On May 15, local activists, organizations, students, including hundreds of community members hosted a major rally and march in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba. Halfway through the march, in front of the Chapel on Lawrence University property, several police vehicles arrived and began harassing the vehicle marshals who were protecting the rear of the march. Vice President of Student Life Chris Clarke, watched from right across the street. Among the people involved, one identifiable student was also threatened by police and later received a citation by mail for loitering.

While our security deescalated the situation in that instance, at the end of the march police struck again, pulling over all vehicle marshals. One marshal received a warning, the other a traffic citation, but one car was deliberately isolated from the rest. The Appleton Police Department singled out this car because the driver was a local member of FRSO. APD called in several cars and officers and blocked off a street to surround, threaten and harass her. One cop in particular, Officer William Berens, yelled at her, insulted her, and repeatedly reached for his gun to try to intimidate her into admitting guilt to a crime so he could arrest her. We know this was targeted – the police themselves repeatedly brought up our organization in attempts to get her to admit responsibility for all aspects of the protest. APD processed warnings and citations for the other vehicle marshals and those squads left to join the ongoing harassment of our comrade. She was kept in the street for over an hour as more squad cars and police officers continued to arrive to harass and intimidate her.

While this was happening, the disabled passenger in her car had a medical emergency. When our comrade tried to assist her passenger, Berens once again jumped to action, grabbing at his gun, screaming at her, and threatening her. Community members and activists filmed this whole interaction, and every request to restrain Officer Berens was ignored. Eventually Berens got enough fun out of verbally abusing and physically threatening the activists, and finally issued two ridiculous traffic citations to our comrade.

It must be noted that this action, and their disproportionate response by the Appleton Police Department, took place within the context of an ongoing, U.S.-funded and directed genocide in Palestine. The efforts of our comrades and the other local organizers to contribute to the reignited global movement for the liberation of Palestine are what drew out the aggression of the police, a situation that has become commonplace across the U.S. as the state seeks to crack down on the Palestine solidarity movement. Our organization has a long history of organizing within this movement, and a wealth of experience in fighting the political repression that comes along with it.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the unhinged behavior of Officer Berens, and the repression by the Appleton Police Department. Intimidation, threats and male chauvinism are common acts from those who serve the enemy. We view these actions by the APD as a local reflection of the state backlash to the widespread popular support for a free Palestine. Protesting a genocide is the correct thing to do and we’re proud of our members and community allies who took it to the streets. We are leading a fundraising campaign to pay off the ridiculous targeted traffic citations that were given to the activists trying to keep a peaceful march safe from the danger of police and reactionaries alike.

Protesting is not a crime! Free, free Palestine!

#AppletonWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #FRSO #FRSOWI #Statement

Guillory stated, “Something that I learned at the first refounding conference of the National Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression in 2019 is that the prison-industrial complex didn’t just come into existence because white people felt like being racist. It was specifically a reaction of the state to the fact that there was a Black liberation movement that was forming.”

Guillory said Israel is a project of imperialism and the weapons used in the 2020 George Floyd Uprising against protesters were first tested in Israel. “The same police who are running around in Black neighborhoods shooting people are trained by the Israeli occupation forces. That’s the connection.”

Guillory continued, “At every turn for our struggle for community control of the police, CPAC, some of our biggest supporters have been Palestinian. Every time we went out and canvassed for CPAC, Palestinians supported us. When we protested the murder of Laquan McDonald, Rekia Boyd and so many other people, Palestinians were there supporting us. And we do the same for them. Recently on January 31, Chicago became the largest city in the United States to pass a ceasefire resolution.”

Guillory went on to talk about parallels between apartheid in South Africa, where he was born, and the state-sanctioned apartheid in Palestine, stating, “Apartheid South Africa and apartheid Israel were started at the same time in 1948. Both shared tactics and weapons. The biggest military supporter of apartheid South Africa was Israel. Nelson Mandela understood that when he was in Chicago in the 90s. Someone asked, ‘Why don’t you condemn Yasser Arafat and the PLO?’ He answered ‘They supported us while you, Americans, along with Ronald Reagan, supported apartheid in South Africa. Why would be condemn them now that we’re free? Our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.’ And that’s not just a metaphor, there’s still this colonial entity that is stealing land by the day.

“If we’re actually serious about liberating ourselves and any other form of social justice in the world, we have to understand the connections between those fronts of struggle. The connection between the Black liberation movement, the struggle for the Chicano liberation, the indigenous struggle, the Palestinian movement, workers’ rights, immigrants rights, reproductive justice, they’re all linked, and there’s a thousand different ways to point out how. Not just from a historical basis, but from a personal basis as well.”

The event was a success, and those in attendance appreciated the presentation and left committed to continuing demonstrations of solidarity with the Black and Palestinian liberation struggles and to build their respective movements.

#MilwaukeeWI #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #NAARPR #CAARPR #FRSO #FRSOWI