Grand Rapids, MI – In response to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), a coalition of grassroots organizations is mobilizing Michigan residents for a march in Milwaukee on July 15 to protest the RNC.

“We are going to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 15, to let the Republicans know that we oppose their racist and reactionary agenda. We oppose Trump and his attack on immigrants, workers, LGBT folks, women, bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. We are going to march with families and with joy for our own agenda, the people’s agenda, in the streets of Milwaukee and let the Republicans know that we are going to resist them every step of the way and we are going to shut them down if Trump is elected,” said Tom Burke from the Coalition to March on the RNC.

The march is organized by the national Coalition to March on the RNC, composed of grassroots groups and unions from across the country united to stop the Republicans’ racist and reactionary agenda, defend reproductive rights, and demand peace, justice and equity. 

Michigan member organizations of this national effort include Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. 

The groups highlighted the Republicans' long history of threatening civil rights. “Take 2019, for example, when a majority of Republican lawmakers refused to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, legislation aimed at protecting women. We continue to see constant attacks on LGBTQ individuals and reproductive rights by Republicans. That’s why we’re going to Milwaukee, to demand equal treatment for women and LGBTQ rights, and access to reproductive healthcare,” said Jessie Pichta from Students for a Democratic Society.

The groups also addressed the threat Republicans pose to democracy and voting rights. A member of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression stated, “one of the Republicans' key strategies is voter suppression. After the past election, several states passed legislation that made it more difficult to vote. For example, Georgia now has stricter voter laws, which disproportionately affect communities at the margins. We have also seen an increase in crackdowns on protests and political dissent. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1 into law in 2021, which aims to suppress protests while granting civil immunity to drivers who run over protesters.”

Michigan Republicans were also specifically called out. “In 2008, it was the Republican Michigan attorney general who issued the memo that terminated access to driver’s licenses for all Michiganders, regardless of their citizenship status. Since then – for over 15 years – tens of thousands of Michigan families and workers have been unjustly excluded from access to driver’s licenses and live in fear of having their families separated anytime the police perform a traffic stop.” said Danny Celaya from Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids. 

Celaya continued, “Then of course, we cannot forget about how Republicans such as Nikki Haley and Donald Trump have been candid over their support of the genocide happening in Palestine. We need to oppose their violent remarks and continue to stand with Palestine.” In May, Nikki Haley made news after she was photographed signing an Israeli artillery shell with the words “Finish them.” Then during the June 27 presidential debates, Donald Trump voiced his support for Israel to “finish the job.”

The march has faced pushback by Milwaukee city officials and the Secret Service. Burke explained, “We are demanding our permits from the city of Milwaukee and the Secret Service who don’t want us to express our free speech rights. They don’t want us to march to the doors of the Fiserv auditorium where the Republicans will be meeting. That is exactly our plan. We’re going to have all sorts of people, from all walks of life together, thousands of us raising our voices against the Republicans and their backwards agenda.”

#GrandRapidsMI #MarchOnTheRNC #FreePalestine #PalestineSolidarity #SDS #GRAARPR

Chicago, IL – 8000 people marched here, Aug. 10, for Gaza. This march featured solidarity speeches from activists from many Latin American nations, including Mexico, Chile, and Ecuador, because of the stand their countries have taken in support of Gaza since Israel’s murderous assault began in July.

Marchers cheered for the Palestinian delegation in the peace talks in Cairo. Emcee Muhammad Sankari urged support for the protesters arrested at the Boeing Company last month, who go to court on Tuesday, Aug. 12, to face charges of trespassing. He also announced a protest on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Chicago’s Air and Water Show against sponsor Boeing, maker of Israel’s F15 fighter jets and Apache attack helicopters.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #IsraeliOccupation

Durham, NC – Over 60 people gathered at a busy intersection in downtown Durham on Aug. 8 to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine!” and “End the occupation now!” as hundreds of people witnessed the rally from the road, many honking car horns in support.

The rally, organized by the Triangle Antiwar Committee, is the latest in a wave of protests in the area opposing the ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Among the speakers was Genna Cohen, an organizer with Jewish Voices for Peace’s campaign to demand that Durham cut ties with G4S, a private security contractor. “Durham should not do business with a company that profits off the occupation of Palestine,” Cohen said to cheers from the crowd. According to the campaign organizers, G4S profits from providing security services for military checkpoints, Israeli detention centers and illegal settlements.

#DurhamNC #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #AntiwarCommittee #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

Durham, NC – More than 200 people rallied and marched in downtown here, July 23, to protest the Israeli occupation's assault on Gaza and the people of Palestine.

A statement from the protest organizers noted, “This most recent Israeli assault on Gaza continues to escalate and the death and casualty numbers continue to rise in a Palestinian territory that has been under a state of siege, including a blockade on building materials and other basic supplies, since 2006.” The statement continued, “We believe that Israel is committing mass murder against all people living in Gaza, using killing as a tactic of ensuring the power of the Israeli settler state and the occupation of Palestine.”

The rally kicked off with rousing speeches from activists and moving testimony from Palestinians whose families have been affected by the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza. The rally was held in the busy Five Points intersection in Durham, so hundreds of passersby heard the speeches and saw the demonstration. A petition to demand justice for Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh was circulated; many people took “Support Rasmea” pamphlets home with them and activists expressed their solidarity and support for the campaign.

After the rally, a vibrant, loud march kicked off through the streets of downtown, with protesters chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “Gaza, Gaza don't you cry, Palestine will never die!”

The march went to the downtown public library, where speeches were made demanding that Durham county cut ties with G4S, a British private security company which plays a key role in Israel's occupation of Palestine. Durham County has a $1 million contract with G4S. A campaign is currently underway calling on Durham County to join the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement by not renewing the contract with G4S.

From there, the march proceeded to the downtown jail. As prisoners tapped on their windows in support, organizers spoke about the repression visited on Palestinians and the struggles to end repression of oppressed nationalities here at home.

The Durham protest is the latest in a wave of actions here in solidarity with Palestine in recent days. Three protests have been held in Carrboro, Durham and Raleigh over the last five days and on July 25 two vigils will be held in Durham.

#DurhamNC #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #attacksOnGaza #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

Chicago, IL – Hundreds of protesters stood across the street from the Israeli consulate here, July 22, shouting, “Hey, Israel, waddya say? How many kids did you kill today?” They aimed their voices at a smaller crowd that waived Israeli flags and who gathered directly in front of the consulate in a show of support for the murderous assault on Gaza over the past two weeks.

While the pro-Israel rally was only a few hundred people, compared to the 700 that came out to support the people of Gaza, that didn’t stop the Zionists from acting aggressively. According to Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestine Community Network and the citywide Coalition for Justice in Palestine, “The most rabid of them came across the street when their event ended to confront us.”

The Chicago Police Department sent their mounted police and others to face off, not with the approaching crowd from the Israeli side, but against the Palestinians and their allies. Abudayyeh said, “If our side had done that, gone across the street to disrupt the Israeli demo, the cops would’ve been all over us.”

Women leaders of Students for Justice in Palestine-Chicago led most of the rally’s chants.

After the Zionist event dispersed, the youthful protesters took off on a march across the Loop to the Chicago Tribune building. They held a die-in there to dramatize that Palestinians in Gaza are still dying under the guns, bombs and missiles of the Israeli attack.

For the Palestinian community in Chicago and the solidarity movement, Chicago won’t be quiet until the U.S.-backed siege of Gaza is over.

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #PalestineSolidarity #Zionism #HatemAbudayyeh #attacksOnGaza #USImperialism #IsraeliOccupation #MiddleEast

Detroit, MI – Contrary to erroneous press reports, Rasmea Odeh is not pleading guilty. Today in the U.S. District Court here she requested a change of counsel and reported to Judge Paul Borman that she is going to trial.

Hatem Abudayyeh of her defense committee said, “She has committed no crime and the government has no case. She has been in this country for 20 years, a citizen for 10 of them, and an upstanding one at that. Rasmea supports the empowerment of immigrant women through leadership development programming she leads in Chicago. She works closely with Black, Latino, Asian, white and other communities in Chicago, to promote multiculturalism, racial and social justice. She is supported so broadly by colleagues in Chicago that she was awarded an Outstanding Community Leader award by the Chicago Cultural Alliance in 2013.”

Abudayyeh added, “The charge brought against her is just a pretext for the continuation of federal law enforcement repression against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims in this country. This policy attempts to scapegoat and intimidate our community into staying silent and not raising its voice against injustice.”

Mick Kelly, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, states, “Hundreds of people are being mobilized right now to travel to Detroit to fill the courtroom during Rasmea’s trial and provide support. We will be here every day, showing the world that she will not be alone.”

Kelly added, “There has already been a massive outpouring of love and support for Rasmea across the U.S. and the world, because people see this prosecution for what it is – a political attack on a 66-year-old Palestinian woman who has dedicated her life to progress and social justice for her people and all people. We will stand with her to fight these charges.”

#DetroitMI #PalestineSolidarity #PoliticalPrisoners #politicalRepression #InjusticeSystem #RasmeaOdeh

Milwaukee, WI – Dozens of Palestine solidarity activists gathered on the lakefront here, May 15, during rush hour to commemorate Nakba Day.

Al-Nakba or “The Catastrophe” refers to May 15, 1948, the day after Israeli “Independence Day.” In 1948, 700,000 Palestinians were expelled by Zionist troops under the pretext of establishing a Jewish state of Israel on Palestinian land. 400 Palestinian villages were depopulated and taken over or destroyed by the Israelis, laying the foundation for the continuing occupation of Palestine.

In response to continuing occupation and oppression of Palestinian people by the U.S. and Israel, activists held signs demanding “End U.S. aid to Israel,” and “Drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh!”

Members of the Milwaukee Palestine Solidarity Coalition responded to the national call to action to support Rasmea Odeh, a veteran Palestinian activist. Odeh is a 66-year-old community organizer who has dedicated her life to the empowerment of Palestinians, especially Palestinian women. She is the victim of a U.S. government attack which is intended to jail or deport her for allegedly lying on a 20-year old immigration form. Her trial is set to begin on June 10 in Detroit.

As the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel grows more successful by the day, activists are facing repression from the U.S. government. Activists in Milwaukee say they will continue to win victories for the BDS movement while defending Palestinian community leaders like Rasmea Odeh from political attacks.

#MilwaukeeWI #PalestineSolidarity #alNakba #IsraeliOccupation #BDS #RasmeaOdeh #MilwaukeePalestineSolidarityCoalition

Salt Lake City, Utah – Students and international solidarity activists held a protest, May 15, to mark the 66th anniversary of Al Nakba. The students called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel and demanded justice for Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh. Protesters stood on the corner of the William Bennett Federal Building during rush hour waving signs and holding Palestinian flags. The protest featured speeches by local anti-war, Palestine solidarity and Palestinian activists. The rally, organized by the Utah Valley University Revolutionary Student Union, united groups that want to cut U.S. taxpayer money that goes to war and occupation.

May 1948 marks the Zionist establishment of Israel. For Israelis, it's a time of celebration. For Palestinians and Arabs it commemorates a time they call Al Nakba – Arabic for “the Catastrophe.” During the 1948 war, at least 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children were ruthlessly attacked, massacred and driven from their homes into refugee camps by Zionist terror groups. In a gross violation of international law, Palestinians continue to be denied the right to return to their own land. At the same time, the establishment of Israeli settlements steals more Palestinian land every day. The U.S. government does nothing to stop it.

Bill VanWagenen, representing The Mormon Worker explains, “Though the Israeli government constantly demands that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state, we must of course wonder when Israel will recognize the crimes which allowed the Jewish state to come into existence. Also the crimes Israel has committed since that time to keep the Jewish state in existence that allows it to continue to confiscate and colonize more and more Palestinian land each year.”

After outlining possible ‘solutions’ to the conflict, Utahns for a Just Peace in the Holy Land member Mahan Khalsa said, “Israel will be an apartheid state until 100% of the people have access to 100% of the land. Apartheid is a legal crime against humanity.”

Protesters also demanded justice for Rasmea Odeh, a leader of Chicago’s Arab community who faces serious charges in a case that is part of a long-standing campaign of repression against Palestinians and those who work in solidarity with them. Her case is tied to the FBI and grand jury investigation of the Antiwar 23 and others. Rasmea Odeh’s case is set to come to trial in Detroit on June 10.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Chris Manor said, “It’s outrageous that the U.S. government arrested and is prosecuting Rasmea Odeh for refusing to recognize the military occupation of her country. It’s important that people understand what she’s facing. We need to stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh as she goes to trial. We need to stop U.S. taxpayer funding of Israeli apartheid.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #PalestineSolidarity #alNakba #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #Apartheid #RevolutionaryStudentUnion #IsraeliOccupation #RasmeaOdeh

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

On Feb. 26, the application and affidavit used to obtain the search warrants for the 2010 raids on homes and offices of anti-war and international solidarity activists were unsealed, revealing lies and attacks on the constitutionally-protected rights to speak out and organize. The unsealing of these documents came as a result of legal action taken by the anti-war activists.

The timeline in the documents show what we have always stated. Shortly before the huge protest at the Republican National Convention, an undercover police agent and professional liar, going by the name of Karen Sullivan (identified in the affidavit as UC1) joined the Anti-War Committee and became active in the efforts to build the demonstration. She later joined Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The documents demonstrate a callous disregard for free speech and the right to associate. They in effect criminalize those of us who oppose U.S. wars, and stand in solidarity with the oppressed. From Palestine to Colombia, people want to be free from the domination of Washington D.C. We have said this publicly on thousands of occasions and will continue to do so.

Not unlike countless “anti-terrorism” cases against Arabs and Muslims, the affidavit contains a collection of lies and out-of-context statements to try to isolate people from their communities and movements. In a McCarthyite return to the 1950s, the affidavit shows an obsession with Freedom Road Socialist Organization. After decades working in the anti-war movement, anyone who has worked with us knows we are proud to be fighters in the struggles against war, and for justice and economic equality. The documents imply that is something sinister, when really, it is commendable.

Having just received these documents, we are in the process of consulting with attorneys and we will have more to say in coming days.

We are glad we forced the government to unseal these documents and we demand that the U.S. Attorney makes a public statement that the investigation is closed and that there will be no indictments of anti-war and international solidarity activists. Moreover, we demand an end to repression and spying against the people’s movements.

#UnitedStates #Colombia #PalestineSolidarity #AntiWarCommittee #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #KarenSullivan #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Meredith Aby of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression told the crowd, “Rasmea Odeh overcame vicious torture by Israeli authorities while imprisoned in Palestine in the 1970s. She is one of the millions of Palestinians who have not given up organizing for their rights to liberation, equality and return. It is shameful that the U.S. government is now attempting to imprison her once again.”

Tracy Molm, also of the MN Committee to Stop FBI Repression, urged people to take action, and encouraged to sign the online petition demanding the charges against Odeh be dropped.

A link to the petition can be found here: http://www.stopfbi.net/2013/10/23/solidarity-palestinian-american-activist-rasmea-odeh

#MinneapolisMN #PalestineSolidarity #PoliticalPrisoner #InjusticeSystem #RasmeaOdeh

West Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee Palestine Solidarity Coalition organized actions outside Target in West Milwaukee, calling on the store to drop illegal settlement products. The protest was coordinated with an international day of action organized by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

Activists rallied in front of the store with signs reading “Boycott Soda Stream” and “No money for apartheid.” Some activists entered the store to hand out educational fliers detailing the case against SodaStream.

SodaStream operates a factory on stolen Palestinian land, in an Israeli settlement condemned by the international community. In the past year, the company has emerged as one of the primary targets of the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement for its involvement in Israeli occupation and apartheid.

#WestMilwaukeeWI #PalestineSolidarity #Apartheid #IsraeliOccupation #BDS #SodaStream #MilwaukeePalestineSolidarityCoalition

Signed by more than three thousand people, the petition calls for charges against Odeh to be dropped. The petition delivery follows a coordinated day of action on Wednesday, November 13, coinciding with Odeh’s court arraignment on charges of immigration fraud. More than a hundred supporters gathered outside the Detroit court where Odeh submitted her not-guilty plea. Actions were also held in Chicago, Oakland, Philadelphia, Gainesville, Tampa, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.

“It is very clear that Rasmea is being targeted for her activism,” says Hatem Abudayyeh of the US Palestinian Community Network. “These charges are the latest example of a U.S. government policy that seeks to repress prominent Arab American community members and people working for the rights of Palestinians.”

On October 22 Odeh was arrested at her Chicago home by agents of the Department of Homeland Security who charged her with lying on her immigration application in 1994 for failing to mention an arrest and conviction in an Israeli military court over 40 years ago. Her arrest comes three years after 23 anti-war and Palestinian rights activists were subpoenaed to testify before a Grand Jury. Several of these activists also had their homes raided by the FBI and no indictments have been filed against them to date, though US Attorneys continue to claim the “investigation is ongoing”.

According to Palestine Solidarity Legal Support, during the past year alone there have been more than 75 documented cases of intimidation and legal bullying against Palestinian-Americans and supporters.

#WashingtonDC #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #AttorneyGeneralEricHolder #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Tucson, AZ – On Wednesday evening a dozen activists protested outside the Federal Building and Tucson City Hall to demand the charges against 65 year-old Palestinian activist Rasmea Odeh be dropped.

As part of a November 13 national day of action in support of Odeh, signs reading “Stop FBI Attacks on Activists”, “I Support Palestine, Women, and Rasmea”, and “Free Rasmea Now!” were held high and passersby greeted the protest with honks and fists raised in solidarity.

In an effort to spread the urgency of solidarity to everyone possible, organizers handed out leaflets explaining the outrageous arrest and prosecution of Odeh. The leaflets also praise the veteran leader’s life long dedication to equality and liberation. Pedestrians and passing drivers stopped for the fliers that also lay out an action plan for mobilizing against the charges and asking people to sign a petition, with more info at www.StopFBI.net.

Having been arrested on October 22, 2013 and currently facing a ten-year prison sentence or deportation for supposed “immigration fraud,” Odeh is the latest target of U.S. government political repression of pro-Palestinian activists. Starting in 2001, thousands of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim men were rounded up and deported by the Bush administration. More recent are the widely reported FBI raids of 23 anti-war activists’ houses and workplaces on September 24, 2010, under President Obama, with an investigation still “ongoing”.

Associate director of the Arab American Action Network and the leader of its Arab Women’s Committee, Odeh is a renowned defender of immigrant and women’s rights whose arrest and trial has caught the attention of progressives across the country. Tucson activists proudly showed up to do their part and encourage others to join the struggle to free Rasmea. Organizers vowed to return for a bigger rally on the first day of Rasmea Odeh’s trial in Detroit.

#TucsonAZ #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Gainesville, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of Florida held a sign holding on Wednesday, November 13, to demand that the U.S. government drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is a Palestinian-American organizer and an international solidarity activist. Despite holding U.S. citizenship for the past 20 years, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the FBI arrested her on October 22, and on the allegations of immigration fraud.

Members of SDS and allies chanted, “Drop the charges now!” and “Solidarity is not a Crime” at the major intersection of University and 13th in Gainesville at the height of rush hour. People walking by were supportive and took flyers detailing Odeh’s case and the link to the online petition.

As Robbey Hayes, a lead organizer with SDS, said, “Unfortunately, Odeh’s case is something we’ve seen before and activists in this country continue to feel repression for being organizers.”

UF Students for a Democratic Society will continue to stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh and the national campaign to drop the charges and end the targeted repression of Palestinian-American leaders.

#GainesvilleFL #StudentMovement #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #politicalRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Detroit, MI – More than 100 people joined a rally in solidarity with Palestinian women’s leader Rasmea Odeh as she went to court here Nov.13. Agents of the Department of Homeland Security arrested Odeh on Oct. 22 at her home in Evergreen Park, a suburb of Chicago. Odeh is charged with immigration fraud. Allegedly, in her application for citizenship, she did not mention that she was arrested in Palestine 45 years ago, by an Israeli military court that detains Palestinians without charge – a court that has over 200 children in prison today and does not recognize the rights of Palestinians to due process.

Hatem Abudayyeh, who works with Rasmea Odeh and is one of the Anti-War 23 raided by the FBI three years ago, said outside the court, “Rasmea is guilty of nothing and this is a ridiculous charge. She is a 65-year-old leader of Palestinian, Arab-American and Muslim women in this country. The immigration charge is a pretext to go after her. Just as the U.S. government used political repression against African American, labor and other movements in the past, it is now repressing movements for social justice in our country again today. The U.S. and Israeli governments are angry because we are effective at organizing and changing attitudes of the people in this country about war and occupation in the Middle East. The boycott, divest and sanctions movement against Israeli Apartheid is growing and spreading; making a dent. The U.S. government is not able to criminalize the political activity of the Anti-War 23 and they will not be able to do it to Rasmea Odeh either!”

Another protester, Farah Erzouki, came with 12 students from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Erzouki, who is with Students for Justice in Palestine, said, “We represent the SJP both in Michigan and nationally and came to show solidarity and support for Rasmea Odeh. We oppose the U.S. government targeting people’s political beliefs. It affects groups like SJP on campus, with many chapters and leaders facing disciplinary charges for expressing their free speech or protesting on campus. So we plan to leaflet on campus and do educational forums. We oppose the repression of all people, but especially Palestinians.”

Students for a Democratic Society in Chicago sent Kait McIntyre to Detroit to speak at the rally: “Rasmea’s dedication to justice is shown by her leadership on the Arab Women’s Committee and leading work in the areas of civil liberties and immigration rights at the Arab American Action Network. We believe her work should be applauded, not condemned!”

Protesters came from Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan, as well as from Chicago and Milwaukee. Solidarity rallies also took place in Oakland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Tampa, Gainesville, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City.

At today’s arraignment lawyer Jim Fennerty explained that Rasmea Odeh pled not guilty. The lawyers will begin to go through 600 pages of documents and plan for a trial. There will be more protests at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, in Detroit, in the coming months. Detroit is Odeh’s original city of U.S. residence.

Before travelling home by bus with scores of supporters from Chicago, Rasmea was smiling and in good spirits. She joined the crowd in front of the court building, stating, “Thank you for your support. Thank you from me. It means a lot for me and my people!”

#DetroitMI #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #HatemAbudayyeh #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #RasmeaOdeh

Minneapolis, MN – Chanting “Justice for Rasmea, drop the charges now,” about 35 protesters gathered in front of the Federal Building here, Nov. 13, to stand in solidarity with the widely respected Chicago Palestinian community leader Rasmea Odeh. The protest, which coincided with Odeh’s arraignment in Detroit’s federal court, was one of the solidarity actions held around the U.S. Odeh is facing a possible ten year sentence and deportation on a trumped up immigration charge.

Meredith Aby of the Minnesota Committee to Stop FBI Repression told the crowd, “Today we stand with Rasmea Odeh, and against those who would silence and imprison her. This attack is another example of the continuing repression of Palestinians and people who stand in solidarity with them. Homeland Security, the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s office are carrying out enforcement of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. We ask all those who have stood with us against the government attack on our organizing, to stand with us today to support Rasmea.” Aby is one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists whose homes were raided by the FBI in 2010.

Anti-war activist Jess Sundin also spoke to protesters, urging them build the defense campaign for Rasmea Odeh in the coming months.

#MinneapolisMN #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #politicalRepression #InjusticeSystem #RasmeaOdeh

Chicago, IL – Michael Deutsch of the National Lawyers Guild and the People’s Law Office spoke Nov. 12 about the case of Rasmea Yousef Odeh, a 65-year-old, Palestinian American, women's rights activist who was recently indicted and tomorrow faces arraignment Nov. 13 in U.S. District Court in Detroit. The immigration charge against Odeh could result in ten years in prison and deportation for violations in her application for citizenship.

Deutsch said the situation, “appears to be the Department of Homeland Security behaving in a discriminatory fashion, targeting Arabs, Muslims and Palestinians for selective prosecution.”

He recounted the history since 9/11 of the singling out of these communities by the U.S. government, especially in Chicago, including the case of Dr. Muhammad Salah, who the U.S. Attorney prosecuted for aiding people living under Israeli occupation. Salah’s trial featured Israeli agents testifying in secret with evidence obtained through torture.

Deutsch described the case of the 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists whose homes were raided and who were subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney in 2010 for their efforts in support of Palestinians. The U.S. Attorney refuses to end this investigation. “The investigation of Rasmea Odeh seems to grow out of the case of the 23, because her colleague at the Arab American Action Network, Hatem Abudayyeh, was one of those raided and subpoenaed.”

From these experiences, Deutsch stated, “We know that the U.S. government works closely with Israeli officials, and therefore it is a certainty that the U.S. government knew of Odeh’s legal history at the time she emigrated and at the time she applied for citizenship. Why then is she being charged now after 20 years of model citizenship and good deeds in service of her community?”

Deutsch also cited a report by the ACLU from August of this year, “Muslims Need Not Apply,” which exposes the “Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program” of the Immigration Services. “This program targets Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants to deny them their requests for citizenship,” explained Deutsch.

These examples together were the basis of his statements of concern about discriminatory, selective prosecution.

Hatem Abudayyeh – a co-worker of Rasmea Odeh for almost ten years and who also represented the U.S. Palestinian Community Network and the Committee Against Political Repression – reminded everyone that Odeh was born in the same exact year that her people were pushed out of Palestine in 1948 and, because of that experience, she has dedicated her whole life to social justice. She is a mentor to dozens of activists and organizers across the country and leads a women's rights organization of over 600 members.

Abudayyeh also said that Odeh is receiving massive support from all across the world, including almost 100 organizations in the U.S. that have written letters or signed onto statements condemning the indictment.

“We are taking a charter bus and a car caravan to be with Rasmea tomorrow at her arraignment in Detroit. Hundreds from Michigan will meet us there. And hundreds more in Gainesville, Philadelphia, D.C., New York, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City and other towns across the U.S. will be rallying in support of Rasmea and to demand that U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade drop the charges now.”

Margaret Jackson, interim Regional Director of the American Friends Service Committee, spoke against the racism of the U.S. government for this political attack on a Palestinian woman and stated, “As a person of color, I can tell you I’ve experienced racism in this society.” To show her support of the human rights work that Rasmea has done in Chicago, she declared, “I’m proud to stand with Rasmea Odeh.”

#ChicagoIL #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #AntiRacism #HatemAbudayyeh #politicalRepression #AntiWar23 #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh #MichaelDeutsch

Detroit, MI – The Committee to Stop FBI Repression and United States Palestinian Community Network will gather in Detroit to support Rasmea Odeh, a 65-year-old women's rights activist who faces 10 years in prison and deportation on trumped-up immigration charges.

Rasmea Odeh is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, on Nov.13, for arraignment at 1 pm, and organizers are planning a support rally in front of the courthouse at noon. Odeh was arrested on Oct. 22 at her home in Evergreen Park, a suburb of Chicago, and charged with Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization, for allegedly untruthfully answering questions on her immigration application to the U.S. The court hearing is taking place in Detroit because it is her original city of U.S. residence.

A statement by rally organizers says, “The charge brought against her is another example of the escalation of federal law enforcement repression against Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims in this country.”

Odeh is a well-known and respected activist in the Palestinian American community of Chicago who has been honored for her social services and women’s empowerment work by the Chicago Cultural Alliance. Scores of organizations across the U.S. rallied to her cause after the arrest, and the media in the Arab world have also covered the news.

Supporters, including members of civil rights groups, faith-based institutions and Arab and Muslim organizations, as well as women's rights activists and civil liberties attorneys, are preparing to gather in Detroit, pack the courtroom and rally in her support. Solidarity activities are also being organized in Oakland, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C. and New York.

“There has been a massive outpouring of love and support for Rasmea across the U.S. and the world,” says Rasmea’s friend and colleague Hatem Abudayyeh. “There is no justification for this political attack on a 65-year-old woman who has dedicated her life to progress and social justice. We will stand with her to fight these charges.”

#DetroitMI #PalestineSolidarity #HomelandSecurity #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #InjusticeSystem #UnitedStatesPalestinianCommunityNetwork #WomensRights #RasmeaOdeh

Los Angeles, CA – Rasmea Odeh is a Palestinian American activist who is a target of repression. She was arrested on Oct. 22 by U.S. Homeland Security.

I am in full support of Rasmea and demand that the charges be dropped. Like me, she is a longtime activist in the immigrant rights movement, a community leader and a supporter of the struggle to free Palestine. She needs our backing and solidarity.

It was the solidarity of thousands of people that was important to my victory against repression following my arrest of May of 2011, and my year long struggle to stay free and active. It was the mobilizing with protests, call-in days, petitions, letters of support and packing the courtroom during the legal proceedings against me that led to our win against the state.

Each case is different but what is the same is the repressive state is using the police and courts to try to stop our struggle for Chicano or Palestinian self-determination.

We cannot let this real injustice happen to Rasmea. She has committed her life to making her community a better place. We need to stand with her.

I call on allies, supporters, organizations and activists in the immigrant rights, anti-war, labor and solidarity movements to show solidarity for Rasmea Odeh. Participate in the various activities and show your support at her Detroit court hearing on Nov. 13. Sign the petition and have your organization send a letter of support. Drop the charges now!

#LosAngelesCA #PalestineSolidarity #PoliticalPrisoners #HomelandSecurity #CarlosMontes #politicalRepression #InjusticeSystem #FBIRepression #RasmeaOdeh

The International League of Peoples’ Struggles-US chapter condemns the cowardly arrest of 65 year-old Palestinian leader, Rasmea Yousef Odeh. Odeh, Associate Director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), was arrested at her home by agents from the Department of Homeland Security on October 22, 2013. Odeh was charged with an alleged immigration violation on a decades-old application.

This latest attack against Odeh, a deeply respected elder and community leader in both the Palestinian and Arab-American communities in Illinois, is part and parcel to the brutal US-Zionist occupation and assault against the Palestinian people (both in Palestine and in the diaspora). Being a Palestinian immigrant Odeh has called many places home but no matter where she lived she always dedicated her life to serving the people.

Over the last decade her advocacy had a special emphasis on the empowerment of immigrant Arab women in Chicago. Having survived years of persecution and torture as a political prisoner in the hands of the US-Zionist state in occupied Palestine, Odeh shines as a beacon of strength and hope for millions of Palestinians and freedom-loving people around the world who dare to dream and struggle for self-determination.

The persecution of Rasmea Odeh and other Palestinian activists here shows the hypocrisy of the US administration's sweet words about peace in the Middle East and recognizing Palestinian self-determination. On the ground in Palestine, the Zionist-Israeli terror forces murder people daily with the weapons they get from the United States. The so-called US budget crisis has interfered with neither the FBI's attack on free speech and civil liberties of Palestinians and Arab Americans here nor the endless flow of US weapons to the Israeli apartheid state.

This arrest is part of the on-going political witch hunt targeting all peoples standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people and other oppressed peoples around the world fighting for self-determination. Just like the US government’s coordinated FBI-raids targeting 23 international solidarity activists in 2010, her arrest and persecution is nothing less than a violation of civil, political and human rights. It is also a maneuver intended to silence activism and pre-empt people from seeking justice.

In both situations, the US-government criminalizes both our inalienable and collective human right to self-determination and international covenants that guarantee civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. The right to self-determination is a fundamental right, enshrined in both the United Nation Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The ILPS-US recognizes that is not merely a right, but a necessity, that peoples assert their collective rights to wage struggles for self-determination and national liberation in order to defeat free themselves from oppression by imperialist-backed and-financed tyranny.

The ILPS-US recognizes that one of our most powerful actions against political repression in the United States is solidarity. Solidarity that is seen and heard in the streets. We stand in solidarity with just struggles for peace and freedom around the world, and we stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh.

ILPS-US calls on all its member organizations and allies to defend Rasmea Odeh. The ILPS-US stands in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh and demands that the charges be dropped immediately!

The ILPS-US supports the call to action of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression for mass mobilizations on November 1.

Hands Off Rasmea Odeh and all Palestinian activists!

Drop the Charges Against Rasmea Odeh Now!

End All US Aid to the Racist State if Israel!

Stop the Repression against all activists!

#UnitedStates #InJusticeSystem #PalestineSolidarity #PoliticalPrisoners #InternationalLeagueOfPeoplesStruggle #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh