Caracas, Venezuela – En su primer día en Venezuela, el 28 de abril, la delegación de la Organización Socialista del Camino a la Libertad (FRSO) sostuvo una reunión de dos horas con miembros del Comité Central del Partido Comunista de Venezuela (PCV) y líderes de la Juventud Comunista de Venezuela.

La delegación de FRSO está encabezada por el secretario de organización Tom Burke.

Los grupos compartieron sus puntos de vista sobre la lucha revolucionaria en ambos países y la importancia de la solidaridad internacional.

Pedro Eusse, un miembro del Politburó de PCV y líder sindical, dijo que “si hay algo positivo acerca de la agresión de los Estados Unidos que enfrentamos hoy, es que ha habido una explosión de solidaridad de parte de Estados Unidos y de todo el mundo”.

Ambos grupos acordaron avanzar hacia una relación de trabajo más cercana en el futuro.

#CaracasVenezuela #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #TomBurke #Socialism #DonaldTrump #CommunistPartyOfVenezuela

Caracas, Venezuela – On their first day in Venezuela, April 28, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) delegation held a two-hour meeting with members of Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV) Central Committee and leaders of the Communist Youth of Venezuela.

The FRSO delegation is headed by Organizational Secretary Tom Burke.

The groups shared their views on the revolutionary struggle in both of their countries, and the importance of international solidarity.

Pedro Eusse, a PCV Politburo member and trade union leader, said “If there is anything positive about the U.S. aggression we face today, it is that there has been an explosion of solidarity from the United States and around the world.”

Both groups agreed to move towards a closer working relationship in the future.

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Venezuela #US #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #TomBurke #Socialism #DonaldTrump #CommunistPartyOfVenezuela

Cambridge, MA – Forty people, Harvard Law students and Boston anti-war activists, heard Tom Burke speak at Harvard Law School on April 20. Burke, a spokesperson for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the topic of “Building the movement against Trump’s agenda and opposing political repression.”

Burke said, “We need to build our movements at a national level to stop Trump’s attacks. The airport protests opposing the Muslim ban are a good example of how we can win victories. The airport protests, like the one in Chicago, showed the people have a lot power. In NYC when the cab drivers acted in solidarity by not driving fares to JFK airport, it showed how labor can shut things down and make a difference.”

In another example Burke said, “The Milwaukee Coalition Against Trump, MCAT, forced Trump to cancel his visit to the Harley Davidson plant in Menomonee Falls. The Harley workers contacted MCAT leaders and the stage was set for thousands of people to protest Trump’s appearance. Trump was forced to cancel, just like during the primary when 10,000 shut Trump down at the University of Illinois at Chicago.”

In terms of political repression, Burke said, “Trump’s Muslim ban is political. It targets the Middle East countries the U.S. is at war with. The seven countries the U.S. bombs, drone attacks, or sends in Special Forces to kill people, like the 8-year-old girl in Yemen who was an American citizen. No arrest or trial for her.”

He continued, “This is also why Palestinian American activist Rasmea Odeh is being targeted for deportation. This is why Simon Trinidad, the Colombian revolutionary, is in solitary confinement in the Florence Colorado Supermax prison, a casualty of the Colombian peace process. The Jacksonville Five in Florida were beat up by police for holding an anti-war rally. We are seeing more of this under Trump.”

The lunchtime lecture was hosted by Unbound: Harvard Journal of the Legal Left and the Harvard Chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild.

#CambridgeMA #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression

Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh, the well-known activist in the Palestinian community of Chicago and target of persecution by the U.S. government, goes on trial Nov. 4.

Charged with immigration fraud, the case against her is based on the grounds that, in her application for citizenship ten years ago, she didn’t mention that she was arrested in Palestine 45 years ago. Her arrest was at the hands of the Israeli defense forces, which had illegally seized Palestinian territory. She was raped and tortured by her captors, and forced to sign a confession to stop the abuse. Then an Israeli military court found her guilty without due process and gave her a life sentence. She was released after ten years in a prisoner exchange.

Why does the Department of Justice uphold decisions made by Israel’s military court? The U.S. has a history of condemning military courts in other countries. And when President Obama recently spoke at the U.N., he lectured other world leaders that it was unacceptable today to occupy another nation’s land. Why doesn’t that apply to Israel’s occupation of Palestine?

U.S. backing of Israeli occupation

The U.S. government has always spoken out of both sides of its mouth. U.S. presidents tell the Palestinians they deserve their own state, but refuse to stop Israel’s thousands of illegal settlements in Palestinian areas. The Obama administration warns against countries that defy the ‘international community,’ but has vetoed almost every single United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.

There’s no denying what is happening: Israel serves the interests of the U.S. elites in the Middle East. The Israeli regime couldn’t exist without the $3 billion a year in military aid it receives from the U.S. It serves the Pentagon as a landlocked aircraft carrier. The aid – and the unjust occupation of Palestine – are the price the U.S. is willing to pay to hold down the Arab and other peoples of the Middle East.

Standing with Israel is a constant refrain from every politician in Washington. For Rasmea Odeh, this means that U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade’s office accepts the stance of the kangaroo court in Israel that convicted her.

Defeat of Judge Borman

The first judge assigned to hear her case was Paul Borman. Borman had many ties to Israel, having helped raise millions to support the apartheid government there. A campaign by the Rasmea Defense Committee called for Borman to recuse himself. At first refusing, he gave in when it was exposed that his family had partial ownership of the grocery store that was the target of the bombing that Rasmea was forced to confess to. This was a huge embarrassment for the federal court, which always denies that decisions are affected one way or the other by politics.

Borman’s recusal was a victory which rallied the spirits of Rasmea and her many supporters. It proved to the movement for justice for Rasmea and for Palestine that if we fight, we can win. It shows us that a great legal defense is required, but so is a group of supporters packing the courtroom each time Rasmea is there.

Judge Gershwin Drain

On Oct. 2, Rasmea appeared before the new judge, Gershwin Drain, where attorneys presented numerous motions. The first decision by Drain was not good. Attorney Michael Deutsch argued that the charges against Rasmea should be dismissed, showing how the case against her began with the illegal investigation of the group of 23 anti-war and international solidarity activists who were subpoenaed to a federal grand jury in 2010. Drain agreed with the prosecution’s counter-argument, that the defense hadn’t proven its case.

Tom Burke of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) commented, “The U.S. government doesn’t want to admit its own crimes. It’s a fact that hundreds of Arabs and Muslims have been targeted by successive administrations only for being Arab or Muslim, or for loving their own people. The raids and subpoenas of the anti-war and international solidarity activists in 2010 were violations of our First Amendment rights.”

Although that decision went against Odeh, Hatem Abudayyeh of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) said, “Rasmea, her lawyers and her supporters sent a message to the court that there is a pattern of the Department of Justice abusing those involved in Palestine support work.”

Latest twist: Attack on our right to fight back

In early October, Prosecutor Jonathan Tukel launched an attack on the Rasmea Defense Committee and Hatem Abudayyeh. Tukel accused Rasmea’s supporters of jury tampering. He alleged that the rallies involving members of the Palestinian community and anti-war activists are “almost certainly criminal.” Tukel is asking for an “anonymous jury” – keeping the names of the jury secret from the public and from Rasmea’s defense attorneys. Tukel used an anonymous jury for the trial of the Underwear Bomber in 2009. The meaning of his motion could not be more clear: Odeh and her supporters are dangerous to the members of the jury.

This would be laughable if the impact wasn’t so terrible. In fact, this is an effort by the prosecution to tamper with the jury. Making jurors and prospective jurors operate in secret makes them think that they are in danger.

There is nothing violent in the efforts of her defense campaign. The only violence that impacts this trial is the inhumane brutality with which the Israeli military treated Odeh in 1969. With each passing day, more people and organizations that support civil liberties are adding their voices to oppose this latest move.

‘I believe that we will win’

This attack by the office of U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade points to one other thing: the movement that supports Rasmea is putting Israel on trial. Especially after the international outcry that responded to the massacres in Gaza this summer, Israel is seen worldwide as the brutal, apartheid regime that it is. Most people hear the ring of truth when they are told that Rasmea was viciously abused at the hands of Israel.

On Oct. 2, in front of the court house in Detroit, Muhammad Sankari of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network led Rasmea’s friends and neighbors in chanting, “I believe we will win.” One of the Palestinian women supporters raised her voice louder and said, “I believe we are winning.” It appears that McQuade and Tukel fear that to be true, and are acting to put an end to the trial in the court of public opinion, and are attempting to rig the outcome of the legal proceeding as well. The rising movement of support for Palestine – the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign, the efforts for an arms embargo to stop companies like Boeing that provide the killing tools to Israel, the campus movement to defend critics of Israel like Professor Steven Salaita at the University of Illinois and the massive marches like those in Chicago that mobilized to halt the slaughter in Gaza – is in fact winning.

All out for Detroit

A major mobilization Is underway to pack the courtroom during Odeh’s Nov. 4 trial. “People from around the country will be coming to Detroit to support Rasmea. We will stand with her at her trial and demand Justice,” stated Jess Sundin of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

#ChicagoIL #Chicago #JessSundin #TomBurke #politicalRepression #RasmeaOdeh #StevenSalaita

Grand Rapids, MI – Close to 100 people celebrated Nelson Mandela Day here over the weekend. Some gathered on July 18 to view posters from the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the work of local artists portraying Nelson Mandela and Maya Angelou. Local artist Paul Collins shared a large canvas of hands reaching across the world portraying King, Gandhi and Mandela. On July 19, the Institute for Global Education hosted a jazz band, church choir, African dance and the poetry of Maya Angelou.

During a panel discussion on the legacy of Mandela, the speakers and audience compared the struggle opposing white minority rule in South Africa, known as apartheid, and the struggle for Palestinian freedom today. Outside the event, local anti-war activists tabled for Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian American leader and activist. The U.S. government is putting Odeh on trial in Detroit on Sept. 8 in a highly-charged political repression case.

Tom Burke with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression was gathering signatures and quoted Nelson Mandela, “We know too well our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians.”

Burke continued, “Rasmea Odeh won the ‘Nelson Mandela Award: Opposing Israeli apartheid is not a crime!’ last year in Chicago. We know the worldwide solidarity movement helped defeat minority rule in South Africa. The same is true with ending Israeli apartheid. We need to get out and rally to show our solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle. We need to encourage resistance to oppression. The U.S. needs to stop funding Israeli oppression and war.”

A protest in solidarity with Palestine is planned for July 21 at 4:00 p.m. at the Gerald R. Ford Federal Building in downtown Grand Rapids.

#GrandRapidsMI #PeoplesStruggles #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #NelsonMandela #RasmeaOdeh #Michigan #MayaAngelou #PoliticalRepression

Salt Lake City, UT – Activists gathered at the Salt Lake City Public Library on June 4 to hear Tom Burke, of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. Fifteen people listened intently as Burke recounted his experiences as a longtime political activist targeted for repression by the U.S. government. Burke is one of the Anti-war 23.

In 2010 and 2011, the FBI harassed, raided and subpoenaed to a grand jury 23 anti-war activists for their solidarity with international anti-war movements and union organizers overseas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas has stated there is an ongoing investigation.

Burke spoke on how to deal with the FBI, “Don’t answer any questions besides your name, your address, and your social if asked. Tell them ‘I am happy to not answer any more questions until I speak with my lawyer.’” He shared the website www.stopfbi.net and urged those attending to read both the FBI raid documents discovered in one activist’s home as well as the FBI affidavits used to raid anti-war activists’ homes.

The main focus of Burke’s talk, however, was Rasmea Odeh. Odeh is an international solidarity and women’s rights activist from Palestine doing tremendous work in the Arab American community in the U.S. She came to the U.S. in the 1990s and is a well-known public figure in Chicago for her activism in women’s rights and healthcare.

The Department of Homeland Security arrested her on Oct. 22, 2013 for allegedly falsifying her immigration documents upon entering the U.S. The government claims Odeh failed to report that the Israeli military tortured and imprisoned her for organizing for Palestinian liberation in her early life. She is now facing 10 years in jail and deportation.

“We must stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh. We have to get out, organize and fight to win against the U.S. government repression of a strong progressive woman who stands for all that is good in this world!” Burke said. “Our vision is a world where Palestinians and Jewish people can live together in a single united Palestine in peace.”

Burke finished his talk saying, “We support women, we support Palestine and we must stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh!”

#SaltLakeCityUT #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #RasmeaOdeh

Two speakers from FRSO addressed the crowd that filled the bookstore. The first speaker, an immigrant rights organizer, spoke about the importance of the national movements in building the struggle for socialism.

Tom Burke, also of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) , discussed the resurrection of May Day brought about by the 2006 Day Without Latinos, which brought millions of immigrant workers into the streets of America’s cities in protest of the reactionary Sensenbrenner Bill. Burke then discussed how revolutionaries can build the struggle for socialism and revolution, referring to the “one-two punch” of the multinational working class and the national movements in building the revolutionary struggle in the U.S.

Looking to the future, Burke laid out the importance of communists continuing to organize: “We need to build the mass movements; we need to build the different struggles with practical slogans and themes. But at the core of it is the fact that we organize the working class. Workers have a lot of power – they just don’t know it yet. We need to take our politics to the people and engage them in struggle.”

Followed by a lively question and answer session, the celebration was considered a huge success by its organizers. A number of individuals sought more information about FRSO and organizers hope to put together more events about Freedom Road in the near future.

#MilwaukeeWI #Labor #MayDay #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #internationalWorkersDay #May1 #frso #TomBurke

Burke stated, “Bradley Manning's sentence of 35 years is harsh and unjustified. Manning exposed war crimes committed by U.S. soldiers and covered up by the top ranks of the Pentagon, State Department and White House. There are U.S. war criminals who belong on trial and in prison cells instead of those like Manning who expose the actual crimes. The U.S. government is becoming more and more repressive, spending money on war, prisons and repression, while the rich get away with ruining the lives of working people at home and abroad. “

Burke was one of the anti-war and international solidarity activists targeted in a Department of Justice investigation of “material support for terrorism.”

#GrandRapids #MI #PeoplesStruggles #CivilRights #BradleyManning #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression #CSFR #FreeBradleyManning #Whistleblower

Albany, NY – Tom Burke, a leader of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, toured upstate New York Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 to talk about FBI repression and the upcoming trial of Carlos Montes. Burke spoke to hundreds of people at events in Rochester, Albany and Buffalo. He also visited and spoke at Occupy Wall Street camps where dozens of tents are pitched and scores of people are holding their ground, protesting the wealthy 1% and the politicians that serve them.

Burke is one of 24 anti-war activists either raided by the FBI or subpoenaed to a grand jury. Speaking to a crowd of almost 100 at Emerson Hall, the Unitarian Church in Albany, Burke said, “For 23 of us, we are told that multiple indictments are still being prepared. For veteran Chicano and anti-war activist Carlos Montes in Los Angeles, I am here to ask you to protest in your city on the first day of Carlos’ trial. This is purely a political attack. Last May, the FBI broke down the door of Carlos home at 5 a.m., with automatic weapons drawn, and ransacked his home, taking away all his political documents and notes for a book on Chicano activism. Carlos, who helped organize the protest at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota, refused to answer the FBI’s questions about his relationship to the other 23.”

The FBI attacks on the democratic rights of anti-war and international solidarity activists are clearly targeting leaders and groups, and attempting to disrupt their organizing. The FBI repression of anti-war activists is an expansion of the ongoing and unjust pre-emptive prosecutions of Arabs and Muslims – attempting to justify the illegal and unjust U.S. wars and occupations abroad.

At every New York event the audience discussed the U.S. government coordination of local police attacks upon the Occupy movement and the people’s right to use public space and protest the wealthy 1%. Progressives in every city are opposed to the militarization of local police forces.

Tom Burke told Fight Back!, “In the face of political repression, we have to build on the solidarity from hundreds of groups – anti-war, community, faith, student and labor – and grow stronger together. We are asking our friends and comrades at the Flying Squirrel Collective in Rochester, the Albany peace and justice movement, the supporters of Burning Books in Buffalo, to join us for the huge mass protests against the war-makers and big bankers at the NATO/G8 summit on May 15 and May 19 in Chicago. Rochester and Buffalo have promised us busloads of protesters and Albany is talking about a Peace Train. The U.S. government is hosting the 1% from the rich countries and making plans for more wars and domination of the rest of the world. We need to unite with the Arab Spring protesters and people in other countries to oppose the poverty and war agenda here in Chicago.”

#AlbanyNY #CarlosMontes #TomBurke #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #PoliticalRepression