Austin, TX – Joe Biden was set to speak at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, July 16, and the Austin community was prepared to greet him with a massive protest to demand that he stop funding the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Biden cancelled his trip at the last minute, but around 70 people still gathered outside the Texas Capitol Monday evening, to show Biden that the people will not stand for the killings of Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, or for any part of the U.S. backed genocide in Gaza.
Tampa, FL – On July 10, around 50 students and community members rallied and marched in support of students targeted by the University of South Florida (USF) for participating in a Gaza Solidarity encampment in April. Two students, Joseph Charry and Victoria Hinckley, were suspended and expelled respectively by the university, and now a third, Icarus Jaspard, was hit with code of conduct charges.
New Orleans, LA – On July 15, at least 13 New Orleanian activists will join thousands to march on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. This baker’s dozen is a group of leaders and organizers from Black liberation, labor, student and gender liberation movements.
“We are the phantom that haunts them in their sleep”
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UCF SDS) in Orlando, Florida.
On June 18, an appeal was filed by UCF student and SDS member Marcus Polzer regarding the Formal Panel hearing that found Polzer in violation of two counts of Disruptive Conduct. Students have the right to appeal the findings of the hearing only on the basis of one or more of the following:
Minneapolis, MN – For the seventh year running, community members disrupted the Twin Cities Pride parade, June 30, to protest the inclusion of cops and corporations. Their inclusion comes at the expense of queer community members who want the event to honor the spirit of radical resistance Pride came out of and to continue the fight for LGBTQ liberation. This year, more than 1000 protesters marched with the Taking Back Pride Coalition for not only LGBTQ liberation, but especially for Palestinian liberation.
Grand Rapids, MI – In response to the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), a coalition of grassroots organizations is mobilizing Michigan residents for a march in Milwaukee on July 15 to protest the RNC.
Tallahassee, FL – On June 30, two days after the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, students and community members gathered at Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society’s annual pride talent show, one of the longest-running non-corporate pride events in the city.
Chicago, IL – Chicago activist groups are mobilizing in big way for the July 15 march on the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“Many of the protesters coming from Chicago are students,” said Joe Iosbaker of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Iosbaker recalled, referring to Trump, “In 2016, students in Chicago were the first to move against his hate tour.” In March 2016, 5000 protesters rallied and confronted Trump at the University of Illinois at Chicago, stopping him from speaking.
“The same organizations – Students for Democratic Society, Students for Justice in Palestine, Mexican Students of Aztlan – are mobilizing to confront him again,” says Iosbaker.
San Jose, CA – On Saturday, June 22, around 200 people gathered in Saint James Park to celebrate the first San Jose Peoples’ Pride.. The event focused primarily on reclaiming the radical militant origins of Pride.
Drusie Kazanova of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization emceed the event and started the program by saying, “We are here today to take back the radical, militant origins of pride. We do not align with the corporations and politicians who try to co-opt our movement while they enable the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestinians.” She emphasized the importance of calling out mainstream Pride celebrations’ ties with genocidal politicians and corporations, such as Lockheed Martin and Nancy Pelosi.
Tampa, FL – On June 28, approximately 15 students and community members gathered in front of the University of South Florida (USF) for a press conference in response to the recent attacks on Victoria Hinckley and Joseph Charry. The two students were targeted by university administration for participating in a Gaza solidarity encampment at USF.
After the encampment, the school suspended both Hinckley and Charry and ultimately expelled Hinckley and suspended Charry for a year.
