Lamis Deek

Lamis Deek

Lamis Deek works at National Lawyers Guild. She is an Attorney & Human Rights Advocate, and lives in New York City. She is originally from Nablus.

Lamis Deek, Esq. is a Board Member of CAIR - New York.

Pro-Hamas Letter

In the wake of a terror attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, Harvard University students signed an open letter blaming Israel. After the students received negative media coverage, the ANSWER Coalition jumped to their defense in an open letter titled: "Open letter against intimidation at Harvard: Defend the freedom to speak in support of Palestine!" Lamis Deek signed the letter. Excerpt:

We stand together against the racist harassment and demonization of Pro-Palestine student activists at Harvard and elsewhere across the country. These attacks are designed to intimidate, weaken, and silence people's right to speak out in support of the Palestinian people's struggle against occupation and apartheid. Their educational and professional futures are being threatened and right wing political operatives have even rented a TV truck to drive around campus displaying the students' faces. Some are even receiving death threats..."

Global Day of Action

More than 250 U.S. cities took part in the March 20, 2004 Global Day of Action protesting Pentagon wars and occupations. The biggest demonstration was in New York, where 100,000 people marched and rallied.

The event was initiated by the International ANSWER--Act Now to Stop War and End Racism--Coalition, and United for Peace and Justice.

During the ANSWER segment of the rallies, Brian Becker, a co-director of the International Action Center and member of the ANSWER Steering Committee, applauded the courage of the Muslim community in turning out for the march, given the current repression, surveillance and raids.

Palestinian flags flew, and speakers in this segment included Ihab Darwish, Free Palestine Alliance; Lamis Deek, Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Imam Asharaf Uz Zaman, Islamic Circle of North America; Ismail Kamal, Muslim Student Association; Mahdi Bray, Muslim American Society and Freedom Foundation; and Waleed Bader, Arab Muslim American Federation/National Council of Arab Americans.

Teresa Gutierrez of the International Action Center appealed to the crowd to boycott Coca-Cola, implicated in the assassination of workers unionizing its Colombian plants.

Brenda Stokely, chair of New York City Labor Against the War and president of AFSCME District Council 1707, vowed, "We're going to bring down the imperialist powers who think they have the right to slaughter our children!" Larry Holmes of the International Action Center spoke and a taped message from political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal urged resistance to racist oppression, police occupation and imperialist oppression.

In the UFPJ segment of the rallies, speakers included Suheir Hamma of Def Poetry Jam; Sinan Antoon, an Iraqi filmmaker; David Cline, national president of Veterans for Peace; and Tod Ensign of Citizen Soldier. Fernando Suarez del Solar of Military Families Speak Out said: "Bush lied. Who died? My son."

Also featured were Tony Benn, former member of the British Parliament, representing Stop the War UK; New York City Councilmember Bill Perkins; and U.S. Rep. Major Owens. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Dorothy Zellner, a Jewish activist, advocated an end to Israeli occupation, and Ziad Abu Rish of SUSTAIN--Stop U.S. Tax Aid to Israel Now--supported Palestinian self-determination.

"A Women’s Place is in the Struggle"

"A Women’s Place is in the Struggle: A Report back on the Women Against Imperialism! Panel"

March 21 2013, three "outstanding women organizers", Bernadette Ellorin of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-USA or New Patriotic Alliance-USA (BAYAN-USA), Monami Maulik of Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), and Lamis Deek of Al-Awda New York, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, spoke at CUNY John Jay College. The panel was moderated by Fernanda Pardo, a member of Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee and the Women’s Workteam of RSCC.

The event was sponsored by the Women’s Workteam of Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee and IGNITE.

"Morales / Shakur Center" student suspensions event

On October 28, 2013, a City College administrator suspended Tafadar Sourov and Khalil Vasquez, two students who led demonstrations against the administration’s illegal raid and seizure of the Guillermo Morales / Assata Shakur Community Center. The Morales / Shakur Center is a space that has existed at City College for more than 20 years and was first won in 1989 through a mass student strike and occupations throughout CUNY.

In response to the attacks on our student leaders, students and community say: WE ARE NOT AFRAID. Repression will not end the campaign to save the Morales / Shakur Center or the broader struggle to liberate CUNY for the people. Hundreds on campus and in the community will follow their example. Any punitive measures against Taffy and Khalil will only be a lesson to the people that the CCNY administration dismisses the people’s concerns and that the people must escalate their mass actions.

Taffy and Khalil are fighting for the people, defending the last autonomous campus space that serves the community and defending the legacy of the people’s revolutionary heroes. THE PEOPLE MUST DEFEND TAFFY AND KHALIL. The people cannot stand aside and look as the City College administration attempts to isolate them and promote fake sellout student leaders who want to negotiate away the Center. The Center was won through struggle and will be reclaimed through struggle.

Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee organized a meeting in Edgewater, 160 Convent Avenue,New York, Friday 8 November 2013, to organize resistance. Those indicating their willingness to attend on the Whenever website included Lamis Deek.

CUNY 6

Six demonstrators were arraigned Wednesday September 18, 2013 in Manhattan Criminal Court after a protest against ex-C.I.A. chief David Petraeus at the City University of New York got ugly.

About 75 people were marching on the sidewalk outside of Macaulay Honors College at 35 W. 67th St. on Tuesday when a fight broke out with cops, according to the criminal complaint.

Rafael Pena, Angelica Hernandez, Denise Ford and Jose Disla and their lawyer, Lamis Deek

Jose Disla, 25; Augustin Castro, 23; Denise Ford, 24; Angelica Hernandez, 18; and Rafael Pena, 24; were charged with obstruction of governmental administration, riot, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

But attorney Lamis Deek said the group had been peaceful.

“They did not touch or threaten those officers,” he said. “The only obstruction that happened was from the police.”

CUNY student Luis Henriquez, 25 claims he was struck by cops while protesting.

Left Forum 2011

Resisting the War Abroad and the War at Home: Sponsored by: United National Antiwar Committee.

• Alicia McWilliams, Justice for Newburgh 4
• Joe Lombardo, UNAC
• Lamis Deek, Al-Awda
• Monami Maulik, Desis Rising Up and Moving

Left Forum 2015

The Business of Backlash: The Attack on the Palestinian Movement and Other Movements for Social Justice

• Lee Gargagliano Chair, International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network
• Lamis Deek USPCN, NLG
• Kali Akuno
• Phan Nguyen
• Radhika Sainath Palestine Solidarity Legal Support

"Speaks truth about terrorism, racism and Palestine"

Tidal Magazine June 17, 2013.

Listen to this spoken word of an angry (yes, angry!) woman of color as she speaks truth about terrorism, racism and Palestine. Listen . Like . Share: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLUirMONjm0 — with Sofia Gallisa Muriente, Lamis Deek, Conor Tomas, Nariman Khalaf Rajab, Jordan Flaherty, Yasmin Hamidi, Laura Raicovich, Ashley Cunningham, Josh MacPhee, Anas Amireh, Rachel Smith, Winnie Wong, Andrew Kadi, Omar Khartabil, Jose LaSalle, Nicholas Mirzoeff, Anthony Yenafuk, Kareem Estefan, Gina Grimm Nagle, Ashe Hu, Hanan Thabet, Ravi Ahmad, Susan Gail Wilcox, Nicolas Haeringer, Ghassan Nasr, Kazembe Balagun, Raed Samara, Suzahn Ebrahimian, Amany Khalifa, Pamela Brown, Jerry Ashton, Marina Sitrin, Jed Brandt, Cindy Milstein, Manissa M. Maharawal, Summer Mamoun Husain, Nounie Hussein, Remi Kanazi, Faten Ali, Darragh Mosca Sheehan, Josephine Hilalia, Youmna El Khattam, Katherine Ramos, Amar Mamoun Husain and Omar Atway.

"Ungovernable"

From the Ungovernable website;

We pledge to create a resistance movement that makes Trump unable to govern our oppression; unable to deceive the people, to make the people accept his reign of hatred. We refuse to give hatred a chance to govern, a chance to roll back civil and human rights, a chance to deport millions of people, a chance to create camps and registries for Muslims, a chance to expand the prison industrial complex, a chance to expand its drone wars, or a chance to turn back the gains won by our struggles.

We pledge resistance to this renewed attack on our communities. As we resist, we will create new governing institutions, new economic relationships, and new ways of being human. What we will not do is sanction and/or normalize “overt” white supremacy.

Let’s start now. Let’s make the so-called inauguration day a day to resist a day to be ungovernable and plan for a new future and new way.

On January 20, self-organize a day of action. If possible don’t ask for permits assert your right to free speech and assembly, let it be a day of mass demonstrations, civil disobedience, and direct action and strikes.

In the evening of January 20 at 6pm join us for a nationwide town-hall on what comes next in these times.

Endorsers included Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; Organization for Human Rights & Democracy; Kali Akuno; Kamau Franklin; Community Movement Builders; Lamis Deek; Al-Awda; Kazembe Balagun; Jed Brandt; Jared Ball; Rosa Clemente; Cliff Albright; Black Votes Matter Fund; Popular Resistance; Former Black Panthers - Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, Ashanti Alston.

Squad

Joe Catron March 9 ·

Squad goals.

📷: Corinna Mullin — ‎with ‎‎Chase Madar, ‎منصف المرزوقي - Moncef Marzouki‎‎ and Lamis Deek‎ at The Smith.‎