Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Together United Students for a Democratic Society.

On March 17th Tulane University arrested one of its students for speaking up in defense of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. Last week, Tulane University closed its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion office. A Tulane student, in response to their school’s cowardly compliance with the racist Trump agenda, wore a paper sign on their backpack saying “Tulane just got rid of DEI… If you have the means, go elsewhere.”

While in the LBC, Tulane’s student center, they heard a member of Tulane’s administration comment on their bag. After briefly forgetting their bag in the student center, Tulane reported a bomb threat as an excuse to remove it from its place near an ongoing admissions event.

When the student returned for their bag, they were arrested by the Tulane University Police Department. TUPD went on to detain them and intimidate them despite having no criminal charges against them. This student was arrested because of their political speech in a clear violation of the First Amendment. Police officers continued to coerce and intimidate them while they were detained. TUPD threatened that if they did not comply with interrogation immediately, their silence would lead to university conduct charges that could end their education at Tulane.

Earlier this month a similar false bomb threat was reported by Barnard University to clear a student protest. Tulane’s cowardice in the face of political speech from its students only grows, but the students will not be silenced! Whether it is an individual exercising their free speech or an organized student protest, universities have no right to use police to silence their students!

Protect Free Speech on Campus! Defend DEI!

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #SDS

Similar to Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian student detained last week despite having a permanent legal status, she played a role in the pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia, including the Hind's Hall building occupation.

Authorities claim that this is normal protocol related to her visa status. That is not true. It is part of a pattern of repression that includes Khalil's case, and the investigations carried out by Trump's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. These arrests come hot on the heels of the university suspending or expelling 22 students at Columbia University.

Emergency campus protests to “Free Mahmoud Khalil” are underway across the U.S. 1000 students walked out on Tuesday in New York City alone. More protests are springing up.

“It's political repression of campus activists who want to use their free speech to talk about Palestine, plain and simple,” said Erin Boyle, the vice president of national Students for a Democratic Society. “Trump promised deportations of Palestinian and pro-Palestine students to quench the movement, and now he's trying to deliver. But it won't work. As long as the student movement is alive and Israel occupies Palestinian land, we will never be silent.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudnetMovement #AntiWarMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #MahmoudKhalil #LeqaaKorida

Tampa, FL – On March 12, Tampa Bay’s Students for a Democratic Society led a protest to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, who is under the threat of deportation as the U.S. pushes to revoke his green card.

Khalil is a Columbia University graduate who had participated in the nationwide pro-Palestinian encampments on his campus. He was arrested when ICE agents entered his home, taking him into custody in front of his wife, without his having been charged with any crime.

Khalil’s case is a clear threat to students and community who choose to participate in pro-Palestine protests, something the students of the University of South Florida are familiar with.

At the Tampa protest on Fowler Avenue, SDS member Joseph Charry spoke about his experience with USF. Charry was hit with a suspension from the university while out of the country, with FSU claiming he was responsible for the violence that occurred after police tear-gassed and arrested students during the nationwide solidarity encampments.

Charry stated, “At no point during my suspension process did any USF administration officials help me figure out what I should do, or what would happen to my student visa, or if I was effectively being deported from the country”

Charry was eventually forced to leave the country in September of 2024 to avoid any future complications. Charry was eventually able to return. He states, “Neither me nor Mahmoud or any other international student should be deported for standing up for Palestine”

A crowd of about 50 community members, including members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Tampa Bay Activist United, Party for Socialism and Liberation and others, joined students in a march in front of the University of South Florida with speeches demanding for the release of Khalil and the stop to the repression of pro-Palestinian solidarity actions under Trump.

As both the Trump administration and Universities crack down on what they deem “antisemitism” and “Hamas sympathizers,” these students remain steadfast in their support for the Palestinian community.

Tampa Bay SDS remains an expelled organization at USF; however the students say, “SDS will continue to fight on the right side of history.”

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MahmoudKhalil #SDS

New York, NY – On March 11, over 1000 students from universities throughout the city rallied at Washington Square Park to protest the detention by ICE of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate and Palestinian student activist.

On March 8, Columbia University allowed ICE agents to come onto campus to detain Mahmoud Khalil. Despite being a permanent lawful resident of the country due to his green card, he is being threatened with deportation from the country in response to his activism against Israel’s genocide of his own people.

Students chanted, “We want justice you say how? Free Mahmoud Khalil now!” and “ICE, NYPD off our universities!” Speakers from the NYU Students for Justice in Palestine (NYU SJP), NYU Students for a Democratic Society (NYU SDS) and NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (NYU FSJP) spoke on Mahmoud’s kidnapping and the attack this presents to the Palestinian liberation movement and the rights to free speech and protest.

“Mahmoud's arrest represents more than one individual's plight – it symbolizes how university administrations have increasingly militarized campus spaces and collaborated with law enforcement to silence legal dissent, in violation of the First Amendment” said the speaker for NYU SJP.

“Trump and his goons want to use this as a way to divide and scare people away from Palestinian activism. He wants us to sit back down, and stay quiet – But as they try to put out the flames of our movement, we are only burning brighter and hotter than ever before!” said the speaker from NYU SDS, Ebtesham Ahmed.

Ahmed continued, “In fact, in his attempts to scare us away, Donald Trump exposed the fear of himself, his cronies, and the billionaire class who has always had full control of our government. They saw the power of the people firsthand. Their fear is what drove them to kidnap Mahmoud, because as powerful as they make themselves out to be, the people united will never be defeated!”

After the speakers, the students marched through downtown Manhattan to City Hall Park. Dozens of NYPD officers followed the students as they marched. Zionist agitators shouted, “Go home terrorists!” and other racist remarks. But the students continued to march to their end location.

At City Hall Park, NYPD officers blocked off the park entrance. Protesters, outraged, chanted “NYPD KKK ICE! They’re all the same!” After the students tried to reclaim the street, NYPD officers barreled into the crowd and arrested over 20 people. The rally dispersed afterwards with students joining a rally against Eric Adams later that day.

#NewYorkNY #NY #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MahmoudKhalil #PoliticalRepression

Minneapolis, MN – On March 11, over 300 people protested in front of the Federal Building downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the Trump administration’s criminalization of the pro-Palestine student movement at U.S. The protest was a part of Student for a Democratic Society’s call for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Khalil.

On the evening of March 8, the Department of Homeland Security detained Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This was the first detention after Trump ordered the State Department to deport students for pro-Palestine activism. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder, and his arrest is an unlawful violation of freedom of speech and immigration laws.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899 requires “the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other […] report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”

On February 28, The Department of Justice announced that a federal task force to “Combat Antisemitism” would visit ten college campuses that “experienced incidents of antisemitism.” Trump’s administration conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and criminalizes students, staff and faculty who have protested a deadly genocide that has killed over 48,000 people in Gaza. This is a discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian and Middle Eastern students, faculty and staff. Columbia University and University of Minnesota are among campuses under investigation.

Crista Ocampo, an organizer with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke to the crowd, “We condemn this egregious case of political repression at the hands of ICE. ICE officers have terrorized communities across the country for far too long and now they are being used as a tool by Trump to further repress the Palestine movement. Shame! We won’t let them get away with this. Just look at the hard fought battle SDS put up and won against their administration to get the suspensions dropped for the Halimy Hall students. When our oppressors’ attacks become more blatant, it only makes it easier for us to unite with each other on the path to justice. We will never stop fighting because we know that that’s how we win.”

Lina Jebara, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, closed out the protest, “These acts of political repression – of plucking community leaders from movements, of threatening organizers with unconstitutional deportations or with phony felony charges, as we’ve seen here in our community – are not new for this country. These are deliberate actions taken to make us fear retaliation for standing up against depraved injustices, to push us towards acquiescence. We’re out here today, after witnessing months of harrowing genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel on our dime, to say that these tactics do not and will not work on us.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, UMN Educators for Justice in Palestine, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and endorsed by UMN Students for Justice in Palestine, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #Trump #SDS #MNAWC #SJP #MIRAC #JVP #AMP

On Saturday, March 8, Department of Homeland Security and ICE agents seized and detained a prominent Palestinian student leader at Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, despite his immigration status as a legal permanent resident. There are no grounds for the arrest, except that Khalil stood up for Palestine during the spring 2024 Columbia encampment for Gaza. Khalil is being illegally detained in the 2nd District in Louisiana.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the detention of Khalil and demands his release immediately. We will be joining protests across the U.S and call on everyone to join us!

We see this as a gross attack on free speech and the campus movement for Palestine. This comes hot on the heels of Trump cutting $400 million of federal funding to Columbia University after an investigation of so-called anti-Semitism – or what is in reality a hunt for the students who have organized major protests for Palestine.

Using the Office of Civil Rights and a new Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Trump has his goons visiting schools around the country (ten so far)  to carry out similar investigations. School administrators have already carried out mass suspensions, expulsions and even forced deportations of pro-Palestine students in the past year. Trump wants to double down on this attitude and defund higher education at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

Khalil's arrest has outraged people all around the country. 14 members of Congress signed a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding his release, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the deportation process. Even if people disagree about events in the Middle East, it is clear that the right to discuss Palestine is being criminalized. But, it is only right and just for students to talk about the 45,000 deaths, the millions displaced, and the countless atrocities committed by Israel. These crimes are bankrolled by the U.S.

We will oppose Trump's agents and all complicit university administrators. We demand freedom for Khalil. We will raise hell until he is out. And we will not tolerate the arrest of any more Palestinians, pro-Palestine youth, or campus activists. Israel has no right to exist, and it exists on stolen land and borrowed time. More and more people realize this every day. And in the end, no Trump task force or ICE agent will be able to defeat the determination of the people to see a free Palestine.

#AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #ImmigrantRights #MahmoudKhalil #Featured

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from UMN Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

On March 10, after 10 days of deliberation, the University of Minnesota’s panel for the disciplinary hearing of the students arrested during the occupation of Halimy Hall decided that the student protestors were found not responsible for the unjust charges of violation of local, state or federal laws, theft, property damage, and vandalism because of the absolute lack of evidence.

The sanctions decided by the panelists involve a one-year disciplinary probation, 40 hours of community service, prohibition of entry to Morrill Hall for one year, and a restorative justice resolution that will involve writing a letter to the Morrill Hall employees impacted by the protest and engaging in a listening circle with them. All students were offered a restorative justice option instead of punitive justice.

The dropping of suspensions and restitutions, as well as the panel finding the protestors not guilty on a majority of the initial Student Code violations, is a huge win for pro-Palestinian student activism. The panel also notably found the protestors not guilty of violating local, state, or federal laws, further delineating the illegitimacy of the current bogus felony charges on protestor Robyn Harbison. This is especially meaningful coming after Rebecca Cunningham’s most recent email to the university body, stating that the university will fully comply with the Anti-Defamation League’s investigation into anti-semitism on the university campus.

We are in a moment of increased political repression and fear, people are becoming afraid to use their voice to protest the injustices around them. In this moment, it is especially vital that we keep standing up and protesting Trump’s attacks and that we keep fighting for Palestinian liberation. The hearing results constitute a major victory for the entire student movement, but we must keep fighting against the repression that is rampant on campuses across the country, especially following the kidnapping of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil by ICE. We will continue to stand up and support all protesters facing unjust repression because as long as our University or country remains complicit in genocide it is our duty to fight back.

While the University and Rebecca Cunningham continue to preemptively appeal to Zionist bodies and Trump’s increasingly repressive executive orders, the students and the pro-Palestine movement stand strong. When placed under the intense scrutiny of a proper legal procedure and the strong support of the community to back the students, the university’s case crumbled due to a lack of evidence. Despite every effort to harass and intimidate the students into a guilty verdict, the university’s attempt to capitulate to Zionism failed.

During an era of heightened repression for student activists, including the involuntary detainment of pro-Palestinian foreign student activists by the Department of Homeland Security, it is vitally important for students to continue showing up to fight for Palestine and to fight for their fellow students. As we continue to see increased repression against people’s movements at large, we must remember to stay loud about our repression because this victory was only possible thanks to the tireless struggle of the students and the community at large.

We will continue to struggle against all political repression and for a free Palestine!

Dare to struggle!

Dare to win!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #SDS #Statement

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, February 20, around 30 Loyola students and New Orleans community members rallied in front of Loyola University to demand that university administration drop the semester-long suspension of student activist Carson Cruse. The action was organized by the Liberate and Unite New Orleans chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS).

At the rally, the crowd chanted slogans such as “We want justice, you say how? Drop the suspension now!” and “Hold that line, yeah hold that line! Hold that line for student rights!”

Cruse was set to graduate in May, but if his suspension is maintained, he will be set back from graduating for another six months, if not longer.

Cruse told the crowd, “We understand that students will get absolutely nothing that we are not willing and organized to take. Through protracted campaigns and direct action, we can unite around our common needs as students to demand administration do their jobs for once!”

Several current and former students at Loyola gave speeches. Nat Arredondo with LUNO SDS pointed out that the resources used to prosecute Cruse could have been better spent on stopping sexual abuse. “Since my freshman year I have lived in the same dorms as sexual abusers, I have watched friends come out with disgusting testimonies that the administration heard and punished them for. But the abuser? They get to walk free,” stated Arredondo.

Loyola University administration issued Cruse’s suspension after he was reported for giving a public comment at a board meeting for the Port of New Orleans. His comment was part of an ongoing campaign by a local organization, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), to demand the port stop sending weapons and aid to Israel.

The woman who reported Carson’s comment, Sharonda Williams, is both on the board of the Port of New Orleans and a lawyer for Loyola University. Before her report, Cruse had been on academic probation due to his involvement in the Tulane University encampment for Palestine in April 2024. Under the terms of his probation, one more strike against him meant he would face suspension or full expulsion from Loyola.

Near the end of the rally, the protesters picketed and blocked the entrance to the school until they were shut down by the university police.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #StudentMovement #SDS #FreeSpeech #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression

Minneapolis, MN – On January 17, supporters held a press conference and packed the room for Robyn Harbison’s pre-trial hearing. He is currently facing a fourth degree felony assault charge after his arrest alongside ten other protestors at the occupation of Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota. The University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (UMN SDS) was protesting the university’s continued refusal to divest from Israel. Protesters renamed the building to Halimy Hall, after Palestinian student killed by Israel in August 2023.

At the press conference after the rally, several speakers from organizations in the Twin Cities , such as UMN SDS, Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, and Women Against Military Madness spoke out against the unjust political repression being faced by the arrestees, most of whom are current students at the University of Minnesota.

Jess Sundin from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice said about the police response to the Halimy Hall protest, “It is the job of the police to uphold the current status quo. They are violently arresting students, throwing them to the ground and setting bogus charges against them,” adding that the police and the system, “have a vested interest in continuing the genocide.”

Harbison’s trial date has been set for May 5.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #Palestine #SDS #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech

Donaldsonville, LA – At 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, about 20 people huddled together in the former Rosenwald School for African American children. The building is now part of the River Road African American Museum and hosted a panel titled, “Defending our Right to Protest.”

Attendees came to hear about how to defend our movements from political attacks. Participants drove in from the host town of Donaldsonville and surrounding cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

Panelist Tuere Burns from Bar None by Design, a nonprofit that supports Black individuals and families impacted by incarceration, spoke about her past as a survivor of police brutality and her work as an organizer for political prisoners. “This wasn’t about individual police,” Burns stated. “This was about the police as a racist institution.”

Toni Jones, the chair of New Orleans for Community Oversight of the Police agreed. “Everywhere Black people are taking the lead in fighting for their rights the police are there to repress them,” she said.

Juleea Berthelot, of Liberate and Unite New Orleans Students for a Democratic Society (LUNO SDS) and a student at Loyola University of New Orleans, stated, “We can’t do marches, rallies, even educational events on campus. So, we moved off campus. Now they’re saying we can’t do anything off campus either, or we’ll be suspended.”

Colin Leonard, a member of the Louisiana National Lawyers Guild, also saw political violence on the rise, stating, “The New Orleans Police Department has historically treated protests like a second line. That has begun to change in relation to the protests for Palestine.”

Leonard also spoke about what you can do before arrests happen, stating, “We train people to be legal observers, to take detailed notes on what the police are doing in case anyone gets arrested or the police violate our rights. It can be anyone, not just lawyers.”

The panel also provided attendees with concrete steps to take in case of arrest. “Planned political arrests are an important tool, but you have to be prepared,” said Juleea Berthelot.

Toni Jones spoke about her own arrest at a protest of Tulane University in March of 2024, stating, “It’s really important to pressure the jail from the moment that people are arrested. That looks like jail support, going to the jail in person, and call-ins.”

Remarking on the success of political defense, Jones said, “They were convinced I wasn’t gonna get out of there, I had the orange jumpsuit on and everything. But what political defense does is it lets us take the initiative. I got out that night and was back in the movement.”

Juleea Berthelot also spoke about their trial after their arrest at the Loyola and Tulane encampment last May, stating, “We packed the courts for every court date. At my trial, people were taking turns waiting in the hallway so everyone got a chance to sit in the courtroom with us.”

Berthelot also gave advice on how to build up to court appearances, stating, “You need to be out there and be public about it. Lawyers will tell you not to, but you need to put a face and a name to your case because it characterizes it for people. And you are a person, you’re a part of a community that is under attack.”

Participants concluded by discussing how important it is to unite the movements for change, especially considering the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This panel will be the first of a series hosted by the museum.

#DonaldsonvilleLA #LA #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech

Tampa, FL – On December 16, around 100 supporters from across the country rallied at the Sam M. Gibbons Federal Courthouse in Tampa, Florida for the sentencing hearing of the Uhuru 3: Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel. In September, the Uhuru 3 were found not guilty of acting as unregistered agents of the Russian government but were unfairly convicted of “conspiracy” to act as unregistered agents of the Russian government.

Prosecutors were pushing for five years of prison time and $250,000 fines for the Uhuru 3. Instead, U.S. District Judge William Jung sentenced them to 36 months of probation, 300 hours of community service, no jail time and no fines. As soon as the judge left the courtroom, the packed courthouse broke into applause and continued their celebration outside with chants of “Not one day, not one dime!”

“When they indicted us, they expected us to fold. They expected us to run or to take a plea, which is mainly how they achieve their 99% conviction rate in federal criminal cases,” said Jainabah Lumumba, the southern regional representative of the African People’s Socialist Party and granddaughter of Yeshitela. “We didn’t fold, we didn’t run, we didn’t hide, we didn’t take a plea to confess to something we didn’t do.”

Inside the courthouse, Judge Jung stated that the Uhuru 3’s statements had been protected speech. “If you listen to what the judge had to say, he said what our lawyers have been saying all along,” said Yeshitela. “Our lawyers have said that we shouldn’t be here. Our lawyers have said that even if this thing goes to trial, it’s an assault, a major assault on the First Amendment.”

After the verdict, a summation and rally were held at the Uhuru House in Saint Petersburg where Attorney Angela Reaney indicated that the Uhuru 3’s legal team will be submitting an appeal of the conspiracy conviction.

#TampaFL #Uhuru3 #PoliticalRepression

Palmer explained, “About 1 p.m. I was cooking in my apartment, and I saw a silhouette walk by my window and heard a knock at the door. I opened the door, asking ‘Hi, can I help you?’”

“The man asked my first and last name, and I said ‘Yes?’, then he showed a bronze badge around his neck and said they were the FBI. The FBI agent then asked if I could speak to them, and I said ‘No, do you have a warrant?’”

“The FBI agent said ‘no,’ and said he wanted to talk about threats and potential danger that groups I am a part of are facing currently. He said something about the FBI wants to offer resources for my protection and for those of the group’s members.”

“I then said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you today, thank you.’ And the FBI agent responded, ‘Okay….’” Palmer then shut the door and locked it.

When asked if they felt intimidated, Jonce Palmer answered, “Activists in the FRSO have taught me from their previous experiences how to respond to the FBI knock at the door. I knew not to talk or answer questions. I am glad I was prepared and knew my rights.”

When asked about advice for others, Palmer said, “The only thing I would do different, is to ask for a card so our lawyer could follow up.”

The next day, Denver lawyer Mark Burton called the FBI office asking the FBI to leave his client alone. Burton is also writing a letter to the FBI to also ask them about the specific threat the FBI agents are claiming Palmer and activist groups face.

#AuroraCO #CO #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #FBI

More than a dozen people gathered to call for code of conduct charges to be dropped on student protesters like Saba Indawala, who was temporarily suspended by USF for being an SDS member, and SDS members Kinsey Dyal, Vicky Tong, and Daniel Mendez, who were hit with conduct charges three weeks after attempting to protest on campus on October 1.

Protesters rallied with the slogans “Defend the right to protest the genocide in Gaza,” “Stop the suspension of Saba Indawala,” “Drop the conduct charges on student protesters” and “Down with policy 6-028,” a new policy introduced by USF’s administration in the summer that puts limits on campus events, requires administration approval of protests, bans bake sales, and launches other attacks on students’ free speech.

USF SDS member Vicky Tong stated, “All three of us were interrogated, and they were trying to force us to say we were not affiliated with SDS, and they said that if we were, we would have to go through a formal hearing. They manipulated all of us into giving answers the USF administration wanted to hear.”

Tong also explained how administration forced Kinsey Dyal to choose between a hearing advisor and an accessibility officer, and after choosing an accessibility officer, instead of aiding them, the officer interrogated and pressured them into giving certain answers. Thankfully, the protesters were told only to write essays as punishment, but not before having been mocked and bullied by the USF administration.

Other organizations which shared statements included Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which stood in solidarity with student protesters and with Tampa Bay SDS, chanting: “USF shame on you, student voices matter too!”

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #Palestine

Minneapolis, MN – On November 8, the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition rallied outside Hennepin County Government Center in support of student arrestees who face both university disciplinary action and potential criminal charges for protest action.

The arrests took place on October 21, when campus community members occupied Morrill Hall at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Demands included UMN divestment from companies complicit in the Gaza genocide and severing ties with Israeli universities. Occupiers renamed the building “Halimy Hall,” after Medo Halimy, a Gazan Palestinian student who was murdered by Israeli forces in August.

Eleven individuals were arrested and jailed for allegedly participating in the occupation. Among those, UMN alumni Robyn Harbinson, faces fourth degree assault charges. Other students detained face potential suspensions, evictions from on-campus housing, and other repressive measures pending disciplinary hearings – as well as the looming possibility of criminal charges from prosecutors.

Protesters demanded that Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis decline to pursue charges against any of the arrestees, and that the University of Minnesota revoke all punishments for students.

Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley, representing Ward 2, where many UMN students live, spoke at the rally and told the crowd she recently introduced a resolution titled, “Expressing solidarity with nonviolent campus activism opposing war and supporting Palestinian human rights, and urging no charges be filed against protestors arrested at the University of Minnesota on October 21, 2024.”

The draft resolution points out that in January 2024, Minneapolis city council passed a ceasefire resolution aligning with many of the same goals as the student protesters’ demands. It also notes a historic 1970 occupation of Morrill Hall by Black students, and a similar movement in the 1970s and ‘80s that ultimately won university divestment from apartheid South Africa.

Wonsley announced that the resolution will be discussed at the December 3 city council meeting and she invited the Palestine solidarity movement to come to the meeting to show support for the resolution.

“These attacks on campus protests show that the political repression many commentators have accused the incoming Trump administration of planning, is in fact already here,” said Wyatt Miller, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee. “Now that the election is over, it’s crucial to keep focus on the movement against the U.S./ Israeli genocide in Palestine, including these brave student protesters, who history will no doubt absolve.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #SDS

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Students for a Democratic Society University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Chapter.

The Students for a Democratic Society UWM chapter condemns the ongoing political repression against Robby Knapp, Patricia Fish, Kayla Paterson, and Audari Tamayo. Knapp is currently facing suspension after refusing to stop protesting for Palestine and has been hit with multiple disciplinary sanctions. Fish is now being hit with disciplinary sanctions from the Chapman Hall occupation in February. Patterson and Tamayo were unable to enroll in time for the Fall 2024 semester after bogus holds were placed on their school accounts. This was just part of the string of repression unleashed by the university in its attempt to intimidate members of SDS and the student movement at large for standing with Palestine.

At 2:00 a.m., June 20, UWM PD officers went to Robby Knapp’s home. They arrested Knapp at 2:25 a.m., took the long way to campus, and didn’t read his Miranda rights until after arriving at the campus booking station at 3:00 a.m. They later released Knapp at 3:26 a.m., with no way to get home. This despicable act of intimidation was to force the SDSer to give the police information about an alleged “graffiti” incident on campus.

Later that week, the police visited the homes of Tamayo and Patterson, visiting Tamayo’s home twice. Both SDSers live over 20 minutes away from campus, making the repeated visits by campus police even more ridiculous. Neither SDSer spoke to the cops. The UWM police later called them both repeatedly, attempting to intimidate Patterson and Tamayo into going in for a “chat” and giving them information on their dubious investigations into other SDS members. In defiance, all three SDSers – Knapp, Patterson, and Tamayo – refused to say a word to the cops.

SDS has been relentless in standing up for what is right. The struggle has risen to levels unseen in decades, and with it, the ruling class and the administrators at their service have attempted to stomp out the growth of the student movement. We know police weren’t acting on their own — they act on behalf of the administration. It was admin who wanted to crack down on the encampment. It was admin who called over 10 police precincts during the Chapman Hall occupation in February, and it was the admin that had riot police and pre-printed citations ready for student activists during the Board of Regents meeting in June. The administration is not our friend, they are tools of the war machine.

We denounce these political attacks from the administration and the UWM PD. SDS will never talk to the cops in their bogus investigations against fellow organizers, much less members of SDS. UW-Milwaukee is spending student and taxpayer money on sham investigations, sending cops far off campus to intimidate pro-Palestine student activists over some alleged graffiti. It's a shame. This is one of many reasons we demand that admin defund the cops and instead fund student needs!

Along with attacks against SDSers, SDS UWM has been suspended from being a registered student organization for over a year. All this is clear-cut political repression directed at pro-Palestine activists and organizations. Nonetheless, targeting SDS has backfired on admin. SDS has continued to deal blows against the enemy. In addition to advancing our campaign to cut ties with “Israel”, we have gotten cases dismissed at court, overturned an unfounded suspension alongside our coalition members in the Popular University for Palestine, and we’ve had student conduct charges brought down to simple “reflection essays”. SDS has grown and helped build the movement on this campus and in Milwaukee through struggle, not compromise. Admin will keep failing because with every act of repression, our resolve to win only grows.

SDS demands UW-Milwaukee drop the student conduct charges and investigations against Robby Knapp and Patricia Fish! SDS demands UWM PD stay the hell away from SDSers' homes! SDS says solidarity with Palestine is not a crime! SDS says don’t talk to the cops, chop from the top! Dare to struggle, dare to win!

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #FreeSpeech #SDS

Tampa, FL – El jueves 10 de octubre, el abogado Leonard Goodman presentó una moción posterior al juicio en nombre de los Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess y Jesse Nevel – pidiendo al juez William Jung una “sentencia absolutoria por el cargo de conspiración” o un nuevo juicio por ese cargo.

En el veredicto contradictorio de septiembre, los Uhuru 3 fueron declarados no culpables de actuar como agentes no registrados del gobierno ruso, pero fueron condenados injustamente por “conspiración” para actuar como agentes no registrados del gobierno ruso.

Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess y Jesse Nevel declararon victoria al derrotar la acusación del gobierno de que su trabajo de luchar por reparaciones, justicia y paz para la comunidad negra se llevaba a cabo bajo la dirección y control de un gobierno extranjero. “Nosotros trabajamos para la gente negra, no para Rusia”, dijo Yeshitela.

#TampaFL #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Uhuru3

Tampa, FL – On Thursday, October 10, Attorney Leonard Goodman filed a post-trial motion on behalf of the Uhuru 3 – Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel – asking Judge William Jung for a “judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy charge” or a new trial on that charge.

In September’s contradictory verdict, the Uhuru 3 were found not guilty of acting as unregistered agents of the Russian government but were unjustly convicted of “conspiracy” to act as unregistered agents of the Russian government.

Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel declared victory in defeating the government’s claim that their lifelong advocacy for Black reparations, justice and peace was conducted under the direction and control of a foreign government. “We work for Black people, not Russia” said Yeshitela.

#TampaFL #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Uhuru3

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, October 26, the Free Palestine Coalition organized a rally that drew out 75 community members and students to send a message to University of Minnesota administration that the repression of student Palestine solidarity protesters on campus is unacceptable and will not be allowed to stand. The protesters rallied near a UMN football game during homecoming week, and were seen by thousands of students and alumni, many of whom joined in pro-Palestine chants and raised fists in support as they passed the demonstration.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, October 21, 11 UMN student members of Students for a Democratic Society occupied a campus administrative building, Morrill Hall, stating that they would not leave the building until the university resumed a course towards divestment from apartheid Israel that had been agreed upon in the spring. The university responded with heavy repression. More than 50 police vehicles were called to campus to respond to this student protest, including a SWAT van, and heavily armed police were seen cordoning off large sections of campus. Students were detained and arrested at gunpoint. Four members of the press were likewise detained, though not arrested and jailed.

The 11 students who were arrested are facing trumped-up charges. One has been charged with felony assault of a police officer, nine have been suspended from the University, and four were immediately evicted from their campus housing. All 11 were held for upwards of 36 hours in jail. FBI agents were called to the jail to attempt to interrogate the protesters, for unknown purposes.

Jess Sundin, an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, an organization that combats police crimes and fights for community control of the police in Minneapolis, spoke at Saturday's rally in support of the students who are facing repression. Sundin stated, “There is nothing more important than standing against genocide. Nothing. Our students did the right thing on Monday, and I am outraged at the university’s response. Instead of doing the right thing, standing with them and divesting from Israel’s genocide, the admin sent in the UMPD to point weapons at our students – that could have been my kid!”

Sundin went on to say, “Not only that. There is no alleged federal crime here, but the university even called in the FBI! How dare they call the FBI on our students?! The FBI are the political police, and they are involved only for one reason: to silence dissent. That is political repression, and the only way to fight it is with solidarity.”

Dr. Sima Shahksari, a faculty member at the University of Minnesota, emceed the event. Shahksari stated, “The reason the students occupied the building was because the administration continues to ignore their demands for divestment from the Israeli genocide in Gaza, even though students voted overwhelmingly last semester for divestment. If Black students had not occupied the ‘Morrill’ Hall in 1969, the discriminatory policies of UMN would not have changed; there would not have been an African American and African Studies Department; there would have been no MLK Program. Criminalizing students who protest discriminatory laws or laws that protect a genocide is shameful.”

Community organizers with the Free Palestine Coalition have plans to continue to support the students through this period of political repression. A court date has been set for the student who is facing felony charges, and the community will rally to show the police, FBI, and university administration that students have the support of the entire Palestine liberation movement.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #PoliticalRepression #SDS #TCC4J #MNAWC #FPC #Feature

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad condena enérgicamente los ataques del Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos y las autoridades canadienses contra la Red de Solidaridad con los Prisioneros Palestinos Samidoun (Samidoun). La Oficina de Control de Activos Extranjeros (OFAC) del Departamento del Tesoro alega que Samidoun es una “caridad vergonzosa”, una acusación que está diseñada para criminalizar la solidaridad con Palestina. Instamos a todos los progresistas o a quienes están preocupados por las libertades civiles a solidarizarse con Samidoun contra la represión política.

El gobierno de Estados Unidos ha elaborado una serie de leyes que tratan a los movimientos de liberación nacional, ya sea en Palestina, Filipinas o en lugares intermedios, como “terrorismo”. Como resultado, casi todos los grupos que luchan por poner fin a la ocupación israelí de Palestina están en la lista de organizaciones terroristas designadas por el Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos. Y la situación empeora. Según la Ley Antiterrorista y de Pena de Muerte Efectiva de 1996, las personas pueden enfrentarse a largas penas de prisión por “apoyo material al terrorismo”. Es un marco legal que intenta convertir la solidaridad en un delito. Estas leyes deberían ser eliminadas.

Estas leyes represivas que pisotean los derechos de libertad de expresión y asociación conducen a un mundo al revés, donde los luchadores por la libertad son etiquetados como terroristas y los verdaderos terroristas son los que juzgan. Consideremos lo siguiente: Estados Unidos e Israel son responsables de al menos 44.000 muertos en Gaza, muchos de ellos niños pequeños. Estamos viendo los peores crímenes de guerra a diario. Pensemos en las bombas estadounidenses que caen sobre hospitales y en los 10.000 palestinos en campos de tortura financiados con dólares de los impuestos estadounidenses. Y luego los practicantes del genocidio alcanzan las alturas de la hipocresía, diciendo que quienes resisten estas atrocidades están participando en el terrorismo.

En 2010, el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos lanzó un ataque contra activistas anti-guerra y de solidaridad internacional, junto con miembros de la Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad, ataques que incluyeron redadas del FBI y citaciones del gran jurado. La campaña masiva que siguió logró derrotar la mayoría de estos ataques a nuestros derechos democráticos. Hoy en día es igualmente necesario manifestarse en contra de los ataques a nuestro movimiento.

En el momento político actual, en el que los gobiernos y las administraciones universitarias están tomando muchas medidas para reprimir el activismo pro-palestino, es importante recordar que nunca hay una buena razón para hablar con el FBI o con alguien de un grupo de trabajo antiterrorista conjunto. De eso no saldrá nada bueno. Jamás.

Vamos a seguir organizándonos por Palestina. Nos solidarizamos con quienes enfrentan represión política. Y seguimos adelante. ¡No descansaremos hasta que Palestina sea libre, desde el río hasta el mar!

#International #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #PoliticalRepression #Samidoun #FRSO #Statement

Freedom Road Socialist organization strongly condemns the attacks by the U.S. Treasury Department and Canadian authorities on Samidoun: Palestinian Political Prisoner Network. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) claims that Samidoun is a “sham charity,” an allegation that is designed to criminalize solidarity with Palestine. We urge everyone who is progressive or concerned about civil liberties to stand with Samidoun against political repression.

The U.S government has devised a host of laws that treat movements for national liberation, be they in Palestine or the Philippines or points in between, as “terrorism.” As a result, almost every group that is fighting to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine is on the U.S. State Department’s list of designated terrorist organizations. And it gets worse. Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, folks can face long prison terms for “material support of terrorism.” It’s a legal framework that tries to make solidarity a crime. These laws should be scrapped.

These repressive laws that trample on the rights of free speech and association lead to an upside-down world where freedom fighters are labeled as terrorists, and the real terrorists sit in judgment. Consider this: the U.S. and Israel are responsible for at least 44,000 dead in Gaza, many of them little kids. We are seeing the worst kind of war crimes daily. Think of the U.S. bombs falling on hospitals and the 10,000 Palestinians in torture camps paid for with U.S. tax dollars. And then the practitioners of genocide reach for the heights of hypocrisy, saying those who resist these outrages are engaging in terrorism.

In 2010, the U.S. Justice Department launched an attack on anti-war and international solidarity activists—along with members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization—attacks that included FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas. The mass campaign that followed successfully beat back most of these attacks on our democratic rights. Speaking out against attacks on our movement is equally necessary today.

In the current political environment, where there are many moves underway by government and university administrations to repress pro-Palestine activism, it is important to remember that there is never a good reason to talk to the FBI or someone from a Joint Terrorism Task Force. No good will come of it. Ever.

We are going to continue to organize for Palestine. We stand with those facing political repression. And we are moving forward. We will not rest until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea!

#AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #Samidoun #FRSO #Statement #Feature