Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

appletonwi

By Mitchell Erikson

No Kings protest in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Appleton, WI – On October 18, about 7500 people gathered in Appleton, for this town’s No Kings protest. It was a humid Saturday for northeast Wisconsin’s fall; crowds gathered for a mile along College Avenue, the business district’s main thoroughfare, and filled Houdini Plaza, protesting against Donald Trump, and particularly immigration enforcement and the thuggery of the reactionary state.

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By Morgan Gald

Appleton, Wisconsin protest against the genocide in Gaza.

Appleton, WI – Over 75 community members gathered at Houdini Plaza on Saturday, October 4, for a protest marking two years of genocide in Gaza.

The action was hosted by Green Bay Anti-War Committee, Hate Free Outagamie, Green Bay Students for a Democratic Society, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, in response to a nationwide call to action from the Anti-War Action Network.

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By staff

Appleton, Wisconsin protest against Trump's troop deployments to major cities.

Appleton, WI – On September 14, several dozen people gathered at Appleton’s Houdini Plaza in a demonstration denouncing Trump, ICE and the invasion of our cities, including the deployment of the military in Los Angeles, the National Guard in Washington DC, and the proposed deployment of the national guard to Chicago.

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By Mitchell Erikson

A group of protesters holding banners on a pedestrian walkway above a highway.

Appleton WI – On July 26, in a protest against ICE and the Trump administration, simultaneous banner drops took place across northeast Wisconsin, including several locations in Appleton, as well as Green Bay, Neenah, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.

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By staff

Appleton WI – On Friday, June 27, 100 community members gathered at Houdini Plaza in bustling downtown Appleton for Hate Free Outagamie’s rally to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising.

This action, cosponsored by Diverse and Resilient, the Green Bay Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization, focused on the significance of the uprising, and the lessons it teaches us about the present moment.

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By staff

May Day march in Appleton, Wisconsin.

Appleton, WI – Hundreds of workers, queer activists and community members flooded Houdini Plaza in Appleton, Wisconsin, on May 1, International Workers Day, kicking off a march that would face police repression before triumphantly returning to cheers of public support.

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By Patrick Sweeney

A massive crowd gathers in a park to protest Trump's agenda.

Appleton WI – On Saturday April 5, 2500 protesters convened at Houdini Plaza as part of the national “Hands Off” day of action. The demonstration spread throughout downtown Appleton, encompassing the sidewalks of several whole city blocks.

This event comes after the one-sided defeat of Brad Schimel in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Schimel campaigned on banning abortion, stripping union rights and attacking immigrants, and his loss came despite the millions of dollars that Elon Musk personally poured into the campaign. Schimel’s loss is a clear indication that the people are against Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the reactionary Republican agenda expanding in Wisconsin.

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By Drew Amelia

Outagamie County Wisconsin Community members honor and remember fallen trans siblings at vigil.

Appleton, WI – In the biting cold of a Wisconsin evening, over 100 community members gathered on November 20 at Houdini Plaza with cider and a shared revolutionary spirit to keep them warm. As trans and gender fluid voices rang out, their message echoed through Outagamie county with unmistakable clarity: “Trans sanctuary now! We won’t back down!”

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By staff

Appleton, Wisconsin protest slams Democratic Party backing for genocide in Gaza

Appleton, WI – On June 23, a local office for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin was the focus of a demonstration against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Activists covered the county Democrats’ office with the names of hundreds of Palestinian martyrs.

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By staff

Students march through the Warch Campus Center en route to disrupting a board of trustees meeting on May 16.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – After a massive rally and march throughout downtown Appleton on May 15 in commemoration of Nakba Day, the very next day, the student movement at Lawrence University took an action unseen on campus in decades.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Wisconsin District

Since October 7, 2023, the dedicated people of the Fox Valley region of Wisconsin have been organizing and mobilizing for Palestine nearly non-stop. Whether it be a banner drop, a march or rally, disrupting political fundraisers, or divestment campaigns at several local universities, the people of northeastern Wisconsin have shown time and time again that they will not rest until the U.S. ends aid to Israel and stops being an active participant in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The Wisconsin District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been one of the main forces behind these actions, uniting with student and community activists alike to struggle for change.

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By staff

Protestors hold large banner that says end US support for genocide

Appleton, WI – On May 15, over 100 people met at Houdini Plaza in Appleton to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba ethnic cleansing during which over 750,000 Palestinians were forcefully expelled from their homes.

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By staff

Appleton, Wisconsin students demand divestment from apartheid Israel. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On Thursday, April 18, dozens of students gathered at the main hall of the university in support of Appleton Students for a Democratic Society’s (SDS) divestment campaign. This rally came days after Iran struck back against Israel, who two weeks ago, bombed an Iranian consulate in a brazen disregard of international law.

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By Tanner Ziebell

Appleton, Wisconsin rally in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On the evening of January 27, a group of protesters gathered near Houdini Plaza to further demonstrate their solidarity with the Palestinian resistance against Israeli apartheid.

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By staff

Appleton, Wisconsin banner-drop in support of Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On January 5, the Green Bay joined the week of action for Palestine, by staging a banner drop over Interstate 41 during rush-hour traffic. Their banners displayed messages like “Victory to the popular Palestinian resistance” and “End U.S. aid to Israel” alongside many Palestinian flags flying proudly.

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By staff

 Appleton, Wisconsin vigil in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On the evening of Friday, December 15, the community held a vigil for the Palestinian martyrs of the ongoing genocide. The event came in the wake of the grim milestone of over 19,000 Palestinians murdered by the U.S.-funded and armed Israeli regime since October 7.

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By Aodhan Bowman

Appleton, WI march in support of Palestinian resistance. | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – Defying the notion that small towns in Wisconsin are backward, 300 enthusiastic community members gathered in Houdini Plaza on November 19 to show their support for the Palestinian resistance in the fight for liberation against the Zionist occupiers.

A crowd spanning all ages, nationalities and creeds chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and waved Palestinian flags before community members told their stories about family members who are struggling to survive the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed over 11,000 people, mostly children.

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By Jay Gibbs

Activists chant and hold signs up in a window that read "Tammy Baldwin you can't hide, you are funding genocide" during a private campaign fundraiser where Senator Baldwin was present.)

Appleton, WI – In a bold move to hold elected officials accountable, two community members in Appleton infiltrated a private fundraiser for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, November 17, demanding answers about her stance on Israel's actions against the Palestinian people. The incident unfolded as the activists confronted Baldwin on her consistent votes and rhetoric for financial support of Israel amid continued human rights violations.

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By staff

Senator Baldwin looking uneasy while being questioned by SDS.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Appleton, WI – On Sunday, October 29, the Lawrence University Democrats, the student organization of the Democratic Party, hosted a visit by Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin, with State Representative Lee Snodgrass also in attendance. This event came only days after the October 26 unanimous passing of Senate resolution 418 which condemned the nationally organized student protests in support of Palestinian resistance.

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By staff

Crowd gathers around as an activist with a bullhorn makes a speech. The crowd is waving Palestinian flags and holding signs with slogans "Stop the Genocide" "End the Occupation"

Appleton, WI – On October 25, Appleton Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) participated in the National Walk Out for Palestine and held a rally in support of the Palestinian resistance and to protest Lawrence University’s refusal to divest and condemn the apartheid state of Israel. Appleton SDS was joined by Lawrence University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YSDA) as well as close to 100 other students and multiple members of the faculty. 

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