San Francisco, CA – On the afternoon of August 15, 100 people gathered in front of the San Francisco Federal Building for a national day of action to demand, “U.S. out of Korea” and “No to a Pacific war.”

Protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!” and “From Korea to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine!”

Many held signs reading “Stop U.S.-Korea war games” alongside giant cartoon heads of President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae

A speaker from Bayan explained the Negros 19 Massacre, where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed to kill 19 New People’s Army fighters. However, family and the people’s movement clarified that nine were civilians, including teens, college students and journalists. U.S tax dollars go to arm and train the AFP who commit these human rights violations in their war.

They further explained, “Marcos Jr. and his cronies sell out the Filipino people in service of U.S. imperialism and giving foreign monopoly capitalist like American Sugar Refining, the parent company of C&H Sugar, unbridled access to plunder our rich resources by keeping peasant farmers from asserting their right to land.”

The C&H factory workers in nearby Crockett, California, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, recently went on strike. That factory is connected to sugarcane sources from the Philippines.

“We will fight for our dignity and our right to determine our own future!” said Heath Lee from Nodutdol, reflecting the growing trend against U.S. military forces occupying bases in Korea.

Lee continued, “Our demand is clear: the United States must leave Korea, like it must leave the Philippines, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Guam, Panama, Okinawa and everywhere else!”

A representative of Palestinian Youth Movement expressed the unity and solidarity between the liberation struggles of Palestine, Korea and the Philippines.

The rally alternated speeches with singing performances as well as militant and energizing drumming performances. The program included speakers from Nodutdol, Bayan, Gabriela, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, and the Palestinian Youth Movement.

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #International #Korea #AntiWarMovement

San Francisco, CA – On July 27, a crowd surrounded the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco for the People’s State of the Nation Address to protest against the reactionary Bongbong Marcos Jr. This comes after a torrent of nationwide protests which have rocked the Philippines in the wake of economic disasters and armed attacks on workers and farmers.

The action began with the song Kapangyarihan honoring the martyrs who died resisting Duterte’s “War on Drugs,” which extrajudicially killed 30,000 people.

Che Lodico from Kabataan Alliance stated, “This past June I participated in the Bayanihan disaster response trip and peasant integration to the Philippines. During our trip, we were able to integrate to the province of Camarines Sur, which is one of the richest provinces and yet the people there are the poorest in the Bicol Region.”

Lodico continued, “Just like most of the countryside in the Philippines, many of the farmers do not own the land they are tilling on, so they are hired by the landowners as farmworkers for only 250 to 500 pesos a day.” This follows a pattern in the Philippines as victims of poverty and man-made environmental disasters are met with neglect, red-tagging, and even extrajudicial killings by the Marcos regime for demanding welfare and repairs.

“Why is the NTF-ELCAC investing 24 million pesos in constructing dams, flood control dams, water systems, road constructions in indigenous people’s communities of Mindanao? Because they only want to attack the activist youth and peasants. They also take away their livelihoods by creating man-made disasters in the countryside!” continued Lodico.

Tree Aquino from Pilipino Laban sa Korapsyon (PILAK) stated, “Currently, Vice President Sara Duterte made history for being the first Filipino politician to be impeached twice, and this trial must continue without fail. She must be held accountable for the misuse of 600 million pesos in public funds, and we demand that she be transparent with her bank and tax records!”

Aquino also recalled attempts made by the organization to call on the Philippine Consulate and its consulate general, Arnel Talisayon, to protect Filipino migrants, only to find they had lopsided priorities.

“When we tried to schedule a meeting with Arnel Talisayon to discuss the pressing needs of Filipinos and undocumented migrants in our area, he left his scheduled meet-and-greet early and did not address any of our concerns,” Aquino lamented. “Meanwhile, he happily takes time to meet with big tech and sell out the Philippines to the highest bidder!”

Isa Patoto made a tearful plea on behalf of the Defend Negros Island Campaign to seek accountability and justice for the Toboso 19 and victims of extrajudicial killings. “On April 19 and 20, the 79th Infantry Battalion from the Armed Forces of the Philippines did a forced evacuation of 653 people from Toboso, Negros Occidental and did an illegal strafing on their community killing 19 including two beloved Filipino American activists, Lyle Prijoles and Kai Sorem.” This comes as one-third of all extrajudicial killings by the Marcos Regime are committed in the “Sugarbowl of the Philippines” alone.

“The massacre was a direct result of the organized peasants and farmers who resisted under the NTF-ELCAC and under the guise of counterinsurgency. And what did Bongbong Marcos do? He congratulated the 79th Infantry Battalion and treated them to a feast, and also had a bid for the UN Security Council!” said Patoto, highlighting the absurdity of the government’s response to the AFP’s violation of international human law.

The action ended with a performance of the song Lahat ng Sangkot, Dapat Managot, while protesters destroyed effigies of Trump and Bongbong Marcos Jr. as the crowd cheered on.

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #International #Philippines

San Francisco, CA – On June 1, the International League of People’s Struggle spearheaded an action against two war profiteers in San Francisco, Scale AI and OpenAI. The action drew attention to the complicity that AI tech companies in the Bay Area have with genocide, U.S. warmongering and national oppression abroad.

Scale AI has a $500 million partnership with the Department of War, and OpenAI has a similar contract. Both companies have headquarters located in San Francisco not far from one another, and, due to their considerable ties to American militarism and intervention abroad, they were chosen as the chief targets of the demonstration.

The march and rally served as a conclusion to the weekend-long ILPS conference. There was also a smaller mobilization demanding justice for the Nergros19 outside the Filipino consulate that took place that morning at 8 a.m. The conference and protest marked the 25th anniversary of ILPS's founding.

The march began with a gathering downtown that marched over to Scale AI’s company headquarters. There, activists drawn from across the country spoke on issues from around the world, all tied together by the common thread of U.S. intervention, meddling and violence, and companies like Scale AI willingly aiding and abetting that violence.

Chants included “People of the world get ready to fight, no tech for war, no genocide!” as well as “No more AI for war, we're fired up, won’t take it no more!”

After opening remarks from Brandon Lee, a veteran organizer and International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines chair, the program included speakers representing different parts of the international struggle, from local labor leader Mike Casey to representatives of the struggle in Haiti. All of them attacked AI companies like Scale as complicit in the targeting and surveillance of activists, the repression of people’s struggles, and the perpetuation of U.S. imperialism.

The march continued past several streets over to the headquarters of OpenAI.

There, the program went on with a speech from BAYAN USA member Andan Bonifacio, who stated, “We’re here to protest the war and suffering these tech companies bring upon our people. And we know that this is not a new thing. More than 120 years ago, when the U.S. first landed in the Philippines, they brought new technology with them … waterboarding, cameras to surveil our communities, they massacred our people, and took photos to use as psychological warfare. 120 years later and look at where we are.”

Bonifacio continued, saying that the imperialists “are very good at hiding the severe exploitation, the severe oppression behind capitalism, with words like innovation, and the future. What do we think about that?” The crowd responded with a single word, “Lies!”

Bonifacio ended his speech with a poignant tribute to the martyrs of Negros. “No matter how technologically advanced, no matter how sophisticated, no matter how well funded this imperialist machine is, they mean nothing in the face of the people,” he said. “Remember that today, we must all know that. It is something that our comrade, Lyle, knew, that the Negros 19 knew, that all our people’s martyrs knew.” Bonifacio was referring to the 19 people murdered by the U.S.-backed Armed Forces of the Philippines in Tobosos, Negro, including Filipino-American activist Lyle Prijoles.

Arab Resource and Organizing Center director Lara Kiswani stated, “Companies such as OpenAI and Palantir profit from developing technology that facilitates warfare abroad,” she said. “We understand the struggle of the people of the Philippines is one and the same as the struggle for working people in Haiti, Iran, in Sudan, in Lebanon, in Palestine, and right here in the United States.”

The program closed out with a brief speech from ILPS US’s recently elected chair. Final chants included “Defend, defend, defend the people’s struggle! Advance, advance, advance the people’s struggle!” This closed out the successful three-day ILPS convention with a reaffirmation of their commitment to opposing U.S. intervention and war profiteers in all their forms.

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #ILPS

San Francisco, CA – Over 500 people gathered in the Bay Area, May 30 and 31, for the U.S. chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) Third National Assembly and Political Conference. The theme of the action-packed weekend was “Advance the Peoples’ Struggle.”

On the first day, the general assembly was marked by momentous debate, resolutions, and the election of the new steering committee. They will lead the league for the next three years. The first day set the tone for the weekend: unity, militancy and dedication to the fight.

The evening was closed with a Peace Forum organized by ILPS, Resist US-Led War Movement, and the United National Antiwar Coalition. Speakers include Lala from Honor the Earth, Carlos Sirah from Black Alliance for Peace, Rhonda Ramiro from Resist US-Led War Movement, Laulani Teale from Ho’opae Pono Peace Project, Nieves Delgado from BAYAN USA, Laith Adel from Palestinian Youth Movement, and Meredith Aby from the Anti-War Action Network.

On the second day, allies and organizations gathered to discuss and share political ideas, struggles and victories. There were two keynote speakers: ILPS Secretary General Azra Sayeed, and FRSO Political Secretary Mick Kelly.

Kelly told the crowd, “Taken as a whole, the objective conditions provide extremely favorable conditions for revolutionaries, progressives and anti-imperialists to greatly expand our mass base and organizational capacity.”

The keynote addresses were followed by three plenaries: “Fight back against fascism! On peoples resistance against state attacks,” “All workers united! On the fight to end exploitation and plunder!” and “Peoples’ resistance for peoples peace! On ending imperialist wars and liberating our homelands.”

The afternoon welcomed workshops from all different areas of the movement, and attendees wrapped up the day with a lively solidarity night.

The entire weekend, attendees and organizers honored the Negros 19. These were 19 organizers, revolutionaries, peasants and others who were killed in the Philippines by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in April.

On Monday, June 1, forces gathered at 8 a.m. outside the Philippines Consulate in San Francisco to demand justice for the Negros 19. Speakers called the crowd to remember Lyle Priojles, Kai Sorem, and the others massacred in April. The organizers vowed to continue demanding justice for the Negros 19 until the Filippino government paid for its crimes.

This incredible weekend marks a momentous time for ILPS, and their future is bright!

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #International #AntiWarMovement #Philippines #ILPS

San Francisco, CA – El miércoles 8 de abril, cientos de residentes del Área de la Bahía se reunieron en la estación de BART de la calle Powell para protestar contra Trump por las amenazas que él hizo el 7 de abril, de que “una civilización entera morirá esta noche” si Irán no reabría el estrecho de Ormuz.

Irán cerró el estrecho tras los incesantes bombardeos de Estados Unidos e Israel contra escuelas, hospitales, universidades, centros de investigación médica y zonas residenciales. Según la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de la Cruz Roja y de la Media Luna Roja, estos ataques han matado al menos a 1,900 personas y herido a más de 20,000 en Irán.

Los manifestantes coreaban “No a la guerra contra Irán” y “Fuera EE.UU. del Medio Oriente”.

La protesta ocurre mientras los bombardeos estadounidenses-israelíes en Irán han contribuido a un aumento en el costo de vida. En algunas partes del país, el precio de un tanque lleno de gasolina ha llegado a los $120. En el Área de la Bahía de San Francisco, el precio promedio de la gasolina ha alcanzado los $6 por galón en la mayoría de los condados, y una gasolinera en Menlo Park llegó a cobrar hasta $7.69 por un galón de gasolina regular.

El 8 de abril, Irán obtuvo una victoria histórica al obligar a Trump a aceptar un plan de diez puntos como base para futuras negociaciones con Teherán. El plan buscaba garantizar un alto el fuego de dos semanas, detener los ataques de EE.UU. e Israel contra Irán, Líbano, Palestina y todo el Medio Oriente, y poner fin a las décadas de sanciones estadounidenses que han afectado la calidad de vida de los iraníes, a cambio de reabrir el estrecho de Ormuz. Sin embargo, horas después, Israel rompió el acuerdo de alto el fuego con bombardeos contra vecindarios y otras zonas civiles en Beirut y en todo Líbano, matando al menos a 254 personas e hiriendo a más de 1,165.

En respuesta a estos ataques de Israel, que recibe el 70% de sus armas a través de ayuda estadounidense, Irán volvió a cerrar el estrecho de Ormuz.

El cierre del estrecho debido a los ataques de EE.UU. e Israel muy probablemente afectará otros aspectos de la vida cotidiana más allá del combustible, incluidos precios más altos en alimentos, fertilizantes, la fabricación de microchips y otros productos de alta tecnología, como señaló el profesor de economía Masao Suzuki en su artículo “Precios crecientes de gasolina provocan aumento de inflación en marzo” (Rising gasoline prices lead inflation surge in March).

“Estamos cansados de las guerras interminables. La gente está en las calles, el BART está siendo desmantelado y los alimentos cuestan más cada día. Irán nunca nos ha hecho daño. Pero Wall Street y D.C. nos siguen dañando todos los días. Necesitamos un sistema mejor, uno que ponga a la gente a cargo en lugar de estos multimillonarios belicistas”, dijo Brandon Cavins de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad.

El creciente número de protestas refleja la creciente frustración entre estadounidenses ante otro conflicto iniciado por Trump en el Medio Oriente. El Pentágono ha solicitado más de $200 mil millones adicionales para continuar los ataques contra Irán – la mayor parte de ese dinero terminaría en los bolsillos de los fabricantes de armas o quedaría sin justificar, como se ha visto en las ocho auditorías anteriores que el Pentágono ha reprobado.

Mientras tanto, las necesidades y servicios esenciales enfrentan recortes o falta de financiamiento. Por ejemplo, el BART planea cerrar entre 10 a 15 estaciones y reducir un 63% de sus servicios, lo que incluye tiempos de espera más largos de hasta 30 minutos (en lugar de los 10 a 20 minutos actuales), horarios reducidos (cerrando a las 9 p.m. en lugar de la medianoche), aumento en las tarifas de estacionamiento y el despido de entre 600 a 1,200 trabajadores, debido a un déficit presupuestario de $376 millones causado por la reducción del financiamiento federal.

#SanFranciscoCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Lebanon #Palestine

San Francisco, CA – On Wednesday, April 8, hundreds of Bay Area residents gathered at the Powell Street BART transit station to protest Trump’s April 7 threats that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran closed the strait after relentless U.S. and Israeli bombardment of schools, hospitals, universities, medical research centers, and residential areas. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, these attacks have killed at least 1,900 people and injured over 20,000 in Iran.

Demonstrators chanted “No war on Iran” and “U.S. out of the Middle East.”

The protest comes as U.S.-Israeli bombardments on Iran have contributed to a rising cost of living. In some parts of the country, the cost of a full tank of gas has reached $120. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the average price of gas has reached $6 per gallon in most counties, with one station in Menlo Park reaching as high as $7.69 for a gallon of regular.

On April 8, Iran secured a historic victory, forcing Trump to agree to a ten-point plan as the basis for future negotiations with Tehran. The plan was intended to secure a two-week ceasefire, halt U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and across the Middle East, and end decades-long U.S. sanctions that have harmed Iranians’ quality of life – in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. However, within hours, Israel broke the ceasefire agreement with bombardments on neighborhoods and other civilian areas in Beirut and across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people and injuring 1165 more.

In response to these attacks by Israel, which receives 70% of its weapons through U.S. aid, Ira