Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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By David Jones

Nakba Day protest in Atlanta, Georgia.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On May 18, a Nakba Day protest took place outside of the CNN headquarters, as part of the global commemoration of the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1948.

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By staff

Atlanta panel discussion on the fight against political repression.  | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – The Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression hosted a May Day panel May 4 focused on fighting back against political repression.

Over 40 people attended to hear speakers from the Atlanta Alliance, Black Alliance for Peace, AUC (Atlanta University Consortium) Students for Justice in Palestine, AUC Student Intercommunal Coordinating Committee, GSU (Georgia State University) Students for Justice in Palestine, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

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By staff

Protesters march against police collaboration with Israeli occupation forces

Atlanta, GA – Over 150 students from Georgia State University and members of the broader Atlanta community converged in Hurt Park downtown Friday, May 3, in a protest against the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

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By staff

Two of the protesters arrested at Emory following their release from jail. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – The 23 pro-Palestine protesters who were arrested Thursday morning at Emory’s campus and held in Dekalb County Jail were finally released Friday evening. The arrests came after Atlanta Police Department (APD) and Georgia State Patrol (GSP) attacked and arrested protesters who were demanding Emory University divest from Israeli occupation of Palestine.

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By Taylor Cook

Emory encampment demands divestment from apartheid Israel. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On April 25 students at Emory University hosted an encampment at their quad. The encampment followed the recent wave of encampments across the country demanding a free Palestine and university divestment from Israel. Hours after the encampment started, Atlanta Police Department and Georgia State Patrol began brutalizing protesters, shooting pepper balls and arresting them.

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By Freedom Road Socialist Organization - Atlanta District

Police arrest pro-Palestine activists at Emory University.  | Fight Back! News/staff

In a radical act of solidarity with the Palestinian people, university students across the country have escalated the struggles on their campuses with the campus encampment movement. At Emory University in Atlanta, students, faculty and community members created one such encampment demanding for the immediate and total divestment from the Israeli apartheid state. The Atlanta Police Department and Georgia State Patrol were called to the encampment by the Emory administration where they brutalized, beat and arrested dozens of protesters.

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By Bill Aiman

Southeast Metro Atlanta Routing Terminal \[SMART\] is an automated sorting facility and the second largest ground hub in the UPS network  | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – United Parcel Service (UPS) announced on March 26 that the company plans to close up to 200 UPS hubs and automate sorting at the remaining hubs within the next five years. The plan is part of a broader initiative by UPS called “Network of the Future” which looks to automate union jobs with a goal of saving the company $3 billion in labor costs by 2028. UPS made $6.7 billion in profit last year and UPS CEO Carol Tomé took home $23.4 million in total compensation.

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By David Jones

Osiris Bennett. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On February 24, family and community members gathered for a vigil in memory of Osiris Bennet, a young man murdered by MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) police officers a year before. The vigil, held at the North Avenue MARTA station where the incident occurred, was a reminder of the ongoing struggle for justice and accountability in Atlanta.

Osiris Bennett, 23, was approached by two plainclothes, undercover MARTA officers while walking to the train platform, for allegedly smoking a blunt. During the encounter, cops claim that their tasers failed and that Bennett pulled a gun on them, leading them to shoot him several times in the neck and body.

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By staff

Atlanta, GA – On February 19, about 40 workers and community members gathered outside of Amazon’s ATL6 Sortation Center in Atlanta, Georgia, to support the ongoing strike by Amazon drivers and dispatchers in Palmdale, California.

The picket targeted the two main entrances to the facility to draw the attention of the workers at ATL6. The unfair labor practice strike began June 2023, expanding its picket lines to about a dozen cities, including Atlanta.

Participants kept the energy high during the event, holding signs and chanting, “Jeff Bezos, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!”

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By staff

Large crowd marches down a city street behind banner that reads “Free Palestine, End all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel”.

Atlanta, GA – In a powerful display of solidarity with the people of Palestine, over 400 Atlantans gathered for an emergency protest on February 13 to condemn the recent Israeli bombings in Rafah, which have claimed the lives of approximately 100 Palestinian refugees.

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By Alex Carson

Atlanta, GA – On December 7, Amazon targeted and fired labor organizer Arturo Adame after a year of his consistent worker organizing.

In 2022 Arturo helped lead a successful walkout from the Buford, Georgia Amazon warehouse, officially putting him on Amazon’s radar. In the weeks leading up to his firing, Adame helped organize a petition demanding better pay, working conditions, and respect from Amazon. “As I was getting signatures, they would write me up for very minor phone violations. They were singling me out and holding me to a higher standard than everyone else.”

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By Tracy Molm

Minnesotans at protest in Atlanta against Cop City. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On November 13, five Climate Justice Committee – Minnesota (CJC) members joined activists from around the country to oppose the building of an urban warfare training facility for police on the Weelaunee Forest on the edge of Atlanta, Georgia.

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By Alex Carson

Atlanta protest against the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange and Cop City. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On the afternoon of November 11, about 200 community members gathered outside of the Atlanta city hall to demand an end to the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) program and an end to the construction of the $90 million police training facility known as Cop City.

According to Georgia State University, GILEE is, “a joint project of Georgia State University and local, state, federal, and international law enforcement, and public safety agencies. GILEE’s mission is to enhance law enforcement executive development and international cooperation.”

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By staff

Tampa 5 speaking tour event in Atlanta. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On Saturday, October 21, the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a panel speaking event at Adams Park Library hosting Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5 and building the struggle against political repression.

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By Taylor Cook

Atlanta rally in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Atlanta, GA – On October 8, Atlanta nearly 200 community members gathered in front of the General Consulate of Israel to show solidarity with the resistance movement in Palestine. The protest came a day after Palestinian resistance fighters launched a massive operation against Israeli settlements and military bases to fight back against the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

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By Alex Carson

Atlanta protest against RICO indictments of stop Cop City protesters.

Atlanta, GA – Community members gathered outside of the Georgia Supreme Court on the evening of September 8 to display their opposition to the extreme state repression that was brought upon activists in the movement to Stop Cop City.

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By staff

Atlanta, GA – 61 Stop Cop City activists are being indicted on Georgia RICO charges by the state’s attorney general’s office.

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By staff

Atlanta protest against the police murder of Johnny Hollman.

Atlanta, GA – On Thursday, August 14, over 100 protesters gathered in front of the Atlanta Police Department headquarters demanding justice for Johnny Hollman, holding signs and chanting “Justice for Johnny Hollman!” and “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

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By staff

Atlanta solidarity rally with  WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikers.”)

Atlanta, GA – Screen actors, writers and trade unionists rallied August 22 at the Teamster Local 728 union hall in support of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. The rally was part of a national day of solidarity called by the two unions on strike in conjunction with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates.

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By Alex Carson

Atlanta police attempt to break up rally against Cop City.

Atlanta, GA – On the morning of August 14, about 30 people gathered outside the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals to protest the city of Atlanta’s attempt to appeal the “Stop Cop City” referendum. Protesters gave speeches and chanted “APF you have blood on your hands! No more cops on stolen land!”

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