Tucson was a part of mobilizations across the U.S., Venezuela and the world in solidarity with the democratically-elected President Maduro and Bolivarian Revolution leader Cilia Flores, who is also an elected deputy in the Venezuelan National Assembly.

Maduro was a bus driver and trade union leader and Flores was the lawyer who built the case for Hugo Chavez to be freed from prison in the 1990s. Since the illegal bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of these leaders on January 3, Venezuelans have constantly taken the streets demanding the return of their leaders.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #TAWC

Tucson, AZ – On February 28, around 100 people rallied outside the Davis – Monthan Air Force Base on only a few hours’ notice to protest the deadly missile strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. The Tucson Anti-War Committee (TAWC) activated an emergency action plan that it built with progressive veteran organization Common Defense, the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, and the Nuclear Resistors.

TAWC is one of 20 organizations across the country in the Anti-War Action Network to have held an emergency protest within 24 hours of the strikes.

TAWC organizer Maria Sohn Hasman led chants and told the crowd “We want to make it clear that we oppose any and all U.S. interventions. Trump is lashing out around the world in a desperate attempt to assert U.S. dominance – we see it in the illegal kidnapping of democratically-elected President Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, the threats to Cuba's government, and the missile strikes on Iran and the assassination of Iran's supreme leader. U.S. hands off Iran!”

Dozens of vehicles honked their horns in solidarity with the action, a sign that Trump’s wars are unpopular.

“Trump’s actions abroad are bold and brazen. We need to be bold and build a bigger anti-war movement! We need to challenge ourselves to reach out to co-workers, neighbors, friends, centers of faith, labor and more to build the kind of power that can stop this war machine,” added TAWC organizer Jim Byrne.

The Tucson Anti-War Committee will be participating in the International Day of Action on March 3 in solidarity with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Anti-War Committee (TAWC) led an anti-war contingent in a march of around 3000 people in downtown Tucson on January 20. The action was called by a coalition of organizations in Tucson to protest the first anniversary of Trump’s second term. The call brought out hundreds of high school students who walked out of school around the city in the early afternoon. 

The crowd disrupted downtown Tucson banging on pots, pans and drums and blowing whistles. They started with a rally outside the Federal Building, but the crowd quickly filled the sidewalks for many blocks until they began marching and shut down streets for hours. 

Anti-war activists joined protesters as they took the streets with signs in their hands that read, “Hands off Venezuela” and “Free President Maduro!” People chanted “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go!” as they made their way throughout downtown with people on the sidewalks and in restaurants cheering on. 

Once the march returned to the Federal Building, a speaking program began. TAWC organizer Maria Sohn Hasman spoke to the crowd, “It has never been more clear that Trump and the United States are grasping for straws as they fail to maintain power on a global stage. We see this in the attacks and threats against Palestine and Venezuela and now Iran and Greenland.”

Sohn Hasman continued, “We also see it here at home in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Portland as the same forces send out ICE agents to kill us and threaten the Insurrection Act!” 

The event ended with a performance of The Internationale by James Jordan of the Alliance for Global Justice as the crowd sang along.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #TAWC

Tucson, AZ – Tucson joined nearly 100 cities across North America in mobilizing against the illegal bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Around 200 people rallied at the entrance of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, constituting the largest protest in solidarity with Venezuela in Tucson’s history.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is the home of Air Force South (AFSOUTH), the air wing of the U.S. SOUTHCOM. AFSOUTH has been carrying out Trump’s extrajudicial killing over 100 people in the Caribbean and now the illegal bombing and killing of civilians and capture of a democratically elected president.

The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) called for the emergency action in the early hours of January 3 when the world learned of the actions of President Trump against a peaceful, sovereign nation. Sponsoring organizations quickly came aboard as endorsements from the Alliance for Global Justice, Common Defense, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Tucson, and the Venezuelan Solidarity Network.

Protesters filled out the four corners of the intersection outside the base with signs reading “No blood for oil,” “No war on Venezuela,” and “Hands off Venezuela.” Tucson Anti War Committee organizer Maria Sohn Hasman led spirited chants of “No coup, no sanctions, U.S. out of Venezuela!” and “Air Force, CIA, you’re not welcome, go away!”

A press release from TAWC yielded multiple local news outlets attending to get footage and interviews. While the sound of the passing traffic created recording challenges, the reporters also battled the honks of solidarity frequently as people demonstrated their rejection of Trump’s war.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela

Tucson, AZ – The members of the Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) joined in the national campaign against Howmet Aerospace. Howmet is a manufacturer of parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet. F-35s purchased by Israel are used in the genocidal war against Gaza and recently missile strikes in the West Bank.

In the fall, BDS Pittsburgh initiated outreach to the anti-war groups affiliated with the Anti-War Action Network that have Howmet facilities in their cities. So far, Cleveland United Against War, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and TAWC, have joined other cities in the campaign against Howmet.

TAWC hosted a community teach-in at Revolutionary Grounds bookstore and coffee shop on December 6. The presentation gave information on the connections between the state of Arizona and Zionist Israel. People heard about the dozens of companies that contract with Israel and Israeli companies, state-held bonds of $15 million, multiple AIPAC-funded state representatives like Alma Hernandez, and about Howmet Aerospace’s contract with Lockheed Martin.

17% of Howmet Aerospace’s business is making parts for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jet.

TAWC organizer Maria Sohn Hasman stated, “We have and should continue to hold protests and marches to denounce Israel’s continued genocide of Gaza and attacks on the West Bank and elsewhere in occupied Palestine. But this campaign presents an opportunity to stop production of the F-35 and deal a material blow to the Zionist regime and U.S. imperialism.”

Next steps for the campaign are outreach and flyering to raise awareness and build a mass movement locally and nationally to get Howmet to cut ties with genocide.

#TucsonAZ #AntiWarMovement #TAWC #Palestine

Tucson, AZ – On November 22, The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) and a host of organizations wanted to let the thousands of bicyclists in the annual El Tour de Tucson know that, as they passed the Air Force base, people with a conscience demand “Hands off Venezuela!”

“With a race of nearly 10,000 and 40% registered from out of state, we saw this as a great opportunity to let as many people know this beautiful landscape is also the HQ for Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean. People need to know that we can stand up to Trump and stand with Venezuela,” said TAWC organizer Maria Sohn Hasman, addressing the race onlookers.

Riders signaled their support for the signs reading “No war on Venezuela” and “no blood for oil!” A handful of riders even yelled “Viva Venezuela!”

Tucson participated in the international week of action which saw commitments for actions in over 50 U.S. cities and dozens more internationally.

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson is the brain center for Trump’s war crimes in the Caribbean. It is here generals and officers plan the coordination of all U.S. SOUTHCOM air forces in its “area of responsibility” of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Trump ordered SOUTHCOM to carry out missile strikes on 21 different boats with a death toll at 83. Trump is the judge, Rubio the jury, and AFSOUTH at Davis-Monthan is the executioner. These extrajudicial killings of people from five different nations constitute war crimes. The primary target is Venezuela, as Trump has brought 15,000 troops and an excessive amount of force to their door.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #TAWC #AWAN

Tucson, AZ – Cities all across the U.S. and world are mobilizing for “Hands Off Venezuela “rallies – an International Call for a Week of Action endorsed by hundreds of organizations is taking place November 15-23.

In Venezuela, the youth, the neighborhoods, and the armed popular militias are rallying to defend their country and support President Maduro. A march of tens of thousands, with Maduro in the crowd, was part of the Communal Youth day, November 14, in which the president announced the plan to grow the commune movement from 4000 to 6000 by 2027. A commune is a democratic, participatory body in neighborhoods in cities and small towns, where youth decide what happens in their area and what projects need to be funded and carried out. They are currently activated to defend their homeland from Trump’s threats of war. November 23 will be a national vote for such – a “popular consultation.”

Since September, the Trump administration has used missile strikes to hit 21 boats, with the death toll now at 83 people. With the arrival of the $8 million a day USS Gerald Ford, there are now 16,000 U.S. troops and dozens of destroyers in the Caribbean. Multiple aircraft carriers with loads of aircraft hawk the Venezuelan coast, while U.S. missiles rain down on small vessels.

In the past two months, Trump, Rubio, and Hegseth have yet to produce one shred of evidence that those boats were carrying drugs. These are extrajudicial killings; an attack on civilians of one nation by another nation constitutes a war crime. So far citizens of five nations have been killed.

While there is no evidence that the boats struck by U.S. missiles are carrying drugs, there is also no evidence to back up Trump’s lies about Venezuela and Maduro’s connection to drugs. International and even U.S. intelligence reports show that Venezuela is not a producer of illegal drugs, is not a major trafficking route, and that government programs have largely eradicated drug cartels.

Venezuela is certainly not home to the “Cartel of the Suns.” That is because it does not exist. It is a CIA fabrication. Just ask the former U.S. Green Beret and mercenary, Jordan Goudreau, hired to carry out Operation Gideon, a failed coup attempt on Maduro in 2020.

That coup attempt, like the one against President Chavez, and all the other coup attempts, was thwarted and overcome by the immense power of the civic-military union in Venezuela. The military is united and patriotic, ideologically aligned to serve its people and their national democratic revolution. The people are united, organized, mobilized, and 5 million more have joined their popular militias, bringing the total to 9 million, out of a nation of 30 million.

So, it would be hard for one to see a path forward for the plan recently proposed by the Venezuelan opposition, headed by so-called Peace Prize winner Maria Machado. Venezuelan official Jorge Rodriguez ripped apart this neoliberal project that would undo nearly every gain of the Bolivarian Revolution. From privatizing major nationalized assets like oil and minerals, handing over control of banks, and rewriting labor laws in favor of companies, Machado’s plan will be resisted by those 9 million militia members and many more.

It is no mystery what Trump, Rubio, and traitorous elites like Machado want to do with Venezuela: lie, murder and steal. They want a U.S. war so they can take over and profit.

Transnational mining companies, U.S. oil corporations, lithium hounds like Elon Musk, and Wall Street banks will swoop in like vultures if Venezuela falls to U.S. intimidation or war.

The U.S. empire is declining quickly, and another major economic downturn will shake the core. It is clear that Trump and Hegseth want to change U.S. strategy to gunboat diplomacy in an attempt to stay competitive with China. Chinese mutual trade agreements and investments have clear benefits to the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean as China invests in ports, roads, infrastructure and is a market for agricultural goods.

Trump is saying he will talk with President Maduro. Trump is still using excessive force and deadly violence in an attempt to have leverage at the bargaining table with Maduro.

It is safe to say that for Trump, all options remain on the table, and the Venezuelans are prepared to fight. Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stated that he intends to designate the fictitious “Cartel de los Soles,” and Tren de Araguas and Mexican Sinaloa cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. This would provide the Trump administration more latitude and access to a U.S. legal apparatus to use the military. This designation can also be used against the peace and international solidarity movements in the U.S.

Trump’s approval rating is sinking, millions march against him, he’s been forced to walk back his tariff strategy month after month. It is clear that he is in crisis. The Venezuelan people stand united against Trump and his war plans. A similar movement is growing in the U.S., and we need to grow it and lead it!

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Trump #AWAN #International

Tucson, AZ – Three progressive Veterans organizations and others joined the Tucson Anti-War Committee outside the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Veterans Day, November 11, to protest the Trump administration’s war escalations on Venezuela. The group of nearly two dozen protesters received many more supportive honks from passing cars than in previous years – a sign that the tide has shifted as more Americans are fed up with the endless war machine.

With signs reading “No blood for oil” and “Hands off Venezuela,” the group heard from veterans and anti-war organizers.

Melissa Cordero, an organizer with Common Defense, shared that she’s a veteran of three combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, stating, “I still don’t know what we were allegedly doing there. For what? And here we go again.”

Cordero added, “I’m from Guam and there are only two options to get off the island and one of them is the military. Guam puts more people to the U.S. military than any other U.S. city. They don’t give a damn about that island, it’s just strategic.”

Jim Driscoll, a Vietnam War veteran and member of Veterans for Peace Local 13, said “war is not helpful for any living thing and we should avoid it.” Driscoll added “to have the advances like Cuba in the hemisphere, the United States just can’t stand it.”

James Jordan from the Alliance for Global Justice and Venezuela Solidarity Network said, “the United States is working overdrive to overturn the governments of South America to the center-right and far-right and they’ve already achieved that in Perú. When it comes to Venezuela, we can’t let a flip flopper set the agenda. We can stop this war and this happening all over the country and world. Together, we stop this empire.”

“Davis-Monthan is home to the U.S. SOUTHCOM, which claims its ‘Area of Responsibility’ as all 31 nations of the Caribbean and Latin America. The SOUTHCOM Air Command leads the coordination of these murderous missile strikes on hardworking fishing people in the Caribbean. Tucson has a direct connection to Trump’s escalating threats on Venezuela,” said Jim Byrne, an organizer with the Tucson Anti-War Committee.

As part of the International Call for a Week of Action against the War on Venezuela, the Tucson Anti-War Committee and others will be holding an action outside of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on November 22 to continue to raise awareness that the base is home for the missile strikes on fishing boats and the air war on Venezuela.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela

Tucson, AZ – On Veterans Day, the progressive veterans’ organizations Common Defense, VetsFWD, and Veterans for Peace Local 13 will join with the Tucson Anti War Committee for a rally against Trump’s missile attacks and U.S. threats to go to war with Venezuela.

The rally will be from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside the entrance of the Davis-Monthan Air Force base. This base is home to the Air Force portion of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). SOUTHCOM claims that its “Area of Responsibility” is the whole of the Caribbean, the southern half of Central American and all of South America. Since Trump moved U.S. military ships, aircraft and troops off the coast of Venezuela, there have been 16 U.S. missile attacks on fishing boats with 70-plus people dead. As the USS Ford aircraft carrier moves to threaten Venezuela, the rally will highlight veterans’ opposition to another U.S. war for oil and empire.

No U.S. war on Venezuela!

Stop Trump’s attacks on boats and fishermen!

No U.S. war for oil and gold!

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Veterans #Venezuela

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) organized a rally on September 24 as part of the Anti-War Action Network National Week of Action. The call was to mobilize while war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu attended the United Nations General Assembly.

A small but spirited multi-generational crowd took a street corner just north of downtown and received countless honks and waves in solidarity with Palestine.

An organizer with TAWC, Maria Sohn Hasman, kicked off the event, stating, “So while Netanyahu speaks at the UN spouting his lies about what is happening in Palestine, we in Tucson know that a two-state solution determined by the UN is not enough. TAWC says free Palestine! End U.S. aid to Israel!”

The crowd also heard from Mohyeddin Abdualaziz, founder of the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, who spoke about the increased level of solidarity and the growing size of the Palestine Solidarity movement in the U.S.

The AWAN has nearly two dozen affiliated cities participating in this week of action and is planning actions for the anniversary of October 7.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #TAWC #AWAN

Gaza City is the last major population center in the Gaza Strip with any form of infrastructure. A ground invasion into Gaza City means the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands who are already reeling from the genocidal forced starvation that Israel has imposed by its siege. The bombs landing on Gaza City to pave the way for Israel’s ground invasion are U.S.-made and U.S.-paid.

The Zionist regime has called up 60,000 reservists for its September plans to invade the neighborhoods of Gaza City.

The Tucson Anti War Committee will have its next meeting on September 15.

#TucsonAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #TAWC #AWAN

Tucson, AZ – On March 4, more than 50 K-12 educators and union members rallied outside the federal building to protest the Trump administration’s plans to destroy the federal Department of Education. The National Day of Action – “Protect our Kids” – was supported by the American Federal of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) and targeted March 4 to reject the confirmation of Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon.

 The national unions and their locals vowed to defend immigrant and LGBTQ students from the Trump administration’s reactionary attacks. Destroying the Department of Education would also gut funding to support students with disabilities and limit protections offered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

 Local affiliates of NEA from Tucson, Sunnyside, Flowing Wells, Amphi and Marana school districts united with teachers at BASIS Tucson North, Arizona’s first unionized charter school. A Latino and indigenous-led community organization, LUCHA, joined the rally to make it clear that Arizonan educators are willing to fight back against education cuts, privatization and profiteering so that every student gets the education they deserve.

 Speakers at the rally emphasized the need to fight back at both the state and the federal level.

 Jim Byrne, president of the Tucson Education Association, reminded the crowd that “during Trump’s first term, West Virginia, then Oklahoma, and then Arizona saw historic educator strikes that pushed the needle toward more funding to schools. We did it before and we can do it again!”

 American Federation of Teachers Local 8002 Vice President Duncan Sohn Hasman shared the sentiment, saying, “Charter school teachers at this particular moment have found ourselves a new voice and a new way to fight back. We are ready to fight, we are ready to work with our public co-educators within Arizona to make sure that we are ready to fight back.”

#TucsonAZ #AZ #Labor #Education #Techers #AFT #NEA #McMahon #Trump

Tucson, AZ – On Monday April 1, 15 Palestine solidarity activists braved the cold spring rain in response to Israel’s latest deadly airstrikes into Syria and Lebanon. The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) organized the protest at the Davis Monthan Air Force Base to condemn the U.S. escalation of its war in the Middle East and the recent decision to send 2500 more bombs and 25 more fighter jets to Israel.

Just this past week, Israel conducted several airstrikes, killing over 40 people in Syria and several more in Lebanon.

With presence at all four traffic corners, protesters held signs that read: “Hands off Syria! U.S. out of the Middle East” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.” As the rain intensified, one protester suggested a timely chant, “Rain or shine, we stand with Palestine!”

Organizers noted the positive shift from previous TAWC actions at Davis Monthan AFB, as many more vehicles honked in favor of a free Palestine.

As the Zionist genocide enters its sixth month, Israel and the U.S. are escalating the regional war as the united resistance continues its support for a liberated Palestine. This week, airstrikes targeted leaders in the resistance movements, including an Iranian adviser located in Syria. With Israel’s inability to destroy the Palestinian resistance, it seeks to threaten its regional allies with cowardly airstrikes that violate national sovereignty.

#TucsonAZ #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Syria #Lebanon #Palestine #TAWC

Tucson, AZ – Tucson answered the national call for a day of action Saturday, November 4 by the US Palestinian Community Network, Palestinian Youth Movement, and other organizations. A crowd met at Catalina Park just north of downtown to prepare for a march. As the mass of people swelled to at least 500 people, speakers from the Tucson Anti War Committee and Arizona Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (APSA) ignited the crowd.

Mohyeddin Abdulaziz from APSA passionately shamed Democratic politicians who voted in favor of $14 billion in aid to genocidal Israel, stating, “you are complicit in Israel’s crimes. And we will hold you accountable!” The group then took the streets through the shopping and dining district and a street fest. The seemingly never-ending line of protesters were greeted with cheers from onlookers and vehicles passing by. The tide has turned in favor of a free Palestine.

As Tucson has organized around a dozen actions for Palestinian liberation since the historic Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, the numbers at rallies have grown. This turnout was the largest yet and comprised a significant presence of Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims who are seeking further involvement in future actions.

#TucsonAZ #Palestine

Tucson, AZ – Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, students, trade unionists, elders, youth and community members in both Phoenix and Tucson have organized protests to stand with Palestine in its struggle for liberation from U.S.-funded Israeli occupation.

In the days after the historic Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7, both Arizona cities organized rallies to support Palestinians and condemn the brutality of the Israeli occupation forces. Sunday, October 14, saw another protest in Tucson in support of Palestine in their fight in Gaza, the West Bank and other occupied territories.

On Monday, October 16, activists and organizers took part in a vigil led by the Students for Justice in Palestine on the University of Arizona campus, with a crowd of around 200 people gathered to honor the Palestinian martyrs in the fight against Israeli apartheid.

Two days later, after the Zionists massacred at least 500 patients, medical staff and people seeking refuge at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, Tucson again called an emergency action on Wednesday evening. The street corner rally organized by the Tucson Anti War Committee drew nearly 80 people furiously demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel. The next morning, nearly 300 people gathered on the university campus to chant and march to demonstrate their roaring support for the Palestinian resistance.

Saturday, October 20 saw another large rally in Phoenix. Solidarity activists of the Tucson community traveled to the Arizona State University campus in Tempe to add their voices to a crowd that swelled to over 600 people.

Finally, the next day, a crowd of around 200 people heard speakers from Students for Justice Palestine – University of Arizona, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tucson Anti War Committee, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance. Gathered outside of the Federal Building in downtown Tucson, they chanted: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free!” and “One, two, three, four! Occupation no more! Five, six, seven, eight! Israel’s a terrorist state!”

#TucsonAZ #Palestine

Tucson, AZ – In the second rally in three days, organizations and community members gathered outside the Federal Building in downtown Tucson on Monday, October 9 to show their support for the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Around 75 people gathered with signs reading, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

After a stretch of spirited chants of “Palestine is our demand, there is no peace on occupied land!” and “No more annexation, no more occupation, fight for liberation and bring the whole thing down!,” the group circled up for a round of speakers.

First, the diverse group of trade unionists, students, youth, elders and community activists heard from Mohyeddin Abdulaziz, an organizer with Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance. He mentioned the historical record of Israel brutalizing Palestinians across his lifetime. Abdulaziz is as old as the occupation itself – 75 years. He continued describing the complicity of the U.S. government and other actors who align themselves with the Zionist project.

Later, Maria Sohn Hasman of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the group about the coordinated Palestine resistance that achieved historic results in operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Calling Israel a paper tiger and the U.S. an empire in decline, the fiery speech called for continued, escalated actions to not only demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel, but to “make damn sure none of it is delivered and contributes to ongoing bombing and oppression of Palestinians.”

The Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Tucson Anti War Committee, Students for Justice in Palestine, and others co-sponsored the event.

One of the student organizers from Students for Justice in Palestine informed the group there will be another action on campus at the University of Arizona on Thursday, October 12 at 12:30 p.m.

#TucsonAZ #Palestine #NationalLiberation #AntiWar #SJP #TAWC

Tucson, AZ – On Saturday, October 7, with just a three-hour notice, nearly 30 Tucson activists gathered at a busy street corner to demonstrate their solidarity with the advancing Palestinian resistance forces.

While the illegal occupation by U.S.-backed Israel has always been met by Palestinian opposition, recent events constitute many historic achievements on the part of the Palestinian liberation movement. The coordinated operation called the “Al-Aqsa Flood” – including a record number of rockets fired, significant military damage inflicted, effective cyberattacks, and actual settlements reclaimed from the genocidal Zionists – marks a major shift in the power dynamic between oppressed and oppressor.

Tucson Anti War Committee organizers called for the action which brought out activists including members of Students for Justice in Palestine. The students led chants such as: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crimes!”

President Biden has already promised $8 billion more in U.S. aid to Israel and Israel has bombed Gaza in retaliation to Palestinian operations. Tucson solidarity activists will be organizing more actions in the coming days to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.

#TucsonAZ #Palestine #AntiWar #Zionism #AlAqsa

Tucson, AZ – Asserting their power as workers, the educators at BASIS Tucson North won three major victories even before finishing bargaining a first contract. First, paid time off days will increase from five to ten. Second, some educators will receive pay at the rate of $40 per hour for being assigned extra subbing duties. Third, the punitive “attendance bonus” system, which compensated teachers for not using their days of paid time off and which unfairly punished educators with disabilities and illnesses, will come to an end. These changes will take effect starting in August of the 2023-2024 school year.

In fall of 2021, teachers joined with support staff educators for unionization campaign to answer the worsening conditions and a shortage of labor at BASIS Tucson North. The list of intolerable conditions included working hours with few breaks, a lack of paid time off, stagnant wages, lack of services and support for students, and a reduction in health benefits.

On April 12 of this year, the teachers and teaching fellows at BASIS Tucson North voted in a National Labor Relations Board election to be represented by the American Federation of Teachers under the name Arizona Alliance of Charter School Teachers and Staff, or AZACTS, by a 2-1 margin. The victory makes BASIS Tucson North the first charter school in Arizona to unionize.

Will Slattery is a high school English teacher that served on the committee that organized the school. He is confident that the decision will come with wins for the school community. “This year teachers and teaching fellows at BTN formed a union to secure the resources we need to serve our communities. Our collective power as workers gives us the ability to stand up for ourselves and our students,” Slattery said.

The business that manages the schools, BASIS Ed, hired the union-busting firm Ogeltree Deakins to develop anti-union rhetoric during the time leading up to the election. This practice is typical of union-busting efforts.

The vote to unionize had an immediate impact, in that the owners and CEO of the school announced immediate improvements in conditions in an email to educators at other campuses. These improvements included doubling the number of paid time off days available from five to ten, removing a punishing bonus system that discouraged teachers from taking days off, and paying some substitute educators, something that they had refused to do for decades prior.

Despite the improvements at other campuses, the company insisted that they were unable to implement these changes at BASIS Tucson North due to the victory of the union in the election. In spite of BASIS Ed’s tactics, the AZACTS negotiations team demanded these changes be implemented before they were negotiated in the contract.

The victory adds to the recent successes of Chicago Teachers Union organizing charter schools in Illinois. Reactionary forces have used charter schools and voucher systems to defund public schools and defang organized teacher power in the public sector. Many educators have responded by leaving the field altogether. Those that stay are faced with the choice of putting up with conditions and suffering individually, or to join the educators at BASIS who stood up for themselves and to work collectively to assert their needs and the needs of their students.

The victory of organizing BASIS Tucson North and the unprecedented improvement to conditions is a testament to the strength of organizing labor unions to improve workers’ lives. The negotiations team with AZACTS continues bargaining through the year in order to attain a contract that utilizes the power built by union educators and improves conditions for all educators and students.

#TucsonAZ

Tucson, AZ – On April 30, 30 Palestine solidarity activists stood in 100-degree heat outside the Jewish Community Center to protest a “celebration” of the Zionist apartheid state of Israel. This was the second demonstration outside an “Israel @75” celebration in the week. On Tuesday they protested at a University of Arizona-hosted a concert.

The rallies demanded: an end to U.S. aid to Israel, an end to illegal Israeli occupation, and liberation for Palestine.

Protesters stood at the four intersection corners outside the Jewish Community Center as a line of organizers held banners, Palestinian flags and signs with the damning statistics of the brutality of Israeli genocide and apartheid.

The week also saw the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter host events to educate students and community about the history of Israel’s criminal regime as well as an event to celebrate 75 years of Palestinian resistance, with food, music and dancing.

Organizations such as Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Students for Justice in Palestine – UA, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Tucson, and Tucson Jewish Voice for Peace were a part of the protests.

These groups plan to organize an event for the upcoming commemoration of Nakba on May 15, the massive, deadly removal of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and land in 1948.

#TucsonAZ #Palestine #MiddleEast

Tucson, AZ – On April 14, a spirited crowd of around 50 people rallied on the steps of Old Main on the University of Arizona campus to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

The majority of those gathered were students organized by the Student for Justice in Palestine chapter at the U of A. Donning keffiyehs and holding signs that read “Fuck Zionism!” the students roared when chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

The protest came in response to Israeli occupation forces who recently stormed the Masjid al-Aqsa and brutally attacked and detained hundreds of Palestinians. The Zionists invaded Al-Aqsa during the holiest month of Ramadan, and also carried out airstrikes throughout Gaza.

Palestinian, Arab and Muslim speakers all highlighted the courage and bravery of the Palestinian resistance and condemned the brutality of the Zionist regime. One Student for Justice in Palestine speaker said, “The struggle of my family to get their land back, the struggle of the Palestinian people for liberation are struggles linked with the global struggles for liberation like Black Lives Matter here.”

Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) in Tucson also helped organize the rally and provided union-made signs that read “Victory to Palestinian resistance!”

Speaking to the group, Jim Byrne, a member of FRSO and a trade unionist, said, “Israel cannot last long without the $3.8 billion a year aid the U.S. gives it. Those of us inside the belly of the imperialist beast must do our part to cut off that lifeline to the Zionist apartheid regime. Unconditional support to the Palestinian resistance!”

After the speakers, the group marched around the U of A Mall chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dime. No more money for Israel’s crimes!” and “Hey Israel, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?”

The Students for Justice in Palestine-UA and FRSO with the Arizona Palestinian Solidarity Alliance are working to organize a local protest at the upcoming “Israel at 75” celebration occurring on April 30.

#TucsonAZ #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #alAqsaMosque #MiddleEast