Mondoweiss:
"Employees often face certain restrictions on their freedom of speech. In the past year, retaliation against employees or future employees for expressions of solidarity with Palestine has repeatedly made headlines. Law firms have rescinded their offers to graduating students. Tech companies, including Google, have fired employees for organizing. Last year, Starbucks and its union sued each other over a disputed social media post by the union.

But the response of universities, with their long standing reputations of creating space for intellectual engagement and dissent, stands out. Faculty at Columbia and other universities have described a growing climate of academic suppression. And staff, like Clara, have fewer protections.

Clara [last name withheld] is one of many students and staff at universities across the United States who have been disciplined for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Her story shows that the crackdown on staff members extends to when staff is off the clock and reflects the uneven enforcement of murky speech policies by universities."
https://laborforpalestine.net/2024/12/10/universities-are-continuing-to-retaliate-against-staff-for-participating-in-gaza-campus-protests-mondoweiss/

-->This is a hidden crackdown. Few media sources will show the American public just how bad these violations of freedom of speech really are.

=====

Peoples Dispatch:
"Governments in Latin America have been at the forefront of opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and several of those which have done so suddenly face new threats, even including attempted coups. Adrienne Pine, a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, said during a recent webinar hosted by the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition that 'Anybody who stands with Palestine is going to be attacked in Latin America by the US and by Zionists.'

Recent events appear to show the truth of her remarks. Of the 165 countries that recognize Israel, only four have officially cut diplomatic ties with the country since it began its Gaza offensive, and all of them are Latin American: Bolivia, Belize, Colombia and Nicaragua (Venezuela severed its ties with Israel in 2009 while Cuba broke off relations during the Yom Kippur War of 1973). A further eight countries have withdrawn their diplomats from Tel Aviv since October 7, 2023, of which Chile, Brazil and Honduras are from Latin America.

This article looks at the experience of three governments in the region which have strongly opposed Isreal’s genocidal war—Nicaragua, Honduras, and Colombia. All are suffering attacks that appear to be either in direct retaliation for their actions or which suspiciously coincide with them. All three have progressive governments which have historic reasons for challenging Israel, adding to their condemnation of its recent actions."
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/11/12/latin-american-governments-pay-a-price-for-challenging-israels-genocidal-war/

-->Finding this story is difficult in the US media. Could it be that the US empire is still hiding its attacks on Latin America?

=====

Mondoweiss:
"After 16 years behind bars, Mufid Abdulqader, a member of the 'Holy Land Five' has been released from prison into a halfway house. The Palestinian American is slated to spend one year at the facility.

The case of the Holy Land 5 has become a symbol of the unconstitutional overreach associated with U.S. counterterrorism since 9/11. In 2009, five Palestinian-American Muslims received prison sentences as a result of their work with the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) charity. Prosecutors claimed that HLF funneled money to Hamas and charged the men with 'material support for terrorism,' as the United States has designated Hamas as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization.'

Abdulqader received a 20-year prison sentence. Mohammad el-Mezain and Abdulrahman Odeh were given 15 years. Ghassan Elashi and Shukri Abu Baker, 65 years."
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/12/after-16-years-in-prison-holy-land-five-member-mufid-abdulqader-has-been-released/

-->Silence in the US press. Is it just shame about a story that most mainstream media refused to touch? Five innocent men sentenced, two for 65 years each. When it comes to Palestinians in the US, the "Land of the Free" offers few protections for the innocent.