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    <title>washingtondc &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
    <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tag:washingtondc</link>
    <description>News and Views from the People&#39;s Struggle</description>
    <pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2026 08:30:09 +0000</pubDate>
    <image>
      <url>https://i.snap.as/RZCOEKyz.png</url>
      <title>washingtondc &amp;mdash; Fight Back! News</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/tag:washingtondc</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Washington DC protest demands freedom for student anti-war activist Yousof Azizi</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-freedom-for-student-anti-war-activist-yousof-azizi?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Protesters march to Lafayette Square in defense of Yousof Azizi and in solidarity with Iran.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - On Sunday, May 3, about 15 protesters gathered again outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war advocate. Azizi was kidnapped on April 13 while on his way home from dropping off his two children at school. Since then, he has been transferred at least twice, and has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyer and allowed only limited contact family.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Chant leaders opened the program with calls such as “I-C-E, we don&#39;t need ‘em, we demand Yousof’s freedom!” and “CBP stop the lies, speaking out is not a crime!” Organizers from the Anti-War Committee DMV and the DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression then took the floor to emphasize the importance of continuing to stand in solidarity with Azizi, and more broadly Iran.&#xA;&#xA;“Yousof Azizi has been facing deplorable conditions in ICE detention, all while being limited in contact with his wife,” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV. “To that we say ‘shame!’ We are here to demand that he be freed immediately!”&#xA;&#xA;Protesters then took the sidewalk and marched from CBP headquarters to Lafayette Square in front of the White House.&#xA;&#xA;“What Yousof did, speaking out against the war on Iran, we say ‘good on him,’” said Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression. “It is our duty, as residents of the United States, to stand up against the racist, xenophobic war machine!”&#xA;&#xA;Once the group reached the front of Lafayette Square, several of the Iranian monarchists and Zionists came over and began harassing protesters. Some came face to face to the protesters in an attempt to intimidate them, but the group stuck together and held the space at the square, surrounding each heckler as they approached, chanting “Crackers out of the Middle East!” and “Racists out of the Middle East!” Like paper tigers, the agitators crumbled upon confrontation and sulked away. Many passersby filmed and shouted in support of the protesters defending themselves.&#xA;&#xA;Subsequently, after the rally ended and the protesters began marching to the dispersal point, they were followed by some of the same agitators from earlier. One man trailed the group for four blocks down 15th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. However, organizers made a strategic move to stop in front of a crowd of police and expose the stalkers for their behavior, causing them to give up their pursuit and retreat.&#xA;&#xA;To learn more about Yousof Azizi’s case and the next steps in the fight, follow Anti-War Committee DMV on Instagram @antiwar.dmv and visit the website yousofazizi.com.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #ImmigrantRights #DCAARPR #AntiWar &#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/m0eaYG0U.jpg" alt="Protesters march to Lafayette Square in defense of Yousof Azizi and in solidarity with Iran." title="Protesters march to Lafayette Square in defense of Yousof Azizi and in solidarity with Iran.  | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Sunday, May 3, about 15 protesters gathered again outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war advocate. Azizi was kidnapped on April 13 while on his way home from dropping off his two children at school. Since then, he has been transferred at least twice, and has been repeatedly denied access to his lawyer and allowed only limited contact family.</p>



<p>Chant leaders opened the program with calls such as “I-C-E, we don&#39;t need ‘em, we demand Yousof’s freedom!” and “CBP stop the lies, speaking out is not a crime!” Organizers from the Anti-War Committee DMV and the DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression then took the floor to emphasize the importance of continuing to stand in solidarity with Azizi, and more broadly Iran.</p>

<p>“Yousof Azizi has been facing deplorable conditions in ICE detention, all while being limited in contact with his wife,” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV. “To that we say ‘shame!’ We are here to demand that he be freed immediately!”</p>

<p>Protesters then took the sidewalk and marched from CBP headquarters to Lafayette Square in front of the White House.</p>

<p>“What Yousof did, speaking out against the war on Iran, we say ‘good on him,’” said Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression. “It is our duty, as residents of the United States, to stand up against the racist, xenophobic war machine!”</p>

<p>Once the group reached the front of Lafayette Square, several of the Iranian monarchists and Zionists came over and began harassing protesters. Some came face to face to the protesters in an attempt to intimidate them, but the group stuck together and held the space at the square, surrounding each heckler as they approached, chanting “Crackers out of the Middle East!” and “Racists out of the Middle East!” Like paper tigers, the agitators crumbled upon confrontation and sulked away. Many passersby filmed and shouted in support of the protesters defending themselves.</p>

<p>Subsequently, after the rally ended and the protesters began marching to the dispersal point, they were followed by some of the same agitators from earlier. One man trailed the group for four blocks down 15th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. However, organizers made a strategic move to stop in front of a crowd of police and expose the stalkers for their behavior, causing them to give up their pursuit and retreat.</p>

<p>To learn more about Yousof Azizi’s case and the next steps in the fight, follow Anti-War Committee DMV on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/antiwar.dmv">@antiwar.dmv</a> and visit the website <a href="https://yousofazizi.com">yousofazizi.com</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ImmigrantRights" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ImmigrantRights</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWar" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWar</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-freedom-for-student-anti-war-activist-yousof-azizi</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 01:01:06 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Thousands march for immigrant workers and victims of police crimes in Washington DC</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/thousands-march-for-immigrant-workers-and-victims-of-police-crimes-in?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[May Day protests in DC stand up for immigrants, workers and victims of police crimes.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - Community members flooded the streets on May 1 for a march in honor of May Day. The weather was bright and sunny with a cool breeze, making conditions favorable for an energized crowd. Nearly 10,000 feet hit the ground at the National Mall in front of the Washington Monument and marched up past the White House, through Black Lives Matter Plaza, and ending at Franklin Park.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;May Day commemorates a long history of workers and immigrants’ struggles. Protesters showed out for immigrant workers in force and stood in steadfast solidarity with working and oppressed people both at home and globally. Chants such as “¡Sí se puede!” and “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” highlighted the strength of the many contingents as they marched in lockstep with one another.&#xA;&#xA;Once the group reached Franklin Park, speakers took the stage and spoke about the importance of uniting in defense of immigrant workers and victims of police crimes.&#xA;&#xA;The National Education Association (NEA) president delivered a fiery speech, addressing Trump directly: “You thought deploying thousands of troops would stop us from organizing. To that we say ‘Hell no!’”&#xA;&#xA;A defining moment of the program was hearing from those directly impacted by ICE violence. The wives of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Rodney Taylor, men who were kidnapped by ICE within the past year, both delivered powerful speeches about the impact on their family and the importance of the movement in fighting to free their spouses.&#xA;&#xA;Mildred Danis-Taylor, wife of Rodney Taylor, read a letter from him describing the horrendous conditions at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. She demanded his release and an end to the entire deportation system, saying “When we say, ‘ICE out now,’ we mean dismantle a system built on exploitation and harm. May Day is a demand for dignity, protection and freedom, because no worker is free until we are all free!”&#xA;&#xA;Both women stood in solidarity with the mother of Phillip Brown, who was unable to attend due to the risk of police repression. Her son was nearly killed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers when they shot into his car over a traffic stop. The U.S. Attorney’s DC office declined to charge the HSI agents because “no one was hit by the bullets.” Merawi Gerima, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the Families Not Feds (FNF) Coalition, spoke on behalf of Phillip Brown’s mother at the rally.&#xA;&#xA;“It took the movement six months to get two laws passed to force MPD to release the bodycam footage of this near-murder, but that’s not enough,” says Gerima. “Our focus is to pass legislation to limit federal agent activity in this city, and to hold them accountable for crimes such as this.”&#xA;&#xA;With the rise in repression from the racist and reactionary Trump regime, more people than ever have been pulled into the struggle. Honoring the legacy of May Day in the city further emphasized the throughline between all the people’s movements, especially the fight for community control of the police and legalization for all. The people united will never be defeated! ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!&#xA;&#xA;The action was organized by CASA, an immigrant rights organization based in the DMV region, with the help of several other organizations such as FRSO, the FNF Coalition, DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression (DCAARPR), NEA, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #Labor #ImmigrantsRights #MayDay&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/7u9uq90J.jpg" alt="May Day protests in DC stand up for immigrants, workers and victims of police crimes." title="May Day protests in DC stand up for immigrants, workers and victims of police crimes.  | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – Community members flooded the streets on May 1 for a march in honor of May Day. The weather was bright and sunny with a cool breeze, making conditions favorable for an energized crowd. Nearly 10,000 feet hit the ground at the National Mall in front of the Washington Monument and marched up past the White House, through Black Lives Matter Plaza, and ending at Franklin Park.</p>



<p>May Day commemorates a long history of workers and immigrants’ struggles. Protesters showed out for immigrant workers in force and stood in steadfast solidarity with working and oppressed people both at home and globally. Chants such as “¡Sí se puede!” and “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” highlighted the strength of the many contingents as they marched in lockstep with one another.</p>

<p>Once the group reached Franklin Park, speakers took the stage and spoke about the importance of uniting in defense of immigrant workers and victims of police crimes.</p>

<p>The National Education Association (NEA) president delivered a fiery speech, addressing Trump directly: “You thought deploying thousands of troops would stop us from organizing. To that we say ‘Hell no!’”</p>

<p>A defining moment of the program was hearing from those directly impacted by ICE violence. The wives of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Rodney Taylor, men who were kidnapped by ICE within the past year, both delivered powerful speeches about the impact on their family and the importance of the movement in fighting to free their spouses.</p>

<p>Mildred Danis-Taylor, wife of Rodney Taylor, read a letter from him describing the horrendous conditions at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. She demanded his release and an end to the entire deportation system, saying “When we say, ‘ICE out now,’ we mean dismantle a system built on exploitation and harm. May Day is a demand for dignity, protection and freedom, because no worker is free until we are all free!”</p>

<p>Both women stood in solidarity with the mother of Phillip Brown, who was unable to attend due to the risk of police repression. Her son was nearly killed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers when they shot into his car over a traffic stop. The U.S. Attorney’s DC office declined to charge the HSI agents because “no one was hit by the bullets.” Merawi Gerima, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the Families Not Feds (FNF) Coalition, spoke on behalf of Phillip Brown’s mother at the rally.</p>

<p>“It took the movement six months to get two laws passed to force MPD to release the bodycam footage of this near-murder, but that’s not enough,” says Gerima. “Our focus is to pass legislation to limit federal agent activity in this city, and to hold them accountable for crimes such as this.”</p>

<p>With the rise in repression from the racist and reactionary Trump regime, more people than ever have been pulled into the struggle. Honoring the legacy of May Day in the city further emphasized the throughline between all the people’s movements, especially the fight for community control of the police and legalization for all. The people united will never be defeated! ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!</p>

<p>The action was organized by CASA, an immigrant rights organization based in the DMV region, with the help of several other organizations such as FRSO, the FNF Coalition, DC Alliance Against Racist &amp; Political Repression (DCAARPR), NEA, and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Labor" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Labor</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ImmigrantsRights" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ImmigrantsRights</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MayDay" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MayDay</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/thousands-march-for-immigrant-workers-and-victims-of-police-crimes-in</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 21:01:48 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Vigil demands justice for Isaac Aguirre and victims of police terror in Washington DC</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/vigil-demands-justice-for-isaac-aguirre-and-victims-of-police-terror-in?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Attendees march in honor of Isaac Aguirre, whose body was found hanging from a tree at the 4th District police station on April 13.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. - Around 50 activists and community members gathered on Monday, April 27 at Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) 4th District Precinct for a justice vigil held in honor of Isaac Carlos Aguirre, a 19-year-old who was found hanging from a tree outside of the precinct two weeks before.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Hosted by the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and Movimiento Migrantes DC (MMDC), the vigil was the second action at the station to demand answers over Isaac Aguirre’s suspicious death, and was called to put more pressure on MPD after they refused to give answers to Aguirre’s family, who traveled over 36 hours to seek information.&#xA;&#xA;The MPD 4th District is known by locals to be a hot spot of police terror in the community. It&#39;s where Karon Hylton Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, was killed by MPD in 2020, and where the murderer of Lazarus Wilson, killer cop Jason Bagshaw, is currently stationed.&#xA;&#xA;The vigil began by the tree where schoolchildren found Isaac’s body. Merawi Gerima, a member of DCAARPR, stated, “What we have organized today is a vigil to raise up the name Issac Aguirre. To honor him and to reclaim this ground back into the fold of the people who loved him most, rather than the police who in my opinion, violated him, his name, and his family.”&#xA;&#xA;Gerima and the co-emcee read statements from Isaac&#39;s father, friends and teachers who could not make it due to distance. His loved ones remembered him fondly and noted that he moved across the country from Arizona to Washington D.C. to start a new life.&#xA;&#xA;The crowd then marched from the tree and around the perimeter of the police precinct building before stopping in front to continue the rest of the program in the streets, right in the middle of the busy Georgia Avenue during rush hour.&#xA;&#xA;A community member spoke about her experience with 4th District cops a few blocks away, near Walmart. She said she was pulled over for using her phone while driving, and the police yanked her and her 15-year-old daughter out of the car. The cops then proceeded to beat her and her daughter so badly they had to go to the emergency room.&#xA;&#xA;Gerima stated, “The same officers that neglected Isaac, the same ones who are covering up his death, are the same ones running up and down these streets brutalizing Black people,” while pointing at the police station behind them and yelling “shame.”&#xA;&#xA;MPD officers, including killer cop Jason Bagshaw, watched from behind the glass windows of the building. Protesters chanted, “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”&#xA;&#xA;An organizer from MMDC then spoke, “For nearly a year, we have seen MPD willingly collaborate with federal agents to kidnap our neighbors across the District. They have racially profiled and torn our families apart, so when a young Latino child is found hanging lifelessly from a tree next to a police station, of course we will ask questions and, of course, we will demand answers.”&#xA;&#xA;They continued, “We are here to honor him, to remind each of us that we must lean onto each other, that we all have a responsibility to love and protect each other for a better world.” As the event ended, community members lit candles and left offerings at the tree in honor of Isaac.&#xA;&#xA;Shortly after, organizers packed up their cars and, while driving past the front of the station, noticed that the vigil items were gone. Just a few blocks down the road, they saw a gang of police officers and federal agents pulling over a Black man for tinted windows. The organizers turned around and got out of their cars to begin filming and demanded the release of the young man.&#xA;&#xA;Several other community members came out of their homes to confront the police over the wrongful arrest. Despite the community pressure and the young man asserting his rights, police cuffed him and took him away to another precinct. The organizers followed the police van to the station to continue offering support to the young man. He was released the next day with a citation. The organizers plan to attend his upcoming court date and reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for community control of the police to get justice for the motorist, for Isaac Aguirre, and countless others who have been wronged by police in DC.&#xA;&#xA;Follow @dcaarpr and @movimientodc on Instagram for up-to-date information on Isaac’s case and the fight for community control.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #InJusticeSystem&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/wfKfPTKH.jpg" alt="Attendees march in honor of Isaac Aguirre, whose body was found hanging from a tree at the 4th District police station on April 13." title="Attendees march in honor of Isaac Aguirre, whose body was found hanging from a tree at the 4th District police station on April 13.  | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – Around 50 activists and community members gathered on Monday, April 27 at Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) 4th District Precinct for a justice vigil held in honor of Isaac Carlos Aguirre, a 19-year-old who was found hanging from a tree outside of the precinct two weeks before.</p>



<p>Hosted by the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and Movimiento Migrantes DC (MMDC), the vigil was the second action at the station to demand answers over Isaac Aguirre’s suspicious death, and was called to put more pressure on MPD after they refused to give answers to Aguirre’s family, who traveled over 36 hours to seek information.</p>

<p>The MPD 4th District is known by locals to be a hot spot of police terror in the community. It&#39;s where Karon Hylton Brown, a 20-year-old Black man, was killed by MPD in 2020, and where the murderer of Lazarus Wilson, killer cop Jason Bagshaw, is currently stationed.</p>

<p>The vigil began by the tree where schoolchildren found Isaac’s body. Merawi Gerima, a member of DCAARPR, stated, “What we have organized today is a vigil to raise up the name Issac Aguirre. To honor him and to reclaim this ground back into the fold of the people who loved him most, rather than the police who in my opinion, violated him, his name, and his family.”</p>

<p>Gerima and the co-emcee read statements from Isaac&#39;s father, friends and teachers who could not make it due to distance. His loved ones remembered him fondly and noted that he moved across the country from Arizona to Washington D.C. to start a new life.</p>

<p>The crowd then marched from the tree and around the perimeter of the police precinct building before stopping in front to continue the rest of the program in the streets, right in the middle of the busy Georgia Avenue during rush hour.</p>

<p>A community member spoke about her experience with 4th District cops a few blocks away, near Walmart. She said she was pulled over for using her phone while driving, and the police yanked her and her 15-year-old daughter out of the car. The cops then proceeded to beat her and her daughter so badly they had to go to the emergency room.</p>

<p>Gerima stated, “The same officers that neglected Isaac, the same ones who are covering up his death, are the same ones running up and down these streets brutalizing Black people,” while pointing at the police station behind them and yelling “shame.”</p>

<p>MPD officers, including killer cop Jason Bagshaw, watched from behind the glass windows of the building. Protesters chanted, “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”</p>

<p>An organizer from MMDC then spoke, “For nearly a year, we have seen MPD willingly collaborate with federal agents to kidnap our neighbors across the District. They have racially profiled and torn our families apart, so when a young Latino child is found hanging lifelessly from a tree next to a police station, of course we will ask questions and, of course, we will demand answers.”</p>

<p>They continued, “We are here to honor him, to remind each of us that we must lean onto each other, that we all have a responsibility to love and protect each other for a better world.” As the event ended, community members lit candles and left offerings at the tree in honor of Isaac.</p>

<p>Shortly after, organizers packed up their cars and, while driving past the front of the station, noticed that the vigil items were gone. Just a few blocks down the road, they saw a gang of police officers and federal agents pulling over a Black man for tinted windows. The organizers turned around and got out of their cars to begin filming and demanded the release of the young man.</p>

<p>Several other community members came out of their homes to confront the police over the wrongful arrest. Despite the community pressure and the young man asserting his rights, police cuffed him and took him away to another precinct. The organizers followed the police van to the station to continue offering support to the young man. He was released the next day with a citation. The organizers plan to attend his upcoming court date and reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle for community control of the police to get justice for the motorist, for Isaac Aguirre, and countless others who have been wronged by police in DC.</p>

<p>Follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dcaarpr">@dcaarpr</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/_movimientodc">@_movimientodc</a> on Instagram for up-to-date information on Isaac’s case and the fight for community control.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InJusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InJusticeSystem</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/vigil-demands-justice-for-isaac-aguirre-and-victims-of-police-terror-in</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:02:52 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Spirit AFA flight attendants urge federal relief</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/spirit-afa-flight-attendants-urge-federal-relief?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Washington, D.C. - The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) President Sara Nelson, representing Spirit flight attendants, released the following statement, April 23,  on federal relief for Spirit Airlines:&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;“Spirit Flight Attendants and thousands of other workers have invested their entire careers in the airline and provided a great service to the traveling public through good and bad times.&#xA;&#xA;“Today, thousands of Flight Attendants and other frontline workers have their lives, paychecks, healthcare, homes, and retirement hanging in the balance.&#xA;&#xA;“Other airline executives are saying Spirit won’t survive no matter what the federal government does. But that isn’t true. Spirit’s competitors are just saying this because they want to gobble up Spirit’s parts without any obligation to the frontline employees who need these jobs to survive.&#xA;&#xA;“We strongly support and are hopeful that the government will recognize the need for emergency funds to keep Spirit flying. Any assertion that Spirit should just liquidate is only going to harm workers, passengers, and further strain our economy. It’s unnecessary and mean spirited - when just a little help can stave off massive harm.&#34;&#xA;&#xA;“Let’s remember real people are hoping and praying for a lifeline. And no doubt they deserve it! But they also deserve consideration and kindness. Keep Spirit flying.”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #Labor #FlightAttendants #AFACWA&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Washington, D.C. – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) President Sara Nelson, representing Spirit flight attendants, released the following statement, April 23,  on federal relief for Spirit Airlines:</p>



<p>“Spirit Flight Attendants and thousands of other workers have invested their entire careers in the airline and provided a great service to the traveling public through good and bad times.</p>

<p>“Today, thousands of Flight Attendants and other frontline workers have their lives, paychecks, healthcare, homes, and retirement hanging in the balance.</p>

<p>“Other airline executives are saying Spirit won’t survive no matter what the federal government does. But that isn’t true. Spirit’s competitors are just saying this because they want to gobble up Spirit’s parts without any obligation to the frontline employees who need these jobs to survive.</p>

<p>“We strongly support and are hopeful that the government will recognize the need for emergency funds to keep Spirit flying. Any assertion that Spirit should just liquidate is only going to harm workers, passengers, and further strain our economy. It’s unnecessary and mean spirited – when just a little help can stave off massive harm.”</p>

<p>“Let’s remember real people are hoping and praying for a lifeline. And no doubt they deserve it! But they also deserve consideration and kindness. Keep Spirit flying.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Labor" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Labor</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FlightAttendants" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FlightAttendants</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AFACWA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AFACWA</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/spirit-afa-flight-attendants-urge-federal-relief</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC protest demands freedom for Yousof Azizi, student kidnapped by ICE</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-freedom-for-yousof-azizi-student-kidnapped-by-ice?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Tohid, Yousof Azizi&#39;s brother, speaks about his family&#39;s situation at the protest outside the CBP headquarters in DC.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - On Saturday, April 18, about 20 protesters gathered outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war activist. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;On Monday, April 13, Azizi was on his way home from dropping off his two children at school when ICE agents kidnapped him. Since then, he has been transferred first to a detention facility in Louisiana, then again to Arizona, against his will. Azizi has also been denied access to his lawyer, and allowed limited contact with his wife. &#xA;&#xA;“This is a clear case of political repression,” said a member of the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV), “this is what happened to Mahmoud Khalil, and it&#39;s the same thing now. That&#39;s why we have to come out and fight for each other, day after day!” &#xA;&#xA;The rally opened up with chants such as “We want justice, you say how, free Yousof Azizi now!” and “Brick by brick, wall by wall! Free the prisoners, free them all!” After chants, several speakers took the floor, including Yousof’s brother Tohid Azizi, who flew in from Massachusetts for the event. &#xA;&#xA;“It’s really a tough time in our family,” said Tohid Azizi, “Our parents are in Tehran under attack and still worry about Yousof’s situation. He has two kids, so you can imagine how hard it’s been for the family.”&#xA;&#xA;Protesters then marched towards the White House. Initially, the group began their march along the sidewalk. But feeling the energy from the crowd, the lead organizers took advantage of a blocked road and made a decision to take the streets. MPD officers began to block the streets and attempted to talk to the organizers, but the protesters outmaneuvered them, chanting “No justice, no peace! No justice, we take the streets!” &#xA;&#xA;This energy carried the group to the White House, where they were steadfast in holding the intersection in front of the park and blocking traffic in all directions. A small group of Iranian monarchist protesters were present at the White House when the group arrived and made attempts to stifle the protesters; but they were shouted down by people chanting for Yousof’s freedom.&#xA;&#xA;“When they come for one of us they come for all of us,” said Merawi Gerima, speaking for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, “we will stand ten toes down for Yousof and for all political prisoners, all immigrants kidnapped by ICE, all affected by police violence; because we know these struggles are connected, and our unity is our strength!”&#xA;&#xA;After the protest ended, several of the Iranian monarchists came over to where the protesters were sitting and began hurling insults. But the group stood their ground together, forming a militant wall of community members and activists that shouted down the agitators until they were pulled away by MPD. This was rounded out with victorious chants of “Marg bar Shah!,” translating from Farsi to “Death to the Shah,” an anti-monarchist slogan from the 1979 Iranian revolution. &#xA;&#xA;To learn more about Yousof’s case and the next steps in the fight, follow Anti-War Committee DMV on Instagram @antiwar.dmv and visit yousofazizi.com.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/eNSZ4ASI.jpg" alt="Tohid, Yousof Azizi&#39;s brother, speaks about his family&#39;s situation at the protest outside the CBP headquarters in DC." title="Tohid, Yousof Azizi&#39;s brother, speaks about his family&#39;s situation at the protest outside the CBP headquarters in DC.  | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Saturday, April 18, about 20 protesters gathered outside the Customs and Border Patrol headquarters to protest the ICE detainment of Yousof Azizi, a PhD student and outspoken anti-war activist.</p>



<p>On Monday, April 13, Azizi was on his way home from dropping off his two children at school when ICE agents kidnapped him. Since then, he has been transferred first to a detention facility in Louisiana, then again to Arizona, against his will. Azizi has also been denied access to his lawyer, and allowed limited contact with his wife.</p>

<p>“This is a clear case of political repression,” said a member of the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV), “this is what happened to Mahmoud Khalil, and it&#39;s the same thing now. That&#39;s why we have to come out and fight for each other, day after day!”</p>

<p>The rally opened up with chants such as “We want justice, you say how, free Yousof Azizi now!” and “Brick by brick, wall by wall! Free the prisoners, free them all!” After chants, several speakers took the floor, including Yousof’s brother Tohid Azizi, who flew in from Massachusetts for the event.</p>

<p>“It’s really a tough time in our family,” said Tohid Azizi, “Our parents are in Tehran under attack and still worry about Yousof’s situation. He has two kids, so you can imagine how hard it’s been for the family.”</p>

<p>Protesters then marched towards the White House. Initially, the group began their march along the sidewalk. But feeling the energy from the crowd, the lead organizers took advantage of a blocked road and made a decision to take the streets. MPD officers began to block the streets and attempted to talk to the organizers, but the protesters outmaneuvered them, chanting “No justice, no peace! No justice, we take the streets!”</p>

<p>This energy carried the group to the White House, where they were steadfast in holding the intersection in front of the park and blocking traffic in all directions. A small group of Iranian monarchist protesters were present at the White House when the group arrived and made attempts to stifle the protesters; but they were shouted down by people chanting for Yousof’s freedom.</p>

<p>“When they come for one of us they come for all of us,” said Merawi Gerima, speaking for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, “we will stand ten toes down for Yousof and for all political prisoners, all immigrants kidnapped by ICE, all affected by police violence; because we know these struggles are connected, and our unity is our strength!”</p>

<p>After the protest ended, several of the Iranian monarchists came over to where the protesters were sitting and began hurling insults. But the group stood their ground together, forming a militant wall of community members and activists that shouted down the agitators until they were pulled away by MPD. This was rounded out with victorious chants of “Marg bar Shah!,” translating from Farsi to “Death to the Shah,” an anti-monarchist slogan from the 1979 Iranian revolution.</p>

<p>To learn more about Yousof’s case and the next steps in the fight, follow Anti-War Committee DMV on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/antiwar.dmv">@antiwar.dmv</a> and visit <a href="https://yousofazizi.com/">yousofazizi.com</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Iran" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Iran</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-freedom-for-yousof-azizi-student-kidnapped-by-ice</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:18:50 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>DC community confronts police over possible lynching</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/dc-community-confronts-police-over-possible-lynching?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[DC protest in response to possible lynching at police station.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - On Monday, April 13, a man was found hanging from a tree behind the 4th District Police Station in Washington, DC. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers unceremoniously cut him down from the tree and carted him away. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Despite the alarming and suspicious nature of the case, no news station reported on it, and the police made no public statement. The only sources of information were videos posted to social media by community members showing the man&#39;s body hanging from a tree as officers scrambled to stop people from filming or taking pictures.&#xA;&#xA;As alarm grew in the Black community in response to the videos of a possible lynching victim, concerned individuals began visiting and calling the police station looking for answers, including a journalist from the Washington Informer, the Neighborhood Commissioner, and the Councilwoman of Ward 4, Janeese Lewis George. The police refused to provide answers, saying only that they deemed it a suicide, without explaining why. &#xA;&#xA;For three days, the police ignored the community and remained silent. On Thursday, April 16, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) was notified about what appeared to be a police lynching of a Black man, though details were limited due to MPD stonewalling. &#xA;&#xA;Within a few hours, DCAARPR took to social media and announced an emergency rally outside of 4th Disctict Police Station to demand answers. The post immediately went viral, given the horrific nature of the case and people&#39;s desire to fight back. Within an hour of the social media post, MPD finally was forced to make a public statement. &#xA;&#xA;In their statement, they went out of their way to point out that the victim was a 19-year-old Latino man, not a Black man, in hopes of dulling people&#39;s anger and undercutting DCAARPR&#39;s planned rally. Despite their attempt to divide the community, a massive crowd of Black, brown and white people showed up at the police station the next day to give them hell.&#xA;&#xA;During the rally, Kristen Bonner of DCAARPR spoke, stating, “MPD is telling us this is a suicide. We have reason not to believe them. We have reason not to trust them. They have not done anything for our communities that says they are protecting us - that says they are keeping us safe. If anything, they are the purveyors of violence and terror and racism in our communities, and to that we say shame!”&#xA;&#xA;Tamira Benitez, 4B-05 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner also spoke, “Three days have passed and we have no information. No email, no text, no phone call \[from MPD\]. When you go in person to get information, it’s like a burden to them.”&#xA;&#xA;Benitez continued, “So we don’t need people like these, getting a shit ton of money out of our $22-plus billion budget to treat us like we’re nothing. As an ANC Commissioner, I don’t need to be friends with MPD to get the information I need to get.”&#xA;&#xA;Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR stated, &#34;If they say it&#39;s a suicide, we say show us the evidence. If their policies prohibit that, we say their policies are not good enough and that&#39;s why we&#39;re out here, because their policies allow them to kill us with impunity. Our policy is community control of the police so that we can hold them accountable in situations like this.&#34; &#xA;&#xA;When protesters realized that the Fourth District was also the precinct home of officer Jason Bagshaw, a known killer cop, they confronted him, chanting &#34;It is right to rebel, Jason Bagshaw burn in hell!&#34;&#xA;&#xA;The demonstrators eventually took Georgia Avenue, one of the busiest streets in DC, in the middle of the city&#39;s notorious rush hour and marched for nearly a mile, attracting Black and brown people from the neighborhood to join them in chanting &#34;Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!&#34; and demanding community control of the police. &#xA;&#xA;At the close of the rally, community members committed themselves to the struggle for community control of the police - on the journey towards transforming DC into a city where everyone can get their needs met.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #InJusticeSystem #DCAARPR #NAARPR&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/aRkBQTVU.jpeg" alt="DC protest in response to possible lynching at police station." title="DC protest in response to possible lynching at police station.  | Photo: Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Monday, April 13, a man was found hanging from a tree behind the 4th District Police Station in Washington, DC. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers unceremoniously cut him down from the tree and carted him away.</p>



<p>Despite the alarming and suspicious nature of the case, no news station reported on it, and the police made no public statement. The only sources of information were videos posted to social media by community members showing the man&#39;s body hanging from a tree as officers scrambled to stop people from filming or taking pictures.</p>

<p>As alarm grew in the Black community in response to the videos of a possible lynching victim, concerned individuals began visiting and calling the police station looking for answers, including a journalist from the Washington Informer, the Neighborhood Commissioner, and the Councilwoman of Ward 4, Janeese Lewis George. The police refused to provide answers, saying only that they deemed it a suicide, without explaining why.</p>

<p>For three days, the police ignored the community and remained silent. On Thursday, April 16, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) was notified about what appeared to be a police lynching of a Black man, though details were limited due to MPD stonewalling.</p>

<p>Within a few hours, DCAARPR took to social media and announced an emergency rally outside of 4th Disctict Police Station to demand answers. The post immediately went viral, given the horrific nature of the case and people&#39;s desire to fight back. Within an hour of the social media post, MPD finally was forced to make a public statement.</p>

<p>In their statement, they went out of their way to point out that the victim was a 19-year-old Latino man, not a Black man, in hopes of dulling people&#39;s anger and undercutting DCAARPR&#39;s planned rally. Despite their attempt to divide the community, a massive crowd of Black, brown and white people showed up at the police station the next day to give them hell.</p>

<p>During the rally, Kristen Bonner of DCAARPR spoke, stating, “MPD is telling us this is a suicide. We have reason not to believe them. We have reason not to trust them. They have not done anything for our communities that says they are protecting us – that says they are keeping us safe. If anything, they are the purveyors of violence and terror and racism in our communities, and to that we say shame!”</p>

<p>Tamira Benitez, 4B-05 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner also spoke, “Three days have passed and we have no information. No email, no text, no phone call [from MPD]. When you go in person to get information, it’s like a burden to them.”</p>

<p>Benitez continued, “So we don’t need people like these, getting a shit ton of money out of our $22-plus billion budget to treat us like we’re nothing. As an ANC Commissioner, I don’t need to be friends with MPD to get the information I need to get.”</p>

<p>Merawi Gerima of DCAARPR stated, “If they say it&#39;s a suicide, we say show us the evidence. If their policies prohibit that, we say their policies are not good enough and that&#39;s why we&#39;re out here, because their policies allow them to kill us with impunity. Our policy is community control of the police so that we can hold them accountable in situations like this.”</p>

<p>When protesters realized that the Fourth District was also the precinct home of officer Jason Bagshaw, a known killer cop, they confronted him, chanting “It is right to rebel, Jason Bagshaw burn in hell!”</p>

<p>The demonstrators eventually took Georgia Avenue, one of the busiest streets in DC, in the middle of the city&#39;s notorious rush hour and marched for nearly a mile, attracting Black and brown people from the neighborhood to join them in chanting “Indict, convict, send these killer cops to jail, the whole damn system is guilty as hell!” and demanding community control of the police.</p>

<p>At the close of the rally, community members committed themselves to the struggle for community control of the police – on the journey towards transforming DC into a city where everyone can get their needs met.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InJusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InJusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:NAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">NAARPR</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/dc-community-confronts-police-over-possible-lynching</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 21:48:11 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC: Tax Day protest against war on Iran</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-tax-day-protest-against-war-on-iran?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - On the evening of April 15, Tax Day, about 20 protesters gathered outside the IRS headquarters as part of the Anti-War Action Network’s (AWAN) call for a national day of action. Temperatures soared upwards of 90 degrees, but the protesters were undeterred, opening the action with chants of “Money for jobs and education! Not for wars and occupation!” and “Not another missile, not another rocket! All these wars are just for profit!”&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;“The U.S. government takes not millions, not billions, but trillions of our hard earned tax dollars each year to use on their wars, especially now in Iran” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV, the emcee for the event, “but we’re out here today to demand our money be used the way we want it to be used - for healthcare, jobs, schools, and for the working people!”&#xA;&#xA;Once everyone rallied together, the group took the streets and began marching to Lafayette Square, just outside the perimeter of the White House. Calls of “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! We demand a real ceasefire!” echoed off the stone walls of the buildings lining the streets. The protesters observed community members on the sidewalks and began to chant “Off of the sidewalks into the streets! We want peace, we want peace!” resulting in several people joining in on the march. Once the protesters reached Lafayette Square, the emcee invited speakers from several organizations.&#xA;&#xA;“We have to kick out the feet of imperialism wherever we go,” said Kristen Bonner, an organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (DCAARPR). “We are bonded together by our shared struggle.”&#xA;&#xA;“Our taxes are going to police cars, they’re going to police who spend ten to twelve hours a day terrorizing Black and Brown people in our city,” emphasized Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Against the Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition. “They use it for bombing places like Iran. Do we want our money spent bombing innocent people in another country? No!”&#xA;&#xA;Anti-War Committee DMV will be mobilizing again on Saturday, April 18 in defense of Yousof Aziz, an Iranian anti-war activist who was kidnapped by ICE from his home in Maryland.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #TaxDay #AntiWarActionNetwork #AntiWarCommitteeDMV&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/KvzgC0ZK.jpeg" alt="" title="Protesters took the streets from the IRS headquarters to the White House, demanding an end to our tax dollars being used for wars and genocide. | FightBack! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On the evening of April 15, Tax Day, about 20 protesters gathered outside the IRS headquarters as part of the Anti-War Action Network’s (AWAN) call for a national day of action. Temperatures soared upwards of 90 degrees, but the protesters were undeterred, opening the action with chants of “Money for jobs and education! Not for wars and occupation!” and “Not another missile, not another rocket! All these wars are just for profit!”</p>



<p>“The U.S. government takes not millions, not billions, but trillions of our hard earned tax dollars each year to use on their wars, especially now in Iran” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV, the emcee for the event, “but we’re out here today to demand our money be used the way we want it to be used – for healthcare, jobs, schools, and for the working people!”</p>

<p>Once everyone rallied together, the group took the streets and began marching to Lafayette Square, just outside the perimeter of the White House. Calls of “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! We demand a real ceasefire!” echoed off the stone walls of the buildings lining the streets. The protesters observed community members on the sidewalks and began to chant “Off of the sidewalks into the streets! We want peace, we want peace!” resulting in several people joining in on the march. Once the protesters reached Lafayette Square, the emcee invited speakers from several organizations.</p>

<p>“We have to kick out the feet of imperialism wherever we go,” said Kristen Bonner, an organizer with the DC Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression (DCAARPR). “We are bonded together by our shared struggle.”</p>

<p>“Our taxes are going to police cars, they’re going to police who spend ten to twelve hours a day terrorizing Black and Brown people in our city,” emphasized Merawi Gerima, organizer with the DC Against the Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition. “They use it for bombing places like Iran. Do we want our money spent bombing innocent people in another country? No!”</p>

<p>Anti-War Committee DMV will be mobilizing again on Saturday, April 18 in defense of Yousof Aziz, an Iranian anti-war activist who was kidnapped by ICE from his home in Maryland.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Iran" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Iran</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:TaxDay" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">TaxDay</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarActionNetwork" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarActionNetwork</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarCommitteeDMV" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarCommitteeDMV</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-tax-day-protest-against-war-on-iran</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:50:16 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC protest demands end to war on Iran</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-end-to-war-on-iran?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[DC protest against the U.S war on Iran.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC – On April 8, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to join the emergency protest against Trump’s war crimes threats to Iran and Netanyahu’s terrorist bombing campaign on Lebanon. Calls for regime change in Washington, DC echoed through the White House barricades. This action came after Trump’s statement “a whole civilization will die tonight.” &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Hundreds of people in DC had plenty of energy and spirit, so they protested the war on Iran two days in a row. &#xA;&#xA;Even though news broke of the temporary ceasefire won by Iran the day before, organizers ensured the day of protest would continue, since many people wanted to express their anger and frustration over Trump’s warmongering in Iran, as well as to demand an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel in the wake of its genocidal bombing in Lebanon.&#xA;&#xA;Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, started the program by rallying the crowd chanting, “It is right to rebel! Trump and Bibi go to hell!” &#xA;&#xA;An organizer with Palestine Youth Movement DMV stated, “As people who live in the heart of empire, we have a unique obligation to end Zionist-U.S. violence. We have to ensure that death and destruction are not profitable, and we must stop the war machine in its very tracks.” &#xA;&#xA;After the short program, the protesters took the streets disrupting traffic and marching down to Dupont Circle. On the way, chant leaders made sure to point out the racist Metropolitan Police Department officers who were trying to curtail the crowd. One MPD officer, Mendez, was identified as a racist cop who was previously seen harassing Black people for no reason. When DCAARPR members had questioned him on why he was harassing Black people, he said he, “can’t be racist because he has a Black girlfriend.” This encounter was pointed out to the crowd as they shouted at Mendez to quit his job and go get a real one. &#xA;&#xA;Another MPD officer, Jason Bagshaw, a racist and killer cop, was pointed out and angry protesters started hurling insults at him and telling him to go to hell. &#xA;&#xA;The protesters shut down one of the busiest traffic circles in the city before finishing out the program inside the circle itself. An organizer with FRSO DC stated, “Y’know, Donald Trump is very good at one thing: he is good at making an enemy out of everyone. He makes enemies everywhere he goes. He sends troops into DC. He sends ICE all across the country. He funds Israel’s bombs in Palestine, and then he bombs Iran. He kidnapped President Maduro from Venezuela. Now he has all the peoples of the world looking at him as an enemy. That’s where we find our unity.”&#xA;&#xA;DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA), 50501DC, Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, the Party for Socialism and Liberation DC, Codepink DC, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), the Anti-War Committee DMV, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and many others rallied around the central demand “U.S. out of Iran now!”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/7brkLNns.jpg" alt="DC protest against the U.S war on Iran." title="DC protest against the U.S war on Iran.  | Photo: Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On April 8, hundreds of people gathered outside the White House to join the emergency protest against Trump’s war crimes threats to Iran and Netanyahu’s terrorist bombing campaign on Lebanon. Calls for regime change in Washington, DC echoed through the White House barricades. This action came after Trump’s statement “a whole civilization will die tonight.”</p>



<p>Hundreds of people in DC had plenty of energy and spirit, so they protested the war on Iran two days in a row.</p>

<p>Even though news broke of the temporary ceasefire won by Iran the day before, organizers ensured the day of protest would continue, since many people wanted to express their anger and frustration over Trump’s warmongering in Iran, as well as to demand an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel in the wake of its genocidal bombing in Lebanon.</p>

<p>Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, started the program by rallying the crowd chanting, “It is right to rebel! Trump and Bibi go to hell!”</p>

<p>An organizer with Palestine Youth Movement DMV stated, “As people who live in the heart of empire, we have a unique obligation to end Zionist-U.S. violence. We have to ensure that death and destruction are not profitable, and we must stop the war machine in its very tracks.”</p>

<p>After the short program, the protesters took the streets disrupting traffic and marching down to Dupont Circle. On the way, chant leaders made sure to point out the racist Metropolitan Police Department officers who were trying to curtail the crowd. One MPD officer, Mendez, was identified as a racist cop who was previously seen harassing Black people for no reason. When DCAARPR members had questioned him on why he was harassing Black people, he said he, “can’t be racist because he has a Black girlfriend.” This encounter was pointed out to the crowd as they shouted at Mendez to quit his job and go get a real one.</p>

<p>Another MPD officer, Jason Bagshaw, a racist and killer cop, was pointed out and angry protesters started hurling insults at him and telling him to go to hell.</p>

<p>The protesters shut down one of the busiest traffic circles in the city before finishing out the program inside the circle itself. An organizer with FRSO DC stated, “Y’know, Donald Trump is very good at one thing: he is good at making an enemy out of everyone. He makes enemies everywhere he goes. He sends troops into DC. He sends ICE all across the country. He funds Israel’s bombs in Palestine, and then he bombs Iran. He kidnapped President Maduro from Venezuela. Now he has all the peoples of the world looking at him as an enemy. That’s where we find our unity.”</p>

<p>DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA), 50501DC, Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, the Party for Socialism and Liberation DC, Codepink DC, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), the Anti-War Committee DMV, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and many others rallied around the central demand “U.S. out of Iran now!”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Iran" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Iran</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-end-to-war-on-iran</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:26:52 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Progressives join DC No Kings protest</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/progressives-join-dc-no-kings-protest?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC – On Saturday, March 28, hundreds gathered in Washington DC’s Anacostia neighborhood before noon to join a contingent for the No Kings protest demanding “No Trump, no war, no ICE.” The contingent began with a rally at the Anacostia Metro station before marching to join the large protest.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;As rallygoers poured out of the Metro and spilled into onto the sidewalks, organizers began to lead chants of “No ICE, no KKK, no racist USA,” and “Chinga la migra” (Fuck ICE). After this, contingent organizers began the march with chants of “No justice, no peace! Off the sidewalk, into the streets!” &#xA;&#xA;Amber-Jane Jones, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “People all around the world are being hurt or killed by the U.S.’ imperialist policies – whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, or Iran. We joined this contingent to state clearly that it is the duty of all U.S. progressives to stand with the working and oppressed people of the world against the U.S. empire.”&#xA;&#xA;After the rally, the contingent resumed its march together across the Frederick Douglass bridge, where protesters spotted known killer cop Jason Bagshaw patrolling the crowd. Bagshaw shot and killed 23-year-old Lazarus Wilson back in 2023 while off duty. No sooner was he pointed out by the people than leaders of the contingent launched into chants of “Shame! Shame on Jason Bagshaw” and “Indict, convict, send Bagshaw to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” while residents swarmed him with cameras and phones. &#xA;&#xA;“Protesting Bagshaw is absolutely part of protesting Donald Trump,” said Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), “it’s Trump’s policies that enable someone like Bagshaw to stay on the force and terrorize our communities, and so it is absolutely our duty to fight to see him put behind bars where he belongs!”&#xA;&#xA;The march continued on to Fort McNair, the current residence of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, with chants of “Stephen Miller is his name! Separating families is his game!” &#xA;&#xA;“He’s a white supremacist,” Katie Sayour, co-chair of the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition said of Miller. “And we feel this administration’s white supremacist policies particularly hard in DC, where Black people like Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson are being shot at – and in the case of Julian Bailey, killed – by federal agents, and where these national guard thugs hang out to intimidate us every day.”&#xA;&#xA;The contingent was organized by the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) and Families Not Feds (FNF) coalitions, joined by a list of progressive organizations, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC), the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), 50501DC, and the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV). &#xA;&#xA;DCATA and FNF plan to continue their resistance to the Trump agenda in DC’s local elections through their upcoming “People’s Ballot.”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #NoKings #PeoplesStruggles #DCATA #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/NWA0KHvg.jpg" alt="" title="Washington DC No Kings protest. | FightBack! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Saturday, March 28, hundreds gathered in Washington DC’s Anacostia neighborhood before noon to join a contingent for the No Kings protest demanding “No Trump, no war, no ICE.” The contingent began with a rally at the Anacostia Metro station before marching to join the large protest.</p>



<p>As rallygoers poured out of the Metro and spilled into onto the sidewalks, organizers began to lead chants of “No ICE, no KKK, no racist USA,” and “Chinga la migra” (Fuck ICE). After this, contingent organizers began the march with chants of “No justice, no peace! Off the sidewalk, into the streets!”</p>

<p>Amber-Jane Jones, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, said, “People all around the world are being hurt or killed by the U.S.’ imperialist policies – whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, or Iran. We joined this contingent to state clearly that it is the duty of all U.S. progressives to stand with the working and oppressed people of the world against the U.S. empire.”</p>

<p>After the rally, the contingent resumed its march together across the Frederick Douglass bridge, where protesters spotted known killer cop Jason Bagshaw patrolling the crowd. Bagshaw shot and killed 23-year-old Lazarus Wilson back in 2023 while off duty. No sooner was he pointed out by the people than leaders of the contingent launched into chants of “Shame! Shame on Jason Bagshaw” and “Indict, convict, send Bagshaw to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!” while residents swarmed him with cameras and phones.</p>

<p>“Protesting Bagshaw is absolutely part of protesting Donald Trump,” said Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), “it’s Trump’s policies that enable someone like Bagshaw to stay on the force and terrorize our communities, and so it is absolutely our duty to fight to see him put behind bars where he belongs!”</p>

<p>The march continued on to Fort McNair, the current residence of Trump advisor Stephen Miller, with chants of “Stephen Miller is his name! Separating families is his game!”</p>

<p>“He’s a white supremacist,” Katie Sayour, co-chair of the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) coalition said of Miller. “And we feel this administration’s white supremacist policies particularly hard in DC, where Black people like Phillip Brown and Justin Nelson are being shot at – and in the case of Julian Bailey, killed – by federal agents, and where these national guard thugs hang out to intimidate us every day.”</p>

<p>The contingent was organized by the DC Against The Trump Agenda (DCATA) and Families Not Feds (FNF) coalitions, joined by a list of progressive organizations, such as the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC), the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), 50501DC, and the Anti-War Committee DMV (AWC-DMV).</p>

<p>DCATA and FNF plan to continue their resistance to the Trump agenda in DC’s local elections through their upcoming “People’s Ballot.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:NoKings" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">NoKings</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PeoplesStruggles" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PeoplesStruggles</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCATA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCATA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ImmigrantRights" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ImmigrantRights</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/progressives-join-dc-no-kings-protest</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:22:52 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC marches for Dalaneo Martin’s 3rd angelversary</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-marches-for-dalaneo-martins-3rd-angelversary?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Washington, DC – On March 18, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) alongside Raise One Teach One Dalaneo Martin Foundation, founded by Terra Martin, organized a protest and march through the streets of Northeast DC. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;This angelversary event marked the third anniversary of US Park Police and Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) murder of Martin’s beloved son, Dalaneo “Debo” Martin. &#xA;&#xA;Dalaneo Martin was only 17 years old at the time of his death and was asleep in his car while police deliberated for over 30 minutes plotting on how to apprehend him, before breaking into the car and firing six shots into his back, killing him. His mother and the community have been fighting non-stop for justice and accountability since his death. &#xA;&#xA;Friends, family, and community members took over the streets of DC, including a central bridge, to demand justice for Dalaneo Martin and other victims of federal and local police crimes, such as Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey. &#xA;&#xA;Phillip Brown is a Black man who was shot at by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) during a traffic stop in October 2025. The bullets passed through his shirt collar, nearly killing him. After the incident, MPD covered up for HSI by omitting the shooting in the police report. Julian Bailey was another Black man who was murdered by US Marshals in early February in Northeast DC. These three cases all occurred within a mile of each other in a predominantly Black neighborhood. &#xA;&#xA;The protest march route stopped at points connected to each shooting. The protesters marched over the Lorraine H. Whitlock Bridge and blocked major roads while commemorating the life of Dalaneo Martin and so many others whose lives were cut short due to police violence. &#xA;&#xA;An organizer with DCAARPR spoke on their upcoming campaign for implementing CPAC, a Civilian Police Accountability Council, in DC, stating, “Dalaneo Martin and Julian Bailey should be alive today. Phillip Brown should never have had to deal with corrupt police officers and a near death experience. In a world where we, the people, have actual power over the police, all police officers involved in these cases would face the people’s justice. The only people who stand to lose from CPAC are the racist, crooked, and killer cops that terrorize our city.” &#xA;&#xA;Terra Martin spoke to the crowd and connected the cases of Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey to her son’s case. Residents of the neighborhood left their homes to join the march and shouted alongside the demonstrators. Many cars that were both blocked off and drove by the march honked in solidarity with the chants of “Indict, convict, send this killer cops to jail!” &#xA;&#xA;Once the protesters reached the point where Dalaneo Martin was asleep in his car before being attacked, Terra Martin played the audio recording of MPD and Park Police plotting to murder her son. She stated, “\[The police\] were right here, making all types of jokes. Not talking about how to safely take my son out the car or wake him up. They were making jokes like he did not exist, or like he was an animal.” &#xA;&#xA;The final stop of the march was the home Dalaneo Martin had crashed into after the still anonymous Park Police agent shot him in the back and killed him. It was an emotional scene as Dalaneo Martin’s friends and family spoke about missing him and how important he was to the River Terrace community. &#xA;&#xA;The march came to an end and protesters started to disperse, ensuring that people were leaving in groups and were accounted for, as the police were out in droves monitoring them. Not long after, DCAARPR organizers alongside Terra Martin were packing away supplies in a nearby parking lot, when she received a call from her daughter stating federal and local police had jumped out on her, her children, and her partner as they were parked at a nearby 7-Eleven. &#xA;&#xA;Organizers quickly reacted and formulated a plan. They arrived at the scene and found a horde of MPD, FBI, and U.S. Secret Service surrounding Martin’s daughter’s car. The police had demanded she and her boyfriend get out of their car, and even searched the babies for weapons. The organizers started recording from multiple angles while yelling at the police to “get a real job!” One officer brutally shoved one of the organizers, while another officer snatched a phone out of an organizer’s hands. &#xA;&#xA;The police quickly became overwhelmed by the pressure of people power, and ended up backing down, issuing no charges or even a ticket, and leaving within minutes. In victory, protesters shouted, “Long live Debo Martin!” and “Fuck the police!” It became clear to everyone that the police had singled out the car leaving from the protest and followed them to the 7-Eleven in order to charge them with anything, in an act of targeted political repression. In the end, the people drove out the reactionary police, defended their community, and exemplified the power of unity and organization.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #InjusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #OppressedNationalities&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Washington, DC – On March 18, the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) alongside Raise One Teach One Dalaneo Martin Foundation, founded by Terra Martin, organized a protest and march through the streets of Northeast DC.</p>



<p>This angelversary event marked the third anniversary of US Park Police and Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) murder of Martin’s beloved son, Dalaneo “Debo” Martin.</p>

<p>Dalaneo Martin was only 17 years old at the time of his death and was asleep in his car while police deliberated for over 30 minutes plotting on how to apprehend him, before breaking into the car and firing six shots into his back, killing him. His mother and the community have been fighting non-stop for justice and accountability since his death.</p>

<p>Friends, family, and community members took over the streets of DC, including a central bridge, to demand justice for Dalaneo Martin and other victims of federal and local police crimes, such as Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey.</p>

<p>Phillip Brown is a Black man who was shot at by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) during a traffic stop in October 2025. The bullets passed through his shirt collar, nearly killing him. After the incident, MPD covered up for HSI by omitting the shooting in the police report. Julian Bailey was another Black man who was murdered by US Marshals in early February in Northeast DC. These three cases all occurred within a mile of each other in a predominantly Black neighborhood.</p>

<p>The protest march route stopped at points connected to each shooting. The protesters marched over the Lorraine H. Whitlock Bridge and blocked major roads while commemorating the life of Dalaneo Martin and so many others whose lives were cut short due to police violence.</p>

<p>An organizer with DCAARPR spoke on their upcoming campaign for implementing CPAC, a Civilian Police Accountability Council, in DC, stating, “Dalaneo Martin and Julian Bailey should be alive today. Phillip Brown should never have had to deal with corrupt police officers and a near death experience. In a world where we, the people, have actual power over the police, all police officers involved in these cases would face the people’s justice. The only people who stand to lose from CPAC are the racist, crooked, and killer cops that terrorize our city.”</p>

<p>Terra Martin spoke to the crowd and connected the cases of Phillip Brown and Julian Bailey to her son’s case. Residents of the neighborhood left their homes to join the march and shouted alongside the demonstrators. Many cars that were both blocked off and drove by the march honked in solidarity with the chants of “Indict, convict, send this killer cops to jail!”</p>

<p>Once the protesters reached the point where Dalaneo Martin was asleep in his car before being attacked, Terra Martin played the audio recording of MPD and Park Police plotting to murder her son. She stated, “[The police] were right here, making all types of jokes. Not talking about how to safely take my son out the car or wake him up. They were making jokes like he did not exist, or like he was an animal.”</p>

<p>The final stop of the march was the home Dalaneo Martin had crashed into after the still anonymous Park Police agent shot him in the back and killed him. It was an emotional scene as Dalaneo Martin’s friends and family spoke about missing him and how important he was to the River Terrace community.</p>

<p>The march came to an end and protesters started to disperse, ensuring that people were leaving in groups and were accounted for, as the police were out in droves monitoring them. Not long after, DCAARPR organizers alongside Terra Martin were packing away supplies in a nearby parking lot, when she received a call from her daughter stating federal and local police had jumped out on her, her children, and her partner as they were parked at a nearby 7-Eleven.</p>

<p>Organizers quickly reacted and formulated a plan. They arrived at the scene and found a horde of MPD, FBI, and U.S. Secret Service surrounding Martin’s daughter’s car. The police had demanded she and her boyfriend get out of their car, and even searched the babies for weapons. The organizers started recording from multiple angles while yelling at the police to “get a real job!” One officer brutally shoved one of the organizers, while another officer snatched a phone out of an organizer’s hands.</p>

<p>The police quickly became overwhelmed by the pressure of people power, and ended up backing down, issuing no charges or even a ticket, and leaving within minutes. In victory, protesters shouted, “Long live Debo Martin!” and “Fuck the police!” It became clear to everyone that the police had singled out the car leaving from the protest and followed them to the 7-Eleven in order to charge them with anything, in an act of targeted political repression. In the end, the people drove out the reactionary police, defended their community, and exemplified the power of unity and organization.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InjusticeSystem" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InjusticeSystem</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PoliceCrimes" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PoliceCrimes</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:OppressedNationalities" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">OppressedNationalities</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-marches-for-dalaneo-martins-3rd-angelversary</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:35:47 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC protest for International Women’s Day</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-for-international-womens-day?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. - On March 8, over 30 people took to the streets of Washington, D.C. for an International Women’s Day march.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The crowd gathered at Malcolm X Park to stand up for immigrant women, women affected by police violence and war, and for working women struggling for their rights around the world.&#xA;&#xA;The rally was organized by DC Against the Trump Agenda, a coalition of organizations from across the DMV, and co-sponsored by Families Not Feds Coalition, and the newly launched Anti-War Committee DMV, and other groups in the DC area.&#xA;&#xA;One of the emcees from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, Kristen Bonner, kicked the rally off, stating to the crowd, “Whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, the Philippines, or Iran, women are under attack in these countries because the United States is there bombing them, destabilizing them, and trying to hold these countries back. To that we say shame,” to which the crowd echoed “Shame!” in unity.&#xA;&#xA;Bonner continued, “Without the labor of women, this country, or any country for that matter, would not function. We demand an end to violence in all forms against women, and full reproductive rights so we can determine our futures for ourselves!”&#xA;&#xA;Several other speakers put forward the demands for working-class women, Black women, immigrant women, queer women and the LGBTQ community, and women affected by war and U.S. imperialism.&#xA;&#xA;One of these speakers included the mother of Phillip Brown, a Black man who barely escaped being shot to death in his car when Homeland Security agents occupying DC shot into his vehicle. The shooting was covered up by Metropolitan Police Department officers, the chief of police, and the mayor. The U.S. Attorney’s office declined to charge the HSI agents because “no one was hit by the bullets.” His mother spoke on the ways that police violence particularly impacts women and families and reiterated the need for Black and brown women to stand together in the fight for justice.&#xA;&#xA;Terra Martin, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, also spoke at the rally, saying “Across the country women, especially Black and brown mothers, are fighting battles many never see. We are fighting systems that judge us by our culture instead of our love. We fight systems that separate families instead of supporting them. Too often, mothers are punished for being poor.”&#xA;&#xA;Rally participants then marched through the park and onto the streets of DC, making their way down the crowded U Street Corridor in spite of police officers making the planned march route difficult to proceed. The route was specifically chosen to disrupt the city’s plans to impose a youth curfew zone on the U Street Corridor, targeting Black youth.&#xA;&#xA;Onlookers from nearby establishments and apartments cheered the group.&#xA;&#xA;Several onlookers even joined the march, which concluded at the history Florida Avenue and 7th Street NW corner, where DC’s anti-gentrification “Don’t Mute DC” movement was born. There, as DC’s “Go-Go” music played in the background, other community members joined in with their support during the closing speeches&#xA;&#xA;A speaker for Anti-War Committee DMV concluded the event stating, “They oppress women here, they oppress women all over the world. But what they don’t realize is that that is our greatest weapon - that commonality that we are all being oppressed by the same enemy, the U.S. war machine - and now we can all come together to fight that shared enemy.”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #LGBTQ&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/hKXUvlfb.jpg" alt="" title="International Women&#39;s Day march in Washington, DC. | FightBack! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – On March 8, over 30 people took to the streets of Washington, D.C. for an International Women’s Day march.</p>



<p>The crowd gathered at Malcolm X Park to stand up for immigrant women, women affected by police violence and war, and for working women struggling for their rights around the world.</p>

<p>The rally was organized by DC Against the Trump Agenda, a coalition of organizations from across the DMV, and co-sponsored by Families Not Feds Coalition, and the newly launched Anti-War Committee DMV, and other groups in the DC area.</p>

<p>One of the emcees from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, Kristen Bonner, kicked the rally off, stating to the crowd, “Whether it’s in Venezuela, Cuba, Palestine, the Philippines, or Iran, women are under attack in these countries because the United States is there bombing them, destabilizing them, and trying to hold these countries back. To that we say shame,” to which the crowd echoed “Shame!” in unity.</p>

<p>Bonner continued, “Without the labor of women, this country, or any country for that matter, would not function. We demand an end to violence in all forms against women, and full reproductive rights so we can determine our futures for ourselves!”</p>

<p>Several other speakers put forward the demands for working-class women, Black women, immigrant women, queer women and the LGBTQ community, and women affected by war and U.S. imperialism.</p>

<p>One of these speakers included the mother of Phillip Brown, a Black man who barely escaped being shot to death in his car when Homeland Security agents occupying DC shot into his vehicle. The shooting was covered up by Metropolitan Police Department officers, the chief of police, and the mayor. The U.S. Attorney’s office declined to charge the HSI agents because “no one was hit by the bullets.” His mother spoke on the ways that police violence particularly impacts women and families and reiterated the need for Black and brown women to stand together in the fight for justice.</p>

<p>Terra Martin, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, also spoke at the rally, saying “Across the country women, especially Black and brown mothers, are fighting battles many never see. We are fighting systems that judge us by our culture instead of our love. We fight systems that separate families instead of supporting them. Too often, mothers are punished for being poor.”</p>

<p>Rally participants then marched through the park and onto the streets of DC, making their way down the crowded U Street Corridor in spite of police officers making the planned march route difficult to proceed. The route was specifically chosen to disrupt the city’s plans to impose a youth curfew zone on the U Street Corridor, targeting Black youth.</p>

<p>Onlookers from nearby establishments and apartments cheered the group.</p>

<p>Several onlookers even joined the march, which concluded at the history Florida Avenue and 7th Street NW corner, where DC’s anti-gentrification “Don’t Mute DC” movement was born. There, as DC’s “Go-Go” music played in the background, other community members joined in with their support during the closing speeches</p>

<p>A speaker for Anti-War Committee DMV concluded the event stating, “They oppress women here, they oppress women all over the world. But what they don’t realize is that that is our greatest weapon – that commonality that we are all being oppressed by the same enemy, the U.S. war machine – and now we can all come together to fight that shared enemy.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:InternationalWomensDay" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">InternationalWomensDay</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WomensMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WomensMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:LGBTQ" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">LGBTQ</span></a></p>

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      <pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:35:05 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>OSCL en DC presenta el Estado de la Unión del Pueblo en el edificio del Capitolio de EE.UU. </title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/oscl-en-dc-presenta-el-estado-de-la-union-del-pueblo-en-el-edificio-del?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. - El martes, 24 de febrero, un grupo de organizadores y activistas de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad - DC (OSCL - DC) y de la Alianza de DC Contra la Represión Racista y Política (DCAARPR) se unieron en el centro de DC al alcance del oído del Capitolio de EE.UU. para protestar el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Con un micrófono en la mano y el capitolio detrás, el grupo denunció la política racista de Trump, incluidos los ataques contra inmigrantes, trabajadores, personas negras, personas LGBTQ, y países como Venezuela, Cuba e Irán.&#xA;&#xA;El Departamento de Policía Metropolitana (MPD) había bloqueado todas las calles en un radio de unas pocas millas del capitolio, pero el grupo se estacionó cerca de las barricadas. Se encontraron con un gran despliegue de policías, la prensa, simpatizantes del público y un hombre cada vez más enojado que continuaba gritando, &#34;¡Yo amo ICE!&#34;. Sus gritos fueron acallados por el sonido de la gente que coreaba, &#34;¡Chinga la migra!&#34;.&#xA;&#xA;El programa empezó antes y continuó durante el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.&#xA;&#xA;Merawi Gerima, un nativo de DC y organizador de DCAARPR, dijo, &#34;Estamos aquí esta noche porque Trump está en esa rotunda mintiéndole al pueblo estadounidense sobre todas las cosas que está haciendo. Ha dicho que es el portador de la paz al mundo, ha dicho que está trayendo empleos a los Estados Unidos, ha dicho que está trayendo paz a las calles de DC, ¡y sabemos que eso es mentira!&#34;.&#xA;&#xA;Gerima continuó, &#34;Es nuestro deber, y nuestro derecho, hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para hacer este país ingobernable. Hacerlo imposible para que continúen explotándonos, matándonos y brutalizándonos a nosotros y a todos los demás en el planeta. Hacerlo imposible para que destruyan otros países en busca de ganancias. Tenemos todo el derecho y el deber de ponerle un alto a eso, y eso es exactamente lo que estamos haciendo aquí en Washington, DC&#34;.&#xA;&#xA;Christina Murdoch, miembro de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, habló sobre los ataques de la administración de Trump contra la comunidad LGBTQ, explicando la política reaccionaria que quieren implementar en la Oficina Federal de Prisiones.&#xA;&#xA;Murdoch dijo, &#34;La nueva política busca quitarle a más de 2200 personas trans que se encuentran actualmente en prisiones federales su acceso a atención médica necesaria. Serían sometidas a una constante invalidación de su identidad de género por parte del personal y les confiscarían todos sus artículos de afirmación de género, como carpetas de pecho, brasieres y maquillaje. Primero que nada, chíngate Donald Trump. Si crees por un momento que nos vamos a quedar quietos mientras le haces esto a cualquier miembro de nuestra querida comunidad trans, estás equivocado&#34;.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DCATA #DCAARPR #PYM #FRSO #OSCL&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/UEg89RAY.png" alt=""/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – El martes, 24 de febrero, un grupo de organizadores y activistas de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad – DC (OSCL – DC) y de la Alianza de DC Contra la Represión Racista y Política (DCAARPR) se unieron en el centro de DC al alcance del oído del Capitolio de EE.UU. para protestar el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.</p>



<p>Con un micrófono en la mano y el capitolio detrás, el grupo denunció la política racista de Trump, incluidos los ataques contra inmigrantes, trabajadores, personas negras, personas LGBTQ, y países como Venezuela, Cuba e Irán.</p>

<p>El Departamento de Policía Metropolitana (MPD) había bloqueado todas las calles en un radio de unas pocas millas del capitolio, pero el grupo se estacionó cerca de las barricadas. Se encontraron con un gran despliegue de policías, la prensa, simpatizantes del público y un hombre cada vez más enojado que continuaba gritando, “¡Yo amo ICE!”. Sus gritos fueron acallados por el sonido de la gente que coreaba, “¡Chinga la migra!”.</p>

<p>El programa empezó antes y continuó durante el discurso de Trump en el Estado de la Unión.</p>

<p>Merawi Gerima, un nativo de DC y organizador de DCAARPR, dijo, “Estamos aquí esta noche porque Trump está en esa rotunda mintiéndole al pueblo estadounidense sobre todas las cosas que está haciendo. Ha dicho que es el portador de la paz al mundo, ha dicho que está trayendo empleos a los Estados Unidos, ha dicho que está trayendo paz a las calles de DC, ¡y sabemos que eso es mentira!”.</p>

<p>Gerima continuó, “Es nuestro deber, y nuestro derecho, hacer todo lo que esté a nuestro alcance para hacer este país ingobernable. Hacerlo imposible para que continúen explotándonos, matándonos y brutalizándonos a nosotros y a todos los demás en el planeta. Hacerlo imposible para que destruyan otros países en busca de ganancias. Tenemos todo el derecho y el deber de ponerle un alto a eso, y eso es exactamente lo que estamos haciendo aquí en Washington, DC”.</p>

<p>Christina Murdoch, miembro de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, habló sobre los ataques de la administración de Trump contra la comunidad LGBTQ, explicando la política reaccionaria que quieren implementar en la Oficina Federal de Prisiones.</p>

<p>Murdoch dijo, “La nueva política busca quitarle a más de 2200 personas trans que se encuentran actualmente en prisiones federales su acceso a atención médica necesaria. Serían sometidas a una constante invalidación de su identidad de género por parte del personal y les confiscarían todos sus artículos de afirmación de género, como carpetas de pecho, brasieres y maquillaje. Primero que nada, chíngate Donald Trump. Si crees por un momento que nos vamos a quedar quietos mientras le haces esto a cualquier miembro de nuestra querida comunidad trans, estás equivocado”.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Iran" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Iran</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCATA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCATA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PYM" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PYM</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FRSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FRSO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:OSCL" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">OSCL</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/oscl-en-dc-presenta-el-estado-de-la-union-del-pueblo-en-el-edificio-del</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:10:07 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC protest demands ‘Hands off Iran!’</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-hands-off-iran?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Washington DC protest against the attacks on Iran.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. – On February 28, DC residents awoke to the news that the Trump administration had begun a bombing campaign on Iran overnight. Within hours, the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) made the call for people of conscience in the DMV area to join in protest at the White House.&#xA;&#xA;DCATA had been preparing for a US strike against Iran for weeks, connecting organizations in advance to mobilize within 24 hours of a strike. 32 organizations demanded, “No war with Iran!” with DCATA at the helm. A few hundred people started gathering towards Lafayette Square, as close as you can get to the White House due to the barricades, at the start of the rally. Protesters were carrying Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as signs reading, “No bombs on Iran!” and “U.S. out of Iran!”&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;The organizers of the rally began their program on the bed of a pickup truck with emcees from DCATA and Palestinian Youth Movement DMV.&#xA;&#xA;Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and DCATA, started the protest stating, “Unity of action, not of ideas! That’s exactly how we’re gonna stop the United States from pulling us into another war.”&#xA;&#xA;The emcee from PYM DMV stated, “They’re sending Americans to die on behalf of the rich. Americans have made it clear that they do not want another war!”&#xA;&#xA;Elizabeth Paige White, a movement lawyer with the DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) told the crowd, “Donald Trump’s lawlessness has extended to every single resident here. I’m in court every single day defending people who were wrongfully – illegally – arrested, searched, shot at, and almost killed in this city because of these illegal police gangs, these feds riding around with MPD, violating our rights day in and day out. Why do we expect \[Trump\] to do differently around this country and around the world?”&#xA;&#xA;Earlier that day, 50501DC and others organized a March for Democracy that started on the National Mall. As the DCATA program continued, over 1000 people from the March For Democracy joined the No War on Iran protest. At this point, organizers knew they had to march. As the truck carrying the lead emcees started moving, droves of MPD flooded the streets, and tried their hardest to impede the march. Quickly thinking, organizers stripped the truck of its audio equipment and proceeded on foot, leading the people to the Department of State building to condemn Trump and Marco Rubio’s attacks.&#xA;&#xA;A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC also spoke during the march, “I think it’s very ironic that Trump billed himself as the ‘anti-war’ president, and here we are, one year into his regime, and where do we stand? We see that he is funding Netanyahu and funding genocide in Palestine. We see that he has kidnapped the president of Venezuela. He has now created war with Iran. He is threatening war with the greater Middle East. He’s threatening war with China. This president doesn’t know the meaning of anti-war – all he knows is war!”&#xA;&#xA;Thousands of people marched down the streets of DC protesting attacks on Iran, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as immigrants and Black people in the U.S. MPD continuously tried to thwart the march by blocking their path at every turn; however, the people stood firm, and marched right through them. The march ended at the Department of State building, and the program closed out with a few more speakers.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DCATA #DCAARPR #PYM #FRSO #Featured&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/m2y5vndN.jpg" alt="Washington DC protest against the attacks on Iran." title="Washington DC protest against the attacks on Iran. | @elli_documents/Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – On February 28, DC residents awoke to the news that the Trump administration had begun a bombing campaign on Iran overnight. Within hours, the DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition (DCATA) made the call for people of conscience in the DMV area to join in protest at the White House.</p>

<p>DCATA had been preparing for a US strike against Iran for weeks, connecting organizations in advance to mobilize within 24 hours of a strike. 32 organizations demanded, “No war with Iran!” with DCATA at the helm. A few hundred people started gathering towards Lafayette Square, as close as you can get to the White House due to the barricades, at the start of the rally. Protesters were carrying Iranian and Palestinian flags, as well as signs reading, “No bombs on Iran!” and “U.S. out of Iran!”</p>



<p>The organizers of the rally began their program on the bed of a pickup truck with emcees from DCATA and Palestinian Youth Movement DMV.</p>

<p>Merawi Gerima, a member of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) and DCATA, started the protest stating, “Unity of action, not of ideas! That’s exactly how we’re gonna stop the United States from pulling us into another war.”</p>

<p>The emcee from PYM DMV stated, “They’re sending Americans to die on behalf of the rich. Americans have made it clear that they do not want another war!”</p>

<p>Elizabeth Paige White, a movement lawyer with the DC Lawyers Against the Trump Agenda (DCLATA) told the crowd, “Donald Trump’s lawlessness has extended to every single resident here. I’m in court every single day defending people who were wrongfully – illegally – arrested, searched, shot at, and almost killed in this city because of these illegal police gangs, these feds riding around with MPD, violating our rights day in and day out. Why do we expect [Trump] to do differently around this country and around the world?”</p>

<p>Earlier that day, 50501DC and others organized a March for Democracy that started on the National Mall. As the DCATA program continued, over 1000 people from the March For Democracy joined the No War on Iran protest. At this point, organizers knew they had to march. As the truck carrying the lead emcees started moving, droves of MPD flooded the streets, and tried their hardest to impede the march. Quickly thinking, organizers stripped the truck of its audio equipment and proceeded on foot, leading the people to the Department of State building to condemn Trump and Marco Rubio’s attacks.</p>

<p>A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC also spoke during the march, “I think it’s very ironic that Trump billed himself as the ‘anti-war’ president, and here we are, one year into his regime, and where do we stand? We see that he is funding Netanyahu and funding genocide in Palestine. We see that he has kidnapped the president of Venezuela. He has now created war with Iran. He is threatening war with the greater Middle East. He’s threatening war with China. This president doesn’t know the meaning of anti-war – all he knows is war!”</p>

<p>Thousands of people marched down the streets of DC protesting attacks on Iran, Palestine, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as immigrants and Black people in the U.S. MPD continuously tried to thwart the march by blocking their path at every turn; however, the people stood firm, and marched right through them. The march ended at the Department of State building, and the program closed out with a few more speakers.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Iran" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Iran</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCATA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCATA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:PYM" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">PYM</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FRSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FRSO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Featured" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Featured</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-hands-off-iran</guid>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 15:44:31 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC: Black and Filipino unity rally</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-black-and-filipino-unity-rally?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. - On February 18, a diverse crowd gathered at Pershing Park for a Black and Filipino Unity Rally. Nearby, police cars and Secret Service vehicles loudly zipped around the area, preparing for the incoming visit by Trump’s so-called Board of Peace. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Chanting “From DC to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine,” the group marched to DC City Hall for the first leg of the demonstration. At city hall, protesters demanded an end to local government collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agencies. The group shouted, “City Council, do your job! Do your job!” and “The people united will never be defeated!” &#xA;&#xA;An organizer with Bayan DMV spoke and stated, “The Filipino communities have been an integral part of the DMV for generations. This city has served as a landing place for Filipinos forced to leave their homeland, a land rich with natural resources and vibrant in its people, but polluted, exploited and impoverished by over a century of U.S. imperialism.”&#xA;&#xA;The march ended at the White House where the group demanded an end to the militarization of Black and brown communities in the U.S. and the Philippines. &#xA;&#xA;February, known as Black History Month, is also International Filipino Solidarity Month. To celebrate this shared month, organizers in the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines joined with Bayan DMV and others to organize a week of action to highlight and continue the 120-plus year history of Black and Filipino people’s shared struggle against US Imperialism.&#xA;&#xA;The week of action began with a teach-in at Sankofa Cafe in Northwest DC, where attendees learned about the Black struggle for self-determination in the South, and Filipino people’s twin struggle for independence from Spain and the United States. &#xA;&#xA;Later in the week, the group screened the film Revolution Selfie: The Red Battalion by Steven De Castro. The film was selected because it provides viewers with a direct perspective into the revolutionary armed struggles waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) against the U.S.-backed Marcos regime. The film shows one of the world’s first same-sex marriages, which occurred in 2005 between two soldiers of the NPA.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #Philippines #Bayan #ICHRP #DCAARPR #International #OppressedNationalities&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/n5VeUnox.jpeg" alt="" title="Black and Filipino unity rally in Washington DC. | FightBack! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – On February 18, a diverse crowd gathered at Pershing Park for a Black and Filipino Unity Rally. Nearby, police cars and Secret Service vehicles loudly zipped around the area, preparing for the incoming visit by Trump’s so-called Board of Peace.</p>



<p>Chanting “From DC to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine,” the group marched to DC City Hall for the first leg of the demonstration. At city hall, protesters demanded an end to local government collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agencies. The group shouted, “City Council, do your job! Do your job!” and “The people united will never be defeated!”</p>

<p>An organizer with Bayan DMV spoke and stated, “The Filipino communities have been an integral part of the DMV for generations. This city has served as a landing place for Filipinos forced to leave their homeland, a land rich with natural resources and vibrant in its people, but polluted, exploited and impoverished by over a century of U.S. imperialism.”</p>

<p>The march ended at the White House where the group demanded an end to the militarization of Black and brown communities in the U.S. and the Philippines.</p>

<p>February, known as Black History Month, is also International Filipino Solidarity Month. To celebrate this shared month, organizers in the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines joined with Bayan DMV and others to organize a week of action to highlight and continue the 120-plus year history of Black and Filipino people’s shared struggle against US Imperialism.</p>

<p>The week of action began with a teach-in at Sankofa Cafe in Northwest DC, where attendees learned about the Black struggle for self-determination in the South, and Filipino people’s twin struggle for independence from Spain and the United States.</p>

<p>Later in the week, the group screened the film <em>Revolution Selfie: The Red Battalion</em> by Steven De Castro. The film was selected because it provides viewers with a direct perspective into the revolutionary armed struggles waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) against the U.S.-backed Marcos regime. The film shows one of the world’s first same-sex marriages, which occurred in 2005 between two soldiers of the NPA.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Philippines" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Philippines</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Bayan" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Bayan</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ICHRP" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ICHRP</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:International" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">International</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:OppressedNationalities" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">OppressedNationalities</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-black-and-filipino-unity-rally</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:23:06 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>FRSO DC holds People’s State of the Union address at U.S. Capitol building</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/frso-dc-holds-peoples-state-of-the-union-address-at-u-s-capitol-building?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[&#xA;&#xA;Washington, D.C. - On Tuesday, February 24, a group of organizers and activists from Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC) and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered in downtown DC within earshot of the U.S. Capitol building to protest Trump’s State of the Union address.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;With a single mic in hand and the capitol framed in the background, the group denounced Trump’s racist policies including attacks on immigrants, workers, Black people, LGBTQ people, and countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.&#xA;&#xA;The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had all of the roads within a few miles of the capitol blocked off, but the group was stationed right up to the barricades. They were met with droves of police, the press, supporters from the public, and one increasingly irate man who continuously screamed, “I love ICE!” His cries were deafened by the sound of the people chanting, “Chinga la migra!”&#xA;&#xA;The program started right before and continued through Trump’s State of the Union address.&#xA;&#xA;Merawi Gerima, a DC native, and organizer with DCAARPR, stated, “We are here tonight because Trump is in that rotunda tonight lying to the American people about all the things he’s doing. He’s claimed to be the bringer of peace to the world, he’s claimed to be bringing jobs to the United States, he’s claiming to be bringing peace to the streets of DC, and we know that’s a lie!”&#xA;&#xA;Gerima continued, “It is our duty, and it is our right, to do everything in our power to make this country ungovernable. To make it impossible for them to continue to exploit us, and kill us, and brutalize us and everyone else around the planet. To \[make it impossible\] to crack open these countries for their profits. We have every right and every duty to stop that from happening, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right here in Washington, DC”&#xA;&#xA;Christina Murdoch, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the Trump administration’s attacks against the LGBTQ community, explaining a backwards policy they are trying to institute with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.&#xA;&#xA;Murdoch stated, “The new policy aims to strip the over 2200 trans people currently held in federal prisons of their access to medically necessary healthcare. They would be subjected to constant misgendering by staff and have all of their gender-affirming items such as binders, bras, and makeup confiscated. First off, fuck you Donald Trump. If you think for a moment that any of us are going to stand by and let you do this to anyone in our beloved trans community, you are wrong.”&#xA;&#xA;#DC #WashingtonDC #FRSO #DCAARPR #Trump #Featured&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/2ElOJ1vK.png" alt="" title="Washington DC protest at Trump&#39;s State of the Union address. | FightBack! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, February 24, a group of organizers and activists from Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC (FRSO DC) and the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) gathered in downtown DC within earshot of the U.S. Capitol building to protest Trump’s State of the Union address.</p>



<p>With a single mic in hand and the capitol framed in the background, the group denounced Trump’s racist policies including attacks on immigrants, workers, Black people, LGBTQ people, and countries like Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.</p>

<p>The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) had all of the roads within a few miles of the capitol blocked off, but the group was stationed right up to the barricades. They were met with droves of police, the press, supporters from the public, and one increasingly irate man who continuously screamed, “I love ICE!” His cries were deafened by the sound of the people chanting, “Chinga la migra!”</p>

<p>The program started right before and continued through Trump’s State of the Union address.</p>

<p>Merawi Gerima, a DC native, and organizer with DCAARPR, stated, “We are here tonight because Trump is in that rotunda tonight lying to the American people about all the things he’s doing. He’s claimed to be the bringer of peace to the world, he’s claimed to be bringing jobs to the United States, he’s claiming to be bringing peace to the streets of DC, and we know that’s a lie!”</p>

<p>Gerima continued, “It is our duty, and it is our right, to do everything in our power to make this country ungovernable. To make it impossible for them to continue to exploit us, and kill us, and brutalize us and everyone else around the planet. To [make it impossible] to crack open these countries for their profits. We have every right and every duty to stop that from happening, and that’s exactly what we’re doing right here in Washington, DC”</p>

<p>Christina Murdoch, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke on the Trump administration’s attacks against the LGBTQ community, explaining a backwards policy they are trying to institute with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.</p>

<p>Murdoch stated, “The new policy aims to strip the over 2200 trans people currently held in federal prisons of their access to medically necessary healthcare. They would be subjected to constant misgendering by staff and have all of their gender-affirming items such as binders, bras, and makeup confiscated. First off, fuck you Donald Trump. If you think for a moment that any of us are going to stand by and let you do this to anyone in our beloved trans community, you are wrong.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FRSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FRSO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Trump" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Trump</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Featured" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Featured</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/frso-dc-holds-peoples-state-of-the-union-address-at-u-s-capitol-building</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:22:51 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC protest demands justice for all victims of ICE terror</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-justice-for-all-victims-of-ice-terror?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Anti ICE protest in Washington DC marks one month anniversary of Renee Good murder.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC – On Friday, February 6, DC organizations joined the call from the Legalization for All network for a National Day of Action in solidarity with the ongoing struggle against ICE terror in Minneapolis and across the country. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Around 50 community members, organizers and activists were out in the street demanding “ICE out!” “Justice for all victims of ICE terror!” and “Legalization for all!” with temperatures well below freezing. Protesters faced down federal and local police. The people were not deterred and protested right up to the barricades of ICE headquarters.&#xA;&#xA;The National Day of Action fell one month after the cold-blooded murder of community observer Renee Good. The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), alongside Families Not Feds (FNF), Movimiento Migrante DC, Youth Demand Action, 50501DC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, hosted the action outside ICE headquarters in Southwest DC. &#xA;&#xA;A member of DCAARPR told the crowd, “This is an ICE Out rally; we want to, and need to kick ICE out of our city, but we also need to keep ICE out. Just a few minutes from here, there is a plan to build another ICE headquarters. It is no coincidence that this is happening in Southeast, a historically Black and brown section of the city.” &#xA;&#xA;He also discussed the case of Phillip Brown, a Black man, who was shot at by a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) officer, and barely escaped with his life. There is concrete evidence that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) covered up for HIS. &#xA;&#xA;A member of Anakbayan DC stated, “Renee Good is another victim of a corrupt, unjust system that treats human beings as disposable. It is a system that has been upheld by both parties and several administrations with our taxpayer dollars. Her murder is a reminder that the government does not care about us.”&#xA;&#xA;Many of the participating organizations have been on the ground in DC leading mass mobilizations against ICE and, more broadly, the racist and reactionary Trump. &#xA;&#xA;The protest finished with a speech by Cameron McLaren, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC., who stated, “We are fighting for a system where no human is illegal, and that starts with legalizing everyone. Legalization for all! We have a collective duty in this moment to stand together, to unite all who can be united, and to fight for a future that belongs to all of us.”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #ImmigrantRights #ICE #L4A #ReneeGood #KillerICE #DCAARPR #FNF #MMDC #YDA #FRSO&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/w26b3KLQ.jpeg" alt="Anti ICE protest in Washington DC marks one month anniversary of Renee Good murder." title="Anti ICE protest in Washington DC marks one month anniversary of Renee Good murder. | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Friday, February 6, DC organizations joined the call from the Legalization for All network for a National Day of Action in solidarity with the ongoing struggle against ICE terror in Minneapolis and across the country.</p>



<p>Around 50 community members, organizers and activists were out in the street demanding “ICE out!” “Justice for all victims of ICE terror!” and “Legalization for all!” with temperatures well below freezing. Protesters faced down federal and local police. The people were not deterred and protested right up to the barricades of ICE headquarters.</p>

<p>The National Day of Action fell one month after the cold-blooded murder of community observer Renee Good. The DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), alongside Families Not Feds (FNF), Movimiento Migrante DC, Youth Demand Action, 50501DC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC, and DC Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, hosted the action outside ICE headquarters in Southwest DC.</p>

<p>A member of DCAARPR told the crowd, “This is an ICE Out rally; we want to, and need to kick ICE out of our city, but we also need to keep ICE out. Just a few minutes from here, there is a plan to build another ICE headquarters. It is no coincidence that this is happening in Southeast, a historically Black and brown section of the city.”</p>

<p>He also discussed the case of Phillip Brown, a Black man, who was shot at by a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) officer, and barely escaped with his life. There is concrete evidence that the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) covered up for HIS.</p>

<p>A member of Anakbayan DC stated, “Renee Good is another victim of a corrupt, unjust system that treats human beings as disposable. It is a system that has been upheld by both parties and several administrations with our taxpayer dollars. Her murder is a reminder that the government does not care about us.”</p>

<p>Many of the participating organizations have been on the ground in DC leading mass mobilizations against ICE and, more broadly, the racist and reactionary Trump.</p>

<p>The protest finished with a speech by Cameron McLaren, an organizer with Freedom Road Socialist Organization – DC., who stated, “We are fighting for a system where no human is illegal, and that starts with legalizing everyone. Legalization for all! We have a collective duty in this moment to stand together, to unite all who can be united, and to fight for a future that belongs to all of us.”</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ImmigrantRights" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ImmigrantRights</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ICE" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ICE</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:L4A" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">L4A</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ReneeGood" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ReneeGood</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:KillerICE" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">KillerICE</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:DCAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">DCAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FNF" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FNF</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MMDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MMDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:YDA" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">YDA</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FRSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FRSO</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-protest-demands-justice-for-all-victims-of-ice-terror</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Feb 2026 21:28:30 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC: Thousands take to the streets after Minneapolis ICE murder of Alex Pretti</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-thousands-take-to-the-streets-after-minneapolis-ice-murder-of?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[March in Washington DC after ICE killing of Alex Pretti.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - Thousands of community members, activists and organizers flocked to Hancock Park on Saturday evening, January 24, to join the rising tide of people around the country denouncing the Minneapolis killing of Alex Pretti.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Families Not Feds, a campaign and coalition that fights for immigrant rights and against federal collaboration, in DC called the action. Organizers announced the protest and vigil mere hours after footage of the murder went viral on social media, and thousands marched - despite bone-chilling temperatures and an incoming snowstorm - to demand justice and an end to ICE. &#xA;&#xA;The march began with chants from the emcees that targeted ICE, Metropolitan Police (MPD), and Trump, among others; with calls of “Chinga la migra!” “Fuck the police” and “Fuck Donald Trump!” &#xA;&#xA;Protesters also expressed their anger with current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who announced her intent to step down from office after the public exposed her lies around ICE and MPD collaboration in addition to her capitulation to Trump’s occupation of DC. Several times, voices boomed in the crowd as attendees united to shout “Bowser, Bowser, you’re a traitor! This term was your last as mayor!” and “Bowser, Bowser, can’t you see? You no longer rep DC!”&#xA;&#xA;After arriving at ICE headquarters, emcee Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) opened the protest with a powerful statement on the importance of solidarity with the victims of ICE terror in Minneapolis, and connected it to the ongoing fight for justice for Phillip Brown in DC; the victim of an attempted murder by an HSI agent during a traffic stop that MPD covered up.&#xA;&#xA;“If it wasn’t for luck, this could’ve been the exact same situation as Renee Good,” said Gerima, “Phillip Brown had bullet holes in his collar, that’s how close he was to death!” &#xA;&#xA;Ermiya Fanaeian, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, told the crowd, “They expect all of us to fall for the lie that our neighbors are our enemies, and the billionaire war profiteers are our friends; the biggest problem humanity faces are the politicians of America. And make no mistake, you cannot murder our neighbors in broad daylight and insist we don’t call you what you are: the biggest force of terrorism we have ever seen!” &#xA;&#xA;During the noise demonstration, several police officers and ICE employees gathered at the front of the building and protesters quickly spotted them as they hurled insults of “Shame!” and “Fuck ICE!” from across the double-barricades erected by the agency in advance of the protest. &#xA;&#xA;The rally ended with a vigil and moment of silence for Alex Pretti, Renee Good and all victims of federal and police violence. Gerima invited attendees to call out other names of victims; Justin Robinson (murdered by MPD in 2024), Dalaneo Martin (murdered by DC Park Police in 2023), George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and others.&#xA;&#xA;“The names are too many to count, but what’s also too much to count is our power,” Gerima said to attendees, “While we sit here in silence we can hear all their machines. Their cop cars, their helicopters, all the tools of the state that they use to repress us, to keep us in line, to keep us from fighting for each other and for better conditions. But we know that they will never have our numbers. So our mission is simple, unite the many to defeat the few!”&#xA;&#xA;Before dispersing, the co-emcee from Movimiento Migrante DC closed the rally with a chant for their ongoing Families Not Feds campaign, which intends to launch a Peoples Ballot initiative for the upcoming mayoral race. &#xA;&#xA;Follow @dcagainsttrump on Instagram to stay up to date with their struggle to keep DC a sanctuary city and defeat the racist Trump agenda.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #ImmigrantRights #NAARPR #FRSO #AlexPretti #KillerICE&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/MwBWMY0Q.jpeg" alt="March in Washington DC after ICE killing of Alex Pretti." title="March in Washington DC after ICE killing of Alex Pretti. | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – Thousands of community members, activists and organizers flocked to Hancock Park on Saturday evening, January 24, to join the rising tide of people around the country denouncing the Minneapolis killing of Alex Pretti.</p>



<p>Families Not Feds, a campaign and coalition that fights for immigrant rights and against federal collaboration, in DC called the action. Organizers announced the protest and vigil mere hours after footage of the murder went viral on social media, and thousands marched – despite bone-chilling temperatures and an incoming snowstorm – to demand justice and an end to ICE.</p>

<p>The march began with chants from the emcees that targeted ICE, Metropolitan Police (MPD), and Trump, among others; with calls of “Chinga la migra!” “Fuck the police” and “Fuck Donald Trump!”</p>

<p>Protesters also expressed their anger with current Mayor Muriel Bowser, who announced her intent to step down from office after the public exposed her lies around ICE and MPD collaboration in addition to her capitulation to Trump’s occupation of DC. Several times, voices boomed in the crowd as attendees united to shout “Bowser, Bowser, you’re a traitor! This term was your last as mayor!” and “Bowser, Bowser, can’t you see? You no longer rep DC!”</p>

<p>After arriving at ICE headquarters, emcee Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR) opened the protest with a powerful statement on the importance of solidarity with the victims of ICE terror in Minneapolis, and connected it to the ongoing fight for justice for Phillip Brown in DC; the victim of an attempted murder by an HSI agent during a traffic stop that MPD covered up.</p>

<p>“If it wasn’t for luck, this could’ve been the exact same situation as Renee Good,” said Gerima, “Phillip Brown had bullet holes in his collar, that’s how close he was to death!”</p>

<p>Ermiya Fanaeian, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, told the crowd, “They expect all of us to fall for the lie that our neighbors are our enemies, and the billionaire war profiteers are our friends; the biggest problem humanity faces are the politicians of America. And make no mistake, you cannot murder our neighbors in broad daylight and insist we don’t call you what you are: the biggest force of terrorism we have ever seen!”</p>

<p>During the noise demonstration, several police officers and ICE employees gathered at the front of the building and protesters quickly spotted them as they hurled insults of “Shame!” and “Fuck ICE!” from across the double-barricades erected by the agency in advance of the protest.</p>

<p>The rally ended with a vigil and moment of silence for Alex Pretti, Renee Good and all victims of federal and police violence. Gerima invited attendees to call out other names of victims; Justin Robinson (murdered by MPD in 2024), Dalaneo Martin (murdered by DC Park Police in 2023), George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor and others.</p>

<p>“The names are too many to count, but what’s also too much to count is our power,” Gerima said to attendees, “While we sit here in silence we can hear all their machines. Their cop cars, their helicopters, all the tools of the state that they use to repress us, to keep us in line, to keep us from fighting for each other and for better conditions. But we know that they will never have our numbers. So our mission is simple, unite the many to defeat the few!”</p>

<p>Before dispersing, the co-emcee from Movimiento Migrante DC closed the rally with a chant for their ongoing Families Not Feds campaign, which intends to launch a Peoples Ballot initiative for the upcoming mayoral race.</p>

<p>Follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dcagainsttrum">@dcagainsttrump</a> on Instagram to stay up to date with their struggle to keep DC a sanctuary city and defeat the racist Trump agenda.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:ImmigrantRights" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">ImmigrantRights</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:NAARPR" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">NAARPR</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:FRSO" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">FRSO</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AlexPretti" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AlexPretti</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:KillerICE" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">KillerICE</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-thousands-take-to-the-streets-after-minneapolis-ice-murder-of</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:35:12 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Washington DC rally demands U.S. hands off Venezuela</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-rally-demands-u-s-hands-off-venezuela?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Kristen Bonner of FRSO DC gives a speech to the crowd outside the Kennedy Center denouncing the U.S. attacks on Venezuela.&#xA;&#xA;Washington, DC - On Tuesday, January 6, a group of over 200 people rallied outside of the Kennedy Center, in D.C. to demand an end to U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Protesters took the streets outside of the Watergate Hotel to march to the Center.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;They chose the location to disrupt and bring attention to a meeting the Trump administration was holding at the venue. Protesters’ signs read, “No more blood for oil” and “No war with Venezuela.” &#xA;&#xA;The rally began with chanting led by emcee Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression - one of almost 20 DC Organizations that assisted in planning the event. Call and response chants like “We want peace, we say how! U.S. out of VZ now!” and “Donald Trump, you fucking clown! You’re not welcome in this town!” were heard as protesters made their way towards the Kennedy Center. These were mingled with calls of “ICE out of DC now!” &#xA;&#xA;Gerima then spoke to the crowd about the importance of the location, citing the meeting between the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans just inside the center, which elicited boos and calls of the “Shame!” from the crowd.&#xA;&#xA;“We must act in solidarity with the people of Venezuela who are telling us to take to the streets,” said Olivia Dinucci from CodePink, “We are here in the belly of the beast where these war criminals are among us!”&#xA;&#xA;“We understand that we share the same enemy,” said the speaker from Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, “and our joint liberation and the liberation of oppressed people all around the world will only be won through collective and unified struggle.”&#xA;&#xA;During the protest, a Republican congressman emerged from the Kennedy Center and walked by the protesters, drawing the attention of the crowd. Spontaneous calls of “Congressman do your job! Do your job, do your job!” and “Shame!” in rhythmic patterns heckled the congressman as he hid from the people behind a wall of police officers before leaving. This prompted another round of booing and chants of “Fuck Donald Trump!” as well as comments from Gerima about how the system preys on poor working-class Black and brown people to take jobs in policing and the military.&#xA;&#xA;“The ruling class does every single thing in its power to throw Black and brown people into poverty,” said Gerima, “but the answer isn’t joining the military. We say the answer is joining us - because we are building a movement that will one day have the power to create a society where we can all have our needs met!”&#xA;&#xA;The protest continued with several more speakers, who touched on how the U.S. intervention in Venezuela is affecting more than just Venezuelans. &#xA;&#xA;“Like Maduro and the rest of Venezuela and Puerto Rico, we hear the planes and their helicopters overhead,” said the speaker from DCAARPR. &#xA;&#xA;“When we strengthen the people’s movement here, we strengthen the peoples’ movements all over the world,” said Kristen Bonner of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, “because our struggles are dialectical, and they are linked!”&#xA;&#xA;The organizations responsible for putting on this event announced plans for further action, including holding a teach-in this Sunday at Sankofa in DC.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="https://i.snap.as/ZKoMwbJ5.jpeg" alt="Kristen Bonner of FRSO DC gives a speech to the crowd outside the Kennedy Center denouncing the U.S. attacks on Venezuela." title="Kristen Bonner of FRSO DC gives a speech to the crowd outside the Kennedy Center denouncing the U.S. attacks on Venezuela. | Fight Back! News"/></p>

<p>Washington, DC – On Tuesday, January 6, a group of over 200 people rallied outside of the Kennedy Center, in D.C. to demand an end to U.S. intervention in Venezuela. Protesters took the streets outside of the Watergate Hotel to march to the Center.</p>



<p>They chose the location to disrupt and bring attention to a meeting the Trump administration was holding at the venue. Protesters’ signs read, “No more blood for oil” and “No war with Venezuela.”</p>

<p>The rally began with chanting led by emcee Merawi Gerima of the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – one of almost 20 DC Organizations that assisted in planning the event. Call and response chants like “We want peace, we say how! U.S. out of VZ now!” and “Donald Trump, you fucking clown! You’re not welcome in this town!” were heard as protesters made their way towards the Kennedy Center. These were mingled with calls of “ICE out of DC now!”</p>

<p>Gerima then spoke to the crowd about the importance of the location, citing the meeting between the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans just inside the center, which elicited boos and calls of the “Shame!” from the crowd.</p>

<p>“We must act in solidarity with the people of Venezuela who are telling us to take to the streets,” said Olivia Dinucci from CodePink, “We are here in the belly of the beast where these war criminals are among us!”</p>

<p>“We understand that we share the same enemy,” said the speaker from Palestinian Youth Movement DMV, “and our joint liberation and the liberation of oppressed people all around the world will only be won through collective and unified struggle.”</p>

<p>During the protest, a Republican congressman emerged from the Kennedy Center and walked by the protesters, drawing the attention of the crowd. Spontaneous calls of “Congressman do your job! Do your job, do your job!” and “Shame!” in rhythmic patterns heckled the congressman as he hid from the people behind a wall of police officers before leaving. This prompted another round of booing and chants of “Fuck Donald Trump!” as well as comments from Gerima about how the system preys on poor working-class Black and brown people to take jobs in policing and the military.</p>

<p>“The ruling class does every single thing in its power to throw Black and brown people into poverty,” said Gerima, “but the answer isn’t joining the military. We say the answer is joining us – because we are building a movement that will one day have the power to create a society where we can all have our needs met!”</p>

<p>The protest continued with several more speakers, who touched on how the U.S. intervention in Venezuela is affecting more than just Venezuelans.</p>

<p>“Like Maduro and the rest of Venezuela and Puerto Rico, we hear the planes and their helicopters overhead,” said the speaker from DCAARPR.</p>

<p>“When we strengthen the people’s movement here, we strengthen the peoples’ movements all over the world,” said Kristen Bonner of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization DC, “because our struggles are dialectical, and they are linked!”</p>

<p>The organizations responsible for putting on this event announced plans for further action, including holding a teach-in this Sunday at Sankofa in DC.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:AntiWarMovement" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">AntiWarMovement</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Venezuela" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Venezuela</span></a></p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/washington-dc-rally-demands-u-s-hands-off-venezuela</guid>
      <pubDate>Sat, 10 Jan 2026 03:50:39 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>Protest against government corruption in Philippines</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/protest-against-government-corruption-in-philippines?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Washington, D.C. - On Sunday, November 30, over 100 activists and community members gathered in DC’s DuPont Circle to protest corruption in the Philippines and demand the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.&#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;“We mobilized our membership to further the global campaign against corruption in the Philippines government,” a member of Anakbayan DC said. “This was recently highlighted by the misuse of funds for flood control projects. 180 billion pesos are unaccounted for and our kababayan \[fellow Filipinos\] are the ones that suffer, not the bureaucratic capitalists that run the country.”&#xA;&#xA;The mood among attendees was high despite rain and near-freezing temperatures. After a short rally in DuPont Circle, protesters took to the streets, chanting slogans like “Imperyalismo — Ibagsak!” (Down with imperialism) and “Burukrata Kapitalismo — Ibagsak!” (Down with bureaucrat capitalism) as they marched to the Philippine embassy.&#xA;&#xA;“It’s important for people in the U.S., both Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, to stand up against injustice in the Philippines considering the colonial relationship and hegemony that the United States has over the Philippines,” said Jom Dolor, co-coordinator of BAYAN DMV and deputy secretary general of MIGRANTE USA.&#xA;&#xA;“You should also see the role that the U.S. plays in both destabilizing the governments and peoples’ movements, all around the world, including the Philippines,” he continued. “It’s also important to see how it profits, both from the wars it instigates and perpetuates in the Philippines and also from the materiel and weapons industry it promotes to counter supposed ‘Chinese influence’ in the region.”&#xA;&#xA;Speaking about her recent trip to the Philippines, a member of Anakbayan Montgomery County said, “I’ve witnessed the effects of the corruption firsthand, charging through the floodwaters in España, visiting barangay \[neighborhood or village\] heads and seeing what the community members needed. And what we learned is that the youth were actually the first people to visit these barangays and actually investigate and see what people needed.”&#xA;&#xA;Towards the end of the action, organizers brought out a paper mache effigy of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, a leading figure in the massive corruption scandals which have rocked the Philippines in recent weeks. The action ended with activists, carrying the flags of various Filino liberation organizations, surrounding the effigy of Marcos Jr. and beating it with their flagpoles while the crowd chanted “Si Marcosmismo - Babagsak!” (Marcos will fall).&#xA;&#xA;The action was organized by BAYAN DMV. During the action, BAYAN and its allies reaffirmed that they would continue to fight against corruption in the Philippines, as well as the exploitation and oppression of Filipinos both at home and overseas.&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #International #Philippines #BAYAN #MIGRANTE #&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Washington, D.C. – On Sunday, November 30, over 100 activists and community members gathered in DC’s DuPont Circle to protest corruption in the Philippines and demand the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte.</p>



<p>“We mobilized our membership to further the global campaign against corruption in the Philippines government,” a member of Anakbayan DC said. “This was recently highlighted by the misuse of funds for flood control projects. 180 billion pesos are unaccounted for and our kababayan [fellow Filipinos] are the ones that suffer, not the bureaucratic capitalists that run the country.”</p>

<p>The mood among attendees was high despite rain and near-freezing temperatures. After a short rally in DuPont Circle, protesters took to the streets, chanting slogans like “Imperyalismo — Ibagsak!” (Down with imperialism) and “Burukrata Kapitalismo — Ibagsak!” (Down with bureaucrat capitalism) as they marched to the Philippine embassy.</p>

<p>“It’s important for people in the U.S., both Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike, to stand up against injustice in the Philippines considering the colonial relationship and hegemony that the United States has over the Philippines,” said Jom Dolor, co-coordinator of BAYAN DMV and deputy secretary general of MIGRANTE USA.</p>

<p>“You should also see the role that the U.S. plays in both destabilizing the governments and peoples’ movements, all around the world, including the Philippines,” he continued. “It’s also important to see how it profits, both from the wars it instigates and perpetuates in the Philippines and also from the materiel and weapons industry it promotes to counter supposed ‘Chinese influence’ in the region.”</p>

<p>Speaking about her recent trip to the Philippines, a member of Anakbayan Montgomery County said, “I’ve witnessed the effects of the corruption firsthand, charging through the floodwaters in España, visiting barangay [neighborhood or village] heads and seeing what the community members needed. And what we learned is that the youth were actually the first people to visit these barangays and actually investigate and see what people needed.”</p>

<p>Towards the end of the action, organizers brought out a paper mache effigy of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, a leading figure in the massive corruption scandals which have rocked the Philippines in recent weeks. The action ended with activists, carrying the flags of various Filino liberation organizations, surrounding the effigy of Marcos Jr. and beating it with their flagpoles while the crowd chanted “Si Marcosmismo – Babagsak!” (Marcos will fall).</p>

<p>The action was organized by BAYAN DMV. During the action, BAYAN and its allies reaffirmed that they would continue to fight against corruption in the Philippines, as well as the exploitation and oppression of Filipinos both at home and overseas.</p>

<p><a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:WashingtonDC" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">WashingtonDC</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:International" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">International</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:Philippines" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">Philippines</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:BAYAN" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">BAYAN</span></a> <a href="https://fightbacknews.org/tag:MIGRANTE" class="hashtag"><span>#</span><span class="p-category">MIGRANTE</span></a> #</p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/protest-against-government-corruption-in-philippines</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 22:27:59 +0000</pubDate>
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      <title>AFA President Sara Nelson slams House passage of NDAA provision rolling back safety protection</title>
      <link>https://fightbacknews.org/afa-president-sara-nelson-slams-house-passage-of-ndaa-provision-rolling-back?pk_campaign=rss-feed</link>
      <description>&lt;![CDATA[Washington, D.C. - The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson released the following statement, December 11, after the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of a National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2026. That NDAA rolls back critical protections put in place after the tragic crash of Flight 5342, which killed all 67 onboard, including AFA PSA flight attendants. &#xA;&#xA;!--more--&#xA;&#xA;Nelson stated, “People died this year. All 67 people onboard Flight 5342 - Flight Attendants, pilots, and passengers. Families are still grieving. Flight Attendants and our flying partners across the country are still carrying the trauma of watching colleagues and passengers lost in a collision that never should have happened. And now the U.S. House has passed a provision that would roll back safety protections that could prevent another disaster.&#xA;&#xA;“Who is even asking for this? The NTSB and Chair Homendy are still investigating the tragic collision, and Section 373 of the NDAA is not only reckless and indefensible, but also a direct undermining of the NTSB’s safety guidance.&#xA;&#xA;“Air travel is the safest mode of transportation because we investigate and adapt in the wake of tragedy. The safety protections currently in place following the January 29 crash are crucial, and lawmakers must fix the NDAA immediately. Families have suffered enough. We have the power and responsibility to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. The Senate must reject this provision now.”&#xA;&#xA;#WashingtonDC #DC #Labor @AFACWA #FlightAttendants&#xA;&#xA;div id=&#34;sharingbuttons.io&#34;/div]]&gt;</description>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Washington, D.C. – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson released the following statement, December 11, after the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of a National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2026. That NDAA rolls back critical protections put in place after the tragic crash of Flight 5342, which killed all 67 onboard, including AFA PSA flight attendants.</p>



<p>Nelson stated, “People died this year. All 67 people onboard Flight 5342 – Flight Attendants, pilots, and passengers. Families are still grieving. Flight Attendants and our flying partners across the country are still carrying the trauma of watching colleagues and passengers lost in a collision that never should have happened. And now the U.S. House has passed a provision that would roll back safety protections that could prevent another disaster.</p>

<p>“Who is even asking for this? The NTSB and Chair Homendy are still investigating the tragic collision, and Section 373 of the NDAA is not only reckless and indefensible, but also a direct undermining of the NTSB’s safety guidance.</p>

<p>“Air travel is the safest mode of transportation because we investigate and adapt in the wake of tragedy. The safety protections currently in place following the January 29 crash are crucial, and lawmakers must fix the NDAA immediately. Families have suffered enough. We have the power and responsibility to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again. The Senate must reject this provision now.”</p>

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      <guid>https://fightbacknews.org/afa-president-sara-nelson-slams-house-passage-of-ndaa-provision-rolling-back</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 01:04:53 +0000</pubDate>
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