Seattle, WA – On June 26, the day of the World Cup Iran–Egypt match, the Hands Off Iran Coalition organized a flash action in the form of an anti-war “People’s Football Game” in the middle of a packed street within view of the main stadium.

The lively protest broadcasted the demand “Kick Israel out of FIFA!” through signs, banners, chants and song. In a press release sent out in the lead-up to the action, Hands Off Iran Coalition organizers condemned FIFA’s participation in Trump’s “Board of Peace,” where FIFA released an AI-generated video in February 2026 depicting football stadiums rising out of the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza.

“From the streets to the stadiums,” the press release said, “the game of football was built by communities, fans and generations of ordinary people. We reject FIFA’s use of the game for ‘sportswashing’ to normalize oppression and injustice.”

The football pitch was erected by creating an unbroken perimeter of anti-war and anti-imperialist banners held by organizers and activists. Ad hoc teams of three players competed in a “queen of the hill” style tournament, with team names like “Right to Rebel,” “Strait of Hormuz” and “The People’s Team.”

Football fans passing the pitch stopped to watch the People’s Game, with many asking how they could sign up to play. New teams were created and joined the tournament on the spot, with some teams representing countries including Mexico and Italy.

The People’s Game was a new type of protest for Seattle, with an emphasis on meeting people where they are and reclaiming a sport that rightfully belongs to the masses and not to pro-imperialist, pro-Trump FIFA. At the same time, the event brought sharp anti-imperialist messaging, demanding an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and justice for the victims of Israel’s genocidal campaigns in Gaza and south Lebanon.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #FIFA #WorldCup #PeoplesStruggles #Palestine #Iran

Seattle, WA – Activists from Seattle’s Hands Off Iran Coalition held an emergency rally in downtown Seattle at Westlake Park on June 8 to oppose Israel’s latest attacks on Lebanon and Iran. The rally was organized after Israel violated the ceasefire that has been in effect since April, by bombing Dahiya, a southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. The rally began at three light rail stations across the city, before all groups converged in Westlake at 6 p.m.

Despite heavy rain, the coalition, consisting of seven grassroots anti-imperialist organizations based in Seattle, had a significant turnout of at least 40 protesters, who carried flags, set up tables, and delivered speeches and chants using amplified speakers.

The organizations in attendance as part of the Coalition included Seattle Against War, Nidal Seattle, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Super UW, Seattle University Students for Justice in Palestine, Seattle Revolutionary Youth, and the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

A number of passersby joined the protest to announce their support, take photos, and learn more about the organizations involved in the coalition. An even greater number of cars honked their horns in support as they were stopped at red lights right next to the park. With lots of public support, the energy remained high for the duration of the event. Speakers not only condemned the imperialist aggression against west Asia, but also celebrated the resistance, who they declared shared the same common enemy with the people of the United States: the monopoly capitalist class.

FRSO’s speaker Izzy McCabe stated, “When the resistance fights, they do not just fight for Iran, they fight for you. Every military base Iran flattens hurts the boss that yells at you. Every tank the Lebanese resistance destroys hurts the landlord that refuses to repair your apartment. Every inch of land that the Palestinian resistance defends strikes a blow against the politicians that steal from you.”

The other speakers from the Hands Off Iran Coalition stressed that now is the time to organize within your community. “The time to strike is when your enemy is weakest,” said Nolan Good of Seattle Against War. “Now is the time to fight back. And the only way that we can fight back is to get organized. Our enemies fear us because history shows that when we fight, we win!”

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #SHOIC #SAW

Seattle, WA – On May 25, George Floyd Day, a day for drawing attention to police brutality, the Seattle Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) led a rally and march through the streets of South Seattle to demand justice for Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli.

In September 2025, Seattle’s federal consent decree was lifted after 13 years. The consent decree was an order placed on the Seattle Police Department in 2012 by the federal government to force them to report to and be reviewed by the federal government due to their excessive use of force and brutality. Not even three months after the decree was lifted, SPD had already killed two men. Those men were Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli. Both were suffering through mental health crises when they were killed.

The Seattle Alliance refused to ignore their murders and has been campaigning for justice for Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli since they were killed.

The march began near the Othello light rail station, where Christian Nelson was killed, and kicked off with speeches from allied organizations.

Elaine Simons, a member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability and the foster mother of Jesse Sarey, who was killed by former Auburn Police Officer Jeffrey Nelson, said, “They are killing our loved ones here in our state, and we have to remember that we need to be united.”

Though the rain was pouring, the energy was high. Just before the march officially got moving, SAARPR member Jonathan Toledo read a statement from Christian Nelson’s mother, Amanda, in which she said about her son, “My son promoted love. My son was a bridge to bring people together. My son is not the lies that have been portrayed; he is more than that.” Christian Nelson and Jack Paleli deserved to live.

Fueled by this injustice, the march kicked off and chanted all the way to the SPD South Precinct building. At the front of the march was a banner that read “Justice for Christian Nelson & Jack Paleli!” and passing cars honked their support. When the march reached the police building, it congregated in front as the last speeches were given.

The final speech was given by a SAARPR member who said, “As an immigrant, I was never surprised by how deeply repression runs in the U.S. But the level of repression and racist violence under the guise of safety that people experience here has shocked me to my core. So far this year, the police have killed 466 victims across the U.S., 14 of those here in Washington, and three of them here in Seattle. If our representatives and officials care, why are these officers not jailed? They should be held accountable.”

#SeattleWA #WA #ChristianNelson #JackPaleli #SAARPR #InjusticeSystem

Seattle, WA – On May 1, Seattle's May Day march saw thousands of workers, students, immigrants, community organizations and other attendees gather at Cal Anderson Park to celebrate International Workers’ Day.

This year’s May Day march brought together the people’s movements. Leading the way was the workers movement, represented by labor unions as well as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and the movement for immigrant rights. Also represented was the anti-war movement under the slogan of “Services, not war!”

May 2026 nears the 18-month mark of the second Trump administration’s war on the working class. Since taking office, Trump and his followers in the government have carried out nonstop attacks on everything from wage protections to safety regulations to retaliation safeguards for farmworkers. One of the greatest assaults came last year when Trump signed an order ending collective bargaining rights for federal workers, weakening their ability to unionize.

In her May Day speech, April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council, stated, “it has always been us, the workers, against anti-worker politicians and the billionaires who pull their strings,” Sims said. “Those billionaires and those politicians don’t give a shit about us, about our dignity, about our rights. They want to suck us dry for profit. Work us to the bone, chew us up and spit us out.”

At the same time, the Trump administration has been escalating its war on immigrants. January of this year saw a regime of immigration terror descend on Minneapolis, Minnesota, which resulted in the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of immigration agents. Here in Washington, immigration terror is most clearly seen at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, which holds roughly 1600 people and is one of the largest detention centers in the country. In February of this year, a lawsuit was filed against GEO Group, which runs the NWDC, on behalf of detained people beaten and sexually assaulted by the NWDC jailers.

Connecting the shared struggle for immigrant and workers rights, Zenia Javalera, president of SEIU6, said, “Under the Trump administration, our immigrant communities and working families face constant attacks. The aggressive and inhumane ICE terror campaigns have torn families apart, violated people’s civil rights, detained workers, and have placed people on deportation flights, shackled into seats, flown thousands of miles away under conditions that no one should ever endure. And I want to share some information about these flights, because these flights are part of a cottage industry built for the benefit of companies like Avelo Airlines, GlobalX Air, Eastern Airlines and Omni Air International. They each are making millions off of these contracts!”

Trump has kept up the U.S. imperialist policy of war, genocidal sanctions, bombings, and assassinations against anti-imperialist states and movements in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela. Trump’s deranged warmongering has brought about a global oil crisis, the effects of which are most strongly felt in Southeast Asia, but which also affect workers in the U.S. Average gas prices in Washington state have climbed to $5.57 per gallon. This added fuel cost will continue to drive inflation even higher, especially the price of food. With rising prices at the gas pump and at the grocery store, working people pay out of pocket for Trump’s wars.

Joel Schillinger, a member of Seattle Against War, said that the highly unpopular war on Iran, “has cost the U.S. taxpayers an estimated $1 billion per day, and has caused unimaginable suffering for the people of Iran. $1 billion per day for workers and families would be life-changing! Instead, U.S. workers are losing jobs, and families are struggling from losing life-saving services.”

But Trump’s attacks, far from cowing the labor movement and the movement for immigrant rights, have only done the opposite. With every assault, more and more people are saying, “Enough is enough.”

“The billionaires want us to feel powerless,” said April Sims. “But look around my friends. Are we powerless? Do we look powerless to you?” The celebration of May Day in Seattle is also a reminder that far from being separate issues, every attack on the working class is also an attack on immigrants, and every attack on immigrants is an attack on the working class.”

122 years ago, the Marxist revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin said, “In its struggle for power the proletariat has no other weapon but organization.” May Day is a yearly reminder that everything workers and the oppressed have won over the years, they won through militant organizing – in labor unions, in mass community defense and anti-war organizations, and ultimately in revolutionary communist parties that succeeded at putting political power itself in the hands of the workers.

The need for militant organization was echoed by the crowd of thousands at Seattle’s May Day march as they made their way through downtown Seattle chanting, “Union power on the rise! Now’s the time to organize!”

Many ask, “How or where do I organize?” At 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 3 at Cherry Street Village, FRSO will host a May Day panel on building labor militancy, the fight for immigrant rights, and the need for revolutionary organization. Anyone who wants to take the next step from showing up to fighting back should attend.

#SeattleWA #WA #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay

Seattle, WA — On March 26, eight members of Seattle Against War (SAW), along with allies in the anti-war movement, staged a sit-in at the office of Representative Adam Smith (WA-09). At time of writing, the sit-in is ongoing.

Representative Smith, who claims to oppose Trump’s attacks on Iran, has a track record of voting in favor of every war initiated since entering office in 1997.

“In keeping with this pattern,” wrote Seattle Against War in a press release issued simultaneously with the start of the action, “[Smith] has yet to back up his empty words of opposition with so much as a single piece of action.”

As the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Smith is a critical player in the approval of military spending, meaning there are real levers of power he holds but does not pull. With the sit-in, SAW emphatically demands that Smith no longer avoid his responsibilities, but put actions behind his empty words and do everything in his power to halt the flow of money to Trump’s war on Iran.

To date, Smith has avoided SAW and refused to address the issues that the group has been bringing to his doorstep.

The United States and Israel’s attack on Iran, which has already cost $31 billion, eats up nearly $12,000 per second.

“The people of the 9th District will not stand idly by while their tax dollars are spent on the slaughtering of others, nor will they let a warmonger like Adam Smith work undisturbed to facilitate it,” said SAW in their press release.

Smith was in Washington D.C. at the time of the sit-in, but SAW members refused to let him off the hook so easily, demanding that his staffers get him on the phone so the group could present him with the following demands:

“Block all spending for Trump’s war on Iran, effective immediately.

“Exercise any and all power held, whether as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee or as the Representative of Washington’s 9th Congressional District, to end the war on Iran.

“Exercise any and all power held to end the flow of arms to Israel and support an arms embargo.

“Immediately call a hearing for an investigation into U.S. and Israeli war crimes and demand accountability for all responsible.”

Rae Lee, chair of Seattle Against War said, “It is time for Adam Smith to stop talking about opposing Trump and start actually doing it,” adding, “To date, he has not shown himself capable. We demand action and an end to Representative Smith’s continued political and financial support of the illegal war on Iran as well as Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people!”

#SeattleWA #WA #Iran #AntiWarMovement #SitIn #SAW #SeattleAgainstWar #Featured

Seattle, WA – On February 28, less than 24 hours after the start of the U.S.– Israeli military assault on Iran, 300 demonstrators turned out to Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market to protest this latest U.S. war.

The emergency protest was called by Seattle Against War (SAW) and supported by Nidal, Haebang, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Students United for Palestinian Equality & Return (SUPER UW). Originally planned as a rally, the numbers and energy of the crowd prompted the organizers from SAW to reorganize the event into a march, reflecting the widespread popular opposition to this war.

The attack on Iran comes after other acts of aggression by the United States on Cuba and Venezuela. Speaking on behalf of Seattle Against War, Joseph Ostheller stated, “It is our duty here in the belly of the beast to resist every imperialist assault. There is not a single example of U.S. ‘intervention’ improving the situation of anyone, regardless of the complexities of their domestic situation. Our stance against imperialism is firm. It does not come with exclusions. The United States does not and never has deployed its military for humanitarian purposes.”

The Democratic Socialists of America’s speaker, Alex Mayben stated, “Has any country ever benefited from a U.S.-backed regime change? Countless nations destabilized by our country’s criminal actions now litter West Asia, North Africa, and Latin America, from Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, to Libya, Somalia, and Sudan, to Costa Rica and Chile. The script for every U.S. operation is the same: unilateral sanctions, U.S.-sponsored protests, and if that fails, bombing campaigns and regime change.”

The speaker from Haebang Collective told the crowd, “The reality is, we’ve been in a new Cold War, a World War III. Before yesterday’s strike, Iran was already under crippling sanctions. Iran faced escalated military attacks as the U.S. and Israel worked overtime to facilitate a regime change against the sovereign government of Iran, as Iran's sovereignty stands in the way of U.S. imperialism and as Iran aids the Palestinian resistance.” 

A member of Nidal stated, “Since the revolution 47 years ago Iran has been an unwavering champion of the Palestinian cause. They’re the only state in the world that gives support to the Palestinian resistance not just with words or slogans but with weapons.” 

Chet Baughman from FRSO stated, “The despicable U.S. and Israeli bombing that killed elementary school girls today while preaching for decades that Iran is the one attacking women,” with the crowd responding with chants of “Shame!”

Baughman continued: “This is especially despicable as the Epstein files have been coming out and showing that the billionaire class is committing horrific attacks on women for decades.”

Baughman concluded, “What must be done? We must build a revolutionary movement. A movement that unites the many against the few.”

After the speeches finished, the crowd marched through Seattle’s downtown area, blocking traffic before returning triumphantly to Pike Place Market.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #SAW

Seattle, WA — On February 7, two dozen people attended fundraiser for medical aid for Cuba hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The fundraiser featured a screening of the Spanish-language documentary Che: Un Hombre Nuevo and a panel discussion with activists who had all recently been to Cuba and who shared details about the blockaded country.

Recent escalations to the unilateral sanctions on Cuba by the U.S. are not only violations of international law but represent the dying gasps of an empire no longer able to achieve its imperial aims through “soft power.” Cuba may pose no material danger to the United States, but its successful socialist revolution, refusal to bend a knee, and continued humanitarian support and solidarity to sovereign nations under similar threat from the U.S. empire – Venezuela is only one example – makes it an ideological threat to a state that relies on a lie: that the only viable way of life is under capitalism.

Che: Un Hombre Nuevo (2010), a film by Tristán Bauer, shows the thoughts of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the doctor-turned-revolutionary born in Argentina who became one of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro’s most trusted comrades-in-arms during Cuba’s revolutionary struggle.

In this documentary, which took 12 years to come together, viewers are able to understand the day-to-day of revolutionary struggle, the hardships of training, the material support of the rural peasants; incredible strides made post-revolution through literacy campaigns and carefully planned industrialization; the personal sacrifices of those who serve the revolution, just to name a few details – through private archives, letters and recordings. These powerful footages and narrative dispel the propaganda of the U.S. empire that aim to delegitimize the socialist revolution to manufacture consent for imperialism’s unilaterally imposed sanctions which kill thousands through what is effectively a modern-day siege.

Beyond the informative aspects of the documentary, the brave struggle of the people who fought to liberate Cuba from the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista serves as an inspiration to all those who fight for liberation today. As Che himself says, “The eagerness to sacrifice a life for the good of the noble ideals is useless if it is a one-man effort. To start a revolution, you need the people mobilized as a whole.”

After the documentary, a panel that included Nolan Good, a member of FRSO Seattle who was on the 2025 May Day Brigade, and Cindy Domingo, a labor leader and activist who has visited Cuba regularly since the 90s, answered questions from the audience about daily life in Cuba.

Cuba’s revolution is threatened by tightening U.S. sanctions designed to force regime change on the country. Now more than ever all progressive people should stand up and say “Hands off Cuba! End the blockade now! ¡Cuba sí! ¡Bloqueo no!”

#SeattleWA #International #Cuba #AntiWarMovement #Blockade

Seattle, WA – Over 1500 protesters took to the streets of downtown Seattle on the evening of January 24 demanding justice for Alex Pretti, who was murdered in Minneapolis earlier that day.

The march came after a rally and vigil organized by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist Political Repression (SAARPR), Seattle Against War (SAW), Defund Musk, the International League of People’s Struggles (ILPS), The Defend Migrants Alliance, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Indivisible Seattle, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

On the morning of January 24, Seattleites woke up to a host of disturbing videos showing the public execution of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents with United States Border Patrol (USBP) in broad daylight. The obvious criminality of the act shocked all who witnessed it, and Seattle activists wasted no time calling for a public demonstration in opposition to continued federal attacks on the people.

The organizations chose to rally at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building because it is the seat of federal power in Seattle, and the most obvious target for the people of Seattle to make a statement to the U.S. government that they will be held accountable. By 5:30 p.m. the crowd was several hundred strong and people were chanting “Justice for Alex Pretti” and “ICE out of Seattle.”

To open the rally program, AJ Daniels, a new member of SAARPR, said that this rally and vigil was a reaction to the unjustified killing of Alex Pretti, who should be an inspiration for all people wishing to express solidarity with nationally oppressed people in the face of targeted government violence.

“The will of the people does not stop,” said Jonathan Toledo, branch chair of SAARPR, as he gave a speech sharing his indignation at the targeted attacks on the Chicano people, Central and South American immigrants, Somali immigrants, and others.

A speaker from BAYAN Seattle spoke for the Defend Migrants Alliance, sharing stories from the Northwest Detention Center, where a person suffered severe medical neglect at the hands of the GEO group, leading to the amputation of his toe and severe heart problems. He said that the situation of Filipino migrants is deeply related to the imperialist exploitation of the country at the hands of the United States, which causes waves of forced migration from the Philippines to serve as a cheap and easily exploitable labor force around the world.

A highlight of the program was a speech from Nolan Good, speaking for the FRSO, who with great emotion shared the story of a five-year-old recently detained by ICE and shared how, as an early child educator, he was moved to tears at the thought of the five-year-old children he cares for on a daily basis facing that experience. Good made a strong call to get organized and take up the call for revolution. “When the people come together and act as one, there is no amount of police or ICE agents, no matter how well armed or institutionally protected, that can stand in the way of the people’s will!”

#SeattleWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #AlexPretti #KillerICE

Seattle, WA — Over 200 protesters gathered in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building on January 16 to demand freedom for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores as well as an end to U.S. attacks on Venezuela.

A coalition of progressive and anti-war organizations, including Seattle Against War and the International League of People’s Struggle, organized the program, which was hosted by the organization Troublemakers as part of their long-running Federal Building Fridays.

Jeremiah Baxter, speaking for Seattle Against War, pointed out that “even if we accept the empire’s propaganda and lies, claiming that Maduro is a dictator and a dozen other claims we’ve heard before, the massacre on January 3 was still a massacre and an absolute violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty. The kidnapping of Maduro and Cilia was and is still an absolute violation of international law.”

Branch Chair of the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) Jonathan Toledo stated, “Whether it is in Venezuela, Mexico, or the Chicano Nation of Aztlán, the imperialist United States is trying to use military force to exert racist and political repression to subjugate the nation’s right to determine its own decisions, the right of the working class to be able to organize and have fair working conditions, and to extract and steal resources.”

The speaker from the International League of People’s Struggle said, “Another invasion means more profit, it means more resources for the billionaires, not for the people. We have seen this throughout history, war was never about defending the country. It was about the oil, the mining projects, the land, the profit that can be made off the war.”

“The only people that profit, the only people that enjoy war, the only people who win at war are the billionaires,” said Mike Fraser, a local musician who led the crowd in a chorus of All You Fascists Bound to Lose in between speeches.

The program closed out with speakers urging attendees to take the next step and get organized. “Until our demands are met, we will continue escalating,” said Rae Lee, chair of Seattle Against War. “Whatever skills you bring, I promise you there is a home for you in the movement. Join an organization, and discover that when we take collective action, the helplessness goes away. The people, united, will never be defeated!”

Baxter echoed this call in his speech: “Showing up is step one. Step two is getting organized. Trump and his regime — the real dictators — they know that we have the power. They know that people power is stronger than any weapon they have. That’s why they use every trick in their bag of tricks to try to shut us down. That’s why they sic the National Guard on cities that don’t comply. That’s why Trump is threatening to invoke the insurrection act to put down the protests in Minnesota. That’s why Trump’s regime is throwing Mahmoud Khalil back in jail for speaking out. They want to make examples of us before we become so strong that there’s nothing they can do to stop us.”

“They are desperate,” Baxter concluded. “They are afraid because they know we can win. I believe that we will win.”

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #SAW #ILPS

Seattle, WA – 30 people in council chambers came together January 13, for a protest organized by the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR) to demand the Seattle city council strengthen its stance against ICE.

Members of the Seattle Alliance had presented the Seattle city council with a list of demands, including refusal of any and all cooperation with ICE, and an end to the Seattle Police Department's expanding surveillance system – invasive surveillance cameras which community members previously spoke out against due to the potential for them to be accessed by ICE if requested.

Public commenters spoke out in favor of the demands. Kevin Rosewood, a local educator stated “As a teacher, my main goal is keeping the kids I work with safe. When the council says we are a sanctuary city, I feel like that's just lip service when I see ICE coming and taking people from our communities,”

Rosewood continued, “I'm tired of living in fear that one day my classroom will be raided, and I want you to live up to the promise that Seattle is a sanctuary city.”

Protesters echoed the demands, chanting “We want safety, we'll tell you how! Defend our sanctuary city now!”

“To all of you who didn't sign on to our demands, I say: ‘What are you doing?’” said Jonathan Toledo, branch chair of the Seattle Alliance. “While our streets are being terrorized by ICE, we're hearing nothing from you. You sit up there and don't interact with the people who make up our communities. We want ICE out of Seattle, and if the next words after my comment aren't addressing this, we won't be happy.”

Chants of “ICE out of Seattle!” after this statement drowned out Council President Joy Hollingsworth's next words and forced the council to call a recess where a meeting was arranged.

Hollingsworth initially claimed that the council had reviewed the Alliance's demands. During the meeting it was revealed that only one progressive council member had actually read them, and as such they could not sign on to it. Protesters and community members then left the chambers chanting “We'll be back!”

#SeattleWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #ICE #SAARPR

The meeting offered insight into the risks, motivation, and political stakes of the delegation’s solidarity work, situating their action within a broader struggle to defend sovereignty against escalating U.S. aggression in the regio