Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

neworleansla

By staff

A march of protesters holding signs, flags, and a banner

New Orleans, LA – On the evening of June 14, around 30 community members and organizers gathered outside of Louis Armstrong Park to protest Shell Oil’s Pride sponsorship and march ahead of the New Orleans Pride parade.

“If Shell gets to roll through our streets with a police escort, then we are going to march. You don’t get to attack us and expect us to play nice,” said Molly Frayle from the Queer and Trans Community Action Project (QTCAP).

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By staff

People gather holding signs, one person in scrubs speaks into a microphone.

New Orleans, LA – On Monday, June 16, about 200 nurses, labor organizers and community members held a rally outside of the LCMC Health System Corporate Offices. They demanded that the University Medical Center, a hospital under the LCMC system, revoke the unjust termination notice of nurse Mike Robertshaw.

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By staff

New Orleans protesters take up miles of city streets denouncing  attacks on immigrants and Trump's military parade in Washington DC.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, June 14, over 5000 New Orleanians took to the streets for a No Kings Day parade protesting Trump’s military parade in DC. Indivisible NOLA hosted the local action, and dozens of organizations joined as “sub-Krewes” along with brass bands and drummers honoring the city’s parade culture.

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By staff

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, May 17, New Orleans organizers and community members gathered in the Jackson Square amphitheater in New Orleans’ French Quarter, drawing attention from onlookers and tourists about the 77th anniversary of the Nakba – or catastrophe – perpetrated against the Palestinians.

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By Antonia Mar

New Orleans, LA – New Orleanians hit the streets on Sunday evening, May 25, to honor George Floyd on the five-year angelversary of his murder in 2020 by killer cop Derek Chauvin.

The rally began at City Hall around 5 p.m., demanding an end to Trump’s racist attacks. In particular opposing Trump’s Executive Order 14288 which seeks to strengthen policing, while anti-immigrant “Project Homecoming” puts more police power towards deportations. The demonstration also demanded justice for victims of police crimes, an end to attacks on immigrants, and called for community control of the police.

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By Silas Gillett

Activists chant outside New Orleans downtown ICE office.

New Orleans, LA – On Friday, May 23, 20 people gathered in front of the ICE New Orleans field office to protest the Trump administration’s latest wave of political arrests.

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By staff

Activist Toni Jones leads chants with her fist raised in front of New Orleans Municipal Court, following her trial.

New Orleans, LA – On Tuesday, May 6, New Orleans supporters packed the court for community activist Toni Jones’ trial in municipal court. Jones is chair of New Orleans for Community Oversight of Police and a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. She was arrested while doing security for a Palestine protest over a year ago.

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By Rory Macdonald

A crowd of people on a sidewalk holding papers.

New Orleans, LA – On May 2, about 20 Tulane University students gathered to deliver a petition to the university president’s office. This petition demanded the reinstatement of DEI programs and a commitment to keep ICE off campus.

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By staff

New Orleanians take the streets downtown to demand an end to attacks on workers, immigrants, and that NOPD not collaborate with ICE.

New Orleans LA – On May 1, New Orleans buzzed with activity to celebrate International Workers Day. In the morning, nurses at the University Medical Center (UMC) went on strike, with dozens picketing alongside them for hours. And later in the day at 6 p.m. hundreds gathered for a march to fight for immigrants and workers’ rights.

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By staff

Loyola students drop banner on campus demanding affordable education.

New Orleans, LA– On April 29, students at Loyola University New Orleans dropped a banner from the third floor of the school's Mass Communications building. The banner read “Loyola won’t listen, they’re raising our tuition: Affordable education for all.”

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By staff

SDS member Nakia Fofana gives speech demanding sanctuary campus at Tulane.

New Orleans, LA – On Wednesday April 23 around 40 students, faculty and community members mobilized to demand Tulane become a sanctuary campus. The rally was held by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to urge Tulane to protect its international students and establish a clear policy stating noncompliance with ICE. Attendees also called on Tulane to protect free speech and not silence student activists.

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By staff

Nurses in New Orleans are ready to strike for a decent contract.

New Orleans, LA – On April 22, almost 100 nurses and their supporters rallied at the University Medical Center. They were scheduled for bargaining that day, but LCMC Health Systems (formerly Louisiana Children’s Medical Center) cancelled the session. Nurses demanded that LCMC come to the table and followed up on a strike announcement that they had made the day before.

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By staff

Protesters hold a large banner in front of Louisiana Right to Life headquarters demanding access to abortion.

New Orleans, LA – On April 9, a crowd of pro-choice activists rallied outside of the Louisiana Right to Life headquarters to protest the organization’s oppressive anti-abortion agenda.

Louisiana Right to Life (LARTL) actively works to introduce anti-abortion legislation at the state and federal levels. They profit off of misinforming the public, particularly minors, about abortion and villainizing people who are fighting for their bodily autonomy. LARTL claims Louisiana is the second most “pro-life” state in the country. On the contrary, the state ranks fourth highest in maternal mortality rates and fifth highest in infant mortality rates. 20% of Louisianans are also living below the federal poverty line.

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By staff

Student activist Carson Cruse leads chants demanding the release of Mahmoud Khalil in front of ICE headquarters downtown.

New Orleans, LA – Around 60 people gathered outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in New Orleans to protest the illegal detention of Mahmoud Khalil. Attendees rallied around speakers and chanted as a judge – hours away in rural Jena, Louisiana – would decide if Khalil could be deported for his activism for Palestine.

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By Anthony Franklin

Protesters picket outside Loyola Law School against a visit from conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

New Orleans, LA – On April 7, over 20 students and faculty members showed up to protest Amy Coney Barrett’s talk at Loyola Law School. Barrett is a Supreme Court Justice appointed by Donald Trump in 2020. She is one of the most conservative justices, who pushed forward the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022.

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By staff

A massive crowd fills Lafayette Square Park in New Orleans to protest Trump’s attacks.

New Orleans, LA – On the afternoon of April 5, over 1000 New Orleanians gathered in Lafayette Square Park downtown. They were gathered as part of a national day of action to demand end the attacks on immigrants, on freedom of speech, students, union rights, LGBTQ folks and many other segments of the people.

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By Rory Macdonald

Students and community members protest across the street from Bookfest where attendees can see them, holding signs condemning Tulane's student repression.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday March 29, during Tulane University’s three-day “Bookfest” celebration, about 20 people gathered to protest Tulane’s compliance with the racist Trump agenda. Protesters united in anger at Tulane’s attacks on free speech, its cuts to DEI programs, and its plans to renew a five-year contract with the U.S. – Israel Energy Center.

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By staff

A crowd of people holding signs.

New Orleans, LA – On March 21, the morning of Mahmoud Khalil’s court hearing, community organizations gathered outside of the Federal Court of Appeals in New Orleans to protest his detainment. Their demands were simple – release Mahmoud Khalil, reinstate his green card, and cease all illegal detainments.

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By staff

New Orleans march against attacks on public sector and federal workers.

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, March 22, over 100 New Orleanians gathered at Congo Square downtown for a march to fight against Trump’s attacks on federal workers. The demonstration brought together at least ten different unions across the city in coalition with community organizations, building a broad united front against Trump’s attacks on labor.

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By Shreyas Vasudevan

Hakm Murad, an activist from Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans, speaks to the press in front of Tulane University’s barricaded lawn.

New Orleans, LA – On Wednesday, March 19, a broad group of activists congregated at Tulane University for a press conference. The groups presented an open letter addressed to the administrations of all local universities demanding they protect students, staff and faculty from the White House’s recent slew of attacks against college campuses. They demanded protections for immigrants, freedom of speech and DEI programs.

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