UPenn Benjamin Franklin Statue Vandalized

  • September 17, 2024 1:42 am

from Instagram

🇵🇸 UPENN IS COMPLICIT IN THE PALESTINIAN GENOCIDE
At the heart of campus, the Benjamin Franklin Statue stands proudly as a symbol of imperial violence and colonialism.

This morning, an autonomous group poured red paint over the statue: a visual reminder of the over 186,000 martyrs and the university’s complicity in genocide.

The University has tried to supress the student intifada, supressing Palestinian voices, all in the name of “campus safety.” There are NO Universities left in Gaza. There are NO first days. The education system of Gaza has been systematically destroyed, and the genocide has only expanded.

DISCLOSE. DIVEST. THE STUDENTS WILL NOT STOP, THE STUDENT MOVEMENT WILL NOT BE STOPPED. UNTIL PALESTINE IS FREE.

Three Way Fight: Revolutionary Politics and Antifascism

  • September 15, 2024 1:22 am

from Making Worlds Books

ADVANCED REGISTRATION RECOMMENDED (CLICK HERE)

Three way fight politics argues that the far right grows out of an oppressive capitalist order but is also in conflict with it in real ways, and that radicals need to combat both. We’ll discuss the history of this perspective and how it can help us navigate today’s struggles, from anti-police riots to confronting the MAGA movement, drawing on the new collection of essays and interviews from PM Press and Kersplebedeb Publishing.

Matthew N. Lyons is the author of Insurgent Supremacists: The U.S. Far Right’s Challenge to State and Empire and coauthor with Chip Berlet of Right-Wing Populism in America. He has been a contributor to Three Way Fight since 2005, and his writings have also appeared in several other leftist and mainstream publications. Matthew is co-trustee of the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust, which stewards the literary legacy of the late playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry.

Arturo Castillon is a writer and substitute teacher living in Philadelphia. With Shemon Salam, he is the coauthor of The Revolutionary Meaning of the George Floyd Uprising (Daraja Press, 2021) and has published work in The George Floyd Uprising (PM Press, 2023) as well as in Black Quantum Futurism: Space-Time Collapse II (The AfroFuturist Affair/House of Future Sciences Books, 2020).

Coverage of Protest Against Presidential Debate

  • September 13, 2024 1:45 am

from Mastodon

Several arrests were just made during a violent escalation by the Philadelphia Police after a flare was lit at tonight’s protest against the presidential candidates, the debate and Israel’s ongoing genocide on Palestinians.

Watch LIVE: unicornriot.ninja/2024/protest

Pro-Palestine/anti-occupation graffiti seen on & around the US Post Office/Passport Office after tonight’s demonstration outside the presidential debate was forcefully dispersed by riot police

“Free Palestine” spray painted in black under a sculpture next to the fancy govt building entrance to the US Post Office and Passport Office in center city Philadelphia

ALT
“Fuck Isra-Hell” spray painted in black above a black upside down triangle on a wide sidewalk

ALT
“Free Gaza” spray painted in black on a sidewalk

ALT
“Intifada” spray painted in red on a sidewalk

Graffiti at US Post Office/Passport Office in Philly, cont’d:

“Amerikkka” written in red all capital letters in spray paint on the stone wall just to the right of the rounded off entryway in front of thick turnstile style brown metal doors with thin window slots in them by large glass windows in the front of the US Post Office and Passport Office in center city Philadelphia at night

ALT
“Fuck PPD” written in all caps in black spray paint on a stone wall just below the US Post Office/Passport Office window through which a well-“85 lobby is visible with about a half dozen green triangles seen protruding from the walls which read “All Services”

ALT
Arabic lettering written under a similar looking widow view as shown in the last image

ALT
“Free Palestine” written in all caps in black on a sidewalk close to the street in between a square venting grate on the bottom left and a computerized parking meter and street lamp base on top right

Protest Near Harris-Trump Presidential Debate Opposes Bipartisan Support for Israeli Genocide in Palestine

  • September 11, 2024 1:32 am

from Unicorn Riot

Philadelphia, PA – Protesters opposing the ongoing Israeli genocide in occupied Palestine are gathering near the security perimeter erected outside the National Constitution Center — the site of the first debate between 2024 presidential candidates Kamala Harris (D) and Donald Trump (R). A call to “shut down the presidential debate for Gaza” was announced by the Philly Palestine Coalition to rally at City Hall, which is east of the debate site.

Pennsylvania is considered the largest swing state in the presidential election. The statewide winner will take all 19 electoral votes. Street closures entered effect Tuesday morning on Arch and Market streets between 4th and 7th streets in Philadelphia’s historic Old City east of Center City. Eastbound lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge are also closed. Watch our live coverage.

A flyer from the Philly Palestine Coalition circulated online

While Trump has promised he would help Israel “finish the problem” in Gaza, the Biden administration, which includes Kamala Harris as Vice President, has repeatedly gone out of its way to continue arming, funding and politically supporting Israel throughout its deliberate mass killings of displaced civilian children, women and men alongside the targeting of life-supporting infrastructure in Gaza, including the destruction of hospitals and water treatment plants and the torture of healthcare workers.

As of September 10, at least 41,020 Palestinian residents of Gaza have been reported killed and 94,925 injured, while 692 Palestinians in the West Bank were killed and more than 5,700 injured. At least 1,139 Israelis have been killed and 8,730 injured, according to Al Jazeera, based on regional agencies’ data.

Protests outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July criticized Trump and the Republican Party’s alignment with Israel’s racist and far-right government; demonstrations during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago late last month highlighted the fact that no Palestinians were allowed to speak onstage at the party’s national gathering.

Clips below from Milwaukee and Chicago highlight the scope of Palestine protests that have been the most visible element of dissension around the presidential race.

While paying lip service to talk of a ceasefire, the Biden-Harris administration has continued directly enabling Israel despite the International Court of Justice’s findings that allegations of genocide are “plausible” in regards to the invasion of Gaza and that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal under international human rights law and should be ended.

Recent reporting has also shown that Israeli authorities are subjecting Palestinians held in crowded administrative detention camps such as Sde Teiman to rape and torture at a mass scale – a revelation that has apparently not impacted Harris’ public, unconditional support for Israel in recent media appearances.

For more from Palestine click on image below.

Labor Day Greetings 2024!

  • September 3, 2024 1:03 am

from Philly Metro Area WSA

Coworkers, comrades, and fellow labor activists—wishing you a restful Labor Day weekend!

In keeping with our radical political traditions, we put our activist energies into May Day, not Labor Day. This doesn’t mean that we haven’t been craving a rest from the bone-aching grind of our labor. In our WSA branch, we are furniture movers, home workers, pink collar assistants, and healthcare workers. We all need a rest from exhaustion. This three day weekend is needed to recover.

Labor Day was fought for and won by workers. But we also know that this is far from enough. It’s a drop in the bucket.

Labor Day, with its parades and picnics, took the shape of a more capitalism-friendly alternative to the more radical May Day that was characterized by street protests and strikes.

While we focus our eyes on May Day, you will still see us with friends at local Labor Day events, re-affirming the community aspects of our work lives. We need to recuperate in preparation for amplifying workplace voices and building relationships. As we know, building relationships is the heart of organizing. So, strike up the grill. But tomorrow, we build the General Strike ! 

From Philly Metro WSA 

“We are committed to building a future rooted in a classless and stateless society, where we, as working people, create workplace and community democracies that prioritize human needs over profits for the few. Our vision is a world free from the social oppressions of racism, sexism, and queerphobia. Through our revolutionary unions, we will transform the nature of work, paving the way to our collective liberation.”

From Greater Chicago WSA

In Contempt #44: Prison Rebellion in Idaho, Running Down the Walls, Antifascist Targeted in Indiana

  • September 2, 2024 1:52 am

from It’s Going Down

[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire article follow the above link.]
In this column, we present our monthly roundup of political prisoner, prison rebel, and repression news, happenings, announcements, action and analysis. Packed in as always are updates, fundraisers, and birthdays.There’s a lot happening, so let’s dive right in!

Running Down the Walls, Curbfest, and other Upcoming Events

There’s a number of important prisoner support events coming up. September 15th sees the 25th anniversary of the annual Running Down the Walls ABC fundraiser event, with events currently planned for Portland and Eugene, OR, Los Angeles and Huntington Park, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Bloomington, IN, Lowell, MA, and Brooklyn, NY.

Curbfest events in support of political prisoners are planned for New York on September 7th, Philly on October 5th and Houston on October 26th

Running Down the Walls, Curbfest, and other Upcoming Events

There’s a number of important prisoner support events coming up. September 15th sees the 25th anniversary of the annual Running Down the Walls ABC fundraiser event, with events currently planned for Portland and Eugene, OR, Los Angeles and Huntington Park, CA, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, Bloomington, IN, Lowell, MA, and Brooklyn, NY. The Huntington Park event will be on September 28th.

Curbfest events in support of political prisoners are planned for New York on September 7th, Philly on October 5th and Houston on October 26th.

December 6th-13th will see a week of “Shut ‘Em Down” demonstrations and actions organized by Jailhouse Lawyers Speak.

Political Prisoner News

Philly ABC have shared an update about the upcoming release of the book, I Am Maroon: The True Story of an American Political Prisoner. Book launch events will be held in NYC on September 6th and Philadelphia on September 22nd, and you can find more links related to the book here.

Uprising Defendants and Other Ongoing Cases

Pennsylvania uprising defendant Khalif Miller has been added to the Uprising Support site, while Arkansas defendant Rene Goddard is due to be released soon. South Carolina uprising defendant Brittany Martin has just had an appeal against her four-year sentence denied, while Philadelphia uprising prisoner Ant Smith has just been freed.

Phone Zaps, Hunger Strikes, and Prisoner Rebellion in Idaho

Incarcerated workers at SCI Fayette in Pennsylvania launched a hunger strike at the start of August, in protest at the prison continuing to impose lockdown-era isolation policies. The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee have been encouraging people to call the SCI Fayette Superintendent on 724-364-2200 and the PADOC central office on 717-728-2573 in support of the strikers’ demands.

General Prison News and Abolitionist Media Updates

Supporters of the Vaughn 17 have shared a new recording of a call with Dwayne “BIM” Staats, discussing his current legal situation.

Uprising Defendants

See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. To the best of our knowledge they currently include:

David Elmakayes 77782-066
FCI McKean
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701

Khalif Miller #70042-066
USP Big Sandy
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224

Upcoming Birthdays

John Bramble

A former Vaughn 17 defendant and contributor to the Vaughn uprising zines Live from the Trenches and United We Stood and other publications. Johnny has continued to organize and agitate against the prison system from within. As a result, he is still being held in solitary confinement.

Johnny is looking for anarchists, autonomists, and other radicals to regularly correspond with. Delaware uses Getting Out for email messaging, so you can also send him a message by going to gettingout.com, setting up an account, and then adding him as a contact using his inmate number .

Birthday: September 1

Address:

John Bramble
Delaware DOC – 1101
PO Box 96777
Las Vegas, NV 89193