The rally began around 3 p.m. to coincide with SCAI’s preliminary conference with the student charged. The rally was opened with an introduction explaining the charges alleged against Chris Gibson. Gibson is currently facing a felony and misdemeanor charge for protesting against the Israeli genocide in Palestine this October at Orlando City Hall. Orange County is alleging one count of resisting arrest without violence and one count of battery on an officer.

UCF’s Office of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity then proceeded to allege student conduct charges against Chris Gibson even though his original charges are still not filed, the event was off UCF campus, and no UCF staff or faculty were involved with the event. Chris Gibson has two conduct charges: “3(g) Disruptive Conduct” and “4(a) Harmful Behavior.”

Nova Patterson, a lead organizer with the UCF Divestment Coalition, was the first to speak, “We are here to show that we know what is going on and we are not going to let it slide. We are not going to allow UCF to just slap conduct charges against students just for protesting against genocide. Shame on UCF!”

The preliminary conference itself consisted of the charged student meeting with their case worker to discuss what the university is alleging against the student. Gibson reported that, due to the severe nature of the allegations, SCAI has decided to skip the informal hearing and move forward with a formal hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 26 at 1 p.m. Because of SCAI’s decision to skip the informal hearing, as of now Chris Gibson is set to face a panel of faculty and students (chosen by SCAI) without knowing what the potential sanctions are.

Patterson went on to discuss recent anti-protesting amendments that were passed unanimously by UCF’s board of trustees, such as banning the use of face masks at rallies, requiring registration if there is a possibility that an event will have 50 or more participants, and banning the posting of flyers to light posts and university property, to name a few. “No matter what, this is a public campus. We are going to continue showing up!”

These conduct charges come at a time when the UCF police department has surveilled pro-Palestine students painting banners in a public area on campus, interrogated students studying in the library over the banner making and trespassing a Palestinian graduate student for attending anti-genocide rallies.

Theodore Crouch spoke on behalf of UCF Young Democratic Socialists of America. “The university cannot continue to be hostile to anti-apartheid protesters. We are the students, we fund this university, and we make it what it is. Putting us in jail is not the solution. All the charges against Chris Gibson must be dropped.”

Despite the rain, UCF Students for a Democratic Society, Divestment Coalition, and Young Democratic Socialists of America led a successful rally to build pressure against administration and show the Office of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity that Chris Gibson has the support of students.

The student protesters led several chants outside of Ferrell Commons and as they marched back to Reflection Pond. Some chants included: “Hands off the student movement,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Drop the charges!”

The rally was closed out by Vanessa Christaldi, a lead organizer with UCF Students for a Democratic Society. “We are here to let administration know that they cannot silence the voices of students, that we are aware of the tactics they use, and that we as student protesters will not sit silently as they try to isolate and intimidate us.”

#OrlandoFL #ChrisGibson #repression #UCF #SDS #Palestine

On October 7, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at Wayne State University joined the National SDS Student Walkout to remember one year of genocide, resistance, and student struggle against our administrations all over the country. We hoped to be able to protest without the threats of repression and violence by the Wayne State Police Department (WSU PD). However, this was not the case. 

At 2 p.m., we marched from Gullen Mall to the Admin Building without using amplified sound. Within minutes of standing outside, we were surrounded by WSU PD. Officer Daniel Williams approached one SDS member, telling them to immediately disperse. When asked why, he cited a new, anti-democratic policy, claiming, “protests must be registered with the school.” This is a policy SDS was never informed of at our prior two protests. Furthermore, the policy cited is difficult to locate on the Wayne State website, nor are all its stipulations localized. Specifically, the policies regarding the use of amplified sound and what activities do or do not require a reservation are inaccessible, contradictory, and confusing. The unpredictable enforcement of these policies violates students’ rights to know the rules by which they are governed. These rights have been in place since 1967, meaning Wayne State administration is violating some of its oldest principles. 

More than violating our rights as students, Wayne State Administration and WSU PD denied our constitutional right to assembly and speech under threat of violence. After informing us of the policy, Officer Williams threatened our members, saying to one, “This is your first warning to disperse or leave campus, I’ll give you a second warning, and if I have to give you a third, I’ll use force.” These threats are unacceptable, but they are shamefully common. Over the past year, Wayne State Police have met students with immense violence, which has been left unchecked by the administration. This is shameful, seeing as Wayne State is a public university that claims to support freedom of speech. Instead of uplifting student voices, they resort to police intimidation and unconstitutional policies to silence us. 

SDS stands proud in the history of the student movement. We draw inspiration from the Chicano, Black, and Asian student walkouts in 1968, the student strikes of 1969, the historic struggle against the war in Vietnam, and the struggle against South African apartheid. Like the students in those times, we also stand in solidarity with the national liberation movements taking on the U.S. empire. New SDS was founded in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and since then, SDS has never shied away from standing up to the U.S. war machine. It is our duty to resist from within the belly of the beast.

 The Wayne State PD and Admin want to intimidate us and stop us from continuing our struggle for Wayne State to Cut the Ties with the IOF, but instead, they have hardened our resolve. We must continue fighting for change on campus. Because of the repression experienced on Monday, we issue the following demands to counteract threats of brutalization from WSU PD:

A. An end to the policy requiring registered protests, which undermines the spirit of freedom of speech and right to protest.

B. End the threats of brutalization from police by designating a staff of trained, unarmed, non-PD admin liaisons to communicate with student protesters rather than police. 

C. Issuing a resolution enshrining the right to student led protests on campus without restriction.

D. And once again: Cut the Ties Between the “israeli” Occupation Forces and the WSUPD

As we represent the one year of struggle against the ongoing genocide, Wayne State University students stand together to demand justice. We will not allow WSU PD or any other institution to silence us. Our fight for justice continues, and we will remain united against oppression.

#DetroitMI #WayneState #WSUPD #WSUSDS #WSU #SDS #SDSWSU #Divest #BDS #FreePalestine #StudentIntifada #PoliticalRepression #Repression #StudentMovement

Minneapolis, MN – On April 18, the Department of Justice announced new indictments and arrest warrants for the leadership of the African Peoples Socialist Party (APSP) and the Uhuru movement. The Department has alleged that Omali Yeshitela, Jesse Nevel and Penny Hess conspired to act as unregistered foreign agents, in violation of the 18 U.S.C. § 951 – a statute related to the little known Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

FARA is a piece of federal law that dates back to 1938, and specifically to Special Committee on Un-American Activities, the precursor of the now-infamous House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The Special Committee was initially created to combat nazi influence during World War II, but also set its sights on domestic communist movements. In the 1940s and 50s, HUAC provided the platform for Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare interrogations of suspected leftists and progressives across the country.

In short, FARA applies to “foreign agents,” which it defines as anyone who engages in political activity or gathers funds or valuable goods upon the request or order of, or under the direction or control of, a “foreign principal.” A foreign principal is defined to include any foreign government or political party, or any person based outside of the United States. FARA also applies to anyone who engages in political activity in the interest of a person or organization which is substantially funded or directed by a foreign principal or collects things of value for the foreign principal.

Anyone covered by FARA is required to register as a foreign agent with the U.S. attorney general. Furthermore, all foreign agents are required to post a “conspicuous” statement on any communication intended for an audience of more than two people. The conspicuous statement must state that the information is being distributed in the interest of the foreign principal. Anyone covered by FARA who fails to register with the U.S. attorney general faces a criminal penalty of up to five years imprisonment, plus a fine of $10,000.

The specific statute invoked against the APSP defendants, 18 U.S.C. § 951, is slightly narrower, and requires the government to prove that the defendant “agree[d] to operate within the United States subject to the direction or control of a foreign government or official.” A violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951 carries a penalty of up to ten years in prison.

Because FARA is such an incredibly broad statute, and foreign agent allegations are so politically charged, they provide the United States government with a very powerful weapon that it has consistently used to criminalize and chill domestic anti-war and progressive organizing. The fact that it is unclear what constitutes a “request” from a foreign principal or intermediary adds to the dangerousness of FARA. Since its enactment in 1938, FARA has been deployed to silence, burden and criminalize international solidarity.

In 1951, FARA was used against W.E.B. Du Bois, when he was accused of being an agent of the Soviet Union because he had distributed copies of the Stockholm Appeal, which urged the public to support a ban on nuclear weapons. FARA has also been used to repress international solidarity organizations, including the Irish Northern Aid Committee, the Palestine Information Office, and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES).

FARA was also invoked against one of the co-founders of the National Lawyers Guild, Victor Rabinowitz, because his law firm had been retained as legal counsel by the Republic of Cuba. More recently, FARA has also been used against environmental organizations and advocacy groups, in particular Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council, both of which are 501©(3) non-profit organizations.

In the case of the African Peoples Socialist Party, the specific conduct that the APSP members are alleged to have engaged in does not include any acts of vio