International Workers Day rally in Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville, FL – On Thursday, May 1, more than 450 workers, immigrants, students and community members rallied in front of the Duval County Courthouse for International Workers Day.

“The attendance for this event shows that our city is making the connection between the labor struggle and all other struggles. The system gutting the department of education is the same system attacking our federal workers,” said Monica Gold, a union teacher with Florida Future Labor Leaders. “The system emboldening ICE to carry out deportations and separate families is the same system sending our tax dollars to carry out a genocide against the Palestinian people.”

The central demands of the protest were to stand up for workers and immigrant rights, to defend federal workers, and to stand with Palestine. “It’s the same ruling class with an agenda to put down and exploit workers that is oppressing Palestinians and attacking immigrants!” said Shayne Tremblay, an IBEW electrician speaking on behalf of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network. “Only solidarity will set us free!”

The event was organized by Florida Future Labor Leaders (FFLL), the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), Jacksonville Immigration Rights Alliance (JIRA), and a coalition of over 20 union locals and community organizations.

The crowd chanted slogans of “When workers are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” as community members signed up to join local organizations at the dozen tables that had been set up to encourage more people to become organized.

After the opening rally, the crowd marched into the streets to demonstrate their demands.

“This event was in honor of May Day, and it built real solidarity in the community,” said Sarah Ben Hassine of JPSN as the event came to a close. “We brought together over 20 organizations from around Jacksonville to champion the labor movement, end police violence, defend our immigrant community, and call for an end to Zionist arms trade in our ports. What better way is there to honor a day intended for solidarity?”

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