Workers Resistance

Author: Fight Back

  • Crimea reunion with Russia sets back U.S., EU and NATO drive in Ukraine

    The ongoing turmoil in Ukraine is a threat to world peace. We, the people have no interest in backing the wrongful actions taken in Ukraine by the U.S. government. All U.S. interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine must stop at once!

    The big recent news is that in a March 16 referendum, 96% of voters in Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, formerly part of Ukraine, voted for unification with Russia. The turnout was 80% of those eligible.

    A majority of the Crimean population is ethnic Russians. The Western media said no one in Crimea wanted unification with Russia but them. The huge margin of the vote makes it clear that large majorities of all Crimean nationalities approve of unification with Russia. The corporate media are part of the problem.

    A few days after the referendum, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Crimea was once again part of Russia, as it had been up until 1956.

    U.S. government officials and the media, always ready to come up with their own version of reality, are grumbling that the referendum was somehow fixed. International observers saw no evidence of voting irregularities. So far the U.S. has been able to come up with nothing more to oppose the Crimean people’s will than sanctions.

    The significance of the Crimea-Russia reunification must be seen against the background of a previous month of events. On Feb. 21 a coup backed by the European Union overthrew the legitimate government of Ukraine. An illegal neo-Nazi junta was imposed amidst lawlessness and violence.

    The security and military posts of the Kiev junta are filled by fascists. Andriy Paruby of the Svoboda party, which traces back politically to forces that fought alongside the Nazis in WW II, is commander of the National Defense and Security Council. Second in command is Dmitry Yarosh of the neo-Nazi Right Sector. The ‘prime minister’ of the junta, Arseniy Yatseniuk, is the person okayed for the post by U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland in the notorious leaked phone call.

    The objectives of the U.S and EU-backed coup are to seize control of the country and open its markets to a flood or EU products, which would harm its economy; impose austerity measures under the International Monetary Fund – longer work hours, lower pay, cuts in social benefits, etc., in order to recoup billions in foreign debts; bring the country into NATO, which would allow the stationing of U.S. missiles within minutes of flight-time from Moscow.

    The Crimean events have turned the political momentum against the U.S.-EU junta. The junta is a hodgepodge of petty thugs and corrupt billionaires, with no program and no capacity to rule. It has no legitimacy and no positive way to win the people’s loyalty. Its thugs can only attempt to terrorize the people to bow down before its rule. The Crimean setback unsettles its fragile grip on power. The people’s resistance to the neo-Nazi takeover has been heartened.

    As to Russia itself, when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, no one at all saw it coming. The successor Russian Federation fell into chaos. Gangster capitalists became billionaires by seizing formerly public assets like oil and gas industries. They used any and all means, including criminal violence. These bloated ‘oligarchs’ do not function according to capitalist norms, such as they are. Russia is only now recovering from weakness.

    The last Soviet leader, Gorbachev, was ‘promised’ by the Western imperialists that they would not advance NATO into the former Warsaw Pact countries. But to imperialists, any agreement not backed by strength is, as Hitler said, just a “scrap of paper.” Today a reunified Germany, Poland and many other former East Bloc countries are in NATO. Two, Latvia and Lithuania, actually border Russia, although far to the west of Ukraine.

    The Crimean developments have stalled stopped the aggressive NATO project Ukraine. The overall picture remains conflicted and dangerous. It will continue to be so for some time.

    The aggressiveness of U.S. policy is driven by deep and unsolvable problems in its economy. The ‘recovery’ from the financial collapse of 2008 is really only a return to profitability of the giant financial companies.

    Wall Street’s demand for profits is impossible to satisfy. It attacks workers with union-busting, speed-up and lower pay. It plunders hundreds of billions in homeowner savings through predatory mortgages. Trillions of dollars are ripped off through the ‘your money or your life’ healthcare system. Consumers are chiseled out of a dollar here and a hundred bucks there every time they turn around.

    The same hunger for profits drives U.S. interference and aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia and many more countries. Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine are all presently being attacked by the U.S, which uses the tactic of playing on local grievances – meanwhile pumping in money, arms, etc. to make the situation worse.

    In the aggression against Ukraine, there is considerable division between the U.S. and the European Union. Russian business ties to the EU are much greater than those with the U.S. Broad economic sanctions would harm the EU far more than the U.S. The EU has its own problems. It is only an association of countries, within which Germany swings by far the most weight. Thus the U.S. cannot act against Russia without stepping on the toes of some of its ‘allies.’

    On March 17 the Russian Foreign Ministry offered a proposal to the U.S. and the EU to form an international support group for Ukraine and the following principles for a settlement of the crisis were offered by Russia:

    • Respect for the interests of the multiethnic peoples of Ukraine;
    • Support of the legitimate aspirations of all Ukrainians and all regions of the country to live safely in accordance with their customs and traditions, to speak their native language freely, to have unimpeded access to their culture and maintain extensive contacts with their compatriots and neighbors;
    • Inadmissibility of the revival of neo-Nazi ideology and the necessity that Ukrainian politicians dissociate themselves from ultra-nationalists and suppress their attempts to destabilize the various regions of the country;
    • Importance of civil peace and national concord in Ukraine must be recognized to promote constructive relations in the Euro-Atlantic region on the basis of equality and mutual consideration of interests of all regional states.

    There are ominous developments. On March 18 the New York Times reported, “Highlighting the tensions, the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev approved a presidential decree authorizing the call-up of 20,000 reservists, and another 20,000 for a newly formed national guard. The interim government also increased the military budget with an emergency allotment of about $680 million.”

    Ukraine is a destitute country. The junta has no means on its own to make an emergency allotment of $680 million. The money must be coming from outside – and certainly not from Russia!

    On March 20, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen threw the full hand of imperialist cards on the table. He wrote that Ukraine, i.e., the neo-Nazi junta, “is seeking communications gear, mine-clearing equipment, vehicles, ammunition, fuel and medical gear, and the sharing of intelligence. Provide it. Hurt the oligarchs with their London mansions and untold billions parked in Western banks. Crimea may not be recoverable but the West must make clear it will not accept a Russian veto on E.U. and NATO expansion.”

    Voices like Cohen’s are not isolated. The aggressive U.S.-EU ambitions will continue to endanger world peace. The imperialist media are spreading lies and confusion. The genuine forces of the people must wage a determined struggle to expose the lies of the war makers, and enlighten the vast majority about the real sources of danger.

  • Hundreds of immigrants rally at Capitol demanding right to a drivers license

    Saint Paul, MN – More than three hundred Latino immigrants and supporters rallied in the Capitol rotunda and marched to Governor Dayton’s office March 26 to press Governor Dayton and House Speaker Paul Thissen to pass HF348, the bill for drivers licenses for all. The rally was organized by Mesa Latina and supported broadly by the immigrant rights movement.

    Currently undocumented immigrants cannot get drivers licenses in Minnesota, though they can in several other states. Due to extreme weather and inadequate public transportation, the thousands of immigrants that live in Minnesota are forced to drive for everyday tasks, like getting to work and taking children to school. Many of the immigrants that are deported and separated from their families first get ensnared in the criminal justice system when they are stopped for driving without a license. Once in the criminal justice system, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intervenes and starts deportation proceedings against many people who have done nothing more than drive to work.

    The Minnesota Senate passed the bill last legislative session, so only the House needs to pass it and the governor would need to sign it. Governor Dayton’s lack of support has stalled the bill. Governor Dayton is a Democrat and the House is under Democratic control, but so far they are still refusing to move on this bill even though it is the highest priority at the State Capitol for the immigrant rights movement this year.

    At the start of the rally a group of Aztec dancers performed along with booming drums that echoed loudly throughout the Capitol building. Speakers included several religious leaders and state legislators such as Patricia Torres Ray, Karen Clark, Sandy Pappas and Melisa Franzen who pledged to fight to pass the drivers license bill. Mesa Latina member Francisco Segovia announced that the next major mobilization in the campaign will be a march to the Capitol at 3:00 p.m. on May 1, International Workers Day, to demand drivers licenses for all and an increase in the minimum wage. Union leader Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME Local 3800 spoke to show labor movement support for drivers licenses for immigrants. She said, “Corporations are given the right to cross borders in order to exploit workers to the greatest extent. Why then shouldn’t workers have the right to travel and cross borders to be able to feed, clothe, and house their families? It is a basic right to be able to get to and from work free from fear. Criminalizing people who are just trying to get back and forth to work, or to the grocery store or to their kids school does not benefit anybody. We call upon Governor Dayton and the legislature to support licenses for all. No human being is illegal. We want licenses now!”

    During her speech Rep. Karen Clark, the House sponsor of the drivers license bill, encouraged everyone to go to Governor Dayton’s office inside the Capitol to let him know he should support drivers licenses for immigrants. So when the speakers were done the crowd marched through the Capitol, pouring inside Dayton’s office and filling the hallway outside while chanting “si se puede!” and “Ole ole ole ole, drivers license!”. They then marched through the first and second floor of the Capitol.

    Mesa Latina is encouraging people to sign the online petition to support the Drivers License bill, HF348. For more information on the drivers license campaign and the May 1 mobilization on International Workers Day follow MN Licencias Para Todos on facebook.

  • Welfare Rights Committee sit-in at MN governor’s office demands money for low income families

    St. Paul, MN – On March 25 Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) members sat in at Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s office throughout the morning to demand welfare grant increases for poor families in Minnesota. The sit-in was timed to coincide with a Senate hearing on bills pushed by the Welfare Rights Committee.

    “Use the surplus to pay back stolen TANF money,” and “Dayton’s budget hurts poor families!” were just two of the many signs visible to anyone who came by Governor Dayton’s office that day.

    The WRC put forward bills this legislative session that move up the implementation dates of victories from last year. They want to put money in the pockets of poor families in the form of increases to the cash welfare grants. These increases would be the first since 1986 – 28 years ago.

    In Minnesota, welfare cash grants for the poorest families have not been increased since 1986 – 28 years ago. The cost of living has doubled since 1986. The monthly cash grant for a family of two is $437 per month, “not enough to pay rent for legal housing in most towns, much less other needs,” according to WRC. Because the current welfare grant levels, 70,000 Minnesota children live in extreme poverty – over 60% below the poverty level. This extreme poverty has a devastating effect on children, who are the majority of welfare recipients.

    Minnesota, like many states, has a surplus after several years of deficits. Now Governor Dayton is pushing for the surplus to be given to Minnesota business owners.

    “We know what the right thing to do with the surplus is. It’s to give it to the 70,000 children in extreme poverty. Instead of coming up with excuses like computer glitches, they should focus on our children,” stated Evelyn Evans, a member of the Welfare Rights Committee who sat in at Governor Dayton’s office. Evans was referring to an argument given by Governor Dayton’s Department of Human Services that it was unable to program its computers to give an increase to welfare grants.

    During the sit-in, WRC members gathered support from other groups that also happened to be at the capitol that day, including AFSCME union members who were there for their annual lobby day. Over 100 capitol visitors signed on postcards supporting grant increases. The postcards were delivered directly to the governor’s office.

  • Twin Cites Anti-War Committee exposes U.S. war on Colombia

    Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee (AWC) held a program called “The War Next Door: U.S. Role in Colombia’s Civil War,” March 22 here at May Day Bookstore. Speakers included Eden Yosief, of SEIU Healthcare, who recently traveled to Colombia, along with AWC organizers Jess Sundin and Meredith Aby-Keirstead.

    After explaining how the U.S. backs its puppet government in Colombia, Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee stated, “The U.S. government has also taken a very hands-on role by criminalizing Colombia’s insurgency, as well as leaders of its social movements, and those who work in solidarity with them here in the U.S.”

    “In particular, we know that the U.S. has imprisoned two Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) members. The most well known is Ricardo Palmera, AKA ‘Simon Trinidad.’ He was one of the peace negotiators when I was in Colombia. In 2004, he was captured by the CIA while he was in Ecuador to meet with UN representatives. Palmera is held in solitary confinement in a high security federal prison, not allowed to receive letters or communicate freely with his lawyer,” said Sundin

    Sundin continued, “Another FARC member Anayibe Rojas Valderama, known as ‘Sonia’, was extradited to the U.S., then, in 2007, sentenced to nearly 17 years in federal prison here. And of course, there is our own case with the Anti-War Committee. The FBI investigation of us included ‘Daniela,’ an undercover agent who claimed to be of Colombian descent, and who took a special interest in our work in solidarity with Colombia. This work included organizing protests against U.S. military aid, hosting speakers from Colombian trade unionists and participating in solidarity delegations to witness firsthand the civil war fueled by our tax dollars. Though we only hosted speakers granted visas by the U.S. State Department, the government treats some of these union leaders as criminal terrorists, and we were investigated because our hosting them was seen as the crime of aiding terrorists.”

     

  • Twin Cites Anti-War Committee exposes U.S. war on Colombia

    Minneapolis, MN – The Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee (AWC) held a program called “The War Next Door: U.S. Role in Colombia’s Civil War,” March 22 here at May Day Bookstore. Speakers included Eden Yosief, of SEIU Healthcare, who recently traveled to Colombia, along with AWC organizers Jess Sundin and Meredith Aby-Keirstead.

    After explaining how the U.S. backs its puppet government in Colombia, Jess Sundin of the Anti-War Committee stated, “The U.S. government has also taken a very hands-on role by criminalizing Colombia’s insurgency, as well as leaders of its social movements, and those who work in solidarity with them here in the U.S.”

    “In particular, we know that the U.S. has imprisoned two Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) members. The most well known is Ricardo Palmera, AKA ‘Simon Trinidad.’ He was one of the peace negotiators when I was in Colombia. In 2004, he was captured by the CIA while he was in Ecuador to meet with UN representatives. Palmera is held in solitary confinement in a high security federal prison, not allowed to receive letters or communicate freely with his lawyer,” said Sundin

    Sundin continued, “Another FARC member Anayibe Rojas Valderama, known as ‘Sonia’, was extradited to the U.S., then, in 2007, sentenced to nearly 17 years in federal prison here. And of course, there is our own case with the Anti-War Committee. The FBI investigation of us included ‘Daniela,’ an undercover agent who claimed to be of Colombian descent, and who took a special interest in our work in solidarity with Colombia. This work included organizing protests against U.S. military aid, hosting speakers from Colombian trade unionists and participating in solidarity delegations to witness firsthand the civil war fueled by our tax dollars. Though we only hosted speakers granted visas by the U.S. State Department, the government treats some of these union leaders as criminal terrorists, and we were investigated because our hosting them was seen as the crime of aiding terrorists.”

     

  • Filipino Communists condemn arrest of leaders carrying out disaster relief

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 23 statement from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

    CPP condemns arrest of senior leaders investigating conditions, overseeing rehabilitation in the Visayas

    The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the reported arrest yesterday of Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria. Tiamzon and Austria are both senior cadres of the CPP Central Committee and consultants of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in peace negotiations with the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH).

    At the time of their arrest, both Tiamzon and Austria were performing tasks and duties assigned to them by the CPP and the NDFP. Up to recently, both were busy conducting first hand investigation into the conditions of the working class people in the Visayas region whose lives were devastated by supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and who continue to suffer from the Aquino regime’s antipeople, crony-controlled, corrupt, and grossly inept response to the calamity.

    Both were closely monitoring the efforts of the New People’s Army (NPA) in carrying out rehabilitation work in devastated regions. They were receiving reports from NPA commands about efforts to mobilize Red fighters to help build communal farms, till the land and mobilize and distribute seeds and other agricultural resources from the NDFP.

    Austria, who has been among the country’s stalwarts in upholding and bannering the rights of women, is gravely concerned with the situation of women and children after the calamity, and has been vigorously calling on all revolutionary forces to work hard to expose their sufferings and extend all possible effort to alleviate their conditions. She was utterly indignant at having learned that substantial amounts of relief goods had rotted at the Aquino government’s warehouses while the people of Tacloban continue to suffer from lack of food, shelter and income.

    Tiamzon, himself, has been actively looking into the widespread devastation wrought by the storm on the agricultural economy and fishing communities of Eastern Visayas, Cebu, Panay and Negros. He was personally looking into studies estimating the actual damage on agriculture and fisheries to be at P75-80 billion, contrary to the Aquino regime’s grossly understated estimate of P15 billion which help justify the allocation of bigger funds to his crony’s big business infrastructure projects.

    As peace consultants of the NDFP, the arrest of Tiamzon and Austria further imperil peace negotiations between the GPH and the NDFP. The CPP condemns the Aquino regime for outrightly violating the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) in carrying out the arrest and detention of Tiamzon and Austria. They are both publicly known figures in peace negotiations. The NDFP has further identified both Tiamzon and Austria as holders of documents of identification counter-verified by then officials of the GPH.

    The CPP condemns the Aquino regime and its armed forces for filing a slew of trumped-up criminal charges against Tiamzon and Austria. The CPP condemns the media campaign being conducted by Malacañang and the AFP to demonize Tiamzon and Austria by depicting them as common criminals.

    Such effort by the Aquino regime seeks to draw away attention from the public flak it is getting for its lies, corruption and ineptness, especially at the heels of its monumental failures in addressing the urgent demands of the people of the Visayas devastated by the supertyphoon. The Aquino regime is increasingly isolated from the people because of its contempt and disregard for the socio-economic conditions of millions of workers and peasants who suffer from its wrong economic policies that prioritize the interests of its cronies and its foreign big business bosses.

    As leaders of the CPP, Tiamzon and Austria are the opposite of the landlord Aquino and his coterie of corrupt officials. Tiamzon and Austria are the epitome of simple living. Neither of them own a private home nor drive their own sportscar. Neither do they play with guns for fun or personal satisfaction. They are not like Aquino and his officials who plunder public funds to aggrandize themselves or perpetuate their political rule.

    Despite their age and health conditions, both Tiamzon and Austria continue to travel great distances in the rural areas in order to reach the farthest peasant homes and be among the most downtrodden masses. Unlike Aquino who was totally clueless of the conditions of the people in the path of supertyphoon Yolanda, Tiamzon and Austria were among the peasant masses when the winds ravaged through the Visayas. Unlike Aquino who took four days to act, Tiamzon and Austria immediately mobilized the CPP’s forces to carry out relief work and help in the rehabilitation of the peasant masses who suffered grave devastation of their crops and livelihood.

    The CPP demands the immediate release of Tiamzon and Austria, as well as all their companions, and the dropping of all criminal charges against them. The CPP demands that the Aquino regime accord them the right to counsel and medical attention. Austria has severe asthma, and suffers both from a serious kidney ailment and spinal bone degeneration secondary to osteoporosis, and is in need of constant medical care.

    The CPP, together with the workers, peasants and downtrodden masses and all their revolutionary forces, deplore the arrest of Tiamzon and Austria. Their arrest forms part of the general trend of repression under the Aquino regime. Daily, the landlord Aquino seeks to perpetuate the oppressive and exploitative system by unleashing his attack dogs, armed and supported with US military financing, against the peasant masses and workers, who stand up for their rights and voice their demands.

    While the wisdom and guidance of individual leaders is important, the advance of the revolutionary struggle depends more on the collective wisdom, determination and organization of the revolutionary masses. The arrest of Tiamzon and Austria will not stop the main trend of advance of the people’s war.

    It is the Aquino regime’s puppetry, corruption, brutality and mendacity that teach the Filipino people about the need to wage revolutionary resistance. They are thus ever determined to advance along the path of widespread mass struggles and revolutionary armed resistance in order to achieve national and social liberation.

  • Tucson protests Sen. McCain’s support for fascists in Ukraine, right-wing in Venezuela

    Tucson, AZ – On the evening of March 14, despite rainy weather, nearly 40 Tucson activists gathered to protest Senator John McCain’s support for terrorism and fascism around the world, particularly in the Ukraine and Venezuela.

    A coalition of groups – Coalicion de Derechos Humanos (Coalition for Human Rights), Alliance for Global Justice, International Action Center, Workers World, Occupy Tucson, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Tucson Students for a Democratic Society – organized the demonstration.

    Besides firmly denouncing and demanding an end to U.S. meddling in Ukraine and Venezuela, the protesters called for people to recognize the destructive role of U.S. imperialism across the globe, which is at the expense of U.S. people’s livelihoods.

    The crowd braved rain and wind to hold signs outside of City Hall during of Tucson’s rush hour traffic and were greeted with honks of solidarity.

    Then, activists marched to John McCain’s office with chants of “Stop John McCain! Nazis leave Ukraine!” Upon arriving at the senator’s office, an indictment of John McCain for ‘material support for terrorism’ was read and posted on his office door.

    After the indictment-posting, protesters spoke about the situations in Ukraine and Venezuela.

  • Protest at Chicago Ukrainian Consulate slams fascists

    Chicago, IL – In a rally to mark the International Day Against Fascism and Racism, 35 people stood against a right-wing crowd of more than 100 at the Ukrainian Consulate in Chicago. Chanting, “Obama, McCain, no fascist Ukraine,” the small crowd braved the anger from the Ukrainian nationalists.

    In the right-wing Ukrainian crowd was the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) flag. That flag flew alongside the Nazi flag in World War II, when the Ukrainian Insurgent Army carried out attacks against Jews and ethnic Russians. The UPA was responsible for the deaths of 100,000 Polish people. That same flag was present at the marches of the Right Sector, the neo-Nazi organization that played a leading role in the violent assaults in the Euromaidan protests in Kiev that overthrew the democratically elected government in February.

    The anti-fascist protest wavered in the face of the hostile Ukrainian crowd for 15 minutes because of the influence of the International Socialist Organization (ISO). Others, including Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and other anti-fascists, including the Workers World Party, finally started leading chants to stand up to the reactionary nationalists. The ISO was unwilling to confront the right-wing crowd because they largely agree with their views.

    The ISO continues to support the fascist-led Ukrainian protest movement that overthrew the government of former President Yanukovich. At the Chicago protest, ISO leaders refused to start chants. One ISO member objected to a FRSO sign that opposed U.S. government sanctions against Russia. Another leader repeatedly said no to chants because she was concerned that, “We have to be all on the same page.”

    In the face of the Ukrainian rightists, the ISO refused to recognize the fascist nature of the movement that overthrew the government of Ukraine.

  • Florida SDS rallies at Florida state capitol for tuition equity

    Tallahassee, FL – Around 50 people from Florida Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), along with community members and other allied organizations gathered on the steps of the Florida State Capitol, March 20, to demand “Education for All.” They called on the Florida legislature to vote on and pass HB851 and SB1400, bills would charge undocumented college students in-state tuition as opposed to out-of-state tuition.

    Tuition equity, as it has come to be known, would grant the same tuition rate to any student in the state of Florida, regardless of his or her documented status. SDS has been fighting for the last year to bring local tuition equity policies to college campuses in Florida. Most recently, they have been advocating for bills in the state legislature that would be a step towards a fair and affordable education for every single student in the state.

    The rally included a round of speeches from organizers of the Florida State University, University of South Florida and University of Florida SDS chapters. Other speakers included leaders of immigrant rights advocacy organizations, undocumented students, community members, statements from Florida university administrations, and Florida state senators and representatives.

    After the speeches, protesters marched from the steps of the old Capitol building to the inside of the new Capitol building where they gathered between both chambers of the legislature. There students aligned themselves in rows and gave energetic speeches, told personal stories and chanted, as many state representatives, officials, media members and other bystanders watched.

    “The reason this issue has come this far is because of the work SDS and our allies have put into struggling for tuition equity for undocumented students,” said Chrisley Carpio, an organizer with University of Florida SDS, in an impassioned speech. “We believe that every student in this country has the right to a higher education, and we won’t stop fighting until we make that a reality.”

    HB851 and SB1400 have both received bipartisan support. Most recently, Governor Rick Scott has come out in favor of the bill giving qualified undocumented Florida students the ability to pay in-state tuition. His statement is the latest in a long list of supporters, including Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, various Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate, and university administrators like University of Florida President Bernie Machen.

    Despite the bipartisan support, the bills are becoming targets for political posturing, as legislators aim to make additions to the bills that would significantly water them down. Most glaringly, changes in the House bill require students to spend four consecutive years in high school to qualify for the in-state rate.

    “This is just one step towards getting tuition equity for undocumented students, but it’s not enough,” said Veronica Juarez, an organizer with Tampa SDS and Raíces En Tampa. “Ultimately we will fight to have all the amendments removed because it’s not real tuition equity if there are still restrictions on the ability undocumented students have to get a higher education.”

    Later in the evening after the event, HB851 passed on the House floor in a vote of 81-33. It is a huge victory, but the campaign still has a long way to go for true education equality. SDS is committed to making education accessible for every student in the U.S. and continues to work towards that goal until there is education for all.

  • Palestinian Authority told to end repression against Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

    Fight Back News Service is circulating the following March 21 statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

    PFLP demands PA security forces end campaign of arrests and persecution against its members

    The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the West Bank demanded the Palestinian Authority security apparatus and its intelligence services immediately halt the campaign of arrests and persecution of its supporters and members in various parts of the West Bank on March 20. Specifically, the PFLP statement pointed to al-Azza refugee camp, where 5 PFLP supporters were arrested, dozens of homes raided, and 5 others being pursued by PA security forces.

    The PFLP denounced the Authority’s security forces’ campaign against a Palestinian national faction that is targeted by the Zionist occupation, which is increasing its aggression against our people everywhere, including targeting our comrades with murder and mass arrests.

    The PFLP demanded that the PA end security coordination with the occupation, which has been a scourge upon our people, including the arrests of many honorable activists. It recalled that the past days have seen several occasions in which the Zionist occupation has arrested Palestinian activists and freedom fighters hours after they were released by the PA security apparatus.

    The Front demanded that the PA must learn that these practices are rejected by the Palestinian people. It is the proper task of any Palestinian security force to protect our people, their activists and their freedom fighters and not become a whip to lash at the rising of their own people and their activists.