Chicago, IL – The U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) commemorated the Nakba, “Catastrophe” in English, which marks the ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians, and the massacre of thousands more, by Zionist militia groups in 1948, in the wake of the establishment of the settler colonial state of Israel. Palestinians and their supporters all around the world remember the Nakba every year on or around May 15.
Chicago, IL – More than a 1200 joined together November 22, at the hall of the Chicago Teachers Union, to refound the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The newly refounded Alliance will center its efforts on building the fight against police crimes and for community control of the police, and it will campaign for the release of political prisoners and the wrongfully convicted.
Freedom Road Socialist Organization joins with people around the globe in condemning the German authorities for trampling on the rights those who fight for the liberation of Palestine. On June 22, the German government banned prominent Palestinian writer Khaled Barakat from speaking at an event against Trump’s “deal of the century.” This outrageous act come on the heels of the German government’s preventing a speech by the Palestinian leader Rasmea Odeh, and her subsequent deportation.
New York, NY – A crowd gathered at The People’s Forum on June 9 to hear Rasmea Odeh and Suzanne Adely speak on the repression of the Palestinian solidarity movement by the United States and Israel. Rasmea Odeh is a famous Palestinian woman leader who has dedicated her life to the Palestinian struggle and liberation of her people. She was a former political prisoner of Israel, and had her human rights violated. Odeh later became the target of political repression in the United States in 2013, after FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas targeting the Antiwar 23 were defeated.
The Committee to Stop FBI Repression strongly supports Rasmea Odeh’s right to speak in Berlin about the Palestinian liberation struggle. We stand with the many other organizations who condemn the German, Israeli, and U.S. governments’ attacks on Rasmea and their attempts to silence her by revoking her visa and prohibiting her from political activity ( see article about the March 15 incident).
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from Frank Chapman, Field Organizer of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
Freedom Road Socialist Organization sharply condemns the decision by German authorities to prevent the respected Palestinian leader Rasmea Odeh from speaking in Berlin, March 15. According to reports we have reviewed, German police accosted Rasmea outside the hall where she was scheduled to appear, surrounded the venue with hundreds of cops, and handed her documents that canceled her visa. Police then followed Rasmea, demanding she go to another part of the city, and harassed her as she did so.
Today is the one year anniversary of my deportation, and I miss you all very much. I miss the colorfulness of my life with you, and the value that you added to it! My life now is as grey as everything else in Jordan, but it would be worse without the legacy of struggle that we built together. Our wonderful, strong relationships have deep roots that continue to grow, and these lovely memories accompany me every day, especially on the difficult ones.
New York, NY – Around 30 protesters gathered in Washington Square Park, April 20 to stand in solidarity with Palestinians protesting on the border of Gaza.
March 8 celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD). This important international holiday originates in the struggles of working women in the U.S. Now is a pivotal time in the history of the fight for women’s liberation. At this moment women are finding their voices, their strength, and solidarity in numbers.
New York, NY – Organizers gathered at the International Action Center, Jan. 16, for a panel called “After J20: Fighting Back Against Political Repression.” The panel was organized by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression – NYC (CSFR) as part of the #DaysOfRage. The #DaysOfRage is building towards a final rally on Jan. 20, which is the one-year anniversary of the inauguration of Trump.
Chicago, IL — About 150 people gathered outside the international terminal, Sept. 19, at Chicago's O'Hare airport in support of Rasmea Odeh. The send-off rally was the last chance for supporters to say goodbye, as Rasmea was forced to depart the U.S. after an almost four-year legal and political struggle. Speakers applauded Rasmea and a defense campaign that put Israel on trial for its crimes, and lifted up the cause of Palestinian liberation.
Detroit, MI – Palestinian American icon Rasmea Odeh made her final court appearance in Detroit on August 17. Odeh knew the sentence before she arrived. The defense and prosecution agreed to a sentence of removal from the U.S., and Judge Gerswhin Drain approved. Odeh was looking forward to making her public statement before the court.
Chicago, IL – A standing room only crowd of over 1200 people packed the International Union of Operating Engineers hall for the August 12 farewell event in honor of Palestinian liberation icon Rasmea Odeh. The hosts were those forces that had worked tirelessly on her behalf for four years: the Rasmea Defense Committee, the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR), and the Coalition to Protect People’s Rights.
Fight Back News Service is following statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee, Committee to Stop FBI Repression, and U.S. Palestinian Community Network.
Chicago, IL – On July 13, over 75 Palestinian and Arab women gathered at Jerusalem Banquets to celebrate the release of Towards the Sun, a book written by members of the Arab Women's Committee (AWC).
Chicago, IL – On July 13, over 75 Palestinian and Arab women gathered at Jerusalem Banquets to celebrate the release of Towards the Sun, a book written by members of the Arab Women's Committee (AWC).
Chicago, IL – El 18 de mayo en una manifestación en la ciudad de Chicago, Rasmea Odeh le dio la bienvenida al ex-prisionero político Oscar López Rivera. Oscar López duró 35 años en una prisión de los EE.UU. Fue encarcelado injustamente por haber luchador por la independencia de su patria Puerto Rico. Al igual que él, Rasmea Odeh también enfrenta represión y deportación por parte del gobierno de los EE.UU. debido a su activismo por la liberación de Palestina.
Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh embraces former political prisoner, Oscar López Rivera, at a rally in Chicago, on May 18. López Rivera spent 35 years in a U.S. prison. He was unjustly imprisoned for fighting for the independence of Puerto Rico, his homeland. Like him, Rasmea Odeh is up against repression – deportation by the U.S. government for her activism for a free Palestine.
Chicago, IL – Rasmea Odeh speaks to a massive crowd at the May Day rally at Union Park in Chicago, May 1. The International Workers Day action eventually grew to 20,000 people marching in the streets. Odeh, who represented the Arab American Action Network, highlighted organizing with Arab and Muslim immigrants to resist attacks coming from the Trump regime.
