Ladson, SC – The Elbit Out of South Carolina (EOSC), a coalition of local grassroots groups, held a press conference on Tuesday, March 24, outside Elmec, Inc.’s office to announce Elmec as a new campaign target alongside their current target, Israeli based weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. Elmec, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, is an international defense company specializing in aerospace manufacturing.

Elbit Systems is a privately owned Israeli weapons contractor that provides 80% of Israel’s ground equipment and 85% of its drones. Its Ladson based “Ground Combat Vehicle Assembly and Integration Center of Excellence” was constructed with several tax incentives granted by Charleston County, including a Set Aside Grant and a Fee In Lieu of Taxation (FILOT) agreement.

The press conference highlighted Elmec’s relationship to Elbit, the company’s role in profiting from war and genocide, and the material cost of their presence to community members in the Lowcountry.

The event began with a satirical speech from a stand-in Elmec executive to welcome the crowd to company’s grand opening, who said, “At the end of the day, do we really want Charleston focusing its investments on the needs of working people, spending money at Saint Andrews School of Math and Science or C.E. Williams or Burke, wasting its funds on handouts to working-class nobodies, instead of expanding business opportunities in mass surveillance and hospital destruction for the titans of industry?”

The press conference featured speakers from EOSC’s coalition organizations, Free Palestine Charleston, Charleston Democratic Socialists of America, Lowcountry Action Committee, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization Charleston District.

Autumn Waddell of Free Palestine Charleston stated, “Right here in Charleston we have the opportunity to make a real difference. Elmec and Elbit are our access to international politics. We decided to stand up and fight for the parents in Charleston County who want to send their kids to good, well-funded schools, and for the parents in Gaza who want to know their children will come from school at the end of each day.”

Chris Tittle of Tri-County Tenants Union remarked on the connections between tenants in America and tenants in Palestine, stating, “From Charleston to Palestine, tenants are exploited by the arms and AI economy. Elbit and Elmec use the same AI systems in their weapons that corporate landlords like Cushman and Wakefield use to artificially and illegally inflate the rent. And local politicians are happy to call this ‘economic development,’ we call it economic warfare on the working class.”

The press conference was followed by a mock ribbon cutting ceremony for Elmec, and a car caravan from the Elmec facility to the nearby Elbit Systems facility, which culminated in a picket. Elbit Out of SC and community members have picketed Elbit Systems weekly since October of 2024 and worked to raise public awareness of the weapons manufacturer since spring 2024.

“It was important to end the press conference with our weekly picket at Elbit because it not only shows how physically close these two facilities are, but it gives people an opportunity to do more than talk about the issues affecting workers in Charleston and Palestine and actually take action against war crimes and genocide in Palestine,” said Alfred Peeler, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Charleston District.

#CharlestonSC #SC #LadsonSC #AntiWarMovement #Elbit #Palestine

Charleston, SC – Upwards of 50 people gathered at Elbit Systems of America’s facility in Ladson, South Carolina, on Sunday March 15 to join the Anti-War Action Network’s day of action demanding no United States war on Iran.

A dozen local organizations united with the Elbit Out of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition to protest President Trump’s ongoing assault on Iran.

Nate Hubler, a member of EOSC representing the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC), said that the decision to hold the protest at Elbit was purposeful: “It can feel like American forever wars are thousands of miles away, so it's always important to draw the connection to companies like Elbit, who are profiting from this unjust war on Iran and the ongoing genocide in Gaza while simultaneously defunding our county’s public school system.”

The crowd chanted, marched in front of the facility’s entrance, and held signs speaking out against the war and Elbit’s presence in South Carolina along the busy Palmetto Commerce Parkway. The Elbit facility in Ladson is one of eleven Israeli-owned weapons manufacturers around the country.

Speakers from the organizing groups spoke throughout the afternoon and related the devastating U.S. and Israeli backed war to their own local organizing work, though they often had to pause while passing vehicles drowned them out with supportive honks.

Joel Milliken, a member of the South Carolina Tenants Union, spoke to the crowd, “Our taxes are paying for the bombs being dropped on schools and hospitals in Iran and the subsequent double tap strikes on aid workers searching for survivors in the rubble. Meanwhile, tenants are going to be forced between paying $5 a gallon for gas to get to work and paying their rent.”

Students were also out in force at the rally and spoke out against the attacks on Iranian schools.

“Cry for humanity – for the life and youth foolishly wasted by the right-extremists of this administration, claiming that they wage such aggression in our name,” remarked Sasha Bozanic, National Representative for the College of Charleston Students for a Democratic Society. “Were 170 schoolgirls massacred in our name? Are the Army, Navy and Marines being sent to assail a civilian population in our name? How many must suffer and die before we learn that a blow to one family is a blow to us all?”

“Working-class people here know they have more in common with the working class of Iran than they do the billionaires, imperialists and war-profiteers that are starting this war,” remarked Alfred Peeler, a member of the Charleston District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “They know what’s actually needed to materially improve their lives and together, we can build a very real form of political power in the Lowcountry.”

The protest ended with organizers urging the crowd to only continue to show up to future rallies and events, but to speak out against the United States and Israeli war of aggression and to get involved with the groups present.

“We are going to win, but we need everyone to find a way to get involved in the work and we’re more than happy to help them get connected to the right organization,” said protest organizer Gillian Bergeron.

#CharlestonSC #SC #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Charleston, SC – Over 500 people gathered at Marion Square in Charleston, South Carolina on January 25 for an emergency protest after ICE shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis the day before.

“This is the third time this month that we’ve had to organize an emergency protest,” Erica Veal, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Lowcountry Action Committee, remarked. “The violence of the Trump administration doesn’t let up but every time we rally together, more people show up and want to get involved. Their actions will be their downfall.”

The emergency protest was organized by a newly formed the District of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Lowcountry Action Committee, the Charleston Community Service Organization, Charleston Democratic Socialists of American, College of Charleston Students for a Democratic Society, the Charleston Climate Coalition, Indivisible Summerville, and others in another showing of the broad, united front against Trump in the Lowcountry.

Speakers at the action repeated their demands like “ICE out of our communities,” “End 287(g),” “Justice for Renee Good and Alex Pretti,” and “Legalization for all.”

The Charleston Community Service Organization led the crowds in chants alternating between Spanish and English and gave moving speeches about the immigrant rights movement in Charleston.

“Filming ICE is not a crime. We must continue to stand up in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters. We are not domestic terrorists, they are,” organizer Lucia Peña said.

During the rally, which was surrounded by nearly 50 police, one attendee was arrested for violating South Carolina’s anti-mask law by wearing a keffiyeh over her face. As law enforcement led the woman away, some of the attendees confronted police, who were unable to hold the line against the people advancing until officers on horseback arrived. The woman arrested has since been released.

“The law isn’t meant to protect us, it’s meant to hurt us and keep us down,” event organizer Matt Colburn told the attendees. “If ICE agents were at this protest, they’d all be hiding their faces with masks and the police surrounding us right now wouldn’t do a damn thing about it. You have to remember whose side they’re on!”

During her speech, Syd Loving, standing committee member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, reminded the crowd that they’re joined in protest by hundreds of thousands across the country. “Trump and his racist gang have done everything to snuff out the waves of protest against his anti-immigrant agenda, up to deploying the National Guard. But there's not less and less protests, there's more.”

Loving continued, “There's not less and less people taking the streets. There’s more! In spite of the danger, in spite of the fear because in our unity there's strength and we are going to build that unity against each and every attack. We are not going to stay home and be quiet like they want us to.”

Throughout the protest, speakers stressed the need to get involved with the organizations who helped plan the emergency rally.

“All of our struggles are connected,” said Nate Hubler, organizer with the Elbit Out of South Carolina Coalition and the Lowcountry Action Committee. “Whether you’re organizing for immigrant rights, fighting against Elbit Systems, building the campaign against our city’s unconstitutional First Amendment Ordinance, rallying to keep Dominion Energy out of the Santee, or working to end police violence, you need to be a part of an organization fighting for the liberation of all of us.”

#CharlestonSC #SC #ImmigrantRights #AlexPretti #ICE #KillerICE #LCAC #FRSO #CCSO

Charleston, SC – On January 19, Charleston’s Elbit Out Of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition marched with a large contingent in the city’s Martin Luther King Day parade. Around 40 community members carried Palestinian flags, large banners, and a variety of signs criticizing Elbit Systems of America for producing weapons for Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The coalition handed out hundreds of flyers with information about Elbit’s Charleston County facility as well as ways to get involved with the coalition's efforts to shut the factory down.

“It was so great to see families watching the parade from the sidelines light up when they saw a contingent in solidarity with Palestine,” said Alfred Peeler, of the Charleston District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). “It showed that the community supports our efforts to do our part locally in demanding an end to the U.S.’s role in supporting the genocide.”

Elbit Systems of America opened its Charleston factory in 2023 to construct Next Generation Sigma 155 mm Howitzer cannons for Israel, and at least two loads of weapons and other munitions have already been shipped.

“It’s important for us to take every opportunity we can to publicly show our support for Palestinians and bring attention to the ways our community is wrapped up in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza,” stated Nate Hubler, an EOSC organizer. “Most people are unaware that Elbit was given tax breaks by our county council to operate here, depriving the public of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.”

The Elbit Out Of SC Coalition formed at the end of 2024 to shut the factory down and has pursued a variety of tactics including weekly pickets in front of the facility for over a year, regular teach-ins at community meetings, speaking at county council to scrap the tax breaks, and appealing to labor unions and religious institutions.

The Coalition consists of Free Palestine Charleston (FPC), Charleston DSA, the Lowcountry Action Committee and FRSO Charleston as well as numerous at-large organizers.

The coalition kept the energy up for the entire length of the parade, chanting for an hour and a half. Attendees were led in chants like “Free, free Palestine!” and “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!”

“It was so great to see the people chant along with us, especially the kids,” said Autumn Waddell, an organizer with FPC and EOSC.

Volunteers with the Charleston Linea Directa Comunitaria Inmigrante, the local Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) verification hotline, also marched with the coalition. Representatives handed out flyers to spread the word about the hotline’s phone number and made connections between attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and attacks on immigrants in the U.S.

“It looks like the local news covering the parade turned off their coverage as we approached, which they did last year as well,” said Alfred Peeler. “But it’s all good, we’ve been getting more and more coverage, more and more engagement, and Elbit facilities are shutting down across the globe. We are winning!”

#CharlestonSC #SC #AntiWarMovement #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #MLKDay #FPC #EOSC

Charleston, SC – Over 250 people gathered at Marion Square in Charleston, South Carolina, on January 8 for an emergency protest against the deadly shooting of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis the day before.

Members of the local chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Lowcountry Action Committee, the Charleston Community Service Organization, the College of Charleston Students for a Democratic Society, Charleston Democratic Socialists of America, 50501 SC, and others came together in what they referred to as a “broad, united front against killer ICE agents.”

Representatives presented clear and direct demands like “Justice for Renee Good,” “Jail Jonathan Ross,” “ICE out of our communities” and “End 287(g).”

“Chinga la migra!” was the rallying cry of the Charleston Community Service Organization, which opened the emergency protest with a heartfelt speech by leading member Dulce Lopez. “I am somebody,” she called out to the crowd. “I deserve justice. Right here. Right now.”

Organizers attempted to connect the dots between the tragedy in Minneapolis and the recent U.S. aggression against Venezuela. “We just saw some of you four days ago at the No War Against Venezuela protest,” remarked Erica Veal of the Lowcountry Action Committee and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “And we will continue to show up and show out every time the U.S. commits war crimes abroad and domestic terrorism at home.”

The city of Charleston passed a law referred to as the “First Amendment Demonstration Ordinance,” which requires a police permit for gatherings of 25 or more. Organizers say that when permits are submitted, the Charleston Police Department employs strategies to delay their processing by requesting repeated location and time changes. The one caveat to the law, which many call an infringement on First Amendment rights, is the “48 hour clause,” which allows community members to assemble without a police permit within two days of breaking news. Organizers took advantage of this clause over the past week to mobilize multiple rallies.

“We are exhausted from planning back-to-back actions, but it is important for us to be out here to make our voices heard,” said Nate Hubler of the Lowcountry Action Committee Solidarity Network and the Elbit Out of SC coalition. “Time is of the essence. We don’t have the virtue of waiting to protest because we are contending with a repressive law that police have repeatedly used to disperse lawful assemblies and brutalize protesters.”

As the sun set over the crowd, organizers emphasized the importance of joining justice-centered and action-oriented organizations. Matt Colburn, also of the Lowcountry Action Committee and Freedom Road said, “we are not outnumbered. We are out organized. This administration’s top officials are living on military bases. ICE covers their faces despite being one of the most well-paid and well-funded federal agencies. Why? Because they're afraid of the people.”

The first week of 2026 has attendees convinced it will be a year of heightened activity and protest. “There will continue to be mass mobilizing events that force us out into the streets,” Veal said in her closing remarks. “What’s most important is the organizing that happens in between.”

#CharlestonSC #SC #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #ReneeGood #KillerCops #KillerICE

Charleston, SC – Over 100 people gathered in Charleston, South Carolina, on Sunday, January 4 for an emergency protest against U.S. military aggression in Venezuela. Protesters condemned Washington’s attempts to destabilize the Venezuelan government through sanctions, military posturing and political interference and demanded the release of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Charleston District, the Lowcountry Action Committee, Charleston Democratic Socialists of America, the Charleston Climate Coalition, Free Palestine Charleston, and others led chants like “Up, up, up with liberation; down, down, down with occupation” and “Free, Free! President Maduro!”

Attendees held signs denouncing U.S. interference in Venezuela and condemning the ongoing attempts to overthrow the democratically elected Maduro government. Speakers rejected U.S. narratives used to justify sanctions and military threats.

“The Venezuelan people are the only ones who have the right to determine who leads their country. Not Trump and his cronies,” said Erica Veal, member of Freedom Road and the Lowcountry Action Committee.

Organizers also pointed to the devastating humanitarian impacts of economic warfare imposed by Washington, D.C.

“When the U.S. government pours billions into war and sanctions, it’s working-class people here and abroad who pay the price,” said FRSO member Sasha Bozanic. “We’re out here today to say we refuse to accept war budgets while our communities face housing insecurity, climate disasters and police brutality.”

Speakers and participants stressed the local and environmental consequences of U.S. militarism, drawing clear connections between massive military spending abroad and underfunded housing, education and mitigation of climate change efforts in Charleston. Surrounded by dozens of Charleston Police Department officers, including several mounted on horses, organizers highlighted how militarization abroad mirrors the conditions of police occupation and surveillance in working-class, Black and brown communities at home.

Protesters also connected U.S. aggression against Venezuela to sanctions imposed on Cuba and other countries resisting U.S. imperial control, emphasizing how these policies harm everyday people while enriching weapons manufacturers and corporate elites.

Shaquille Fontenot of the Lowcountry Action Committee emphasized international solidarity, stating, “What the U.S. is doing to Venezuela is the same logic it uses to justify policing and repression at home. Imperialism abroad and occupation at home are two sides of the same system, and our fight against it has to be collective and global.”

Organizers concluded by calling for an end to U.S. sanctions, military threats, and respect for Venezuelan sovereignty. They urged Charleston residents to continue organizing locally while standing in international solidarity against imperialism, occupation, and war on Venezuela and elsewhere.

#CharlestonSC #SC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #FRSO #LCAC

North Charleston, SC – Monday, December 29, marked the three-year anniversary of the death of D’Angelo Brown, and organizers with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC) honored the day by gathering in remembrance of him and the more than 20 other lives stolen by Al Cannon Detention Center.

Brown, who suffered from schizoaffective disorder, was murdered by medical neglect at the jail in 2022. His death was ruled a homicide and, according to LAC members, is part of a larger pattern of abuse and neglect at the facility.

“Over 20 people have died at Al Cannon since 2015 and most of them have been Black and struggling with mental health issues like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or addiction,” said Erica Veal, co-founding member of LAC. “Mental health is not a crime, but for people detained at Al Cannon it’s a potential death sentence. That’s not right and we want to see the jail shut down immediately.”

At the vigil, organizers poured libations and read the names of 24 people who died at Al Cannon. One of the names was that of Jamal Sutherland who was tasered to death by corrections officers on January 5, 2021 after being transferred to the jail from a mental health facility. In the aftermath of his murder, which was also ruled a homicide, LAC members formed part of the Justice for All Coalition to demand accountability.

Brown and Sutherland were both Black, but the jail’s most recent victim was white. Mary Brucato was murdered at the detention center on August 11, 2025 and it took nearly six months for her death to be ruled a homicide due to medical neglect and complications from withdrawal. Brucato had been struggling with substance use disorder.

“Mary Brucato, D’Angelo Brown and Jamal Sutherland should still be with us today,” said Shaquille Fontenot, a co-founding member of LAC. “We are here to honor lives taken by police violence and to speak the names the system tries to erase. This vigil is not an ending, but a checkpoint in a longer struggle for justice and community control.”

Alfred Peeler, LAC Solidarity Network member explained to the crowd that community control means the community determining how they are policed and by whom. “The community decides if it wants to shut down a jail that is under DOJ investigation for medical neglect while there are still people literally right to this day dying from medical neglect in it.”

He went on to say that the community “should have a say if it wants a portion of the police budget to instead go to attacking real material concerns like food deserts and afterschool care,” all of which are known to reduce violent crime, according to Peeler.

On the same day as the vigil, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office announced they would no longer publicly release information on inmates who die in the county jail from natural causes. “It just screams coverup,” said LAC Solidarity Network member Matt Colburn. “Hopefully this will push more families to open up and trust in us to support them in their demands for justice for their loved ones. Accountability is not symbolic,” Colburn said. “True community safety requires honesty, transparency and consequences. We will continue to fight until these families find justice.”

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #Jail #LAC #Incarceration

Charleston, SC — The Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC) hosted the National Network on Cuba (NNOC) for its annual fall meeting in Charleston, South Carolina November 7 through 9. Founded 35 years ago, the NNOC is composed of over 70 member organizations dedicated to normalizing relations between the United States and