Chicago IL – On Saturday January 10, 50 people attended a reportback from Jae Franklin, who traveled to Venezuela for the International People’s Assembly for Sovereignty and Peace of Our Americas in December. This event came a week after Trump’s attack on of the country and kidnapping of democratically-elected President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The masses of Venezuela have taken to the streets demanding the return of the president and “First Combatant” and in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution against U.S. imperialism. Franklin is a co-chair of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC), which has answered the call of the Venezuelan people by taking to the streets and demanding U.S. hands off Venezuela.

The audience chanted, “Caracas, Aguanta! El pueblo esta levanta! (Caracas, hold on! The people are standing up!)” led by emcee Gio Araujo with Freedom Road Socialist Organization FRSO at the start of the program.

“The people of this country understand that the U.S. is the aggressor,” said an activist with Black Alliance for Peace (BAP) Chicago.

“There are those in Venezuela who want capitalism to return, and they are in the minority. There are those in the Philippines who are nothing but greedy and suck on the people,” said Di Balitaan from Anakbayan USA. Balitaan also demanded the release of Chantal Anicoche, who was abducted by the armed forces of the Philippines on January 1.

The room was filled with people eager to learn about the Bolivarian Revolution and the role that international solidarity plays against U.S. imperialism. Franklin recounted how Simón Bolívar fought Spanish colonialism in the 1800s and abolished slavery after spending time in Haiti while exiled.

While in Venezuela, Franklin visited several communes, which are territories with a political structure that manages the means of production. Venezuela has 4000 such communes

“Communes are a way for people to build power,” Franklin said. The delegation heard a speech from President Maduro at Comuna Amalivaca. He spoke about the process of transformation in Venezuela and the need to combat imperialist lies.

Franklin described their joy at seeing how Maduro’s party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) was composed of young people, queer people and women.

Franklin presented videos of Venezuelan people dancing to revolutionary music during the conference. Their tireless drive for self-determination mirrors the videos and images of the Chavistas in the streets protesting the American imperialist invasion. They also showed pictures of publicly accessible medicine cabinets in the communes, and a billboard celebrating the Palestinian resistance.

“When we say ‘Hands off Venezuela’ we also mean ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘ICE off our streets’ and ‘Justice for Laquan McDonald!’” Franklin declared. “We have to weaken U.S. imperialism every way we can from here within the belly of the beast.”

Franklin encouraged attendees to keep demanding the release of President Maduro and Cilia Flores, and to support AWC’s campaign to divest Illinois from Israel bonds and companies complicit in the genocide in Palestine. Illinois residents can sign the petition to divest at bit.ly/awcdivest.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #PSUV #ChicagoAWC

Chicago, IL – On August 4, a crowd packed Pilsen Community Books for a teach-in led by Educators for Palestine. Organizations from across Chicago presented their campaigns for immediate divestment from Israel. The teach-in was aimed at Chicago teachers, who have 1.8% of their pension funds invested in companies listed in the boycott, divest, sanction (BDS) list.

Members of Educators for Palestine shared that the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) invests $132 million in weapons manufacturers, $46 million in tech and software, and $20 million in oil and gas companies. CTPF also holds $1.6 million in Israel Bonds that provide Israel with unrestricted funding to use for military expenditures and settlements. They urged educators to attend CTPF meetings and demand immediate divestment. Some attended the CTPF meeting downtown the next morning to bring the demand to board members.

From a moral and financial standpoint, it’s clear that investing in Israel Bonds is the wrong decision. Noura Ebrahim, a leader of BDS – Chicago, a project of the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), explained why it’s also a bad financial investment.

“Israel is actively committing a genocide in Gaza, its economy is in freefall, its credit rating has been downgraded significantly, and it faces growing global isolation,” Ebrahim said while teaching attendees about the statewide Divest Illinois From Genocide campaign, which is co led by BDS Chicago and the Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC). The campaign calls on State Treasurer Michael Frerichs to divest from Israel Bonds and the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI) to divest from companies complicit in the genocide and occupation of Palestine.

“As Illinois taxpayers, and as educators, and as community members, we should not be forced to have our money tied to genocide,” Ebrahim concluded while urging people to rally at the next quarterly ISBI meeting on September 19.

Attendees learned about the campaign to boycott Teva, the world’s largest generic pharmaceutical company. Teva is a major factor in the genocide, as it provides millions of dollars in tax revenue that boosts Israel’s economy and funds the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Presenters urged listeners to call their pharmacies and say they refuse to take Teva medication if there is another option. Healthcare professionals are required to record this refusal in patients’ charts and abide by it to the best of their ability. They also recommended switching to an independent pharmacy, which typically has more control over what brands it carries.

The final presentation was from Mask off Maersk, a campaign demanding an end to the shipping and manufacturing of weapons for Israel. Maersk is the world’s second-largest logistics company, and some of those profits can be attributed to the destruction of Gaza.

Members of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) explained that Maersk has transported millions of pounds of military cargo into Israel from the U.S., including the F-35 fighter jets which drop bombs on Gaza. They encouraged people to research and disrupt the supply chain of arms to Israel.

Each presentation had a different focus, but one clear message rang through every speaker – the people of Illinois do not want their money tied to genocide. The event ended with breakout groups, with members of each organization answering additional questions regarding their campaign and ways to get involved.

To support the campaign to divest Illinois from genocide, sign-on here as an individual, here as an organization, and here as a state worker.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #EFP #CTU #ChicagoAWC #USPCN #PYM

Chicago, IL – 150 Chicagoans banging pots and pans gathered near Trump Tower to protest the Gaza genocide, July 26. It was the third Chicago protest held in a single week in response to the ongoing genocide and famine against Gaza.

“I ask every single one of you here and everyone on the sidewalk, even the police if you have a heart, open it and let what you hear shake you to your core,” said Sami Elmuti with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN).

“The people of Gaza see you standing here today, coming to these events and demonstrations and being the voice for the voiceless,” said Dr. Hasan Hammo, who had returned from Gaza to Chicago after working at the Khan Yunis hospital. “I can tell you that everything you’re seeing on social media is true and worse than what it is depicted as, I am here to offer eyewitness testimony, to show you what Western media is trying to hide.”

In spite of the atrocities, Dr. Hammo affirmed that “there is hope with you standing here, and with the people of Gaza. They want every single one of you to come back when it is rebuilt and stronger to show you their thanks.”

“It can feel hopeless, but there is hope, and that is in the steadfastness in resistance of the Palestinian people,’ said Kobi Guillory with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. “Oppressed people in the U.S. and elsewhere have to match that steadfastness, we have to put our bodies on the line for Palestine and shut down the system that is committing genocide.”

Guillory endorsed putting pressure on local Zionist officials, such as U.S. Representative Sean Casten and State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who have invested Illinois tax dollars in the occupation of Palestine.

“The reason the Zionists are doing this to our people in Gaza is because they are losing,” said Nashwa Bawab, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement.

Bawab said the U.S. is responsible for starving the people of Gaza because the Zionist entity could not conduct any of its genocide without the United States. She also stated, “now every complicit Arab government is starving Gaza too,” sharing growing sentiment against the complicity of governments such as those in Jordan and Egypt.

“We have to raise the ceiling of what we can do for our own humanity; this is not a test for Gaza, it is a test for us,” Bawab declared before the protesters marched through downtown.

Some shoppers joined the march or chanted along from the sidewalk. Many took flyers with further calls to action, such as this divestment petition: bit.ly/awcdivest.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #USPCN #ChicagoAWC

On July 10, Students for Justice in Palestine and their allies came out in force at the Chicago office of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) showing once again that the movement for a free Palestine is as strong as ever.

“AIPAC fosters a political climate where our elected officials shamelessly proclaim their use of our tax money to kill starving children,” explained Jae Franklin of Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC).

Illinois is one of the top five purchasers of Israel Bonds, with State Treasurer Michael Frerichs investing over $100 million that Israel uses to fund war crimes.

The people are on the side of Palestine and anti-Zionism. Workers that shared a building with AIPAC expressed disgust at the organization and affirmed that they were on the side of the Palestinians. “I’ll make sure to wear my keffiyeh in the elevator next time,” one commented.

“We need clarity of vision and clarity of purpose,” Franklin said, “we need to unite all these groups, so that we can stand united against the U.S., make it ungovernable, and unable to carry out its repressive agenda.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #USPCN #ChicagoAWC

Chicago, IL – “Donald Trump said that anyone protesting on his birthday would be met with force. We say to Trump, ‘fuck around and find out,’” said Angel Naranjos, a member of the Immigrant Rights Working Committee of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) at a June 19 protest held by the Coalition for Justice in Palestine in downtown Chicago.

It was the city’s sixth large protest in seven days, all in resistance to the violence inflicted by the Trump administration in the U.S. and around the world.

Naranjos continued, “The people are in motion and want to fight, and are saying, from LA to Chicago, from Minnesota to Palestine, we refuse to get used to tanks rolling through our neighborhoods!”

Three protests, on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, called for an end to ICE raids and the collaboration between CPD and ICE, which is a violation of Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance. Several hundred rallied with CAARPR’s IRWC in Pilsen, a predominantly Chicano and Mexicano neighborhood, and marched to the sites of recent ICE abductions. Thousands marched downtown on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, repeating the demands and demonstrating that there will be no business as usual while ICE continues to terrorize immigrants.

These protests have happened in conjunction with rapid response actions against ongoing ICE patrols and raids in neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village. At each protest, speakers recounted the brutal and deceptive tactics used by ICE and CPD as well as the ways in which community organizations have been fighting back.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has faced attacks from local and federal reactionaries for his commitment to keeping Chicago a sanctuary city, was one of many voices urging the city’s residents to resist the attacks coming from the White House.

This week’s protests raised the need for solidarity. On Sunday, Crystal Gardner of the Westside-based Black led 290 Independent Political Organization (IPO) said “no badge, no agency, no raid will break the bond between oppressed communities. The same systems that cage our children are the ones deporting you all’s children, and we say enough!”

Chicago expressed international solidarity this week as well. After Israel’s unprovoked airstrikes against Iran on Thursday killed at least 80 civilians, the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and the Antiwar Committee (AWC) of Chicago held an emergency Hands Off Iran demonstration in downtown Federal Plaza on Friday evening, June 13.

“Make no mistake, this is a U.S. war, and we must stand against it at all costs,” Husam Marajda, co-chair of USPCN, explained at Friday’s protest how the U.S. government has spent decades backing Israel’s many crimes.

The international and domestic issues came together in two downtown protests held on the afternoon of Saturday, June 14. 75,000 rallied in and around Daley Plaza for Chicago’s No Kings demonstration, one of more than 2000 protests around the country coinciding with the DC military parade being held on Trump’s birthday.

The rally was organized by Indivisible Chicago and saw contingents from Casa DuPage Workers Center, the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda, the Chicago Teachers Union, and many other organizations. Chants of “Lock him up!” and “Trump, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” echoed off the skyscrapers.

Two hours after the No Kings protest, 2000 people, many coming from the previous rally, marched from Water Tower Park in support of the international March to Gaza to end the genocide. Marchers chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Viva, viva Palestina!”

Among the many chants which electrified Chicago’s atmosphere this week, the one which most captured the city’s mood was, “The people united will never be defeated!”

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #ImmigrantRights #USPCN #ChicagoAWC #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – On Friday morning, March 21, over 50 protesters gathered outside the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI) office in downtown Chicago. They came to demand that ISBI and Vice Chair Michael Frerichs, who currently sits as the Illinois state treasurer, divest from Israeli genocide, apartheid and occupation.

The Anti-War Committee Chicago and BDS-Chicago, a project of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), called the action in support of their statewide campaign against State Treasurer Frerichs, calling on his office to divest from Israel Bonds, and calling on ISBI to divest from companies complicit in the occupation of Palestine.

Protesters rallied with banners and signs, pointing to the fact that Frerichs has brought Illinois’ total investments in Israel Bonds (also known as Development Corporation for Israel) to over $145 million, making Illinois one of the top five states in the U.S. to support Israel. Since February of 2025, Frerichs has doubled down and announced the purchase of an additional $10 million in Israel Bonds, on top of a bond renewal of $15 million. His complicity doesn’t stop there.

Frerichs is the vice chair of ISBI, which has invested millions of taxpayer dollars into companies that are complicit in the occupation and genocide of Palestine. As of March 2025, ISBI holds 20,621 shares in Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. Lockheed Martin manufactures the fighting jets used to drop the bombs that have been destroying Gaza over the past 17 months. ISBI also invests in other war profiteers such as Boeing, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman and many others.

Speakers were fired up during the rally and spoke to the many reasons why Illinois residents oppose these investments. Since the campaign launch, over 1850 Illinois residents and 40 Illinois-based organizations have signed on to the campaign to divest Illinois from Israel Bonds.

Kaya Rial, organizing director of AFIRE, said, “It is sickening how our government wants to implement dollars upon dollars of budget cuts from public resources such as health care and Medicaid, language access for immigrants, education and academic safety for our youth, housing and food assistance, and resources for survivors of police torture and all those wrongfully incarcerated while our state treasurer sends those same taxpayer dollars to fund the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the eradication of sacred, indigenous Palestinian land.”

Gaby Martinez, a rank-and-file member of SEIU Local 73, announced that over 30 members and retirees of SEIU Local 73 have united to file an ethics complaint against Frerichs. “Treasurer Frerichs needs to be censured in that he is not investing for the people of Illinois, but for his personal political agenda in support of Israel. The charges we make in the ethics complaint to the Executive Inspector General for the Illinois state treasurer are well documented. Violations include abuse of authority, corruption, favoritism, improper use of state time and other resources for prohibited political purposes, and misuse of public assets,” said Martinez.

As members of the public attempted to enter the building for public comment, they were met with intense police presence, including the 1st District Commander, heightened building security, and unclear entrance protocols, all of which were drastically intensified since AWC-Chicago and BDS-Chicago protested and gave public comment at the last ISBI quarterly meeting. Only five people were allowed to join the so-called public meeting, with 16 people directed to sit in the adjacent lobby. Building staff locked the doors of the building after the allotted 16 people entered, barring entrance to any other member of the public, including the remaining protesters.

Despite the attempt to intimidate the protesters, five people delivered public comments and demanded divestment from Israel. A member of BDS-Chicago addressed the board directly, stating, “This board and the state treasurer are more concerned about war profiteering than cutting ties with war criminals – more concerned with supporting an apartheid state rather than supporting communities here in Illinois that lack necessities like housing, healthcare, education and food.”

Michael Frerichs was not in attendance, a clear violation of the ISBI bylaws listed on its website. This is a repeat offense since Frerichs was also absent from the last meeting in December 2024.

As protesters were removed from the boardroom by Chicago police and the owner of the building, they chanted on their way out, making it clear that they will keep coming back until ISBI and Michael Frerichs divests from genocide.

Members from the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE), Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), Rank-and-File SEIU Local 73 Members for Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine-Chicago (SJP-Chicago), Chicago Irish for Palestine, and members of the public joined in support of the protest.

For Illinois residents, you can send a letter directly to Michael Frerichs at bit.ly/awcdivest

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #ChicagoAWC #USPCN #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – To coincide with Human Rights week, dozens of protesters led by Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) and Boycott Divest Sanctions – Chicago (BDS) descended on the offices of the Illinois State Board of Investments (ISBI), December 13 in a militant action demanding Illinois divest over $120 million worth of bonds from Israel.

The protest happened at a time where Israel has murdered over 50,000 Gazan Palestinians, over 4000 Lebanese, and now is ramping up a massive land grab of western Syria. Treasurer Michael Frerichs responded to the crimes of Israel by investing an additional $30 million dollars since October 7, 2023.

This is the first protest of AWC’s new divestment campaign. It brought together other organizations, including Students for a Democratic Society – UIC, Students for Justice in Palestine – UIC, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Malaya Chicago, Rogers Park Food not Bombs, and Boycott Divest Sanctions – Chicago (BDS).

Despite freezing temperatures, the assembled rally-goers were in high spirits as activists began to speak, explaining the connection between the genocide in Gaza, ISBI and Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs.

Using bullhorns, activists started the protest with chants demanding divestment while picketing with signs around the entrance of the building: “Michael Frerichs you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!” And “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!”

Frerichs has doubled down on his support for the Israeli occupation, calling them “Our Israeli friends” and defending the purchase of the bonds by claiming they “diversify our portfolio.”

Despite the International Criminal Court calling for the arrest of Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Frerichs has not budged on his refusal to divest from Israeli bonds.

“We are here because Michael Frerichs and the Illinois State Board of Investments are happy to accommodate and continue to give our tax dollars to the criminal Israelis, “said a member of BDS Chicago. “This board is more concerned with supporting a foreign apartheid state than supporting communities here in Illinois.”

Several speakers focused on the fact that organized mass-movements have won divestment from racist regimes in the past and are still doing so today A member of the AWC pointed out, “It was not long ago when the world responded to apartheid in South Africa with the same demands, we won then and we will win now.” Erin Boyle from SDS stated, “Divestment of Barclays Bank from Israel’s largest arms manufacturer Elbit Systems shows sustained and targeted pressure works!”

ISBI was caught off guard when AWC led the rally inside their offices. “We know from past records that they try to make these meetings not accessible to the public and they have gotten away with it, but we’re here to change that,” said Caeli Kean of AWC.

Although some people in the building called the cops and clearly thought what the activists were doing should be illegal, five protesters made public comments directly to the board, while the other demonstrators watched on in support.

Activists’ speeches highlighted how investing in Israel is to invest in a failed colonial project; how Illinois is home to the United States’ largest Palestinian population; that the majority of Illinoisans support the Palestinians; and how if ISBI continues to ignore the demands of the majority of their constituents, the board members’ positions will be as untenable as the Zionists’ crumbling economy.

As speeches concluded, AWC led the demonstrators out of the building chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The activists who attended the event, rather than feeling tired, felt energized to keep pushing forward with AWC’s divestment campaign, declaring certainty that the campaign will be won.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #BDS #USPCN #ChicagoAWC

Chicago, IL – The fight to get permits to march on the Democratic National Convention is heating up. On August 19 to the 22, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) comes Chicago. The massive movement against the genocide in Gaza is preparing to march to the United Center where the convention will be held.

The Coalition to March on the DNC has raised the slogans, “Stand with Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!”

Since the start of 2024, groups from the coalition have attempted to secure permits to march. Four applications by different organizations for different march routes and days of the convention have all been rejected.

On Monday, March 18, two of the organizations appeared before the Chicago Department of Administrative Hearings to appeal the denial of their permit applications, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and the Anti-War Committee (AWC).

Before going into the hearing, the coalition held a press conference featuring those two groups, along with others.

Emcee Hatem Abudayyeh, national chair of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) said, “Tens of thousands of Palestinians – not just from Chicago, not just from the Midwest – are already making plans to be here in August. It will be historic.”

Abudayyeh is speaking from experience about the dimensions of the mobilizations in August. USPCN is part of the leadership of the Coalition for Justice in Palestine in Chicago. The coalition has held mass mobilizations weekly since October, and many of the marches had 10,000, 15,000 and even 25,000 people – just from the Chicago area!

Coalition demands city recognize the right to protest

John Metz of AWC said, “The Anti-War Committee filed a permit to march in protest during the Democratic National Convention this August. We seek to exercise our First Amendment rights to demand within sight and sound of our political leaders that they end their support for the genocidal siege on Gaza. The Chicago Department of Transportation rejected our application, instead proposing that we relocate our protest four miles away, well beyond the sight of any convention delegates. By doing so, CDOT has sent a clear message: They stand with the political elites in Washington and against the people of Chicago. Today we're asking the Department of Administrative Hearings to do the right thing and reverse CDOT’s unjust and undemocratic decision.”

Olan Mijana spoke on behalf of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), the lead organization in the coalition. Mijana stated, “Black and brown people in Chicago have shown overwhelmingly we stand with the Palestinian people. The ceasefire [in Gaza] ordinance our city adopted had the support of Black and brown members of the city council. And Black and brown people have taken to the streets in mass numbers in support of the Palestinian resistance.”

1968: The whole world was watching

Liz Rathburn, a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, spoke for SDS. “In 1968 the DNC came to Chicago, as our government murdered hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese people. SDS mobilized thousands of young people into the streets of Chicago and forced the whole world to see that the people of the U.S. stood with the people of Vietnam. In 1968 the racist mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, denied people a permit to march, they marched regardless and were met with brutal police repression. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) would love a repeat of 1968, where they can brutalize protesters without consequence. They just got tens of millions from the federal government to do just that.”

The coalition explained that the movement demands a permit to protect the rights of everyone from the danger of police violence, or infiltration of the coalition by undercover CPD to entrap young people, as happened at the protests against NATO when they held their summit in Chicago in 2012.

If the city refuses to recognize the democratic rights of the movement, Abudayyeh said the march would happen “Permit or not.”

Hearing a kangaroo court

Dod McColgan, a co-chair of CAARPR reported after the seven-hou- long day of hearings. “According to Brian Gallardo, the assistant commissioner of Public Way Permitting for CDOT, both permits were denied on the basis of ‘issues of insufficient CPD resources, traffic management and access to emergency services on Ashland Avenue.’”

Asked about what departments gave input, Gallardo admitted he consulted only with CPD to make this decision.

McColgan also noted that after questioning, “Gallardo admitted that the Secret Service is creating a security perimeter which hasn’t yet been determined, but it will be within a few blocks of the United Center. This was also part of the basis of denying the permits to march near the convention.

McColgan continued, “Our attorney attempted to ask about First Amendment considerations in deciding the alternate route, and Judge Dennis Fleming sustained an objection, saying that, ‘The First Amendment is irrelevant!’”

McColgan noted with incredulity, “The city believes that the First Amendment is irrelevant to our right to protest!”

Gabriella Shemash, a deputy chief of CPD in the area around the United Center was called as a witness. Noting one of the several inconsistencies in her testimony, McColgan revealed, “They claimed that marching on Ashland Avenue would be unsafe due to the disruption of access to emergency services in the Medical District. The same deputy who testified today permitted an action we were part of on May Day 2023 to march on one side of Ashland Avenue, which directly conflicts with her testimony today.”

Deputy Corporation Counsel Christine Hake then attempted – after the city rested its case – to introduce a third reason to deny the permit. The application by the AWC is duplicative of the application previously submitted and denied by CAARPR because Joe Iosbaker is a member of both organizations.

McColgan remarked about the absurdity of this. “These are entirely separate organizations in a coalition. So any two organizations that share any one member would have their applications considered duplicative if they were submitted separately.”

“This reasoning poses real problems for First Amendment rights as the city cannot review the member rules for any organization before granting a permit. This is spitting in the face of the First Amendment of the right to protest and the right to resist!”

Coalition prepares legal fight and pressure campaign

Finally, McColgan made two announcements – that the coalition will probably have to take this case to a federal level; and that the coalition will launch a pressure campaign on CDOT and on Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“The testimony today makes it clear that the Secret Service determination of a security zone is at the heart of these denials.”

“We’re asking Mayor Johnson’s administration, elected officials across the country, all the organizations in the people’s movements, and all those who respect the right to protest to stand with us in the fight for this permit.”

McColgan concluded, “Either way we’re marching. There’s no stopping the masses who plan to protest the genocide in Gaza.”

Breaking development: Judge Fleming released his decisions upholding the CDOT denial of permits for both marches.

#ChicagoIL #IL #PeoplesStruggles #DNC2024 #CAARPR #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #SDS #ChicagoAWC #USPCN #Feature