La Frontera Unida Drop the Charges Statement in Solidarity with Rick Toledo

La Frontera Unida condemns the attacks on Rick Toledo, a pro-Palestine graduate student at Cal Poly Humboldt. Toledo was suspended, fired from his job, and arrested in the middle of the night without bail. He faces four counts of felony charges, carrying up to 14 years in state prison, simply for protesting for Palestine on his university’s campus. These shameful attacks violate the right to free speech. We demand that these bogus charges be dropped immediately, and that Toledo’s suspension and firing be reversed.

The only criminals here are the police who jailed Toledo. The police have no right to break down the doors of students, raid their homes, brutalize and arrest them for simply exercising their right to protest against the injustices committed by the U.S. Speaking out against genocide and U.S.-backed wars is not a crime!

Just as the U.S. funds the occupation in Palestine, the Trump administration is carrying out ICE raids, deportations, and the murder of community members here in the U.S. As an immigrants’ rights community organization, La Frontera Unida stands in solidarity with Rick Toledo and all those in the pro-Palestine movement. Whether the U.S. oppresses black and brown people here at home or abroad, we must unite and stand up together to demand justice. Rick Toledo is doing the right thing by protesting the U.S.-backed genocide in Palestine.

To the District Attorney of Humboldt County, we say: Don’t charge Rick Toledo! Protesting for against the genocide in Palestine is not a crime!