News and Views from the People's Struggle
Tampa, FL – On Monday, February 5, around 35 students gathered in front of the University of South Florida’s Marshall Student Center to participate in a protest held by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) for the National Week of Action in solidarity with Palestine.
Tacoma, WA – A group of about 30 people disrupted the Tacoma city council meeting Tuesday, February 6, demanding the city issue a statement of support to the Palestinian people and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
The crowd gathered outside the Tacoma Municipal Building as the council meeting was beginning inside. Demonstrators chanted “Gaza Gaza you will rise, Palestine will never die!” and “Israel bombs, USA pays, How many kids were killed today?” while informational fliers were handed out. The fliers highlighted how over $300 billion in U.S. aid has been sent to Israel since 1948, and that money has been used to kill hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Of those killed in these attacks, 40% were children.
Minneapolis, MN – As students came up the escalator for the College of Science and Engineering job fair on Tuesday, February 6, they could look upon the great values that the University of Minnesota holds itself to. Courage, pride, equity and “Weapon companies off campus!”
Oak Creek, WI – On Friday, February 2, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and around 30 supporters gathered at Drexel Town Square in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek, and marched through the town center to the headquarters of Astronautics Corporation of America.
Astronautic, founded in Milwaukee in 1959, is a defense corporation contracted with the U.S. military and has direct ties to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Protesters’ voices ringing out in the street and echoing off of apartment buildings, the passionate crowd chanted, “Astronautics you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”
St. Paul, MN – 200 people packed the Saint Paul city council meeting on February 7 to send a message to the city council that the residents of Saint Paul want them to take a stand against genocide.
Their signs stressed the importance of Saint Paul having a ceasefire resolution. The signs read, “Take a stand against genocide” and “Palestine is a local issue!” All of the signs also demanded, “Pass a ceasefire resolution now!”
Saint Paul, MN – 300 demonstrators led by the Twin Cities’ Free Palestine Coalition gathered outside Saint Paul City Hall on Tuesday, February 2 to demand that Saint Paul adopt a city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Minneapolis city council has already put forward a strong resolution condemning Israel’s genocidal crimes in Palestine, thanks to political pressure exerted by the Free Palestine Coalition’s street actions. The Minneapolis resolution is up again on Thursday, February 8 to overturn a veto by the mayor.
New Orleans, LA – On February 7, New Orleanian activists held a banner drop over a busy Interstate 10. The massive banner read “End U.S. aid to Israel”.
The organizations involved were Students for Democratic Society chapters from Loyola, Tulane and the University of New Orleans, along with New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP).
Minneapolis, MN – The Minneapolis city council voted, February 8, to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of their ceasefire resolution.
Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists are celebrating the victory across the country. They are excited that Minneapolis is joining cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Detroit in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Palestine.
Sana Wazwaz, a leader with American Muslims for Palestine-MN, explains the significance of the vote, “Our victory signals a radical shift in what is considered acceptable criticism of Israel. We are the first city in the U.S. to pass a resolution to call for a complete end to U.S. aid to Israel; a measure that was once ‘too radical’ is now becoming normalized. Minneapolis has broken that barrier, and we believe that our city will set the precedent for cities across the U.S. to continue pushing that boundary, for language to become more and more progressive. To override Mayor Frey's veto is to send the message that principles win over politics – that Minneapolis stuck to their strong language, and didn't back down despite pressure to conform to ceasefire resolution norms.”
Meredith Aby, an activist with the Anti-War Committee, explains the next steps for the Free Palestine Coalition: “We have started attending Saint Paul city council meetings and pressuring them to join Minneapolis in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the U.S. support for genocide in Palestine. We want to keep this momentum growing so that we can end U.S. aid to Israel.”
#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #MNAWC #AMPMN
Los Angeles, CA – Hundreds of spirited demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles on February 4 to send a clear message that business will not go on as usual while Israel continues to savagely attack Gaza and the West Bank.
Multiple organizations, including Palestinian Youth Movement and the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), organized and led the march in a successful effort to disrupt the Grammys, which were being held at the nearby Crypto Arena. The demonstrators were full of energy as they chanted “Israel, Israel go to hell!” and “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free!”
Pompano Beach, FL – On January 28, over 100 vehicles drove as a caravan across Fort Lauderdale at minimum speed to show solidarity with Palestine. The “Car Rally for Palestine” demonstrated the pride and solidarity of those in the South Florida community feel towards Palestine’s resistance during the ongoing genocide in Gaza.