Washington, DC – On Sunday, May 3, about 15 protesters gathered again outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war advocate. Azizi was kidnapped on April 13 while on his way home from dropping off his two children at school. Since then, he has been transferred at least twice, and has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyer and allowed only limited contact family.

Chant leaders opened the program with calls such as “I-C-E, we don't need ‘em, we demand Yousof’s freedom!” and “CBP stop the lies, speaking out is not a crime!” Organizers from the Anti-War Committee DMV and the DC Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression then took the floor to emphasize the importance of continuing to stand in solidarity with Azizi, and more broadly Iran.

“Yousof Azizi has been facing deplorable conditions in ICE detention, all while being limited in contact with his wife,” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV. “To that we say ‘shame!’ We are here to demand that he be freed immediately!”

Protesters then took the sidewalk and marched from CBP headquarters to Lafayette Square in front of the White House.

“What Yousof did, speaking out against the war on Iran, we say ‘good on him,’” said Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression. “It is our duty, as residents of the United States, to stand up against the racist, xenophobic war machine!”

Once the group reached the front of Lafayette Square, several of the Iranian monarchists and Zionists came over and began harassing protesters. Some came face to face to the protesters in an attempt to intimidate them, but the group stuck together and held the space at the square, surrounding each heckler as they approached, chanting “Crackers out of the Middle East!” and “Racists out of the Middle East!” Like paper tigers, the agitators crumbled upon confrontation and sulked away. Many passersby filmed and shouted in support of the protesters defending themselves.

Subsequently, after the rally ended and the protesters began marching to the dispersal point, they were followed by some of the same agitators from earlier. One man trailed the group for four blocks down 15th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. However, organizers made a strategic move to stop in front of a crowd of police and expose the stalkers for their behavior, causing them to give up their pursuit and retreat.

To learn more about Yousof Azizi’s case and the next steps in the fight, follow Anti-War Committee DMV on Instagram @antiwar.dmv and visit the website yousofazizi.com.

#WashingtonDC #ImmigrantRights #DCAARPR #AntiWar

Los Estados Unidos e Israel están lanzando una guerra contra Irán. Es una guerra injusta y sin provocación. Ha habido numerosas bajas civiles en Teherán y en otras ciudades, incluyendo los reportes de 85 niños escolares muertos en Minab.

Esta es una guerra que EE.UU. eligió. Trump se apartó de las negociaciones, y luego alistó a Israel apartheid, y ahora, bombas y misiles están lloviendo sobre escuelas y estaciones de televisión. Irán tiene todo el derecho de responder.

Este año llega en un contexto. El declive del imperialismo de EE.UU. se está acelerando. Trump está tratando de preservar el moribundo imperio estadounidense, y el control del Medio Oriente es parte de ese proyecto. El año pasado, EE.UU. e Israel lanzaron una guerra fallida de 12 días con el objetivo de quebrar a Irán.

Ahora han regresado para intentarlo otra vez. Junto con su cómplice Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump enfrentará más derrotas y fracasos — si no pronto, será después. De cualquier forma, tendrán el mismo destino de los tigres de papel que los precedieron.

Irán traza un camino independiente. Se encuentra en el centro de un eje de resistencia que incluye a las fuerzas progresistas y patrióticas de Palestina, Yemen, Líbano e Irak. Los pueblos libres del Medio Oriente no vivirán bajo la dominación de EE.UU. Están determinados a acabar con la ocupación genocida de los sionistas. Así que los defensores del imperio tendrán sus manos llenas.

Aquí en los EE.UU., progresistas y revolucionarios tienen que salir, uniendo a todos los que se puedan unir para terminar con la guerra contra Irán. Lo que EE.UU. e Israel están haciendo contra Irán es un crimen, y debe ser juzgado como tal.

Trump ahora está hablando sobre un cambio de régimen. La verdad es que sí necesitamos un cambio de régimen — un cambio de régimen en Washington DC. Mientras nos oponemos a la guerra en Irán, y construimos un frente amplio contra Trump, podemos y haremos a los EE.UU. ingobernable.

#es #Iran #AntiWar #Statement #FRSO #OSCL

Fight Back News Service is circulating the Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) statement on the suspension of Carson Cruse.

On December 13, Loyola University student and SDS member Carson Cruse was suspended for speaking at the Port of New Orleans public hearing in October. Carson was there supporting New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) and their demands which included that New Orleans stop shipping arms to Israel, ends its ties to the Port of Ashdod in Israel, and to suspend its contracts with entities that do business with Israel, i.e. Møller-Mærsk.

During his time speaking, Carson called out Sharonda Williams, Loyola’s General Counsel and a member of the Port of New Orleans Board, for punishing protesters and supporting the genocide as a member of the board. As retaliation, Williams reported Carson to Loyola for allegedly “promoting an unregistered student organization.”

This is yet another blatantly obvious attack on student free speech as Loyola attempts to quell our opposition to the genocide in Palestine.

This code of conduct report resulted in Carson’s suspension from Loyola and banning from campus until May of 2025, when he was set to graduate.

Carson was previously on probation for attending the Popular University for Gaza encampment, where he was arrested but subsequently found not guilty on all charges. Despite the not guilty verdict, Loyola upheld his disciplinary probation feeling as though they are above the law.

Sharonda Williams’ position as a port board member shows that Loyola and administrators of Loyola have very direct ties to Israel. Loyola giving their students sanctions and suspensions for speaking out against Loyola’s ties to genocide is a clear sign of administrative overreach and free speech suppression.

SDS stands for free of speech and demands that Loyola immediately reinstate Carson Cruse and drop all current sanctions on students for Palestine activism.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #FreeSpeech #Palestine #AntiWar

Highlands Ranch, CO – On Monday, November 4, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by 25 community members to march and rally in front of Lockheed Martin’s Human Spaceflight Center. The group demanded disclosure to the public regarding the purpose of Lockheed Martin's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. 

The event began with a march on the building; however, themarch was short lived due to police cracking down with the threat of arrests unless organizers backed up to the sidewalk. DAWA member and emcee Solveig Swain stated, “These cops care about shutting down our right to peaceful protest, but turn a blind eye to the endless war crimes being carried out by Lockheed? Shame!”

The event continued on the sidewalk, where a picket and rally were held with speeches from socialist, student and anti-war organizations. 

Vincent Verheij with DAWA spoke on how militarism harms the average American, stating, ”Last year $1748 of the average Americans hard-earned tax dollars went to military contractors for the Pentagon.” The crowd found this fact shameful, and expressed that, especially in times as financially hard as these, this money should be going towards addressing the needs of people at home, rather than harming people overseas. 

Many of these weapons that Lockheed Martin and other weapons manufacturers produce are sold directly to Israel, with the intent to be used upon the Palestinian people.

Khalid Hamu from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The resistance in Palestine is waging a struggle to see their people liberated. Israel has not been able to stamp out the resistance after more than a year now. The biggest military power in the Middle East has been failing to win their military objectives.” Despite the Israeli military failing its objectives in Palestine, the genocidal siege carries on; yet so does the resistance in Palestine and resistance to weapons manufacturers the world over. 

After speeches, chants, and marching along the sidewalk, the event wrapped up. Organizers stated that this is only the beginning of their actions targeting the Lockheed Martin Human Spaceflight Center, and that they will be returning soon to continue fighting for their demands.

DAWA held a teach-in the previous week to raise awareness about space militarism and Lockheed Martin’s role in Colorado. The DRACO program, funded by NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), is often marketed as a peaceful advancement of technology for space travel. However, DARPA’s funding, primarily for military applications, signals a new arms race in space.

Lockheed Martin’s partnership with DARPA has historically led to significant military advancements, including the F-35 fighter jet and MLRS artillery systems, sold to Israel. In 2022, Eric Brown, a vice president of Lockheed Martin’s space program, described the DRACO program as a “watershed moment,” comparing it to the Manhattan Project of today.

DAWA urged community members to recognize Lockheed Martin’s space program as another means of developing technologies for genocide and to reject attempts to portray these developments as technologies for neutral space exploration applications. DARPA’s funding, with a history of U.S. government investment in military technologies that were later sold to Israel and other bad actors, confirms space militarism as the new arms race and market for war profiteers.

DAWA is poised to continue fighting against space militarism and Lockheed Martin until their demands to achieve disclosure, end Lockheed Martin’s aid to Israel, and to push the company out of Colorado are met.

#HighlandsRanchCO #DAWA #AntiWar #DRACO #DARPA #LockheedMartin #FreePalestine

The event, titled “Perspectives on Policing: Connected Struggles Abroad” is the latest entry in the series on policing town hall series.

One of the presenters was Ramon Mejia. He is an ex-marine and prominent anti-war organizer with the group About Face, and gave an unflinching portrayal of the ever-growing violence in the military, explaining how the violence is turned back on the very people the military claims to protect, through the exchange programs with police.

In close coordination with Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Bayan USA, NAARPR DALLAS was able to hold a rousing and informative event with presenters from all walks of life.

The struggle continues but the Dallas community showed a great willingness to learn and better understand that interconnected struggle all thanks to the people at NAARPR DALLAS. More town halls to come in the coming weeks and months.

#DallasTX #NAARPRDallas #BayanUSA #FRSO #PYM #AboutFace #AntiWar #Policing

Green Bay, WI - On October 6, several dozen protesters marched through downtown Green Bay in an event marking one year of resistance to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Members of Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Hate Free Outagamie began the march with a rally at Leicht Park. From there the protesters marched in a loop through Washington Street and Broadway, chanting “Free free Palestine!” and “From Lebanon to Falasteen, end the U.S. war machine!” The chants resonated with passersby who joined the march. 

The demonstration had significance beyond the eve of the anniversary of October 7; it highlighted the intensifying class struggle against imperialist aggression. Israel’s recent invasion of Lebanon - after the Israeli terror attacks involving pagers and cell phones, which resulted in at least 3000 civilians injured and at least 12 killed - has escalated tensions between Israel and states resisting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. For workers of the world, the need for an anti-war stance becomes increasingly urgent.

The chair of the Green Bay Anti-War Committee spoke at the rally before the march, stating “Our position is founded on the fact that the flames of conflict have a way of spreading. While billions flow into military operations abroad, our own citizens struggle with crumbling infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, and underfunded education.” His speech emphasized that not only is war destructive abroad but also at home, making the anti-war stance the only rational choice by all workers worldwide.

The march was followed by a vigil for the Palestinian and Lebanese martyrs at Leicht Memorial Park. Members of Hate Free Outagamie and Green Bay Anti-War Committee read avigil statement. Massacres committed by Israeli Occupation Forces since October 7 were listed followed by a moment of silence for the over 42,000 victims of the ongoing genocide. The glow of vigil candles illuminated the park as the closing statements were made, and the poem If I Must Die by Palestinian poet Rafaat Alareer was read. 

As members of Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Hate Free Outagamie will continue actions in the Fox Valley and Northeast Wisconsin as well as participating in marches and rallies calling for an arms embargo and an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel.

#GreenBayWI #FreePalestine #GreenBayAntiWarCommittee #AntiWar

Publicado el 7 de mayo de 2024

Los ocupantes Israelíes de Palestina han intensificado sus ataques contra la ciudad de Rafah en el sur de Gaza durante las últimas 24 horas. Han atacado viviendas y han matado a niños. Los aviones están fabricados en los Estados Unidos. El material de guerra que se utiliza lo suministra la administración Biden. Se está llevando a cabo un genocidio en Palestina y Washington, D.C. lo está facilitando.

El 7 de mayo, Biden pronunció una declaración inconexa y sorda quejándose de quienes “restan importancia y racionalizan” los acontecimientos del 7 de octubre de 2023. Ese es el día en que la resistencia palestina abandonó los confines de la prisión al aire libre más grande del mundo, Gaza, y asestó un golpe por la libertad. Al decir esto, Biden está abrazando el genocidio. Luego, Biden habló sobre el “antisemitismo” en los campus universitarios. Con eso se refiere a los heroicos estudiantes que están en solidaridad con Palestina.

Desde el 7 de octubre, los sionistas han matado a más de 35,000 Palestinos. Aún no se han contado muchos más muertos, enterrados bajo los escombros de las casas de Gaza. Casi 100,000 personas han resultado heridas en los ataques israelíes. El hambre es aplastante, ya que el cerco ha provocado una hambruna.

Y, sin embargo, los ocupantes israelíes no han logrado ninguno de sus objetivos. La resistencia palestina es fuerte. Es inquebrantable y no se pone de rodillas. La resistencia palestina ha aceptado algunas condiciones que traerían una calma sostenible a la situación y, por el momento, los sionistas han respondido con masacres en Rafah.

Los logros de la resistencia palestina no se pueden deshacer, y la ocupación israelí ha mostrado al mundo entero exactamente lo que es: un estado de apartheid que asesina, tortura y miente. Es una creación del imperialismo occidental, específicamente de los Estados Unidos y Gran Bretaña, que lo establecieron como una herramienta para dominar el Medio Oriente.

El sol se ha puesto sobre el imperio británico y ahora se está poniendo sobre el imperio estadounidense. Los pueblos del Medio Oriente están cansados de que los forasteros les digan cómo vivir y qué hacer, mientras las corporaciones occidentales les chupan sus recursos naturales. Un nuevo día está llegando.

El pueblo palestino está luchando por una causa justa. A ellos se han sumado muchos otros, incluidos millones de nosotros aquí en los EE. UU.

Los crímenes de Israel y sus partidarios en Washington deben ser expuestos y combatidos. ¡Exigimos que se recorte toda la ayuda a Israel! ¡Apoyemos a Palestina! ¡Palestina será libre, desde el río hasta el mar!

#Espanol #Spanish #OSCL #FRSO #Palestine #Statement #International #AntiWar

Chicago, IL – On Thursday, January 18, nearly 150 students rallied and marched at the University of Illinois at Chicago as part of Students for a Democratic Society’s national day of action against the U.S. bombing of Yemen and in solidarity with the resistance in Palestine.

Despite the cold and wind students gathered between UIC lecture centers to show their solidarity with the Palestinian and Yemeni resistance. SDSers led students in chants of “Yemen Yemen stand your ground, turn another ship around!” and “Money for schools, not for war, U.S. out of Yemeni shores!”

SDSer Angel Naranjos began the rally with a speech emphasizing the connections between U.S./Zionist aggression in Palestine and the ongoing immigrant crisis and economic war against progressive governments in Central and South America.

“It is the reactionary and racist, billionaire class of countries like the United States, Britain and Israel who are the direct beneficiaries of the siege on Palestine. In particular, our government, here in the United States, is directly responsible… for the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, and Nicaraguans, just as they are responsible for displacing countless Palestinians.”

Nadiah Alyafai, a South Yemeniyah member of the US Palestinian Community Network, lauded the heroic actions of the Yemeni resistance, stating, “Yemen has proved to the world this is not just a Palestinian fight. The importance of freedom and liberation lies within the context of everyone's freedom. The Palestinian fight is central to the whole Arab world and to anyone that fights in the name of social justice, because there is no justice or peace in the world without justice and peace for Palestine.”

Alyafai also condemned the brutal bombing of Yemen, stating the U.S. government “would rather bomb multiple cities in Yemen to protect Israel from suffering economic damages than to stop the genocide in Gaza. It is clear that, under capitalism, shipping containers have more sanctity than human life.”

SDSer Erin Boyle condemned the hypocritical lies of Secretary of State Blinken and the U.S. government., stating. “Our state officials have no shame for the blood on their hands, our secretary of state said the South African case against Israel in the International Court of Justice ‘distracts the world from important efforts for peace and security.’ Shame on him. Peace and security for who? Israel continues to rain down bombs on Gaza paid for by us.”

Liz Rathburn of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization emphasized the pressing need for solidarity between workers and oppressed people in the United States and the resistance in Palestine.

“We the working people in this country have more in common with the people of Yemen and Palestine than we do with our own government or with the apartheid regime in Israel, they are waging a revolutionary struggle against the same empire working people in this country need to overthrow.”

After the speakers, activists led students in a march on the UIC administration building to support Students for Justice in Palestine in their demand that UIC cut its ties with Israeli institutions. Before dispersing, students shook the 28-story tower with chants of “There is only one solution, intifada revolution!” and “Genocide Joe it is time, stop funding war crimes!”

#ChicagoIL #International #Yemen #AntiWar #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #USPCN #FRSO

St. Paul, MN – On January 13, about 250 people gathered in below-zero temperatures to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend by participating in a car caravan, followed by a rally at the State Capitol.

Near the Saint Paul Western District Police Department, surrounded by strip malls, protesters called for no business as usual during a genocide, as drivers and passengers decorated cars with signs carrying slogans like “Solidarity with all oppressed peoples” and “Justice for Marcus Golden! Murdered by SPPD nine years ago!”

This year was the 9th annual MLK Solidarity March & Rally for Marcus Golden, who was unjustly shot and murdered by the Saint Paul Police Department on January 14, 2015.

Speakers from endorsing organizations spoke on issues centering their demands, such as community control of police, reparations for descendants of chattel slavery, the free Palestine movement and stopping endless wars. The car caravan started in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul and stretched many city blocks. By the time cars arrived at the final rally destination, about 150 cars filled both lanes and honked in the rhythm of chants.

Sabry Wazwaz of the Anti-War Committee and Jae Yates from TCC4J made the connections to police violence and specific tactics used by the IDF against Palestinians in occupied Palestine.

Nick Tolliver, an AWC member highlighted the facts, stating, “The U.S. and Israel are connected at an ideological level because they are both systematically racist settler colonies masquerading as liberal democracies that use their racism to justify the construction of oppressive and violent institutions. We must come together and demand an end to the unchecked repressive state violence that is perpetuated domestically by the police, ICE, the FBI, and internationally by the whole military industrial complex and the CIA. We must force our institutions to bend to the will of the people or be broken by our collective power.”

After the long caravan reached the capitol grounds, there was a short rally in the memory two movement activists who died in the past two years, Mel Reeves and Tou Ger Xiong, as well as speeches about what Dr. King would do today.

The event was organized in coalition with Black Lives Matter MN, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar (TCC4J), the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), and Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence (FSFAPV) and was endorsed by many other organizations.

#StPaulMN #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #MLK #PoliceBrutality #AntiWar #International #Palestine #MNAWC #TCC4J