Lakewood, CO – On Oct. 11, at Red Rocks Community College here, students and faculty members gathered to hold a vigil for Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed by white supremacists in August. Speakers included Denver SDS members Jarrid Carroll-Frey, Amber Hott, as well as a musical tribute from Ralph Mallet.

The speakers met at 4 p.m. in a reserved room to hold the vigil. The whiteboard had the words “In Honor of Heather Heyer” written upon it. The somber atmosphere of the meeting was acutely felt by all those in attendance.

The first speaker was Carroll-Frey, whose speech highlighted the importance of combating white supremacy so that tragedies such as this never happen again. With an “Unapologetically anti-racist” pin on his t-shirt, he stated “This act of senseless violence should be a call to action for all people dedicated to anti-fascism. As Heyer herself said, ‘If you aren’t angry, you aren’t paying attention.’”

The next speaker was the Civil Rights Club’s Vice President Amber Hott. Her speech focused on the issue of unity between anti-racists in this time of growing fascism. She stated, “In order to enact any real social change, we need allies. I am making a call right now to everyone in this room to take a pledge of allyship for any minority group you are not a part of.”

Next, Denver SDS and IWW member Ralph Mallet performed a musical tribute to Heyer. As he played and sung Danny Boy, the reality of the situation started to dawn on those in attendance. A person was murdered in cold blood by white supremacists. This is not the time for inaction or apathy, this is the time to fight.

#LakewoodCO #SDS #CHarlottesville #HeatherHayer #Denver

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mourns the martyr Heather Heyer and wishes speedy healing to the wounded anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia in the United States as they confronted a racist, fascist rally on Saturday, August 12. The martyr and the wounded are part of the global list of those who have fallen in the struggles of all peoples to confront racist powers and they will always be remembered as such.

Contrary to the assertions of some corporate media in the United States, the fascist rally in Virginia in “defense” of a Confederate statue is not a divergence from U.S. ruling politics but a reflection of them. The United States has always been built on the genocide of Indigenous people and the theft of Indigenous land, the genocidal confiscation of Black lives and Black labor and the globally murderous power of capitalism and imperialism.

The rise of these kinds of demonstrations of racism are also an expression of the crisis of U.S. capitalism and imperialism in the Trump era, as well as the “debate” of the two imperialist political parties. The actions of anti-racists in Charlottesville and elsewhere disrupt this “debate” and highlight the true history and reality of the United States.

The bombastic framework of Trump’s threats against peoples and nations around the world and the officially-sanctioned scapegoating of oppressed communities comes hand in hand with the attempt by Trump to label racist attacks as “violence on many sides.” Indeed, it is reminiscent of attempts to label the resistance of the Palestinian people to occupation, oppression and colonialism as a “cycle of violence” or “hatred” rather than a just fight for liberation against a brutal colonizer.

The protesters who confronted the racist forces are, by and large, Left and revolutionary forces, including Black movements who have been on the front lines confronting U.S. state violence and repression, Communists, anarchists and radical socialists who are committed to fighting and stopping racism and oppression. The denunciation of racist terror on the streets of Charlottesville must also be combined with the denunciation of U.S. racist terror in police uniform on the streets of cities across the country as well as that in advanced armored vehicles and warplanes on peoples around the world. Trump’s current threats are nothing more than an ongoing continuation of U.S. imperialism’s bloody wars on the peoples of the world, especially of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, which have continued in an uninterrupted imperial march for well over a century.

Whether in Palestine or in Virginia, it is right to resist racist terror, including and especially that of the state. The far right in Europe, the United States and the Zionist movement share information, resources and propaganda against Black, Arab and other movements, peoples and communities (even while the far-right spouts anti-Jewish slogans alongside its anti-Black and anti-Arab hatred on American and European streets) – and the racist state powers and police authorities in the United States and the Israeli occupation are linked together with aid, resources and the common goals of Zionism and imperialism. We must also be united to fight racism, Zionism, capitalism and imperialism in all of our diverse, connected struggles for justice and liberation.

Zionist organizations and movements within the United States have been engaged in long-lasting alliances with fellow right-wing and racist forces around the world. While some are attempting to position themselves after Charlottesville as opponents of racism, these organizations are in fact defenders and proponents of racist oppression, not only in Palestine but in the United States and elsewhere where they have pushed for profiling and repression of Arab, Muslim, Black and other community organizing and even engaged in direct spying and surveillance on a range of anti-racist forces. Just as Israel traded arms and support with apartheid South Africa, the Zionist movement today is deeply engaged with other racist forces as has been vividly displayed on the streets in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany and elsewhere.

These racist and fascist mobilizations in the United States have taken a specific interest in targeting Arab and Muslim communities, immigrants and refugees and framing them as a “danger” or a “threat.” The targeting of Arabs and Muslims by these groups comes hand in hand with intense police surveillance and so-called “anti-terror” legislation that seeks to criminalize the Palestinian liberation movement and drive the community into fear.

Palestinians in the United States are deeply involved in the fight against racism and oppression of all forms, confronting the forces inflicting that violence on the world, and the Palestinian flag is a worldwide symbol of resistance to racist terror. We stand with the movements in the United States fighting back against racism and fascism as part of our global struggle. Long live international solidarity!

#Palestine #US #AntiRacism #antifascism #DonaldTrump #CHarlottesville

Minneapolis, MN – More than 1000 people marched here August 14 to oppose white supremacy and honor the dead and injured in the aftermath of a white nationalist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. The lead banner of the march read, “Minnesota against white supremacy.” Several protesters carried poster-sized images of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old anti-racist murdered by a white supremacist in the August 12 attack.

The protest began with a rally outside of the Minnesota Republican Party office on Franklin Avenue, where speakers made the connection between the violent attacks by white supremacists and the racist policies and statements of Donald Trump.

The growing crowd then marched through the heavily Somali and East African immigrant neighborhood of Cedar-Riverside chanting, “When Muslims are under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Many people came out in the streets to take pictures, wave, and join the march. One of Trump's last election campaign stops was in Minneapolis, where he specifically attacked Somali immigrants, claiming they pose a dangerous threat. Trump sent U.S. troops of the 101st Airborne Division to intervene in Somalia in April this year. In Minneapolis, the Somali community is the target of ongoing FBI and Department of Homeland Security surveillance and repression thru programs like Countering Violent Extremism (CVE).

Speakers pointed out some of the recent crimes committed locally by white supremacists. On August 5, in Bloomington, a first-ring suburb of the Twin Cities, the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center was bombed. In 2015, white supremacist Allen “Lance” Scarcella shot five African American men during a protest of the police murder of Jamar Clark. So far in 2017, right-wing racists have held at least three rallies at state capitol, which were drowned out by counter-protesters.

The large crowd then marched to downtown Minneapolis, stopping in front of the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL). In a challenge to Democrats, the speaker there demanded a 'zero tolerance' policy on the open functioning of white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations in the U.S. and Minnesota.

Protesters then proceeded to the Hennepin County Jail and Minneapolis City Hall. Sheriff Richard Stanek, who has a history of racism, runs the jail. Stanek is currently under fire from Latino community activists for his active cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sheriff Stanek is giving ICE full access to the county jail, leading to the deportation of large numbers of immigrants.

After the program ended, protesters nearby set fire to an effigy emblazoned with swastikas. They also raised an anti-fascist flag on a flagpole in front of the county jail.

Protester Linden Gawboy stated, “I was there to say that we are ready to fight against these loser white supremacists. We can’t be silent. We can’t hope them away, we can’t pray them away. We have to fight fire with fire.”

Many local groups turned out, including Communities United Against Police Brutality, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice in MN (FIRM), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Anti-War Committee, The New North, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), IWW General Defense Committee, AFSCME Local 2822, and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar.

#MinneapolisMN #Antiracism #Antifascism #CHarlottesville

Salt Lake City, UT — In the wake of the brutal Nazi attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, Utahns gathered in downtown Salt Lake City. They condemned American fascists and racists, and called on people to fight back against the rise of right-wing terrorism and hate.

Moroni Benally, who organized the event with the Utah League of Native American Voters, told the crowd that he was saddened but not surprised by the events in Charlottesville, pointing out that people of color face attacks on their lives and communities almost daily. He asked the crowd to be “a bulwark against hate.”

After leading the crowd in a moment of silence, Banally finished by saying, “Take a stand against Nazism! Take a stand against fascism! We will not tolerate it! We will not allow it to exist!”

Over 2000 people attended the August 14 event, held at Washington Square, despite a threatening rainstorm. Demonstrators carried signs that read “White silence = white violence,” “Make Nazis afraid,” and “End white supremacy!”

A number of speakers took to the stage to point out the long history of white supremacy in the U.S.

“The policies and actions that the U.S. has employed to oppress, exploit and murder Black and brown people living inside its borders have always been one of the greatest inspirations to fascists in every corner of the world,” said Ian De Olivera, an organizer with Utah Against Police Brutality.

Speaker Brooks Bergman, with Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Utah, spoke to a recent incident where white supremacist posters were placed around the school’s student center. Bergman said that Students need to fight this type of provocation on their campuses.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes tried to address the crowd, but was shouted off the stage by protesters chanting, “We want justice!” Earlier in the day, Reyes had praised Trump’s hollow and belated statement on the Charlottesville attack. Reyes has also supported the racist movement to turn over sacred Native American lands in southern Utah to oil and gas developers.

A small number of right-wing types appeared, but were quickly chased off by the anti-racist demonstrators.

Other speakers included representatives from Racially Just Utah, Peaceful Advocates for Native Dialogue & Organizing Support, the Utah Women of Color Council, Equality Utah, as well as local activists and politicians.

#SaltLakeCityUT #AntiRacism #antifascism #CHarlottesville

San José, CA — On August 13, more than 500 people rallied outside the San José City Hall in solidarity with the fight against white supremacy in Charlottesville, Virginia. The candlelight rally honored Heather Heyer, who was killed by an American fascist from Ohio. San Jose activists spoke in solidarity with the 19 others injured when the fascist drove his car at high speed into people protesting the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.

Masao Suzuki of Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) spoke of the rising resistance to Donald Trump and the white supremacists he emboldens. Suzuki led the crowd in a Japanese chant, “Ganbatte!” (Persevere in the struggle!).

The San Jose rally was organized by Women’s March – San José and STAND San José. It included speakers from Rise Up for Justice and Showing Up for Racial Justice. Reverend Jennifer Goto from People Acting in Community Together (PACTS) and Zahra Billoo of Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) also spoke of the fight against white supremacy.

#SanJoséCA #Protest #Antiracism #antifascism #CHarlottesville

Milwaukee, WI — Over 500 people marched through Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood to stand in solidarity with the wounded protesters in Charlottesville and to remember Heather Heyer, the young woman murdered by a Nazi. The rally was called by the local chapters of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

The crowd gathered in a park outside the Riverwest Public House, a bar co-op that is the go-to spot for the neighborhood’s left-wing community. Speaker after speaker condemned the violence from the fascists, and called for people to continue to rally against their rise.

Many connected this rise to the far-right policies and rhetoric of the Trump administration.

Other speakers connected to violence in Charlottesville to Milwaukee’s own history of fascist violence, particularly the murder of six Sikh worshipers by a neo-Nazi five years ago.

After the speeches, the rally turned into a march through the surrounding neighborhood. Their spirit was determined and boisterous as the marchers loudly chanted “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!” Everywhere you looked, neighbors were leaning out windows and standing in doorways, joining the chants and cheering the marchers on. Two men heckled the marchers, but it only made them chant louder.

The march ended back at the park where it started. Many stayed after spending time with each other and discussing the next steps forward.

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiRacism #antifascism #CHarlottesville

Tallahassee, FL — On August 13, over 400 students and community members rallied on the steps of Tallahassee’s historic Old Capitol building in solidarity with the victims of white supremacist terror in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“On Saturday August 12, an anti-fascist protest in Charlottesville was attacked by neo-Nazis, murdering 32-year-old protester Heather Heyer and injuring 30 others. During the protest, the white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. accelerated his car into the crowd. This is a wake-up call; the far-right is dangerous and is carrying out violent terrorist attacks,” read a statement by Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

The protesters chanted in the rain, “Charlottesville means, we got to fight back!” and “No hate! No bigotry! End white supremacy!”

“It was important to show up tonight because these white supremacists already have the upper hand on us. They have organization, they have power, they have political structure. We need to show them their days are numbered. We need to show them we have a militant resistance to them,” said Maddie Hen, a member of SDS.

Protesters held signs reading, “From Charlottesville to Gaza, stop fascism,” “White silence is violence,” and “Punch Nazis.”

Satya Stark-Bejnar lead the protesters in song, It Could Have Been Me, But Instead It was You and Step by Step the Longest March. Bejnar then led a short moment of silence for Heather Heyer — the woman murdered by white supremacist James Alex Field Jr.

The crowd marched down College Avenue to the Francis Eppes statue on Florida State University campus. Katherine Draken explained, “The Francis Eppes statue is as much a symbol of racism as the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville. Both honor people who upheld slavery and provide figureheads for white supremacists to rally around. We need to remove these symbols of hate and remember the victims of slavery and genocide, not the perpetrators.”

At the end of the protest, the organizers of the event urged protesters to continue the fight against white supremacy. A tradition of Tallahassee SDS, the rally ended with the quote by Assata Shakur that begins, “We have a duty to fight for our freedom.”

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #WhiteSupremacy #Florida #Antiracism #Antifascism #CHarlottesville