Tampa says no to Turning Point USA

Tampa, FL – On Saturday, July 12, over 200 people gathered for a protest at Tampa City Hall to say no to the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Student Action Summit that was held in Tampa over the weekend.

TPUSA is a national organization known to reflect Trump’s views against immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, Palestinians and public labor unions. The organization is known for its support of Zionism and the genocide of Palestinians, along with its aggressive backing of 287(g) agreements, which enable ICE to collaborate with state and local law enforcement agencies to racially profile and deport the undocumented.

Held by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the statewide action was endorsed by various organizations such as the Tampa Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, Sunrise Tampa, Tampa Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and other various organizations.

Protesters rallied with the slogans “Say no to deportations,” “Protect public sector unions,” “Defend women’s and LGBTQ rights” and “End U.S. aid to Israel,” in response to 23-year-old Palestinian, Saif Al Din, from Tampa being brutally beaten to death in his family’s village in the West Bank.

“Even though [the University of South Florida] refuses to stand on the right side of history and expel Turning Point USA from their campus, we will not stop organizing against them. Because when we fight, we win! Many of the pro-Palestine activists I mentioned earlier have been released from their imprisonment, and there is still time for us to stop USF’s 287(g) agreement. This fight is far from over and we will not stop fighting for Palestine, or for our immigrant community, for our unions, for our women’s rights, for our LGBTQ community, or for our future!” said Connor Jaap of Tampa Bay SDS.

During the program, protesters marched near the convention, where counter-protesters from the summit heckled and attempted to disrupt speeches. Despite this, chants like “Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, TPUSA, go away!” were heard all throughout the march.

“It’s very telling how counter-protesters come with cameras and microphones to try to bother people who are giving speeches. The people are seeing how ridiculous these bigots look and it’s clear that MAGA won’t last. It’s showing in the polls and it showed with the amount of passionate people who came out to support,” said Dhanvi Patel, member of Tampa Bay SDS.

#TampaFL #FL #StudentMovement #SDS #PeoplesStruggles #TPUSA #LGBTQ