We are featuring here some of the voices of individuals and organizations—coming from a diverse range of political perspectives and viewpoints—who are courageously speaking against the brutal inhumanity of the Trump/MAGA fascist regime. Now is a time to unite all who can be united to demand: The Trump Fascist Regime Must Go NOW! In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept a fascist America!
Earlier posts, April 7 to May 11, 2025 >>
Earlier posts, January 21 to April 6, 2025 >>
[TEMPLATE] Voices from [mo] [date] to [date], 2025
Voices from June 9 to June 15, 2025
RESISTING TRUMP/MAGA FASCISM
Doechii at BET Awards '25 speaking against Trump's deployment of military against protest and in support of all oppressed people.
We are Nobel laureates, scientists, writers and artists. The threat of fascism is back: An Open Letter
...[W]e scientists, philosophers, writers, artists and citizens of the world have a responsibility to denounce and resist the resurgence of fascism in all its forms. We call on all those who value democracy to act:
Defend democratic, cultural and educational institutions. Call out abuses of democratic principles and human rights. Refuse pre-emptive compliance.
Join collective actions, locally and internationally. Boycott and strike when possible. Make resistance impossible to ignore and costly to repress.
Uphold facts and evidence. Foster critical thinking and engage with your communities on these grounds.
This is an ongoing struggle. Let our voices, our work and our principles be a bulwark against authoritarianism. Let this message be a renewed declaration of defiance.
Entire Fulbright Board Resigns in the Face of Actions Taken by Trump Regime
"Effective immediately, members of the Congressionally mandated Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board voted overwhelmingly to resign from the board, rather than endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law, compromise U.S. national interests and integrity, and undermine the mission and mandates Congress established for the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago....
...the current administration has usurped the authority of the Board and denied Fulbright awards to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The administration is also currently subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients to an unauthorized review process and could reject more. We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute.
Folk singer Martin Kerr, "This is fascism, folks. It is here, fully in the open."
RESISTING ATTACKS ON IMMIGRANTS
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar:
“Five months into his administration, Donald Trump is working to create a police state in the United States of America. Donald Trump’s escalation of tensions through the deployment of our military against Americans in Los Angeles should terrify everyone. And since proclaiming on Saturday that ‘there will be troops everywhere,’ he’s making it clear he won’t stop with Los Angeles. Peaceful protest is central to free speech; violence is never acceptable, and I forcefully condemn it. However, Donald Trump’s deployment of active duty service members within our country’s borders – without a request from that state’s governor - is unprecedented and alarming. From pardoning true insurrectionists who assaulted law enforcement protecting our nation’s capital on January 6, to the militarization of the border, to a $45 million military parade to celebrate his birthday – akin to those undertaken by dangerous dictators throughout history– to deploying the U.S. government against his political opponents, Donald Trump is unapologetically and eagerly leading our democratic republic on a rapid race to fascism.”
“This is an Emergency”: Kathleen Hanna on Uniting to Fight Against ICE Raids and Fascism
Hanna is was a frontline singer for Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. In a recent article in Rolling Stone she is quoted saying: “I have an 11-year-old son who is really worried about his classmates and their families. He really wanted to protest but I felt nervous about taking him to the peaceful protests in downtown L.A. due to the intense military presence so I just typed in, ‘Pasadena,’ where I live, and ‘ICE,’ and a post came up that said ICE agents are staying at a nearby hotel. We went to the hotel, there were 15 people there at first, and it just grew and grew. I posted a picture and specifically noted that this is a family and disabled-friendly protest, because I think it’s really important that people who have chronic illnesses or small children under their care also have ways to protest. That’s one of the messages I’m trying to get out. Everyone can plug in to fight fascism. This is an emergency and we need everyone doing things on all levels.”
Read full article in Rolling Stone
RESISTING THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA
North African 'resilience convoy' heads to Gaza, aiming to break Israel's siege
Over 7,000 volunteers from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia left the Tunisian capital in a 100-vehicle convoy to raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and deliver life-saving aid, organisers said.
"The convoy will express solidarity with the Palestinian people under siege and deliver humanitarian aid to them," the coordination group said in a statement.
"Participants in the convoy will head to the Ras Jedir crossing on the Tunisian-Libyan border, and travel along the Libyan coastal road to Cairo, then to the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian-Palestinian border, to deliver messages of solidarity and aid to the Palestinians in Gaza," it added.
Actors read Mahmoud Khalil's letter to his new-born son on Father's Day.
Liam Cunningham, Irish actor and supporter of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Voices from June 2 to June 8, 2025
Fascist Attacks on Immigrants, People Stand Up - Voices of Outrage and Support
Following the unlawful arrest of SEIU California President David Huerta by ICE Agents in Los Angeles, National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond issued the following statement:
The nearly 15 million Working People of the AFL-CIO and our Affiliated Unions demand the immediate release of California Federation of Labor Unions Vice President and SEIU California and SEIU-USWW President David Huerta.
As the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda has unnecessarily targeted our hard-working Immigrant Brothers and Sisters, David was exercising his Constitutional rights and conducting legal observation of ICE activity in his community.
He was doing what he has always done and what we do in Unions: Putting solidarity into practice and defending our fellow Workers.
In response, ICE Agents violently arrested him, physically injuring David in the process, and are continuing to detain him - a violation of David’s Civil Liberties and the freedoms this country holds dear.
The Labor Movement stands with David and we will continue to demand justice for our Union Brother until he is released.
RESISTING THE GENOCIDE IN GAZA
French and Italian dockworkers refuse to unload Israel-linked ships
“French dockworkers at the port of Marseille-Fos refused on Wednesday to load a shipment of spare parts for machine guns reportedly destined for Israel, declaring they would not be complicit in the 'ongoing genocide' in Gaza....
"The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union representing port workers in the Gulf of Fos issued a statement on Monday: 'The port of Marseille-Fos must not be used to supply the Israeli army. The dockworkers and port staff will not take part in the ongoing genocide. We stand for peace among peoples and oppose all wars that bring death, misery, and displacement.'….
"The dockworkers' stance inspired solidarity in Italy. The Genoa Port Workers’ Collective (CALP), backed by the USB union, announced it would mobilise to block the ZIM Contship Era from docking when it arrives in Genoa, one of its next scheduled stops...before returning to Haifa.
"'We oppose all wars and refuse to be complicit in the genocide in Gaza,' CALP said in a statement."
VOICES FROM PRIDE MONTH CALLING FOR RESISTANCE TO TRUMP
Open letter supporting federal funding for LGBTQ suicide prevention signed by more than 100 prominent Hollywood actors, directors and others, including Ariana Grande, Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sabrina Carpenter and Daniel Radcliffe.
We are heartbroken by the proposal to eliminate federal funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services — a move that will have devastating, life-threatening consequences for young people across the country. As artists, creators, and public figures, our platforms come with responsibility. And today, that responsibility is clear: we must speak out to protect the mental health and lives of LGBTQ+ youth. We will not stay silent….
This is about people, not politics. At a time of deep division, let this be something we as people can all agree on: no young person should be left without help in their darkest moment. Stripping away this lifeline leaves LGBTQ+ youth with the message that their lives are not worth saving. We refuse to accept that message….
Janelle Monáe performed at the WorldPride show in Washington DC
This pride speech below from last year is pinned to the top of Janelle Monae’s x.com postings. She said in a Washington Post article on June 3, “There are so many people from all around the world whose rights are being trampled on,” Monáe says of this fraught moment. “They don’t feel safe loving how they love and walking in the world how they are.”
A special Pride Month message from Kevin Jennings
Kevin Jennings is the head of Lambda Legal. He was quoted in the AP article, Trump once opened the door to the LGBTQ+ community. Now activists say he’s their top threat, AP June 6, 2025
“We are in the darkest period right now since the height of the AIDS crisis,” said Kevin Jennings, who leads Lambda Legal, a longtime advocacy organization. “I am deeply concerned that we’re going to see it all be taken away in the next four years.”
This Pride Month statement was posted on his Instagram:
STATEMENTS AGAINST ATTACKS ON HEALTH AND SCIENCE
Proposed changes to Medicaid, other health programs could lead to over 51,000 preventable deaths, researchers warn
Researchers at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania have issued a letter estimating Trump’s tax bill cuts for healthcare would lead to 51,000 preventable deaths annually. The letter presents science-based projections of the human toll of eliminating key health protections, such as mass insurance losses and cuts to nursing home standards. Dr. Alison Galvani, PhD, Director of the Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis at the Yale School of Public Health said, “These are not abstract numbers. Every data point represents a human life. These cuts would disproportionately harm the most vulnerable communities in America, including older adults, low-income families, and people already at the margins of our health care system.”
Read the letter to Congress
Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens
The undersigned are elected members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, representing some of the nation’s top scientists, engineers, and medical researchers. We are speaking out as individuals. We see real danger in this moment. We hold diverse political beliefs, but we are united as researchers in wanting to protect independent scientific inquiry. We are sending this SOS to sound a clear warning: the nation’s scientific enterprise is being decimated.
The administration is slashing funding for scientific agencies, terminating grants to scientists, defunding their laboratories, and hampering international scientific collaboration. The funding cuts are forcing institutions to pause research (including studies of new disease treatments), dismiss faculty, and stop enrolling graduate students—the pipeline for the next generation’s scientists.
The administration’s current investigations of more than 50 universities send a chilling message. Columbia University was recently notified that its federal funding would be withheld unless it adopted disciplinary policies and disabled an academic department targeted by the administration. Destabilizing dozens of universities will endanger higher education—and the research those institutions conduct.
The quest for truth—the mission of science—requires that scientists freely explore new questions and report their findings honestly, independent of special interests. The administration is engaging in censorship, destroying this independence. It is using executive orders and financial threats to manipulate which studies are funded or published, how results are reported, and which data and research findings the public can access. The administration is blocking research on topics it finds objectionable, such as climate change, or that yields results it does not like, on topics ranging from vaccine safety to economic trends.
Voices from May 26 to June 1, 2025
Scott Pelley, reporter for CBS News' 60 Minutes, condemns Trump during commencement address at Wake Forest University:
"Freedom Of Speech Is Under Attack," The Country Is "Calling You"
“The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today.
“…To move forward, we debate, not demonize. We discuss, not destroy. But in this moment – this moment, this morning – our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak. In America? If our government is – in Lincoln’s words – “of the people, by the people and for the people” – then why are we afraid to speak?
“The Wake Forest Class of 1861 did not choose their time of calling. The Class of 1941 did not choose. The Class of 1968 did not choose. History chose them. And now history is calling you, the Class of 2025….
“In a moment like this, when our country is in peril, don’t ask the meaning of life. Life is asking, ‘What’s the meaning of you?’”
Daniel Malinsky, Assistant Professor at the School of Public Health at Columbia University wrote a commentary titled:
“Now is the time for scientists to stand up against Trump’s repressive agenda”
He said:
“At this year’s meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, the CEO of this research society, Margaret Foti, encouraged cancer scientists to take part in demonstrations and meetings with elected representatives. Professors from all corners of campus are already fighting back against funding cuts, the attempted deportations of our international students and usurpations of democratic governance. At Columbia, where I work, faculty have been organizing to urge our university leadership to provide real protections to students at risk of deportation and sue the Trump administration, among other demands. Contrary to the stereotype, much of the organizing work is being spearheaded by science faculty – psychiatrists, epidemiologists, astronomers, mathematicians, economists, statisticians, oceanographers – hand in hand with our colleagues in the humanities.
Read the whole commentary.
Weather researchers kick off 100-hour livestream as data-driven protest against Trump's science cuts
May 28: In response to budget cuts ordered by Trump— such as eliminating the scientific division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with closing all partner laboratories involved in meteorology— American scientists, climate and weather specialists, held a 100-hour livestream to highlight the importance of scientific research for public safety. The first segment was from team at NASA Goddard on the last day as their office was being shut down by Trump.
“This incredible achievement of the American public [in developing weather science] is under threat. Weather stations are understaffed. Research grants are being canceled. Scientists are being kicked out of their offices. These cuts threaten the forecasts we all rely on, putting us all at risk. Additionally, proposed additional cuts being considered right now in Congress would make this situation worse.
"Scientists really really do not like mixing our work with politics…our goal is to understand how the world works, we want to understand the truth, independent of any pre-conceived notions….Full disclosure, we are nerds. That’s where we would most like to be, doing science….
"So this is a sign of how important this moment is, that when we went to our colleagues and many agreed to participate…. "
Greta Thunberg and other activists join 'Freedom Flotilla' trying to take aid from Italy to Gaza
Her message: “We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying. Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of a live-streamed genocide.”
Hundreds of Writers in the United Kingdom Demand Immediate Gaza Ceasefire
We, the undersigned writers of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, ask our nations and the peoples of the world to join us in ending our collective silence and inaction in the face of horror…
The government of Israel has renewed its assault on Gaza with unrestrained brutality. Public statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir openly express genocidal intentions. The use of the words “genocide” or “acts of genocide” to describe what is happening in Gaza is no longer debated by international legal experts or human rights organizations….
This genocide implicates us all. We bear witness to the crimes of genocide, and we refuse to approve them by our silence.
An Urgent Call to the Heads of Academia in Israel – 27 May 2025
Over 1,200 academics based in Israel signed this call by a group of Israeli academics calling themselves the “Black Flag Action Group.” Against a backdrop where a high percentage of the Israeli population supports ethnic cleansing, this is important and reflects that the minority of those in Israel who are against the genocide is growing:
“We, members of the academic and administrative staff in institutions of higher education in Israel, call on you to act immediately to mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza….
“We cannot claim that we did not know. We have been silent for too long. For the sake of the lives of innocents and the safety of all the people of this land, Palestinians and Jews; for the sake of the return of the hostages; if we do not call to halt the war immediately, history will not forgive us. We will not forgive ourselves. It is our duty to act to stop the slaughter; it is our duty to save lives. It is our duty to save what can still be saved of this land’s future. The institutions of higher education in Israel must raise their voices, address their students and the public at large, look at reality directly and call things what they are – unspeakable actions being done in our name, with our own hands, that will ultimately result in destroying higher education in Israel and the entire society from within.”
Harvard Undergraduate Association Statement
In light of the recent revocation of Harvard’s SEVP status by the Department of Homeland Security, the Harvard Undergraduate Association stands in complete solidarity with members of our international community and strongly condemns the explicit targeting of Harvard’s international population. With many of the core members of our undergraduate community being on student visas, we understand the way students from all across the globe enrich the spaces we share.
We are working closely with the administration to ensure that our peers are supported in the best manner possible in these testing times. We stand firmly behind you and are committed to offering our fullest support in every way we can.
Tom Morello at Boston Calling: “Fuck Trump”
May 27: When he performed at the Boston Calling Music Festival, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello spoke out against Trump for criticizing Bruce Springsteen. He said, "Bruce is going after Trump because Bruce, his whole life, he's been about truth, justice, democracy, equality. And Trump is mad at him because Bruce draws a bigger audience. F*** that guy." Morello also showed the audience that the words "F*** ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement]" were emblazoned across the back of his guitar. He then went on to say the Boston gig, complete with anti-Trump rhetoric, could be "the last big event before they throw us all in jail."
Michael McDonald: "We are staring down a dark channel that could lead to totalitarianism."
Doobie Brothers singer/keyboard player Michael McDonald revealed that the title track of the Doobie Brothers’ new studio album, “Walk This Road,” is a thinly veiled condemnation of the president.
“I think it’s important that all of us stand up and say our piece,” McDonald said of the song. “Here in the US these are perilous times, I’m afraid. We are staring down a dark channel that could lead to totalitarianism.
“We’ve got a guy who doesn’t want to be President of the United States as much as he wants to be one of the points of light — the whole axis of everything,” he added. “He wants the world.
“We have to be very careful of that, and we should speak out against it while we still can. I have no doubt that should they get their own way, this administration would shut down the press completely.”
Voices from May 18 to May 25, 2025
Springsteen: "No Surrender"
After Trump attacked Springsteen for his condemnation of MAGA policies at the opening of his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour in Manchester, England, Springsteen did not back down. He doubled down on his criticism of Trump/Maga by releasing his “Land of Hope and Dreams EP” on May 21, which included his statements. He introduced “No Surrender” at the top of his next concert with a call to action: “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight on a mission! We are going to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times!... Tonight we ask all of you who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices, stand with us against authoritarianism and let freedom ring.”
More musicians stand with Springsteen:
Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam in Pittsburgh
"I just want to point out that he brought up issues. He brought up that residents are being removed off America’s streets and being deported without due process of law. That’s happening! He brought up that we are abandoning our long-time allies around the globe and signing on with dictators. That is also happening! And here, driving through all the colleges—University of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon and the incredible area you’ve got, and thinking that they are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideologies, as Bruce said.... And I’m saying this just to be sure that this freedom to speak will still exist in another year or two from now when we come back to this microphone."
Neil Young:
"What are you worryin' about man?
Bruce and thousands of musicians think you are ruining America. You worry about that instead of the dyin' kids in Gaza. That's your problem. I am not scared of you. Neither are the rest of us. Read full statement.
At a May 18 show in Finland with the band Saving Grace, Robert Plant tells the crowd, “Right now in England, which is where we come from … Bruce Springsteen’s touring right now in the U.K. And he’s putting down some really serious stuff. So tune in to him.”
Sheryl Crow took to the stage at Boston Calling this weekend, and remarked between songs: "I don't know, Bruce Springsteen for President?"
Pro-Palestine alumni burn their diplomas outside of Columbia University on graduation day, in protest of their silencing of students, their collaboration with genocide, and their collaboration with fascism!
Providence RI City Council raised the Palestinian flag at City Hall to protest prevention of aid to Gaza. In response the mayor, who had just returned from a trip to Israel, put in place a regulation to prevent this in the future. Protests have continued at his house.
Palestinian flag flies at Providence, Rhode Island City Hall May 15, 2025
On May 23, American Association of University Professors President Todd Wolfson sent the following letter calling for NYU to drop disciplinary proceedings against commencement speaker Logan Rozos.
Dear President Mills, Provost Dopico, and Dean Rosner,
We were disturbed to learn that NYU is pursuing disciplinary proceedings against graduate Logan Rozos after he spoke about “atrocities currently happening in Palestine” during his speech at a graduation ceremony last week.
The past few years have seen alarming escalation of attempts by politicians and donors to control what may be said, taught, and thought on our college and university campuses. The Trump administration is weaponizing fears of antisemitism and seeking to equate pro-Palestinian speech with terrorism as part of its broad assault on higher education and civil liberties. It is the job of university administrators to resist this assault, not enable it. Our colleges and universities are rightly places of inquiry and debate.
NYU Tisch professors wear gags at graduation in a silent but highly visible protest against the University clampdown on speech.
More than 350 international actors, directors and producers have signed a letter published on the first day of Cannes condemning the killing of Fatma Hassona, the Palestinian photojournalist and protagonist of the festival-bound documentary “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” in an Israeli airstrike, and condemning Oscar’s lack of support for Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal. The letter began:
Fatma Hassona was 25 years old.
She was a Palestinian freelance photojournalist. She was targeted by the Israeli army on 16 April 2025, the day after it was announced that Sepideh Farsi’s film “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” in which she was the star, had been selected in the ACID section of the Cannes Film Festival.
She was about to get married.
Ten of her relatives, including her pregnant sister, were killed by the same Israeli strike.
Since the terrible massacres of 7 October 2023, no foreign journalist has been authorised to enter the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army is targeting civilians. More than 200 journalists have been deliberately killed. Writers, film-makers and artists are being brutally murdered.
At the end of March, Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, who won an Oscar for his film “No Other Land,” was brutally attacked by Israeli settlers and then kidnapped by the army, before being released under international pressure. The Oscar Academy’s lack of support for Hamdan Ballal sparked outrage among its own members and it had to publicly apologize for its inaction.
We are ashamed of such passivity.
Why is it that cinema, a breeding ground for socially committed works, seems to be so indifferent to the horror of reality and the oppression suffered by our sisters and brothers?
As artists and cultural players, we cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza and this unspeakable news is hitting our communities hard.
What is the point of our professions if not to draw lessons from history, to make films that are committed, if we are not present to protect oppressed voices?
Why this silence?
The far right, fascism, colonialism, anti-trans and anti-LGBTQIA+, sexist, racist, islamophobic and antisemitic movements are waging their battle on the battlefield of ideas, attacking publishing, cinema and universities, and that’s why we have a duty to fight.
Let’s refuse to let our art be an accomplice to the worst.
Let us rise up.
Let us name reality.
Let us collectively dare to look at it with the precision of our sensitive hearts, so that it can no longer be silenced and covered up.
Let us reject the propaganda that constantly colonizes our imaginations and makes us lose our sense of humanity.
For Fatma, for all those who die in indifference.
Cinema has a duty to carry their messages, to reflect our societies.
Let’s act before it’s too late.
Microsoft engineer Joe Lopez disrupts Microsoft Build conference protesting Microsoft’s role in Israel. Microsoft has since fired him.
Afterwards he sent a letter to the company which read in part:
Call to action
My future children will one day ask me what I did for the Palestinian people as they were suffering and pleading for our help. I hope they will forgive me for my previous inaction. Many of you have children who may be asking you that question today. What will you tell them?
As Israel continues its deadly blockade of Gaza, and Netanyahu continues to assert that he will not rest until Gaza is fully occupied, we know that this situation is beyond dire. I wouldn’t have risked my career and my livelihood if I didn’t believe that to the core of my being. It’s terrifying to speak up, especially right now.
Movement of Hunger Strikers for Palestine Grows on Campuses and in Public Squares
Hunger strikes to protest the bombing of Gaza, the starvation of its people, and the U.S. support for Israel have spread across the United States. Students at campuses all over the California State system, Stanford, Yale and many others have joined. Stanford students wrote in part:
"If ever there was a moment that demands civil disobedience, it is the hour of genocide. We walk in the footsteps of earlier Stanford students who occupied this same plaza to end the Vietnam War and later to force partial divestment from apartheid South Africa."
Over 300 people have signed up to be part of a 40-day fast for Gaza, including groups in Maine, New York, Washington State and many other places. The fast is called for by Veterans for Peace and the group Servicemembers for Ceasefire, which says “We are U.S. Military Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza” . They said “On May 22, we begin our fasting across the country while demanding:
1) a resumption of humanitarian aid, under UN authority, to Gaza
2) that the U.S. stop arming Israel NOW!”
Servicemembers for Ceasefire is also calling on Active Duty military to send letters to Congress to stop funding Gaza genocide.
Voices from May 12 to 18, 2025
Bruce Springsteen calls on people to raise their voices against authoritarianism
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band opened their Land of Hope & Dreams Tour in Manchester, England on May 14. Springsteen made three statements about the situation in the United States, with comments preceding his songs “Land of Hope and Dreams,” “House of a Thousand Guitars” and “My City of Ruins.” Watch the video:
Land of Hope and Dreams
Trump tweeted a threat in response which read in part:
“....This dried out ‘prune’ of a rocker (his skin is all atrophied!) ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”
In response to this attack from Trump, along with an attack on Taylor Swift, The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) made a statement defending both artists that read in part: “[We] will not remain silent as two of our members—Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift—are singled out and personally attacked by the President of the United States…”
Robert De Niro at Cannes after receiving honorary Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 13, called for protest against Trump.
“Artists are a threat, we are a threat, to autocrats and fascists….”
Juiliette Binoche, Cannes jury president:
"On 16 April at dawn in Gaza a 25-year-old photojournalist Fatma Hassouna and ten of her relatives were killed by a missile that struck their home... The day before her death she learned that the film she was in had been selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Fatma should have been here with us tonight...."
Actor Pedro Pascal at Cannes Film Festival after Trump's attacks on artists:
“Fuck the people that try to make you scared and fight back.”
NYU graduation speaker speaks out against genocide in Gaza
At New York University’s Gallatin School graduation, Logan Rozos—the selected student commencement speaker—took the opportunity he was invited to and spoke out against both the genocide in Gaza and the United States’ complicity in that bloodshed.
NYU in response suspended his diploma and threatened other disciplinary actions. NYU spokesperson John Beckman publicly condemned Rozos in a statement, saying that he “misuse[d] his role as student speaker to express his personal and one-sided political views.” Beckman added, “NYU is deeply sorry that the audience was subjected to these remarks and that this moment was stolen by someone who abused a privilege that was conferred upon him.”
A number of prominent people have spoken out in support of Rozos:
Prominent art critic and writer Aruna D’Sousa publicly denounced NYU and said that she was returning her graduate degrees.
"I am appalled at the absolute intolerance for free speech NYU is demonstrating...
"What is the point of having received graduate degrees from an institution that polices intellectual engagement the way NYU does? All it would mean is admitting that my work was acceptable to an institution that doesn't support free thinking—a pretty damning form of praise.
"As a result of NYU's action, I would like to formally return my degrees—please take this email as a renunciation.... You can take me out of your records; I will no longer list my affiliation on my cv and will no longer allow myself to be referred to as 'Doctor."....
James Zogby, prominent Middle East scholar, co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute, posted on X:
“Shame on NYU for canceling this brave & thoughtful student’s diploma for his graduation speech. Cowering to genocide & fear of the Trump Administration is not what a great university does. Listen to him. His voice is pained & passionate. You should be proud of him.”
To my newborn son: I am absent not out of apathy, but conviction
Mahmoud Khalil
Yaba Deen, it has been two weeks since you were born, and these are my first words to you.
In the early hours of 21 April, I waited on the other end of a phone as your mother labored to bring you into this world. I listened to her pained breaths and tried to speak comforting words into her ear over the crackling line. During your first moments, I buried my face in my arms and kept my voice low so that the 70 other men sleeping in this concrete room would not see my cloudy eyes or hear my voice catch. I feel suffocated by my rage and the cruelty of a system that deprived your mother and me of sharing this experience. Why do faceless politicians have the power to strip human beings of their divine moments?
Since that morning, I have come to recognize the look in the eyes of every father in this detention center. I sit here contemplating the immensity of your birth and wonder how many more firsts will be sacrificed to the whims of the US government, which denied me even the chance of furlough to attend your birth. How is it that the same politicians who preach “family values” are the ones tearing families apart?
Deen, my heart aches that I could not hold you in my arms and hear your first cry, that I could not unfurl your clenched fists or change your first diaper. I am sorry that I was not there to hold your mother’s hand or to recite the adhan, or call to prayer, in your ear. But my absence is not unique. Like other Palestinian fathers, I was separated from you by racist regimes and distant prisons. In Palestine, this pain is part of daily life. Babies are born every day without their fathers – not because their fathers chose to leave, but because they are taken by war, by bombs, by prison cells and by the cold machinery of occupation. The grief your mother and I feel is but one drop in a sea of sorrow that Palestinian families have drowned in for generations.
To my husband, Mahmoud Khalil: I can’t wait to tell our son of his father’s bravery
Dr. Noor Abdalla
Mahmoud Khalil and Dr. Noor Abdalla
Exactly a month ago, you were taken from me. This is the longest we have been apart since we got married. I miss you more and more every day and as the days draw us closer to the arrival of our child, I am haunted by the uncertainty that looms over me – the possibility that you might not be there for this monumental moment. Every kick, every cramp, every small flutter I feel inside me serves as an inescapable reminder of the family we’ve dreamed of building together. Yet, I am left to navigate this profound journey alone, while you endure the cruel and unjust confines of a detention center.
I could not be more proud of you, Mahmoud. You embody everything I ever hoped for in a partner and the father of my children. What more could I ask for as a role model for our children than a man who, with unwavering conviction, stands up for the liberation of his people, fully cognizant of the consequences of speaking truth to power? Your courage is boundless, and now more than ever, I am in awe of your strength and determination. Your voice, your belief in justice, and your refusal to be silenced are the very qualities that make you the man I love and admire.
CANNES REWIND.
Director James Gray thinks capitalism has put the film industry into “serious trouble,” sharing his thoughts during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Ben Cohen (of Ben and Jerry’s) arrested after disrupting Congressional hearing in protest of killing kids in Gaza.
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have been outspoken over several years on the Israel-Palestine issue. They describe themselves as “proud Jews” and supporters of the state of Israel, but have also been sharply critical of Israeli government policies.
J. Michael Luttig is a very well-known, high-level conservative, judge. He has been sounding the alarm about the shredding of the rule of law since January 6.
In a article published May 15 in The Atlantic, he wrote:
"The rule-of-law casualties of these presidentially provoked national crises are mounting by the day. America cannot withstand three-and-a-half more years of this president if his first few months are a harbinger of what lies ahead."
And at the end he wrote:
"THE 47TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES may wish he were a king. But in America, the law is king, not the president.
"Donald Trump may wish he could dictate his unconscionable global tariffs; dispense with due process and deport whomever he pleases, citizen and not; and vanish away huge swaths of the federal government without check or rebuke. He may wish he did not have to contend with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, the free press, or the Constitution’s birthright-citizenship guarantee. He may wish he could ignore the Constitution’s elections clauses and run America’s elections from the White House. And he may wish he could intimidate the nation’s lawyers and law firms from challenging his abuse of power and commandeer them to do his personal bidding.
"But it is these constitutional obstacles to a tyrannical president that have made America the greatest nation on Earth for almost 250 years, not the fallen America that Trump delusionally thinks he’s going to make great again tomorrow.
"After these first three tyrannical, lawless months of this presidency, surely Americans can understand now that Donald Trump is going to continue to decimate America for the next three-plus years. He will continue his assault on America, its democracy, and rule of law until the American people finally rise up and say, “No more.”
"From across the ages, Frederick Douglass is crying out that we Americans never forget: “the limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”"
Sunsara Taylor interviews Maya, a UCLA student on hunger strike to protest the genocide in Gaza.
On the evening of May 17, Maya was hospitalized. Students for Justice in Palestine at CU wrote:
"Abdullah's hospitalization is a direct result of our universities' support for the genocide of the Palestinian people....
"We know what side our universities are on, but their repression only emboldens us. We stand with hunger strikers as they continue to put their bodies on the line, to demand our universities divest from and cut all ties to the Zionist entity"