Florida State stands up to Trump’s racist agenda

Tallahassee, FL – On Thursday, November 7, around 50 protesters joined Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to protest the racist, pro-Israel agenda of President-elect Donald Trump. The students and community members made it clear that the people’s movements would not stand down in the face of Trump’s reactionary repression, and that they would continue to demand an end to all U.S. aid to Israel.

The protest included speeches from SDS, the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Dream Defenders Tallahassee, Kabataan Alliance Florida, and Food Not Bombs Tallahassee. Speakers stressed the need for divestment from Israel’s genocide in Palestine, and how important it is that the people continue to resist Trump and all reactionaries.

Despite previous attempts from the university to shut down SDS’s other events and prevent them from meeting on campus, including passing new, draconian protest restrictions and pressing code of conduct charges against the organization for holding a marshal training on a public green, the tireless student organizers fought back against repression and successfully united to resist Trump.

Protesters made it clear that Trump’s victory was because of Harris and the Democratic establishment’s unquestioning support for the Israel and their nonstop betrayals of the working class. “This election has laid bare the hypocrisy of the two-party system,” said Joelle Nuñez of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “The Democrats lost months ago when they decided to uphold genocide over the demands of working people.”

This protest came just weeks after an FSU student publicly called Black Greek Letter Organizations “chimps”, an act which FSU has refused to punish. “What did FSU do?”, asked SDS member Oliver Cheese. “Nothing!” the crowd replied. “We still have active members of the neo-nazi group Patriot Front on our campus.”

Cheese continued, “And what does FSU do? Nothing! When far-right preachers harass women and queer people on Landis Green, yelling that they’ll burn in hell for exercising their right to an abortion, what does FSU do? Nothing! But when SDS protested to save the humanities, to kick racists off campus, and to stand with Palestine, we’ve been threatened, arrested and banned from campus. FSU is currently pressing charges against us for holding a meeting, a safety marshal training, in a public place, on our own campus!”

“As Students for a Democratic Society,” Cheese said, “Our slogan is ‘Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win.’ And the great Fred Hampton said if you dare not struggle, then damn it, you don’t deserve to win! So we will not give up, and we will not go back. We will stand up and fight back!”

Tallahassee SDS will be holding a protest and vigil for the Palestinian martyrs on Tuesday, November 19. To learn more and stay updated on future events, go to @tallysds on Instagram.

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