Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

PoliticalRepression

By staff

Students wearing keffiyehs and holding Palestinian flags gather.

Orlando, FL - On Monday, September 23, several student and community groups rallied at the University of Central Florida (UCF) to demand justice for a Palestinian protester targeted by university administration.

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By Victoria Hinckley

Tampa administration, cops stop rally from taking place on campus.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Tampa, FL – On Tuesday, October 1, around six students who are members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society at the University of South Florida, took a stand. They attempted to have a rally demanding free speech on campus for pro-Palestine protests.

Students gathered to begin the rally when Dean of Students Danielle McDonald stopped the students and prevented the rally from happening. Though no event was happening, the dean, along with campus security and police threatened students with trespasses and arrests for simply being on campus. She refused to allow students to leave without handing over their student ID cards. Two students at the attempted rally, Isabella Deschene and Saba Indawala, have now been suspended, trespassed, and have bogus code of conduct charges alleged against them.

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By staff

Atlanta, GA – In a surprising but significant turn of events, on September 24, Georgia prosecutors have dropped all 15 counts of money laundering against three prominent activists involved in the “Stop Cop City” movement.

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By Anthony Franklin

Rory Macdonald. | Zach Kemp/Fight Back! News

New Orleans, LA – On Friday, September 20, Tulane University encampment arrestees held a rally at 8 a.m., outside of the Orleans Criminal District Court, just before a monumental win for the city’s movement. There were over 40 people in attendance for both the rally and their full-day trial. They packed the courts in support of the arrestees for the Popular University for Gaza encampment that took place on Tulane’s front lawn from April 29 to May 1.

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By Jack Saucier

New Orleans students march in solidarity with Palestine.  | Fight Back! News/staff

New Orleans, LA – On September 18, students from the Loyola Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a rally to demand that Loyola University of New Orleans divest from Israel. Despite escalating calls from the student body in the past months, the administration has only responded with force.

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By staff

Brooklyn, NY – When the New York University Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) held their first meeting of the semester on September 6, an NYPD officer with several others from the counterterrorism unit walked up to members in an attempt to intimidate them.

When members arrived to set up for their meeting, they saw an extensive NYPD and NYU Campus Security presence. When asked by an SDS member if NYU called them to arrive at the scene, the officer claimed they were just there coincidentally. Yet, right after the NYPD walked up to SDS, NYU campus security arrived to also confront SDS.

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By staff

Tampa students demand the right to speak and organize on campus.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Tampa, FL – On Monday, September 17, members of Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered at the University of South Florida (USF) to hold a lightning rally in response to the university’s continuing attacks on its students' right to free speech.

While students stopped to listen and join the rally, protestors demanded an end to attacks on the student movement—including on Tampa Bay SDS, which was recently barred from organizing and meeting on campus—and an end to policy 6-028, which was passed behind closed doors and prevents student groups from holding events, tabling and flyering. During the rally, students chanted “Ho ho, hey hey, the student movement is here to stay!” and “USF, shame on you! Student voices matter too!”

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By staff

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Utah Students for a Democratic Society.

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the University of Utah called the police to stop and detain several queer students who were drawing with washable sidewalk chalk on the concrete walkway by Gardner Commons to promote an approved queer pool party taking place at the Student Life Center the upcoming Saturday. These students were not properly informed that over the summer, the University of Utah changed its policy on “Signs, Literature, and Structures‌” to say that: “Messages or slogans of any kind shall not be painted or otherwise written on trees, buildings, sidewalks, grounds fountains, walls or other University structures or surfaces, or on the personal property of others”. Prior to this semester, chalking’s were a familiar phenomenon on campus. Why has this policy changed to further repress LGBTQ+ student speech?

Additionally, Utah SDS received an email threatening our club for posting flyers on campus outside of “approved posting areas,” despite the fact that other stickers and signage remain posted in the same places. On the other hand, our flyers calling students to exercise their democratic rights to protest, meet, and organize for Palestine, were torn down. This selective enforcement of rules is designed to intimidate the student and Palestinian movement, and Utah SDS condemns these antidemocratic attacks on our right to organize. We will not be told how we will meet, organize, and educate our fellow students on the grounds of our own campus, especially when it comes to a genocide. We call on the students and youth of Utah to defy this repression, join SDS and stand up for their right to speak and organize on their campus.

The exciting, dynamic upsurge in the student movement has been met with vicious political repression in Utah and across the country. Last spring, students encamped on the lawns of their campuses demanding an end to military profiteering and investment in Israel’s genocide were met with arrests and tear gas. From coast to coast, university administrators refuse to hear the demands of students, youth, and campus workers for divestment, diversity in education, and funding for student needs. Repression is a sign that the movement is growing and winning, and calls for more student organizing, not less. Students and youth of Utah, stand strong! We must stand together for our right to speak and protest!

Hands off the student movement!

Cops out of our protests!

President Randall, respect our right to organize!

#UT #StudentMovement #SDS #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FreeSpeech #PoliticalRepression #Statement

By staff

Student speaks out against charges against pro-Palestine protesters.  | Fight Back! News/staff

New Orleans, LA – On Friday, September 13, Tulane University encampment arrestees held a press conference outside the Orleans Criminal District Court ahead of their court appearance. They read a resolution signed by over 40 of New Orleans’ community organizations, demanding that charges against pro-Palestine encampment protestors and activist Toni Jones be dropped.

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By staff

Josh Teitelbaum, of Jewish Voices for Peace demands charges be dropped against pro Palestine protesters at courthouse rally.  | Staff/Fight Back! News

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following resolution in solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters.

WHEREAS, the undersigned organizations stand in complete solidarity with New Orleans’ pro-Palestine protesters, and denounce Tulane University for pursuing unjust charges and tacitly endorsing police brutality against these activists, simply because they protested this institution’s ties with Israel;

WHEREAS, Tulane emeritus board member Walter Isaacson grabbed and shoved Tulane student Rory MacDonald on video at a protest on March 13, without facing repercussions;

WHEREAS, Toni Jones, organizer with New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police (NOCOP), was arrested by TUPD on March 16 at a protest for MacDonald’s and other students’ rights to free speech;

WHEREAS, Brenna Byrne, Sruly Heller, Quest Riggs, Serena Sojic-Borne, and three other protesters, were arrested by TUPD on April 29 on the first day of Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) peaceful encampment for Gaza, several suffering injuries from police horses or officer misconduct;

WHEREAS, Rory MacDonald, Carson Cruse, Juleea Berthelot, Shreyas Vasudevan, Vonne Crandell and nine other protesters were arrested by Louisiana State Police on May 1, the third day of SDS’s peaceful encampment for Gaza, over one hundred state troopers used tear gas, a BearCat armored vehicle, and rifles aimed at students to arrest fourteen people, including one just passing by for a walk that evening; and

WHEREAS the TUPD targeted and arrested a student days after the encampment ended, unjustly charging them with a felony;

BE IT RESOLVED, the undersigned demand that District Attorney Jason Williams and City Attorney Donesia Turner drop the trumped-up charges against these protesters;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the undersigned call upon the administration of Tulane University to end their witch-hunt of these protesters.

In signing this resolution, our organizations commit to doing everything we can to make this gross injustice known, and to organize a powerful solidarity movement to defend these protesters, who courageously stood against aid for Israel’s genocide.

Voice of the Experienced

Masjid Omar

Jewish Voices for Peace – New Orleans

First Grace Community Alliance

Hagar’s House, shelter

Project Ishmael, immigration law

Louisiana InterFaith for Human Rights

Friends of Sabeel – New Orleans

Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans

William Quigley, Emeritus Professor of Law, Loyola University

American Federation of Musicians – New Orleans

Starbucks Workers United NOLA

Louisiana National Lawyers’ Guild

Queer Trans Community Action Project

New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police

Sunrise Movement NOLA

Reproductive Justice Action Collective

Harvey Mudd College Dissenters

NOLA Healthcare Workers for Palestine

Southern Solidarity

New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports

Muslims for Just Futures – Gulf South

NOLA Musicians for Palestine

Freedom Road Socialist Organization NOLA

Laveau Contraire, drag artist

Students Organizing Against Racism TU

Feminist Alliance of Students at Tulane

Rev. Gregory Manning

Justice and Beyond

Muslim Students Association – Loyola

NOLA Democratic Socialists of America

NOLA Freedom Forum

Miss Anne’s Maypop Herb Shop

LifeCity Impact Management Firm

End Jim Crow Louisiana

SPORTS DRINK

Trans Income Project

Mo Munchies LLC

Fight Covid NOLA

Fred Hampton Free Store

Chicken’s Kitchen

Tulane Students for a Democratic Society

Loyola Students for a Democratic Society

LSU Students for a Democratic Society

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #NOCOP