All posts by luke

8 arrests as Orlando cops threaten, harass, then violently assault Emergency Protest For Lebanon

On the 21st of September, protesters gathered at the Cedar of Lebanon in Orlando’s Lake Eola Park for an emergency march in solidarity with Lebanon. This was just days after the IOF’s exploding pagers, killed at least 13 people and wounded nearly 3,000. This was one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern history, yet the Orlando Police Department (ODP) used every available tactic to harass and threaten protesters. Even a passing driver honking in solidarity with protesters was attacked by this vicious, Israeli-trained gang’s thugs on mountain bikes. Chillingly, that driver appears to have been ordered into a parking garage where cameras could not monitor police behavior. Anything could have happened in there.

Througout the march, cops threatend our own bikers with arrest for being present in the street (where it is LEGALto ride a bike), and were very, very quick to yell threats on the slightest excuse. When the march returned to Lake Eola, cops were overheard talking on the radio and too each other about “when they start blocking traffic” meaning conspiracy on their part to stage a mass arrest if the march filled the sidewalk. Somehow the march made it back to the starting point.

When marchers started dispersing in groups, a pro-Zionist disruptor who had been following the march most of the way latched onto the largest group. The cops then fell back, just out of sight. She began yelling and disrupting, but nobody took the bait and protesters did nothing more than yell.

Slowly a few cops began to reappear, supposedly drawn by the noise. Then suddenly the cops pounced. They claim that protesters assaulted their disruptor but video evidence shows to the contrary. Cops became more and more violent as this went on. In the end, they arrested 8 people. Their behavior and threats throughout the day imply the disruptor was bait and all the arrests had been premeditated. Quite possibly these arrests had been planned prior to the first protester arriving at the meetup spot. The Orlando Police Department (like the Tampa cops) is infamous for training with IOF troops. This explains why the police were literally fighting for terrorists in Orlando on Sep 21, 2024.

Naturally, stories appeared within hours in multiple corporate news outlets, all repeating the same lies from the same police “media release.”

Weelaunee Forest Defenders rain ping-pong balls on Atlanta City Council session, force recess

(Video by Atlanta Community Press Collective)

No arrests reported as Stop Cop City protester disrupted the council session with a rain of ping-pong balls. Protesters chanted “you have dropped the ball” while ping-pong balls flew. This refers to the city and state dropping the ball on democracy with their maneuvers to prevent the ballot initiative to end the Cop City project from ever being voted on.

The meeting went into recess until protesters marched out 20 minutes later and resumed protesting outside. To stay inside and risk arrest this close to the election would have been a strategically dangerous move given what may be coming next.

Jill Stein assaulted by brutal Philly cops during pro-Palestine march on the Presidential debate

On the 10th of September, pro-Palestine freedom fighters marched on the Trump-Harris debate in Philadelphia. Philly cops are famous for mindless brutality, and their reaction to this march was no exception.

No 3ed party candidate has been permitted in the 2024 Presidential debates of course. This even though one poll shows her at 40% support among Muslim voters in Michigan.

Excluded from the debate, Jill Stein marched with the protest to drive home the point that genocide is on both sides of the ballot.

Video published by Jill Stein, liberated from Google/Youtube via torbrowser. I will NEVER like to Google, Facebook, or IG.

Pro-Palestine protesters driven off as USF Tampa deploys cops all over campus

On the 3ed of September, USF (University of South Florida) deployed police teams all over campus with the intention of finding and “getting” any protesters who dared to show themselves for Palestine.

Cops or the administration sent word they would find and “get” any protesters. Protesters then departed the campus and set up a press conference at 56th and Fowler to denounce the university’s violent threats, only to have the corporate media boycott the presser.

They were no doubt told about the university’s threats, and it is known that USF has a violent history of police assaults and malicious prosecution of student protesters. The April 29th tear gas attack on a pro-Palestine encampment at USF was a major news story. So was the Tampa 4. Despite all of this, not a single representative of any corporate news outlet showed up.

As this is written, it is reported that Columbia University’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter has attempted to hold a protest, only to face a police kettle and presumed mass arrests. At this happend their Instagram account was taken down.

Below is my personal take on what all of this shit implies:

We see from today’s events plus the brutal repression of the Palestine camps last April and May that pro-Israel forces are engaging in an all-out offensive here in the US to destroy any dissent against their torture and murder in now the West Bank as well as Gaza. The First Amendment is being brazenly ignored, as all of these bans are content-specific, targetting pro-Palestine protest specifically.

We have seen in just one day a coordinated campaign by police, universities, and Meta to crush this year’s student protests for Palestine before they can start. This is being done with total disregard for all law and all prior rules of engagement concerning protest in the US.

Note that students are being expelled simply for participating in protests, which means that young people will find themselves saddled with student loans that can never be paid as they have only a high school diploma. A note for high school students: if you are politically active, consider NOT going to college until this war is over, so as not to have expulsions etc on your record. Take the year off, focus on winning the war against genocide.

As matters stand today, people who want to pursue a career are being warned that if they dare to step out of line, their intended lives will be over. The US and Israeli governments are not taking half measures, that means we cannot afford to either.

If protest is outlawed, only outlaws can protest. If people are banned from employment due to their beliefs, they are effectively declared outlaws.

From Gaza to the West Bank to USF to Columbia University, this is all the same war. Speaking of that, news from Gaza today is Israel bombed a VACCINATION CENTER against polio in violation of their own pledge to consider them protected areas.

Tampa: Labor Day protest for Palestine calls out bipartisan support and university complicity in genocide

On Labor Day, with the new school year just starting up, pro-Palestine protesters in downtown Tampa chewed out University of South Florida for last year’s chemical attack (tear gas) on a peaceful pro-Palestine encampment. In addition the Democrats and GOP were both called out for bipartisan support for genocide, and warnings given that many would vote for neither if there is no ceasefire by Nov 3.

Video: Critical Mass Orlando for Aug 2024

On the 30th of August, Critical Mass Orlando started at Lake Highland Park, where the rides have begun for much of this year. The ride proceeded up the bike trail to the original staging area before taking to the streets.

Since the rides are promoted on Instagram and IG is attempting to block anyone without an account from seeing posts, it may take a while for everyone to realize the starting point has moved. Passing the previous staging area picks up any such riders.

One cop attempted without success to order riders to “get off the street” and ride on the sidewalk. This order was ignored, as it contradicts Florida law declaring that cyclists on the road are vehicles (though not motor vehicles so no license required) when on the road. Bicycles on the road are thus legally not blocking traffic as they are traffic. Otherwise rush hour car traffic could be ticketed for obstructing the road.

Press conference at Orlando Democrats HQ condemns assault of Muslim delegate at DNC

On the 28th of August, Orlando area pro-Palestine activists gathered at the headquarters of the Orange County Democrats. They condemned the brutal physical assault of a Muslim DNC delegate from Orlando by other Florida Democrats at the DNC last week in Chicago.

Speakers also called out the ongoing role of the Democrats and the Biden administration in arming Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. One speaker warned the Dems that this genocide is forcing the younger and antiwar voters who have so often boosted Democrats to electoral victories in the past to “look outside the two party system.”

Protest at FL’s Honeymoon Island State Park against DeSantis-proposed redevelopment

The “Great Outdoors Initiative”  is a plan leaked to the media to “redevelop” nine Florida state parks to replace wild lands with golf courses, luxury hotels and lodges, and even pickleball courts. The pickleball courts seem to be a “thin end of the wedge” to get a developer foot in the door for later plans in those same parks. ALL of the targetted parks would get four pickleball courts and a disc golf course.

Honeymoon Island is one of the parks that would initially get the pickleball courts and disc golf, no doubt to be later followed by the full programs of 18 holes of golf and a luxury resort. This plan is sufficiently destructive in and of itself to place at risk the survival of endangered species in the park.

There was talk of a shadowy “nonprofit” called the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, that tried to poach the name of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. Golf has nothing to do with flying P-51 Mustangs against Nazi Germany, and people allegedly connected to this organization have been furiously backpedaling. Capping matters, the CEO of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum reported his organization has never heard of the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation.