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.

The Atlanta District of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the violence and arrests perpetrated by APD and GSP. This is an attack on the student and Palestinian liberation movements – movements that have agitated, mobilized and organized day after day for the complete and total liberation of Palestine. We echo the demands of students at Emory University calling for the university's divestment from apartheid and demand that any and all charges on protesters be dropped immediately.

The U.S empire is crumbling, and these acts of repression are the last gasps of a dying empire. The Atlanta district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stands in total solidarity with the students at Emory and will continue to organize to drop the charges on arrested protesters and fight for a free Palestine.

Protesting is not a crime, drop the charges now!

Divest from Israeli apartheid!

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

#AtlantaGA #GA #FRSO #Statement #StudentMovement #Emory #Columbia #Occupy #Encampment #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #MiddleEast #Feature

Arcata, CA – On Monday, April 22, around 4 p.m., roughly 30 students began a sit-in in Siemens Hall at Cal Poly Humboldt, California, to show solidarity with Palestine and with other campuses that are doing the same. While many students on other campuses are setting up encampments, theirs is the first in the movement to take over a building so far, and an admin building, no less. This also made them the first state university to join the movement.

At the start, protesters were demonstrating inside the building, sitting together, and chanting. Police soon arrived, they attempted to drag the students out and destroy the barrier that they had set up using chairs inside the building.

At the peak of the protest, students inside reinforced their barricade – while outside student activist Jasmine Jolly led chants to keep people united. She chanted on the megaphone, “Link your arms, hold the line, protect your families,” and could be heard throughout the quad as protesters followed suit. There is no doubt that the actions of activists like herself helped to rally the crowd and defend the occupiers inside of the building.

When asked about the protest, Jolly stated, “I am a part of this protest because I dream of a free Palestine and an end to the unjust Israeli occupation. I hope that this message of hope and resilience gets out to other students across the nation. I hope that it shows that we, the young people, are changemakers, and revolutionaries; that we are some of the most compassionate and capable people in the world. Fixing the mess that was left by our predecessors means building an equitable future that is actually by and for the people. I am here because we will see a free Palestine in my lifetime.”

Within the building the occupiers linked arms and barricaded the door. They worked together to ensure that the police would not defeat them and put an early end to their powerful movement. Building occupier Olivia Fox (who goes formally by Fox), a member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) stated, “Solidarity with our family in occupied Palestine requires us to resist the normalization of mass suffering, genocide and ecocide at the hands of a globalized colonial project, which is currently manifesting itself as the United States/Israel. The distinction between these two is illusory. To stand in solidarity with Palestine requires us to recognize the struggle of all colonized people suffering globally from state violence, displacement and ethnic cleansing. The pattern of colonization is distinct and has manifested itself in the destruction of human life on Earth.”

Police brutally assaulted multiple students, throwing one out of a truck onto the concrete, and bashing a protester's head so hard that it bled. More students arrived to help and together we were able to hold the line and prevent any more arrests or attacks by police. Faculty and CFA also arrived on the scene to demand that the police be called off by the campus administration. Around 11:30 p.m. the police finally went home, and campus was shut down for the foreseeable future. Protesters had won the first round. Students are still occupying the building at the time of the writing of this article and still refuse to leave until their demands are met.

SDS Humboldt member, Rick Toledo, was acting as a legal observer for the event. He was directly in front of the building recording police activity, badge numbers, and their attacks on the innocent students. When asked about the protest, he stated, “The violence, abuses, and crimes that the police committed at the protest mirror the same kind of violence that the Israeli Occupation Force has been using against the indigenous Palestinian people. The students that rose up to the occasion, and challenged business as usual, to stand with the Palestinians are heroic and some of the bravest people that I know. The response of the administration and the police demonstrates utter cowardice and a complete disconnect from what this university is supposed to stand for. No more student repression, no more investing in genocide, no more pretending to be inclusive while stabbing BIPOC in the back – it’s time for a change, and its time for the admin to finally listen to the students for once.”

The students are now calling their collective movement “Occupy Cal Poly Humboldt” and have set up an official Instagram for it. All students involved have taken a major step towards a free Palestine and a more equitable university. The sit-in is ongoing and in order for students to leave the building they are requesting that the campus administration at least meet some of their demands and begin negotiations with them. Until then, they plan to remain indefinitely. In the meantime, the students have invited more protesters to join in and students, community members, and faculty have all pitched in to provide resources and support to this ongoing show of student power and solidarity.

Their current five demands are as follows: First, the full divestment of the university from anything profiting off of or associated with Israel, including weapons manufacturers, exploitation of the West Bank as well as any firms that invest in those activities; second, they want the university to boycott all Israeli academic institutions and sever any academic ties with them; third, to publicly call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza; fourth, to give assurances that there will be no charges, either criminal charges or disciplinary action taken against any protesters; and fifth, to either amend or remove the time, manner or place clause which allows them to call the police on students for organizing in ways that they deem inappropriate.

#ArcataCA #CA #StudentMovement #SDS #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #Columbia #Encampment #Occupy #Feature

Thus far, Caterpillar has already forced a contract on the workers of the UAW that includes a six-year wage freeze and demands higher employee contributions to benefits. But that contract did have a sign-on bonus and a one-time cost of living increase.

In London, Ontario, Caterpillar took the austerity measures further by demanding that the workers accept a 50% cut in wages. When the workers there rejected the cut in wages, but agreed not to go on strike, Caterpillar locked out the workers on Jan. 1. The final result was the closure of the plant in February. The plant moved to Indiana only 36 hours after Indiana was declared a ‘right-to-work’ state, costing 465 workers their jobs. A few months later, Caterpillar declared $4.9 billion in record profits. Caterpillar’s CEO, Doug Oberhelmen, makes $16 million a year.

On the topic of the importance of solidarity between the labor movement and Occupy, Dale Prellwitz, a Caterpillar worker and union member, states “Its [solidarity] is important because if one part one local union, or one small group of people fail in whatever cause they fight for, the impact is felt by many others. If Caterpillar wins its fight against workers and unions, other corporations will learn how it’s done and do the same to their workers.” On an optimistic note, however, Dale Prellwitz added “If workers, regardless of their union affiliation, and other activists join together to defeat the greediness of corporations and work to win a living wage for workers, then everyone will benefit.”

The record profits and the austerity measures are indicative of an increased concentration of capital brought on by the purchase of Bucyrus International, which was once in the current South Milwaukee location. Under the current contract, which workers at the plant signed while still under Bucyrus management, workers are protected from austerity measures until April 2013, when the current contract is up.

Caterpillar has made other attempts around the U.S. to make similar cuts and draconian demands of workers. Currently, workers of the International Association of Machinists Local 851 are on strike in Joliet, Illinois after rejecting a contract that included almost the exact same austerity measures that were forced upon the Canadian workers. Support for the strike is growing each day.

In Pulaski, Virginia, Caterpillar and the Unites Steelworkers are now in talks and Caterpillar is yet again making the same demands. Dale Prellwitz said that the next big step in the labor struggle is to “redefine what it means to be in a union and the role of unions. Second, we need to establish workers’ rights laws. Finally, we need to change the political landscape.”

#SouthMilwaukeeWI #Caterpillar #Occupy #InternationalAssociationOfMachinists

Thus far, Caterpillar has already forced a contract on the workers of the UAW that includes a six-year wage freeze and demands higher employee contributions to benefits. But that contract did have a sign-on bonus and a one-time cost of living increase.

In London, Ontario, Caterpillar took the austerity measures further by demanding that the workers accept a 50% cut in wages. When the workers there rejected the cut in wages, but agreed not to go on strike, Caterpillar locked out the workers on Jan. 1. The final result was the closure of the plant in February. The plant moved to Indiana only 36 hours after Indiana was declared a ‘right-to-work’ state, costing 465 workers their jobs. A few months later, Caterpillar declared $4.9 billion in record profits. Caterpillar’s CEO, Doug Oberhelmen, makes $16 million a year.

On the topic of the importance of solidarity between the labor movement and Occupy, Dale Prellwitz, a Caterpillar worker and union member, states “Its [solidarity] is important because if one part one local union, or one small group of people fail in whatever cause they fight for, the impact is felt by many others. If Caterpillar wins its fight against workers and unions, other corporations will learn how it’s done and do the same to their workers.” On an optimistic note, however, Dale Prellwitz added “If workers, regardless of their union affiliation, and other activists join together to defeat the greediness of corporations and work to win a living wage for workers, then everyone will benefit.”

The record profits and the austerity measures are indicative of an increased concentration of capital brought on by the purchase of Bucyrus International, which was once in the current South Milwaukee location. Under the current contract, which workers at the plant signed while still under Bucyrus management, workers are protected from austerity measures until April 2013, when the current contract is up.

Caterpillar has made other attempts around the U.S. to make similar cuts and draconian demands of workers. Currently, workers of the International Association of Machinists Local 851 are on strike in Joliet, Illinois after rejecting a contract that included almost the exact same austerity measures that were forced upon the Canadian workers. Support for the strike is growing each day.

In Pulaski, Virginia, Caterpillar and the Unites Steelworkers are now in talks and Caterpillar is yet again making the same demands. Dale Prellwitz said that the next big step in the labor struggle is to “redefine what it means to be in a union and the role of unions. Second, we need to establish workers’ rights laws. Finally, we need to change the political landscape.”

#SouthMilwaukeeWisconsin #SouthMilwaukeeWI #Caterpillar #Occupy #InternationalAssociationOfMachinists

Johnson, who is currently in jail, was denied bond in Cook County Circuit Court on August 2. The case is scheduled for a bond hearing on August 7.

Johnson is a member of Occupy LA and Occupy Walk USA, a national walk-a-thon from the west coast to the east coast to advocate for economic justice. In February, he began walking from San Diego to New York with other participants as part of the campaign, and was in New York when he learned about Alvarez's move to recriminalize him.

Because Johnson had no permanent address at the time of his surprise indictment, a bench warrant was issued against him. He returned to Chicago and surrendered to authorities in mid-July after hearing of the indictment and bench warrant, where authorities took him into custody.

“Danny Johnson returned to Chicago to turn himself in because he is innocent and wants to fight these charges,” says Micah Philbrook of Occupy Chicago, which participated in organizing NATO-related protests. “It's both telling and outrageous that State's Attorney Alvarez is willing to criminalize dissent – and re-criminalize a peaceful protester – at the same time that she refuses to hold the police officers who killed Rekia Boyd and Stephon Watts responsible for their crimes. Johnson should be immediately released.”

The National Lawyers Guild is representing Johnson, and is committed to fighting the charges against him. Occupy Chicago has formed a committee to support those charged with serious crimes during the NATO week of actions. In particular, they are making sure that the grouping called the NATO 5, most of whom were charged with state terrorism crimes, are fervently supported and receive regular jail visits. For information on these efforts, visit: http://nato5.occupychi.org/

“Why are we wasting resources persecuting political activists when our city is mired in a crisis of police accountability?” asks Joe Iosbaker of the Committee Against Political Repression. “The police are still patting themselves on the back for brutalizing demonstrators during NATO, while the State's Attorney's office refuses to prosecute the crimes of police officers against torture victims and targets of police brutality – including people the police have murdered. Where are our priorities?”

#ChicagoIL #PoliceBrutality #Occupy #NATO5 #InjusticeSystem

Fort Benning, GA – Over 4000 people gathered here, Nov. 19, at the [School of Americas Watch](http://www.soaw.org) protest of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). Despite the change of name from School of the Americas (SOA) to WHINSEC, the legacy of half a century of training in counterinsurgency techniques, psychological warfare and interrogation tactics continues to this day in places like Colombia and Honduras.

‘Students’ of SOA/WHINSEC’s curriculum have been linked to death squads attributed to the rape, murder and torture of labor organizers, religious leaders, teachers and human rights activists.

Jimena Paz, a leader in the Honduran resistance movement, said, “In my country SOA graduates continue to repress social movements who stand up against a coup led by graduates of this school right here in Fort Benning.”

### Standing up to political repression

The [Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR)](http://www.stopfbi.net) had organizers from across the country mobilize for the demonstration. CSFR organizers passed out flyers explaining the connections between the repression abroad and the FBI attacks on activists at home and received hundreds of petition signatures to defend [Carlos Montes](http://www.stopfbi.net/profile/carlos-montes), a target of FBI repression. Thousands of flyers were also distributed promoting the upcoming [NATO/G8 protests in Chicago](http://cang8.wordpress.com/) and the [RNC 2012 protest in Tampa Florida](http://marchonthernc.com/), with a common emphasis on defending the right to protest and speak out against injustice at these events.

The CSFR hosted a workshop on Saturday night, attended by over 100 people, to raise awareness of attacks on activists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI has been used as an apparatus to infiltrate and repress peace, solidarity and civil rights movements, past and present. These attacks are relevant to the SOA/WHINSEC protest and its attendees in many ways.

The activists who have been attacked most recently are all prominent international peace and solidarity activists, indicating that this is a movement which is currently in the cross-hairs of the FBI. The volume of resources spent to harm this movement is alarming and the activist community across the U.S. should be aware of the vast scope of the repression, as well as the unjust methods and tools, which, in flagrant abuse of privacy rights and lacking due process, are at the ready disposal of federal Investigators.

As we continue to witness inaccurate media coverage of the ongoing Occupy actions, we should note the myriad systems of repression, often violent, that have been used in attempts to suppress a movement protesting the richest 1% in society. According to [the Gothamist](http://gothamist.com/2011/11/16/anatomy_of_a_raid_nypd_planned_ows.php), the New York Police Department’s raids on Zucotti Park were advised by the Department of Homeland Security, in a coordinated effort of aggression to preserve the status quo. However, the similarities in repressive methods against free speech and activist movements have been met with resistance.

“Just as people have linked arms and successfully defended Occupy encampments from police repression,” said Kosta Harlan of the CSFR, “in the same way our movements for justice, peace and equality are uniting to defend the Anti-War 24 and Carlos Montes,” targets of government raids and subpoenas to appear before federal grand juries.

CSFR activists stressed the necessity of taking up the fight against repression of activist movements, setting a precedent for resistance. Workshop facilitators encouraged attendees to write or phone President Obama, Attorney General Holder and local representatives to demand that they call off attacks on free speech in the U.S.

“We came to Fort Benning this weekend to challenge the killers of the SOA,” stated Daniel Ginsberg of Peace Action. “We’ll be heading home to our Occupations to continue defending activists from government repression.”

#FtBenningGA #AntiwarMovement #SchoolOfTheAmericas #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #WesternHemisphereInstituteForSecurityCooperationWHINSEC #Occupy