genocidal Zionist entity. Until we succeed, there is blood on our hands, especially council members who recently voted not to divest from Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon: George Casey, Michael Mulcahey, David Cohen, and Anthony Tordillos. Shame!”

Drusie Kazanova of FRSO San Jose said, “The people of Palestine and their allies have not given up in their fight for national liberation, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands with them!”

Kazanova continued drawing the connection between the working and oppressed people in the U.S. and the oppressed people of Palestine, saying, “[We] share the same enemy: the U.S. imperialists. The FRSO is committed to the call for an independent Palestine. We are marching today and we will march every Nakba Day until Palestine is finally free!”

Salem Ajlouni, board member of Human Agenda, stated, “A free Palestine is part of the struggle for a just U.S.”

Fadi Saba, a Palestinian-American teacher, stated, “Gaza and Palestine is the moral compass of the world. It is ‘Free Palestine’ until Palestine is free.”

The protest began at the Dr. MLK Jr. library and marched through the streets of downtown to a busy pedestrian corridor, San Pedro Square, to chant loudly and continue the program before marching back to the library.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #SJAW #Palestine

Salt Lake City, UT- On May 16, 50 people gathered across from the North Guadalupe Trax station in Salt Lake City to commemorate Nakba Day in solidarity with the Palestinian people, along with other cities in the National Anti-War Action Network.

The protest brought many different groups together, including the 71% Coalition, Armed Queers SLC, the Utah Anti-War Committee, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Carson Bybee, a member of the UAWC condemned the Stratos Project, a planned military data center, and the Raytheon facility in Salt Lake County, saying, “We refuse to let our communities become yet another fist for imperialist genocide.”

Mustafa Khader, a veteran Palestinian activist and member of the 71% Coalition said, “The answer for humanity is to stop these activities while they are happening,” and “The insistence of the Palestinians in keeping their cause alive is the most powerful statement to humanity.”

Throughout the protest, the crowd chanted, “We don’t want two states, we want 1948!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” Cars of the many commuters traveling to the popular Kilby Bloc Party music festival honked in support of the protest.

Adrian Romero, a member of the UAWC told the crowd, “Utah Anti-War Committee stands in absolute solidarity with fellow anti-war activist, Rick Toledo, who was targeted for doing exactly what we are doing right now: taking a stand against U.S.-backed terrorism.”

Sebastian Miscenich, a member of the FRSO, said, “We are not afraid to support the Palestinian fight against genocide, their fight against racism. Zionists have no right to oppress Palestinians. The Palestinians have every right to rebel. FRSO is an organization that stands unapologetically with every action the Palestinians take as they fight for national liberation.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba #UAWC #AWAN

New York, NY – Community members joined together at Washington Square Park on Friday, May 16, in remembrance of the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were murdered, maimed and permanently displaced from their homes, by Israel.

The rally kicked off under the Washington Square Arch with chants of “Zionism has got to go” and “Israel bombs, USA pays.” Shortly after the afternoon Asr prayer, the roughly 500 attendees began a march through Manhattan, uniting around slogans like “From Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!”

The rally and march were organized by New York-based Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, with contingents led by groups like the Muslim American Society and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Also in attendance were members from Brooklyn Against War, Al-Awda, and the New York Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, as well as a contingent of Orthodox Jewish protesters led by Rabbi Dovid Feldman.

Together, attendees helped unfurl a massive Palestinian flag, which they carried through the streets of Manhattan for several hours until the Maghrib sunset prayer at Times Square, where the march ended.

Before the march, Within Our Lifetime cofounder Nerdeen Kiswani told the crowd that “the state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished.”

“I do not and will never recognize Israel's so-called right to exist,” Kiswani continued. “It has no right to exist.”

Shivani Ishwar, member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, concurred. “We acknowledge the 78 years the Palestinians have been oppressed, and unable to return to their homes,” Ishwar said. “We support a full right to return, we support the cause of a liberated Palestine free from Israeli settlers, free from genocide, and free from repression.”

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba

San Jose, CA – On Saturday, April 18, over 20 people gathered in front of the Microsoft office in Mountain View to protest the company’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Palestine, ICE’s deportation operations as well as their development of AI data centers causing ecological destruction.

Protestors held signs like, “San Jose: Divest from Alphabet and Microsoft” and “We will not be complicit.” Organizers hung up a large banner saying, “No U.S. tax $$ for Israeli occupation.” The crowd chanted, “Free Palestine” and “Microsoft you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide!”

Jack McCann, member of San Jose Against War, spoke to the crowd highlighting how Israel’s genocide on the Palestinian people also destroyed their ecology and water infrastructure.

McCann said, “Israel could not commit crimes on this massive scale without the digital infrastructure to collect and store data on who to kill next. Microsoft helps Israel by providing this technology that is essential to their crimes.”

Nassim Nouri of the Santa Clara County Green Party stated, “We have a government that is taken over by billionaires – by corporations like [Microsoft] – that put profit over people, planet and peace! They think nothing of taking lives and shedding blood of the people locally through ICE and abroad through Israel.”

Marcel Knightly of San Jose Against War said, “This is not just about data centers and contracts, it is about a system where corporations profit from war abroad and extraction at home, it’s about working-class communities being forced to sacrifice their water, electricity, health and dignity to executives can expand their empires.”

Philip Nguyen, member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on how the climate crisis is built into the capitalist system, saying, “Endless wars and the sharpening climate crisis are both the natural outcome of the capitalist system, which is driven by unrestrained profit with no regard for human life or the future of our planet, and working and oppressed people all over the world will be the ones to suffer the consequences.”

Nguyen continued, “And that means that all working and oppressed people must unite to take on our common enemy once and for all. We must build a militant, fighting movement against these evil corporations and corrupt politicians and their endless wars.”

To commemorate Palestinian Prisoners Day, Donna Wallach of San Jose Against War read quotes from an article describing the torture and sexual violence that Palestinian prisoners experience in Israeli prisons.

John Duroyan from Students for a Democratic Society at San Jose State University (SJSU) spoke to the crowd, saying, “The number one emitter in the world is the U.S. military, and we must never forget that the climate struggle is inseparable with the anti-war struggle. Now SJSU is working with known war-profiteer Alphabet to open an ‘AI Center for Social Good’ on campus which the students will be mobilizing against.”

The crowd continued to chant outside the office building and cars driving by honked in solidarity.

#SanJoseCA #CA #EarthDay #AntiWarMovement #Environment #Palestine #SJAW #Divestment #Microsoft

Toledo has been wrongly charged with misdemeanor assault, battery and false imprisonment. Another charge, “conspiracy” to commit a crime, is still being weighed by the district attorney. It’s clear that administrators see this as an opportunity to try to take down an effective organizer who has been a thorn in their side for the last three years and as revenge for the 2024 Siemens Hall occupation since they failed to successfully charge the students who were involved at the time.

After entering the courtroom, Toledo pleaded not guilty. A trial date has been set for July 13.

About 25 supporters of Toledo gathered with protest signs for a rally outside the courthouse around 12:30 p.m. in preparation for the 1:30 hearing. Supporters marched in beside Toledo with their protest signs and joined him in the waiting room. Before the hearing began, court officials announced new restrictions, including a ban on protest signs and cell phone use. Supporters say court staff also attempted to limit how many people could enter the courtroom. When that proved difficult, Toledo’s case was called first.

Toledo was represented by attorney Matthew Kellegrew of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. When he approached the judge he quickly entered a plea of not guilty. Three bailiffs were stationed inside the small courtroom during the proceedings, an unusual show of force. Supporters also reported that a university administrator was present to observe who attended the hearing and left after the case was called.

“Cal Poly Humboldt has been trying to silence student organizers for years,” said Toledo. “These charges are an attempt to criminalize protest and scare people into backing down. It won’t work.”

Supporters say the court’s response shows the impact of organized pressure and the power of the people.

“The fact that they suddenly changed the rules and packed the courtroom with bailiffs shows they’re nervous,” said supporter Kyle Berryman at the courthouse. “They see that people are paying attention, and they know we’re not going away.”

Another attendee, Pat Kanzler stated, “Students stood up for Palestine and now they’re being targeted. This is what happens when you challenge institutions that support war and oppression.”

Toledo, who has organized at Cal Poly Humboldt with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for three years, says the fight is bigger than one case.

“This is about defending the right to protest,” Toledo said. “It’s about standing against repression and standing with Palestine. We’re going to keep organizing until these charges are dropped.”

During the hearing, hundreds of people from all over the country called the court in support of Toledo demanding that the charges be dropped immediately. Supporters say they will continue mobilizing ahead of the July 13 trial and are calling on people across the country to continue to speak out against these repressive politically motivated charges and fight back until the charges are dropped!

#EurekaCA #CA #Humboldt #StudentMovement #RickToledo #InjusticeSystem #SDS #CalPolyHumboldt #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Featured

Fight Back News Service and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression are circulating the following call to action from Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

On May 27, 2025, three organizers, including two Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network members, were unjustly arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) after being targeted during a city council meeting. Conor Cauley was violently attacked by JSO officers, and is facing up to 10 years in prison for felony charges of resisting arrest with violence and battery of a law enforcement officer. Activists Leah Grady and Dragon Belloit were also arrested.

Videos of the arrest clearly show that the only violence came from JSO officers. These are trumped-up, bogus charges. Sheriff T.K. Waters publicly stated he wants to make an example out of these activists in order to silence people who use their right to protest Jacksonville’s involvement in the genocide of Palestinians.

With one week to go before Conor’s trial, we need to be louder than ever to demand that these charges get dropped. Every single call helps!

Please call and email the office of State Attorney Melissa Nelson and Prosecutor Kelli Lynn Shobe at (904) 255-2500 – press 0 to reach the front desk and ask to leave a message for Nelson or Shobe.

You can email them at SAO4th@coj.net and kshobe@coj.net

Here is a sample script for calls or emails:

Hello, my name is [FIRST NAME, LAST NAME], and I am a resident of [CITY, STATE]. On May 27, 2025, three community members, Conor Cauley, Leah Grady, and Dragon Belloit, were arrested and brutalized during a city council meeting simply for speaking up against the genocide of Gaza. Thousands witnessed the viral video in which one member of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, Conor, was violently grabbed by the neck and flipped over a row of benches. Yet, the State Attorney’s Office has persisted in launching a campaign of clear political repression by targeting Conor with two felony charges. No jury of our peers would convict someone who JSO threw over a row of chairs and the State Attorney’s Ofice is wasting taxpayer time and money by refusing to drop these charges. I am calling to demand that sheriff T.K. Waters fire both the arresting officers, Maykel Aliaga-Ruiz and Donovan Davis, and that State Attorney Melissa Nelson drop all charges against Conor Cauley, Leah Grady, and Dragon Belloit immediately.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #CSFR #Featured

New Orleans, LA — About 50 students and community members rallied on Wednesday, April 15, in protest outside an event hosting two Israeli Defense Forces reservists. The event was called “Triggered: From Combat to Campus,” and was hosted on Tulane University’s main campus by Students Supporting Israel.

“I still remember that when Students for a Democratic Society demanded that Tulane end its overwhelming support for Israel, Tulane threw the book at those students,” said Silas Gillett of Student for a Democratic Society (SDS).

Gillett continued, “They suspended them, they kicked them out of their housing. Now they have the gall to bring these evil IDF war criminals on campus instead of their own students!”

The protest was organized by Together United Louisiana (TUL) SDS with support from over a dozen other student and community organizations to demand an end to Tulane’s support for Israel. At the event inside, IDF reservists Yossi Hertz and Lior Biran tried to defend Israel, but they could not speak without hearing the chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Lock them up” from the rally outside.

While organizers decried the genocide of Palestinians and the IDF’s attacks on Iran and Lebanon, a small group of students waved an Israeli flag at the protest. Sruly Heller, speaking for New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports, addressed them, saying, “You absolutely desecrate the memories of our ancestors when you hold up your Zionist flags like that. My Bubbe has no cousins, and they didn’t die for your Zionist bullshit. Shame on you!”

Addressing the crowd on behalf of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Leila Abu-Orf said, “I’ve watched my family home, my birthright, the one that we built after we were kicked out of our ancestral village of Isdud, now Ashdod, be burnt to rubble.” Abu-Orf continued to address the soldiers directly, firing up the crowd, “You are a band of cowards who use an AI-powered program to track your targets for drones while you shit yourself from the comfort of your armored tank out of fear of the flip-flopped freedom fighter approaching you!”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #IDF #NOSHIP #Tulane #SDS

San Francisco, CA – El miércoles 8 de abril, cientos de residentes del Área de la Bahía se reunieron en la estación de BART de la calle Powell para protestar contra Trump por las amenazas que él hizo el 7 de abril, de que “una civilización entera morirá esta noche” si Irán no reabría el estrecho de Ormuz.

Irán cerró el estrecho tras los incesantes bombardeos de Estados Unidos e Israel contra escuelas, hospitales, universidades, centros de investigación médica y zonas residenciales. Según la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja, estos ataques han matado al menos a 1,900 personas y herido a más de 20,000 en Irán.

Los manifestantes coreaban “No a la guerra contra Irán” y “Fuera EE.UU. del Medio Oriente”.

La protesta ocurre mientras los bombardeos estadounidenses-israelíes en Irán han contribuido a un aumento en el costo de vida. En algunas partes del país, el precio de un tanque lleno de gasolina ha llegado a los $120. En el Área de la Bahía de San Francisco, el precio promedio de la gasolina ha alcanzado los $6 por galón en la mayoría de los condados, y una gasolinera en Menlo Park llegó a cobrar hasta $7.69 por un galón de gasolina regular.

El 8 de abril, Irán obtuvo una victoria histórica al obligar a Trump a aceptar un plan de diez puntos como base para futuras negociaciones con Teherán. El plan buscaba garantizar un alto el fuego de dos semanas, detener los ataques de EE.UU. e Israel contra Irán, Líbano, Palestina y todo el Medio Oriente, y poner fin a las décadas de sanciones estadounidenses que han afectado la calidad de vida de los iraníes, a cambio de reabrir el estrecho de Ormuz. Sin embargo, horas después, Israel rompió el acuerdo de alto el fuego con bombardeos contra vecindarios y otras zonas civiles en Beirut y en todo Líbano, matando al menos a 254 personas e hiriendo a más de 1,165.

En respuesta a estos ataques de Israel, que recibe el 70% de sus armas a través de ayuda estadounidense, Irán volvió a cerrar el estrecho de Ormuz.

El cierre del estrecho debido a los ataques de EE.UU. e Israel muy probablemente afectará otros aspectos de la vida cotidiana más allá del combustible, incluidos precios más altos en alimentos, fertilizantes, la fabricación de microchips y otros productos de alta tecnología, como señaló el profesor de economía Masao Suzuki en su artículo “Precios crecientes de gasolina provocan aumento de inflación en marzo” (Rising gasoline prices lead inflation surge in March).

“Estamos cansados de las guerras interminables. La gente está en las calles, el BART está siendo desmantelado y los alimentos cuestan más cada día. Irán nunca nos ha hecho daño. Pero Wall Street y D.C. nos siguen dañando todos los días. Necesitamos un sistema mejor, uno que ponga a la gente a cargo en lugar de estos multimillonarios belicistas”, dijo Brandon Cavins de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad.

El creciente número de protestas refleja la creciente frustración entre estadounidenses ante otro conflicto iniciado por Trump en el Medio Oriente. El Pentágono ha solicitado más de $200 mil millones adicionales para continuar los ataques contra Irán – la mayor parte de ese dinero terminaría en los bolsillos de los fabricantes de armas o quedaría sin justificar, como se ha visto en las ocho auditorías anteriores que el Pentágono ha reprobado.

Mientras tanto, las necesidades y servicios esenciales enfrentan recortes o falta de financiamiento. Por ejemplo, el BART planea cerrar entre 10 a 15 estaciones y reducir un 63% de sus servicios, lo que incluye tiempos de espera más largos de hasta 30 minutos (en lugar de los 10 a 20 minutos actuales), horarios reducidos (cerrando a las 9 p.m. en lugar de la medianoche), aumento en las tarifas de estacionamiento y el despido de entre 600 a 1,200 trabajadores, debido a un déficit presupuestario de $376 millones causado por la reducción del financiamiento federal.

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Lebanon #Palestine

Tallahassee, FL – On Friday, April 10, Tallahassee SDS, along with Freedom Road Socialist Organization and FSU YDSA brought together over 40 people on FSU’s Landis Green to protest the Israel Fair, an event sponsored by pro-Israel groups across the campus to celebrate Israel as it carries out genocide against Palestinians.

The event took place two days after Israel conducted 100 airstrikes against Lebanon in ten minutes, killing hundreds.

“It is shameful that FSU is allowing an event on our campus in the name of a state that is built on colonization and genocide,” said Maria Duarte, a member of Tallahassee SDS who spoke at the protest. “Israel is a state that has been displacing and murdering Palestinians for over 70 years. A state that believes that bombing children and innocent civilians is ‘self-defense.’ It is disgusting how our university is whitewashing genocide while Palestinians continue to be murdered and displaced.”

The fair was created by various Zionist organizations, including Students Supporting Israel, Hasbara Fellowships, Hillel at FSU, Zionist Organization of America and the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis.

The protest began at 1 p.m. and was supposed to go until 2 p.m. but continued until around 3:45 p.m. Students chanted “Free Palestine” and made statements that showed solidarity with Palestine, condemned Israel, and ridiculed those involved with the fair.

Zionist counterprotesters responded with slurs and attempts to disrupt the rally, which the protesters ignored. As for the Israel Fair, it should have gone until 3:30 p.m., but it was closed down a little after 2:00 p.m. due to pressures from the protest – which would outnumber the attendees of the Israel Fair.

The speakers made a point to emphasize FSU’s support of Israel and, by extension, the genocide of Palestinians.

The speakers mentioned how the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering partners with Boeing. A close partner of Israel for 75 years, the company recently signed an $8.6 billion contract with the Pentagon to make 25 new F-15 Fighters for Israel. More recently, in March, Boeing signed another deal for $289 million to deliver 5000 air-launched smart bombs to Israel.

“Make no mistake, our campus is heavily complicit,” said one protester.

Before the Israel Fair, FSU power washed pro-Palestinian statements that were written in chalk on Landis Green. An anonymous affiliate of the fair’s organizers posted on YikYak, “this is what FSU thinks of your anti-fair chalk,” with a picture of the Landis Green walkways being power washed.

The “anti-fair chalk” included statements such as “72,000+ dead” (the number of Palestinians who have been killed thus far in the Gaza genocide), “One should not be killed for just being a Palestinian” and a list of names of children who were killed in Gaza and the West Bank by the Israeli occupation forces.

As FSU’s administration defends allowing of Zionist organizations on their campus, Israel continues to perpetuate its genocide of Palestinians. Tallahassee SDS deplores FSU’s hypocrisy in sanctioning hate groups on their campus while suppressing leftist student movements, and they remain in solidarity with Palestinians.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO

The New Orleans Alliance stands with Pro-Palestine student activist Rick Toledo. We demand no charges be filed against him for standing up for Palestine. On February 27, 2026, students held a sit-in at Cal Poly Tech Humboldt to demand the university divest from Israel. They bravely occupied a university building for 14 hours. We believe standing up against genocide and demanding divestment is the right thing to do.

For his participation in this action, the University is attempting to charge Rick with four bogus felonies: false imprisonment, conspiracy, battery, and assault. All for standing in a building. Together, these charges would carry 15 years of prison time. This is an outrageous attack against student free speech on campus, and a plot to scare activists into silence.

College protest is a long-standing tradition. The progressive demands of the student movement have played an important role in raising political consciousness across the country, especially the Palestine encampment movement of 2024. The encampment at Cal Poly Humboldt inspired young people across the world when it stood up against police repression. The attacks on Toledo, we believe, are also tied to this bold moment of resistance.

Since his arrest, the university has fired Rick from his teaching job. He spent time in jail without any charges and was eventually released on a 25K bond. University Police seized his electronics and tried to force him to give up passcodes, which he did not. He did the right thing, and activists can learn from his example of not telling the police a single thing.

We demand the witch hunt against Rick Toledo end immediately and no charges be filed. We uplift the public defense campaign by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and urge organizations to:

1. Sign onto the letter by the Committee to Stop FBI repression: tinyurl.com/ricktoledosds

2. Write a statement in solidarity and submit it to stopFBI@gmail.com

3. Donate to Rick’s legal fund: tinyurl.com/toledoLDF

4. Plug in for a call-to-action on April 20 (Rick’s first hearing) by following @csfrstopfbi and @sds_humboldt

#NewOrleansLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #PoliticalRepression