St. Paul, MN – On Friday, March 21, the otherwise obscure Minnesota Retirement Systems building was guarded by dozens of state troopers who blocked entrances to the parking lot. More troopers manned the building entrance, screening bags and limiting entry to only a few dozen members of the public. Inside the small conference room where the State Board of Investment (SBI)’s quarterly meeting was to be held, more troopers along with plainclothes security lined the entire perimeter.

These extraordinary measures were the SBI’s latest attempt to demoralize and discourage members of the public from calling on it to divest the billions of state funds it manages from Israel and companies enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The attempted intimidation failed. Despite the show of force by law enforcement and arbitrary new restrictions on public comments, dozens of Palestine supporters showed up to deliver testimony and show support for divestment.

The SBI’s decision to limit the number of people in the meeting room backfired spectacularly. Most of the divestment advocates found themselves shut out of the building, but just steps away from the windows of the ground-floor room where the meeting was held. The crowd quickly morphed into an impromptu protest, with chants of “Free free Palestine” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!” clearly audible through the entire meeting.

The SBI is composed of its chair, Governor Tim Walz, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha and Secretary of State Steve Simon. According to the watchdog site DivestMN.com, out of $146 billion total in managed assets, the SBI invests approximately $5.4 billion in entities complicit in Israel’s apartheid regime. That figure includes investments in weapons manufacturers, Israeli banks that fund illegal settlement construction in occupied Palestine, and even Israel Bonds, which directly fund the state of Israel.

Abir Ismael is a Minneapolis public school teacher and member of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59. “My pension was part of the demolition of almost every educational institution in Gaza. My pension was used to burn children alive,” she told the SBI. “I demand that my pension be divested from companies complicit in the murder of children.”

Several members of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), a labor union representing state workers, also testified.

“We’re here to remind you that we, the state workers of Minnesota, will not tolerate the investment of our pension funds in these violations of human rights,” said Tracy Waterman, a state Department of Natural Resources employee represented by MAPE. “We haven’t forgotten that Governor Walz once said the situation in Gaza is intolerable, and he was right. It was intolerable then, and it’s intolerable now, this week, as we’re hearing news that Israel has broken its ceasefire and launched new airstrikes on Gaza.”

“Our pension funds were divested from apartheid in 1985; we can, and we must do it again, now,” Waterman added. In 1985, the SBI passed a resolution initiating broad divestment from any corporations deemed to be supporting the apartheid system in South Africa.

Naveen Borojerdi, another state employee and MAPE member, asked the SBI, “With the investments that we have in Israel, and arms manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Israeli weapons companies like Elbit systems, in the case that what we’re seeing in the Middle East turns into a global energy war, how much of the portfolio potentially becomes affected by that?”

In a powerful moment, city of Minneapolis worker and Minneapolis Professional Employees Association union member Alison Thorson yielded her remaining time for a moment of silence. The SBI was forced to sit through minutes of nothing but the sound of protesters chanting outside the building.

The SBI meeting adjourned immediately after the public comments, with no response from the board members. Afterwards, the testifiers joined with the protesters outside for a press conference and rally.

“Within the structure of settler-colonialism, indigenous people are seen as a demographic problem. Therefore Israel is engaged in an extermination campaign,” Kalani Matus, indigenous Hawaiian and member of the Twin Cities-based Climate Justice Committee, told the crowd.

Many speakers highlighted the Trump administration’s recent attacks on pro-Palestine immigrants, making divestment from Israel a potential route for Minnesota leaders to fight for civil rights. “Palestine is a civil rights cause,” said Matus. “It’s becoming more and more apparent to everybody that anti-Palestinian repression is the tip of the spear when it comes to removing our freedom of speech.”

On March 8, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents abducted and initiated deportation proceedings against Mahmoud Khalil, an activist involved in the Palestine protests at Columbia University in New York, despite him being a lawful permanent resident of the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleged that Khalil “led activities aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” without providing evidence.

Speakers underscored that the growing tactics of intimidation and repression could not stop the divest movement. “This is going to be a long fight,” said Barry Kleider of Jewish Voice for Peace. “But I’ve learned a lesson from my sisters and brothers fighting for gay marriage. What we’re asking for, what we’re fighting for, is going to be impossible – until it’s inevitable.”

The next SBI meeting, as of press time, is scheduled for May 22 at 10 a.m., with the location yet to be announced. In the meantime, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee has called for a community march to say no to Trump’s ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza, on Saturday, March 29 at 1 p.m., beginning at the northwest corner of Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MFT #MAPE #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On March 11, over 300 people protested in front of the Federal Building downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil and an end to the Trump administration’s criminalization of the pro-Palestine student movement at U.S. The protest was a part of Student for a Democratic Society’s call for a National Day of Action in solidarity with Khalil.

On the evening of March 8, the Department of Homeland Security detained Palestinian Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil. This was the first detention after Trump ordered the State Department to deport students for pro-Palestine activism. Khalil is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a green card holder, and his arrest is an unlawful violation of freedom of speech and immigration laws.

Trump’s Executive Order 13899 requires “the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other […] report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.”

On February 28, The Department of Justice announced that a federal task force to “Combat Antisemitism” would visit ten college campuses that “experienced incidents of antisemitism.” Trump’s administration conflates antisemitism with anti-Zionism and criminalizes students, staff and faculty who have protested a deadly genocide that has killed over 48,000 people in Gaza. This is a discrimination against Muslim, Palestinian and Middle Eastern students, faculty and staff. Columbia University and University of Minnesota are among campuses under investigation.

Crista Ocampo, an organizer with the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke to the crowd, “We condemn this egregious case of political repression at the hands of ICE. ICE officers have terrorized communities across the country for far too long and now they are being used as a tool by Trump to further repress the Palestine movement. Shame! We won’t let them get away with this. Just look at the hard fought battle SDS put up and won against their administration to get the suspensions dropped for the Halimy Hall students. When our oppressors’ attacks become more blatant, it only makes it easier for us to unite with each other on the path to justice. We will never stop fighting because we know that that’s how we win.”

Lina Jebara, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, closed out the protest, “These acts of political repression – of plucking community leaders from movements, of threatening organizers with unconstitutional deportations or with phony felony charges, as we’ve seen here in our community – are not new for this country. These are deliberate actions taken to make us fear retaliation for standing up against depraved injustices, to push us towards acquiescence. We’re out here today, after witnessing months of harrowing genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel on our dime, to say that these tactics do not and will not work on us.”

The protest was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, UMN Educators for Justice in Palestine, UMN Students for a Democratic Society, and endorsed by UMN Students for Justice in Palestine, Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, and American Muslims for Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #StudentMovement #PoliticalRepression #Trump #SDS #MNAWC #SJP #MIRAC #JVP #AMP

Minneapolis, MN — On Saturday, March 1, more than 60 Twin Cities community members gathered to attend a “State Board of Divestment” speak-out event hosted by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee in a Minneapolis community center.

Minnesota’s State Board of Investment (SBI), a large public fund managed by state officials Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha, and Secretary of State Steve Simon. It currently invests approximately $5.4 billion in apartheid Israel, Israeli companies, weapons manufacturers that sell to Israel’s military, and other companies that prop up Israel’s apartheid system.

Over the past two years, the SBI’s public meetings have seen increasingly large turnout from the Palestinian community, anti-war movement, and union members whose pensions are paid out via the SBI’s fund, all demanding divestment from Israel.

The SBI’s next public meeting, scheduled for March 5, was recently rescheduled with less than a week’s notice. The previous meeting saw unexplained changes to the format and rules of the meeting, and did not allow community members to speak. The SBI has not provided a new date for its required quarterly meeting.

The State Board of Divestment event was structured like a mock SBI meeting, with the emcees calling up speakers who had previously signed up to speak to the SBI’s board to give their testimony to a camera in place of the absent board. The Anti-War Committee plans to submit the film to the SBI.

Emily Newberg, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, opened the event by saying, “Before the December meeting it was announced that the SBI were switching to a hybrid option without giving a reason why. And they said that any comments that folks wanted to make would need to be sent in advance. A hybrid option, of course, means a choice between in-person or online and does not indicate that the community will not have a chance to be heard. Ater allowing only 35 people into the building, another rule we weren’t made aware of ahead of time, we soon learned that the SBI meeting was not itself in person. The 35 of us were ushered into a room where we were sat in front of a TV screen showing the shameful faces of the members of the SBI holding a closed, but televised, meeting.”

Speakers from AFSCME 3800, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, and a variety of community groups like the Minnesota BDS Community and Jewish Voice for Peace were called to the mic to give testimony to the absent board.

Sorcha Lona, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters 638 and Minnesota Workers United, a group of progressive rank-and-file unionists, addressed her comments to Keith Ellison and Julie Blaha. She spoke about how Ellison and Blaha had met with members of Minnesota Workers United twice over concerns about the investment of union pension funds in apartheid Israel, but that the meetings had not gotten results, saying, “It didn’t feel like we were talking to an ally of labor, it felt like we were bargaining with a greedy and selfish boss. I would like an explanation as to why investing in a pariah state committing genocide is responsible money management, while [Israel’s] credit rating is in a freefall.”

Wyatt Miller, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, addressed his comments to Governor Tim Walz, former vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential race. Miller said, “Trump’s inauguration represents the possibility of the situation getting even worse for Palestinians. Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to ‘take over’ Gaza and ethnically cleanse its over 2 million people, while unlikely to succeed, appears to hint at his administration greenlighting a renewed Israeli onslaught on Gaza – In other words, Governor Walz, your political legacy as someone who refused to divest Minnesota from Israel, is entirely in the hands of President Trump.”

The event was concluded by Minnesota Anti-War Committee member Andrew Josefchak thanking attendees and speakers for coming and then saying ,“But it's bullshit that we even had to host this event today. We started organizing this event over a month ago, because we knew it was almost certain that the SBI would once again try to shut us out of their meeting, and unfortunately, we were correct. And I think we have to start being honest with ourselves and calling the SBI’s maneuvers what they are: political repression. It may not be cops cracking skulls with riot batons, but it's a soft, insidious kind of political repression that is clearly intended to make it more difficult for anyone in this state to organize towards divestment.”

Josefchak continued, “And the thing about political repression is that the only way to respond to it, besides giving in to it and just slinking into the shadows and letting the movement die, is to fight it head on. The SBI has picked the fight, are we gonna fight back?” The crowd responded with a cry of “Yes!” and “Free free Palestine!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – In frigid weather, February 20, 50 people rallied with the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) to oppose Trump's attacks on the environment, along with the barrage of other attacks that have happened in the first month of Trump’s presidency. 

Speakers connected Trump's attacks on immigrants, trans rights, workers and Palestine to the rollback of environmental protections that Trump instituted in his first days in office.

Trump has used executive orders to push more fossil fuels and end the U.S. role in the Paris Climate Accords, ensuring that previously agreed upon goals to curb climate change won’t happen. The CJC speaker emphasized how every tenth of a percent of rising temperatures mean more intense weather, food scarcity and increasing energy costs that fall disproportionately on oppressed nationality and working class families and their communities. They also talked about the lack of action by Democrats like Senator Klobuchar, whose office the rally was in front of.

Rally goers chanted, “Stand up fight back” as the emcee rotated the attacks on immigrants, trans rights, Palestine, and workers that are happening from Trump and his cronies. 

Kristen Bledsoe from Minnesota Abortion Action Committee talked about the heart wrenching case of Sam Nordquist, a Minnesota native who had recently been tortured and killed in New York as a logical conclusion of the transphobic rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. 

Bledsoe ended her speech with, “We have to resist the impulse to shut down and hide. We have to recognize that the cruelty and the chaos of the Trump administration is meant to make us lose focus, and we have to counter that by being more strategic, more united, and more organized than ever before.” 

“Trump’s attacks on DEI show the white supremacist mindset, trying to kill anything that would make this country more equal for those who have been left out for centuries,” stated Minnesota Workers United speaker Neil Radford. Radford called on rally goers to focus on solidarity of the working class that needs to stand together and not allow Trump and his ilk to divide us. 

Mira Altobell-Resendez from the Minnesota Immigrant Action Committee talked about the important work MIRAC is doing using Know Your Rights trainings with immigrant communities and allies to stand against ICE and governmental agencies. 

Trent Fast from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee made a clear case, “We need to be mad as hell at Donald Trump and his attacks on everyday working people here at home - and those in Palestine. We all have more in common with everyday Palestinians than we ever will with people like Donald Trump. Solidarity across movements is our sharpest weapon against his presidency. Because when we stand together, there's way more of us than there are of them!”

All of the speakers emphasized the importance of getting involved and building solidarity among the people’s movements to stand against the Trump attacks over the next four years and beyond.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCities #CJC #ClimateJustice #MNAWC #AWC #ICE #MIRAC #Immigration #NoDeportations #DEI

St. Paul, MN – On February 8, in honor of Black History Month, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) presented an educational panel titled “Black Against Empire: Perspectives On Liberation In Haiti, Congo, Sudan, and the U.S.A.”

The panel was held at Macalester College in Saint Paul. Experts, activists and community leaders spoke about the timelines, struggles and victories of African people throughout history against imperialist oppression.

The panelists included Frank Chapman, head of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR); Nick Tolliver, member of the AWC; Mohammed Farah, member of Healthcare Workers For Palestine, along with a written statement submitted by Ruben Joanem of the Haiti Justice Committee. Facilitating the event were Liz Bolsoni from the AWC and Trahern Crews from Black Lives Matter Minnesota.

“The bottom line is, we have to fight our way out of this. We can’t analyze our way out of it. We can’t pray our way out of it. We’ve got to fight our way out of it,” Chapman said. “We’re building a mass movement, and we’ve got to build even greater.” Chapman is the Executive Director of NAARPR, field organizer of its Chicago chapter, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and sits on the Central Committee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

“The exploitation of the Congo is the beating heart of the global capitalist system and our collective liberation from imperialism and capitalism is bound together with the liberation of the Congo,” said Tolliver, who provided a history of liberation struggles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tolliver is an anti-war activist and self-proclaimed “Black history nerd” who is passionate about Congo solidarity and African liberation.

Farah was born and raised in Khartoum, Sudan, and works as a hospital pharmacist in Minnesota while pursuing a graduate degree in public health. Farah expanded on the cultural foundation of Sudan found in art and poetry. He said, “Poets are the embodiment of the soul of a nation. It creates the spirit of Sudanese nationalism.”

As presentations and speeches concluded, a dialogue was opened between the panelists and the audience to further discuss issues that Black people have historically faced and how they tie in with modern struggles connected with capitalism and imperialism.

The final question asked was about the future of community organizing around Black liberation, to which Chapman closed with the statement, “Well, the future is always now. And the future belongs to those who are willing to fight for it.”

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #International #Africa #Sudan #Congo #StudentMovement #NAARPR #MNAWC #BLM

Minneapolis, MN – On February 2, Palestine solidarity protesters marched down Hennepin Avenue in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. The action, called by the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, was entitled, “Ceasefire is not the end! Stop the attacks on the West Bank!” Hundreds of people rallied at Gateway Park for speeches before taking the streets on foot and in cars.

The protest came on the heels of the ceasefire agreement won by the Palestinian resistance, which took effect on January 19. In addition to a cessation of Israel’s massacres in Gaza and at least partial withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, the ceasefire also won the release of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel.

Despite the victories, Israel and its imperialist backers have hinted at intentions to resume the genocidal attacks on Gaza. Notably, on January 25, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of his hope to “clean out” all the inhabitants of Gaza by forcibly removing them to countries like Jordan and Egypt. In Lebanon, Israel openly flaunted a separate ceasefire won by resistance forces there, refusing to withdraw its troops after a 60-day deadline that expired on January 26.

Since January 21, Israeli forces have initiated new attacks on the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Tulkarm. As of press time, the occupation forces have killed dozens of Palestinians and displaced at least 15,000. Zionist politicians openly compared this new campaign to the 15 months of genocidal violence Israel waged on Gaza. The latest military attacks in the West Bank also coincided with an onslaught of settler violence against Palestinians.

At the Minneapolis protest, speakers urged the solidarity movement to not separate the various fronts of resistance to Israel. “Do not say the ‘Gaza Genocide.’ Say the ‘Palestinian Genocide’,” said Maysoon Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota. “Because Gaza is Jenin. And it’s Ramallah. And it’s every damn city in Palestine.”

Organizers with the Free Palestine Coalition called for an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Several local groups, including the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Minnesota BDS Community, have also called for divestment at the state level from weapons manufacturers and companies complicit in Israel’s apartheid system. The next State Board of Investment is scheduled for March 5; the Anti-War Committee will hold a “State Board of Divestment” indoor rally at the New City Center in Minneapolis (3104 16th Avenue S), on March 1 at 3 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #MNAWC #MinnesotaBDSCommunity #AmericanMuslimsforPalestine

Minneapolis, MN – During the harsh winter conditions on January 11, the streets of Minneapolis were filled with the flags, signs, vehicles and chants of the pro-Palestine movement. 

Marking the one-year anniversary of the Great Ride of Return, an international cycling movement dedicated to raising awareness and funds to support aid efforts for the people of Gaza, a caravan was held to take the streets of the city in an effort to continue applying pressure to get Governor Tim Walz to divest the billions of Minnesota pension holder’s funds from modern day apartheid and genocidal efforts.

The caravan was initiated by the MN Anti-War Committee. It began at Minneapolis South High School, wove through one of Minneapolis’ busiest roads, Lake Street, crossed the Mississippi River, and ended in front of Governor Walz’s mansion in St. Paul.

Before the caravan, participants heard from several speakers. Liz Bolsoni of Minnesota’s Anti-War Committee praised the efforts of the Gaza Sunbirds, a paracycling team that has worked tirelessly to distribute aid throughout the Gaza Strip for the past year. Signifying Minnesota’s complicity with the ongoing genocide, Bolsoni told the crowd, “In a statement of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, the Office of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the besieged Gaza Strip is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in history. Each day, tenchildren are losing one or both legs.” 

Bolsoni continued, “Right now, the Minnesota State Board of Investment - chaired by Walz - has over $700 million invested in weapons manufacturers that are actively selling to Israel. This being only a fraction of the $5.4 billion invested in other corporations that kill, displace, and terrorize Palestinians.”

Brian Chval of Minnesota’s Anti-War Committee explained, “From weapons, tech, and heavy machinery companies, whose inventory marks Palestinian existence for death to demolition the banks, businesses, and government bonds of Israel itself, the SBI has put our tax money and the retirement funds of workers around the state to the service of genocide.” 

Naveen Borojerdi, a unionized public employee and member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, stated, “You would think after losing an election on the national stage, Tim Walz would start listening to his constituents. Time will tell if he, and the rest of the State Board of Investment, will start listening to us. Otherwise, it will be a repeat of what happened this past November.” 

Borojerdi also told how the State Board of Investments recently closed their public meetings to community members, by no longer allowing the public to participate in the meetings in person, limiting their participation to being able to watch the meeting as a live stream. 

After the powerful speeches, a caravan of 75 vehicles and cyclists took to the streets of Minneapolis to begin their journeytowards the mansion of Governor Walz. Slowly traversing the traffic of streets, the caravan continued to grow in size as it approached the mansion.

Cheers echoed, fists were raised, and pride in the continued fight against oppression was experienced by thousands who were witness to the action. Upon arriving at the Governor’s mansion, protesters exited their vehicles to plant and hang signs and messages to make it clear to Walz that his willing participation in genocide will not be forgotten.

#MinneapolisMN #Walz #TimWalz #FreePalestine #MNAWC #AntiWarCommittee

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday December 21 close to 100 people rallied in downtown Minneapolis to say, “All we want for Christmas is an end to the genocide.” The rally was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and took place across the street from the WCCO TV studios, within sight of the Minneapolis Holidazzle Celebration, in the Nicollet Mall district of downtown.

Fourteen months into Israel’s genocide in Palestine the death toll has reached over 45,000 people, and attacks on civilians, their homes and refugee camps continue to be a daily occurrence. On Friday December 20, Israeli airstrikes killed 25 people in the Gaza Strip, with one strike in particular hitting the home of the Khalla family in Jabalia Al-Nazla. The result was the death of ten members of their family, including seven children – the oldest age six, according to civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal. Meanwhile in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank, Palestinians awoke to find the Bir al-Walideen mosque had been set on fire by Israeli settlers. The words “Death to Arabs,” among other slogans, had been spray-painted on the building’s facade.

Incredibly, this all continues to take place during a month in which we’ve also seen the collapse of the Syrian government in Damascus, swiftly followed by a rampant Israeli bombing campaign on Syrian airfields and naval bases, rendering any new government that takes shape essentially defenseless in the face of Israel’s incursions into sovereign Syrian land. The Israeli Defense Forces bragged about the operation being the largest in the history of its air force, claiming to have destroyed 70 to 80% of the Syrian state’s strategic military capabilities.

Representing the Anti-War Committee at Saturday’s rally, Layna Crandell spoke about the contradiction between the joy many Americans feel during the holidays, and the horrors that Palestinians are facing this December.

Crandell stated, “While we are celebrating with our friends and families this holiday season, families in Palestine lose children, mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. While we are celebrating, children in Gaza say that they wish they were dead. While we are celebrating, exchanging presents and taking time off work, our country plunders resources abroad with cheap labor, destroys nations’ sovereignty through destabilization efforts, and bombs civilians for U.S. geopolitical and economic interests. Because to our government, the interests of the ruling class are more important than people's lives.”

Mike Madden of Veterans For Peace also spoke to the crowd. He pointed out how many U.S. officials appear to be above the law when it comes to supplying weapons and support for Israel’s crimes, when Israel has been declared to be committing genocide by the International Criminal Court. He proceeded to juxtapose those officials with Robyn Harbison, a Minneapolis activist and member of Women Against Military Madness and the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee who is currently facing a bogus and trumped-up felony charge for his participation in the occupation of Halimy Hall at the University of Minnesota in October.

In comparison to U.S. politicians’ “above the law” status, Madden explained, “And then there is the flip side of the coin: those honorable people who are doing all they can to stop the genocide, only to have the rules and laws turned against them for minor and fabricated offenses. In their effort to uphold international law, these anti-genocide activists are being unfairly bludgeoned with the law in order to silence criticism of the real criminals; those who are committing genocide in Palestine, and their enablers in Washington DC.”

Educators For Justice In Palestine at the University of Minnesota was represented at the rally by Sima Shakhsari. Shakhsari stated, “As we get close to Christmas and as people shop for Christmas presents, let’s not forget that our tax dollars and pensions are being invested in a genocide in Palestine, where Jesus was born. Rather than buying into the spirit of capitalism, let’s make sure not to buy from companies that are complicit with the genocide in Gaza. In a time when all Gaza’s universities are demolished, what I want this Christmas is for the University of Minnesota to divest from Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to drop suspensions and charges on students who are being punished for standing for justice.”

Rallygoers also heard speakers from the organizations Women Against Military Madness and Families Against Military Madness. The Minneapolis Ceasefire Choir led Christmas carols with revised lyrics which called for an end to the genocide. Hundreds of Holidazzle goers shuffled by the rally, with dozens stopping to listen and some even participating.

The coming weeks will no doubt be a critical juncture for Minnesotans who support Palestinian liberation as we see a transition into Trump’s second presidency in January. The solidarity for Palestine across vast sections of the people’s movements must continue to remain a centerpiece in our organizing and a major thorn in the side of those who hold power and seek to maintain the status quo.

This includes the need for outspoken opposition to Minnesota’s complicity in genocide via the State Board of Investment chaired by Governor Tim Walz, and more broadly the United States facilitation of the genocide in Palestine. This is why the work of coalitions like MPAC are so important to our movement. Their organizing this holiday season proves that regardless of religious affiliation and despite freezing temperatures, Minnesotans will continue to show up and demand an end to the genocide.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC #EJP #WAMM #FAMM #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, December 8, the Minnesota Anti War Committee held their annual Human Rights Day action. 200 protesters gathered in Minneapolis’s Washburn Fair Oaks Park and marched down the busy Nicollet Avenue, shouting demands for human rights for all and calling on the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest from apartheid Israel and weapons manufacturers.

Every year, Human Rights Day is celebrated internationally to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that protects the inalienable rights of every person. During this Human Rights Day, protesters connected different struggles, including healthcare and abortion access, immigrant rights, police abolition, climate justice, land back, and anti-imperialism, to call for an end to human rights abuses in the U.S. and those sponsored by the U.S. abroad.

Abdullah Muhammad, a member of the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine said, “Our unity today underscores a profound truth, the struggles for justice are interconnected.”

This protest heard speeches from the Anti-War Committee, Health Care Workers 4 Palestine, Climate Justice Committee, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, American Muslims for Palestine, Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and Minnesota Workers United.

Robyn Harbison, a member of the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee, stated, “Countries are not playgrounds, nations are not chess pieces, nations are the people.” Connecting abortion access to the broader fight for human rights, Harbison asserted the “commitment in demanding better for the working class, our trans family, undocumented sisters, and victims of police violence.” Harbison is an outspoken Palestine solidarity activist and is fighting felony charges for protesting for Palestine at the University of MN.

Nicholas Tolliver, a member of the Anti-War Committee, stated that imperial powers, “monopolize access to resources and secure global supply chains on a planet that is being suffocated by climate change and ecological collapse caused by capitalist production and resource extraction.”

In order to stop imperial violence and human rights abuses, Tolliver stated, “divestment is one of the most powerful tools that we, living here in the imperial core, have to fight against imperialist human rights violations.”

The Minnesota State Board of Investment, which controls and organizes public workers’ pensions and state investments funded by taxpayers, invests $5.4 billion in public assets belonging to entities complicit or profiting from the Israeli apartheid and genocide. They are holding their quarterly meeting this Tuesday, December 10, at 10 a.m. in the Department of Administration Building, where the Minnesota Free Palestine Coalition is planning to pack the room.

The MN Anti-War Committee Human Rights Day protest was also a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for a week of action.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #MNAWC #AMP #MinneapolisFederationofTeachers #HealthcareWorkersforPalestine #CJC #MAAC #MIRAC #MWU

The government of Syria led by President Bashar al-Assad has collapsed. This upheaval has major implications for the struggle against U.S. imperialism and Israeli aggression in the region. Regardless of who leads Syria, the Anti-War Committee remains opposed to interference in Syria by the United States, Israel, and their imperialist allies.

Israel has occupied and illegally settled Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967, and is already using Syria’s instability to expand its so-called “buffer zone,” while continuing its bombing raids in Syria. Israel seeks to pressure Syria into accepting the theft of the Golan Heights and normalizing relations. It also may have its eye on expanding its occupation in Syria for future Zionist settlement.

As part of its support for Israel, the United States has been working to weaken and destabilize Syria for years. The U.S. has openly backed certain factions in Syria since at least 2012, with the now-declassified “Timber Sycamore” weapons smuggling operation led by the CIA, and the “Syrian Train and Equip” program led by the Pentagon. The U.S. has economically sanctioned Syria since 1979 when it first labeled the country as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” In 2020, brutal new U.S. sanctions devastated Syria’s financial, energy and construction sectors, severely limiting access to electricity and basic humanitarian goods for millions of Syrians, while harming reconstruction efforts. And since 2015, the U.S. military has directly had boots on the ground in Syria, notably occupying Syria’s oil fields.

Some are celebrating what they see as the fall of a repressive tyrant. Others are mourning the collapse of a bulwark of resistance to Israel, with Syria providing a crucial supply line for resistance groups in neighboring Lebanon as well as Gaza. In any case, we know Israel sees Assad’s downfall as a victory, and is already eagerly taking advantage of the situation with an unchecked onslaught of attacks on Syria.

Ultimately, it’s not yet clear what political forces will shape the new Syria. From our perspective of international solidarity against Israel’s expanding genocide in the Levant, we hope any new government that emerges is able to resist U.S./Israeli attacks, and continues Syria’s support for the resistance in Lebanon and Palestine.

We encourage our followers to remain committed to the principles of anti-imperialism, sovereignty and independence for all nations, and steadfast, united opposition to the U.S.-backed Zionist project.

#International #Syria #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Sunday, October 27, over 100 people gathered at the New City Center to listen to a presentation given by Willy Massay, a critical care ICU nurse who was one of the few American healthcare workers to go to Gaza since the start of the war last year. The presentation was hosted by the Minnesota Anti War Committee.

Willy Massay reported his firsthand experience of the healthcare crisis in Gaza, where he witnessed the violence of Israel’s siege. Massay talked about his journey and the tremendous dangers and difficulties of actually getting into Gaza. He spoke at length about the Israeli forces shooting innocent civilians and the children that he watched die in the hospital, while trying to save their lives. Moreover, he described the indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, the attacks on the hospitals that he worked at, and the murder of his colleagues and patients by the Israeli military. Finally, Massay spoke about the lack of essential healthcare products such as gauze, tourniquets, antibiotics, soap, gloves, etc., due to the total blockade on Gaza, and the countless preventable deaths he witnessed due to the lack of these essential healthcare products.

Massay stated that what Israel is doing in Gaza clearly constitutes a genocide and denounced the U.S. government’s complicity in Israel’s crimes against humanity. He spoke about the role that he and other healthcare workers are playing in documenting the genocidal conditions in for the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court. Massay’s speech and the images and videos he captured while working in Gaza were deeply moving and many people in the packed lecture hall wept while he was speaking.

Layna Crandell, a member of the Anti-War Committee who attended the presentation, said, “Today, Willy Massay told us the true stories of what is happening in Gaza, what our popular news stations barely mention, with vivid details that showed the true humanity of his patients and simultaneously the depraved brutality and violence of Zionism.”

Willy Massay received a standing ovation when he concluded his presentation and it was announced that he would be returning to Gaza in the near future to continue his healthcare work, as Israel continues the ongoing genocide.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, October 26, the Free Palestine Coalition organized a rally that drew out 75 community members and students to send a message to University of Minnesota administration that the repression of student Palestine solidarity protesters on campus is unacceptable and will not be allowed to stand. The protesters rallied near a UMN football game during homecoming week, and were seen by thousands of students and alumni, many of whom joined in pro-Palestine chants and raised fists in support as they passed the demonstration.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, October 21, 11 UMN student members of Students for a Democratic Society occupied a campus administrative building, Morrill Hall, stating that they would not leave the building until the university resumed a course towards divestment from apartheid Israel that had been agreed upon in the spring. The university responded with heavy repression. More than 50 police vehicles were called to campus to respond to this student protest, including a SWAT van, and heavily armed police were seen cordoning off large sections of campus. Students were detained and arrested at gunpoint. Four members of the press were likewise detained, though not arrested and jailed.

The 11 students who were arrested are facing trumped-up charges. One has been charged with felony assault of a police officer, nine have been suspended from the University, and four were immediately evicted from their campus housing. All 11 were held for upwards of 36 hours in jail. FBI agents were called to the jail to attempt to interrogate the protesters, for unknown purposes.

Jess Sundin, an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, an organization that combats police crimes and fights for community control of the police in Minneapolis, spoke at Saturday's rally in support of the students who are facing repression. Sundin stated, “There is nothing more important than standing against genocide. Nothing. Our students did the right thing on Monday, and I am outraged at the university’s response. Instead of doing the right thing, standing with them and divesting from Israel’s genocide, the admin sent in the UMPD to point weapons at our students – that could have been my kid!”

Sundin went on to say, “Not only that. There is no alleged federal crime here, but the university even called in the FBI! How dare they call the FBI on our students?! The FBI are the political police, and they are involved only for one reason: to silence dissent. That is political repression, and the only way to fight it is with solidarity.”

Dr. Sima Shahksari, a faculty member at the University of Minnesota, emceed the event. Shahksari stated, “The reason the students occupied the building was because the administration continues to ignore their demands for divestment from the Israeli genocide in Gaza, even though students voted overwhelmingly last semester for divestment. If Black students had not occupied the ‘Morrill’ Hall in 1969, the discriminatory policies of UMN would not have changed; there would not have been an African American and African Studies Department; there would have been no MLK Program. Criminalizing students who protest discriminatory laws or laws that protect a genocide is shameful.”

Community organizers with the Free Palestine Coalition have plans to continue to support the students through this period of political repression. A court date has been set for the student who is facing felony charges, and the community will rally to show the police, FBI, and university administration that students have the support of the entire Palestine liberation movement.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #PoliticalRepression #SDS #TCC4J #MNAWC #FPC #Feature

St. Paul, MN – On October 17, 40 protesters held banners, signs and Palestinian flags on the Snelling Avenue bridge over Interstate 94 to draw attention to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and Lebanon. Over 42,000 Palestinians and 2400 Lebanese have been killed by Israel since last October. Now 41% of people in Gaza are in danger of catastrophic levels of hunger in the coming months. Thousands of cars passed under the bridge while hundreds more went up Snelling Avenue.

Erin Stene, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee, came to the bannering, stated, “As we brace ourselves for what will likely be the 13th month of genocide in Gaza and a continuation of Israel's slaughter in Lebanon, our community showed us love today by waving from their cars, honking car horns, and rolling their windows down to cheer us on. This gives me hope that we will see an end to Israel’s atrocities in the Middle East, as well as our country’s complicity in these acts.”

The bannering was called by the Free Palestine Coalition to continue the momentum after their protest of thousands of people in downtown Minneapolis on October 6.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, October 14 over 50 protesters gathered together on Indigenous People’s Day to tell Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that he is not welcome in Minneapolis. Vance attended a private fundraiser in Minneapolis the same day, and held a press conference at the burned down Minneapolis former 3rd Precinct police station.

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) as part of a national week of action called by the Legalization for All Network to stand with Haitian immigrants in the fight for legalization for all, in the face of the intensely racist anti-immigrant rhetoric spewed by right-wing politicians at every turn.

Vance and the Trump administration continuously dehumanize immigrants to fuel their campaign that champions racist inequality above all else. Vance has been a major player in spreading disgusting lies about Haitian immigrants consuming pets in Springfield, Ohio. Since these lies have been popularized, threats and vandalism targeting Springfield immigrants have forced families to shelter at home, many too afraid to send their children to school.

The protest began with chants of “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” as the crowd prepared to listen to speeches and hold banners and signs to the honks of supportive cars driving by.

A speaker from the Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota called out the anti-immigrant lie Vance has been spewing that Haitian immigrants eat dogs and cats. “It was like watching a horror show because we know that it’s a lie.”

She continued: “The empty rhetoric that Trump and JD Vance are pushing regarding Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio is false propaganda due to a lack of sound plans to address serious and difficult issues such as global warming, homelessness, inflation, health care costs, and so forth. Without migrants the economy would be in a dire situation. The hospitality industry, the construction industry, and the agricultural industry rely heavily on the labor of immigrants.”

Alfreda Daniels, a Liberian immigrant and co-founder of the Black Immigrant Collective also spoke to the despicable use of immigrants as scapegoats to the country’s issues and how immigrants must be welcome regardless of how they came here, stating, “When I hear people like Vance and Trump say that people need to come in the right way, tell me, what is the right way? There is no ‘right way.’”

Protesters also heard from Noah Schumacher with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) about the connections between struggles against oppression around the world and the fight for community control of the police, as, little did the crowd know, JD Vance was telling racist lies in his meeting with the Minneapolis Police Department outside of the former 3rd Precinct around the same time.

Schumacher stated, “Many of us here in the U.S. are so indoctrinated with the myths of how great the American Revolution is, we are never taught about the revolution that was a real leap forward for humanity: the Haitian Revolution. In Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, we see how the struggles for Haiti, Palestine, and across the globe are connected to our struggles here to get community control of the police.”

The protest concluded with a passionate speech from Mari Mansfield with MIRAC in support of legalization for all: “We have to stand up and fight back. We have to fight for immigrants, for the people who walked across the earth to be here, for the people who carried their children on their backs to be here. And to do that, we need legalization for all!”

The protest was led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and featured speakers from the Black Immigrant Collective, Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota, Black Lives Matter, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee and the MN Anti-War Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Haiti #MIRAC #HJCMN #BLM #MNAAC #MNAWC #TCC4J #Vance #Trump #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On October 6, over 4000 protesters gathered in downtown Minneapolis on to mark one year of protest and resistance to Israel’s U.S. funded genocide in occupied Palestine. The Free Palestine Coalition started the march with a rally at the Gateway Park Fountain on the corner of Hennepin and Washington Avenues. Protesters marched through downtown and the North Loop neighborhood, proudly displaying support for Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Iraq and all people caught in the crosshairs of Israel’s terror campaign.

Red and green smoke flares filled the air as the crowd marched, and onlookers came out of businesses and apartments to cheer on the protestors and show their support. Chants of “Fight fight fight! Resistance is a human right!” and “Lebanon make us proud, turn another tank around!” echoed off the walls of high rises. Protesters and opponents of Israel's U.S.-bankrolled murder spree held various signs, some notable ones reading, “Resisting genocide is not a crime” and “Arms embargo on Israel now!”

The action held a special significance not only because it took place one day shy of the anniversary of October 7, but also in the wake of Israel's recent escalations into Lebanon, notably terror attacks carried out via exploding pagers and walkie talkies which killed at least a dozen Lebanese civilians, including children, and left as many as 3000 injured. This was followed by an aerial bombing campaign, with one attack requiring U.S.-made bunker buster bombs to flatten six buildings in order to assassinate Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and finally a “special ground operation” in southern Lebanon, which has yet to yield the Israelis any material results other than dozens of dead soldiers.

The previous Tuesday, October 1, had also seen Tel Aviv come under fire from resistance missiles launched by Iran, presumably a retaliatory strike for Israel's assassination of Hamas’ top negotiator in ceasefire talks, Ismael Haniyeh, which took place in Tehran. These strikes caused significant damage to Israel's Nevatim air base, proving Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system to be egregiously more ineffective than Israel and Western media have attempted to lead people to believe.

Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine spoke to the crowd before the march, highlighting the theme of resistance that took precedence on the day. Speaking on opposition to the Israeli project he noted, “At the same time that we have witnessed an entire year of genocide, we have also witnessed an entire year of resistance. We have witnessed an entire year of courage and bravery like we have never witnessed before. Just like Minneapolis in 2020 sparked the global reckoning on race, in 2024 Minneapolis and the rest of the country has sparked a global reckoning on the United States’ relationship with this apartheid regime.”

Herzallah continued, “There are those around the world who think that they can act with impunity, to do whatever the hell they want and not face accountability, there are those who believe they can kill innocent people left and right, that they can blow up other countries, that they can take whatever steps necessary to ‘defend themselves’, but what we have seen the last year, is the people of the global South, the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq, and the people of Gaza, have shown them that they will pay a price.”

Yossi Aharoni, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee who was born in occupied Palestine also spoke at the march. Referencing the recent acts of desperation by the Israelis, Aharoni noted, “Iran recently conducted the largest military attack against Israel, unprecedented in its size, scope and success in history, rendering the Iron Dome useless. By all metrics both politically and military, Israel has lost the war, that is why we see it so desperately lashing out like a wounded animal caught in a bear trap; Israel knows the only way to continue is through a U.S. supported regional war. Israel’s successes lie only in the fact that now the vast majority of the world sees what we have known all along; the state of Israel is a terrorist state and the greatest threat to West Asia and world peace.”

Touching on the role of U.S. imperialism in Israel’s campaign, Aharoni later added, “Let us be clear, the problem is not a religious issue, nor is the problem Netanyahu, or Gallant, or Smotrich, or Gantz; the problem is Jewish supremacy, colonial occupation, apartheid; the problem is Zionism and its primary endorser, U.S. imperialism. The Black, indigenous, Chicano and LGBTQ movements support Palestine, not only because they recognize the moral travesty at hand, but because they know, like the Palestinians, their success hinges on the destruction of U.S. imperialism.”

The march wound its way through the streets of downtown Minneapolis, ending up back where it began two hours before at the Gateway Park fountain. There, Sanaa Wazwaz from American Muslims for Palestine told the crowd, “The Israeli occupation, it’s not a system – it’s a time, and that time is coming to an end in our lifetime. That time is coming to an end when we know 52% of Americans, including one-third of Republicans want an arms embargo on Israel.”

Many pro-Palestine voters have expressed a willingness to sit out this year's presidential race as a show of solidarity with Palestinians.

As the final chants of the afternoon rang out, a brisk autumn wind blew across the crowd and the message of the day had been made clear. With the calendar turning on one year of genocide since the October 7 resistance uprising, and Israel’s tactics only becoming more desperate and widespread into West Asia, the people of Minnesota made it clear that they’re in it for the long haul, meaning for as long it takes – until Minnesota divests its holdings in apartheid Israel, and until Palestine is free.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Lebanon #MNAWC #AMP

St. Paul, MN – On Friday, August 2, the Free Palestine Coalition held a rally on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge and marched to Governor Tim Walz’s residence to commemorate 300 days of genocide in Palestine and to demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and a free Palestine from the river to the sea.

As hundreds of cars drove by, crowd of over 150 people gathered on the bridge despite the 90-degree heat, chanting and holding signs calling for the arrest of Netanyahu, demanding Minnesota divestment from Israel and an end to the genocide.

The crowd then marched to the governor’s temporary residence at the Eastcliff Mansion. Walz is a potential vice presidential candidate pick. Gathering at the mansion, speakers from organizations such as Ceasefire Choir, Students for Justice in Palestine, the MN Anti War Committee, and the Palestinian community all talked about what the last 300-plus days of genocide by the terrorist state of Israel has looked like.

This last week has been particularly brutal, seeing Palestine officially declaring a polio epidemic as a result of the genocide, Israel bombing Beirut, Israel assassinating Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh (the main negotiator for the ceasefire) in Tehran, and assassinating a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. The last was as a result of Israel making unsupported claims that Hezbollah was responsible for a rocket attack on July 27 on a soccer pitch in the Golan Heights, an occupied territory in Syria.

As one of the speakers at the rally, Trent Fast from the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “It is crystal clear that these are the desperate actions of a dying power lashing out amid its death throes, hoping to start a regional war so that its primary sponsor, the U.S., is forced to come to its rescue or risk losing its attack dog in west Asia.”

Meredith Aby from the MN Anti-War Committee explained her feelings about the action, “It was particularly powerful to march to Governor Walz’s mansion, because he’s being considered for Kamala Harris’ running mate and, despite our call-in days, protests, testifying, and even civil disobedience, he has remained a barrier to getting Minnesota to divest from genocide.” As protesters marched and rallied outside the mansion, a state trooper car was stationed on the governor’s lawn and two police cars trailed behind the march.

One of the speakers, Muhammed Jallad, shared a heartbreaking story of his mother’s experience of Israeli military in Palestine and witnessing the death of her friends and neighbors when she was only five years old. He shared how much it means to him to see so many people showing up and fighting for Palestine.

Aby stated, “It was important for Minnesota to be represented this weekend as people across the world stood up for Palestine as we hit 300 days of genocide in Gaza. We have over 100 people from Minnesota planning on going to Chicago to protest for Palestine at the DNC in two weeks. Regardless of who is on the ticket we have the same demands. We demand the U.S. stop supporting Israel’s genocide campaign on Palestine!”

The Anti-War Committee’s Sabry Wazwaz said, “The people across the Twin Cities, despite the extreme heat, came out and we will never stop coming out until we not only end this genocide but the brutal military occupation by Israel as well.”

This crowd let it be known that they are not giving up on Palestine, they are still counting each day that goes by in this genocide and that they will not stop until Minnesota divests from Israel and Palestine is free.

#StPaulMN #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #CeasefireChoir #SJP #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On July 24, several hundred protesters took to the street in front of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s downtown office on busy Washington Avenue. A smaller group, holding banners that read “We are the red line” then shut down the southbound on-ramp to Interstate 35W and declared their intention not to disperse despite police orders.

Earlier that day, Sen. Klobuchar had attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial speech in the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Standing in the front row, the Democratic senator was visible giving standing ovations for Netanyahu, despite an emerging global consensus that he is presiding over a genocide in Gaza.

With the street and highway on-ramp still blockaded, protesters heard speakers from Palestinians and other organizers with the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, which organized the action.

“What we witnessed today is a desperate man coming to his handlers in a desperate plea to convince Americans that they need to continue this genocide,” said Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine. “We’re here to say unequivocally and unapologetically that there is no political future for anybody in this country so long as they support genocide.”

“Amy Klobuchar believes that there is no political consequence for standing for genocide and against Palestinians,” Herzallah continued. “But we have shown time and time again over the last ten months that we are unrelenting in our demand that a free Palestine is the bare minimum.”

Other speakers represented groups like Jewish Voice for Peace – Twin Cities, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and Ceasefire Choir Twin Cities.

“The struggle for every community fighting for justice is connected together,” said Sabry Wazwaz of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee. “Malcolm X spoke about the connection between Black liberation in this country and Palestine, over 60 years ago.”

Maysoon Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota added, “July 24, history will look back and say that we stood together. When they were unified over genocidal maniacs, we stood together in solidarity with human rights, with the freedom of all peoples, Palestinians and non-Palestinians.”

Dozens of police officers from multiple agencies descended on the scene. Eventually, 23 protesters were arrested and ticketed for their act of civil disobedience. Some were violently pushed to the ground during the arrests. An additional protester was arrested later and jailed overnight for reasons that weren’t immediately clear.

“Amy Klobuchar, she could apologize one million times. The cops could apologize to us one million times. Netanyahu himself could write an essay spanning the ocean on why he’s sorry. And I wouldn’t give a damn. Because you’re not going to bring back Hind. You’re not going to bring back little Muhammad,” said Maysoon Wazwaz.

In Washington DC, thousands marched and surrounded the Capitol during Netanyahu’s speech. At least 23 were reportedly arrested at that protest.

Netanyahu’s appearance came as Israel’s assault on Gaza continued with increased intensity, including a renewed invasion of Khan Younis that has killed hundreds of Palestinians.

“Keep this resolve,” Herzallah told the protesters in Minneapolis. “This strength that we have, this momentum, is what is keeping the people of Palestine hopeful, that the future is possible, and there is a future that can bring peace and justice for the Palestinian people.”

Organizers invited protesters to demand divestment from Israel at the Minnesota State Board of Investment’s next meeting on August 14, 10 a.m. at the Minnesota Senate Building.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Klobuchar #MNAWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, June 29, as Olympic trials for gymnastics were being held at Target Center, 85 people gathered at a rally organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee to demand that Israel be banned from the Olympics due to its genocide against the people of Palestine.

The crowd was received warmly by many passersby on foot and in cars as they used drums, whistles, chants, and speeches to make themselves heard.

“We don’t believe that a country that is currently executing a genocide and maintaining an apartheid state should be allowed to compete in the Olympic games,” explained Trent Fast, a member of the Anti-War Committee. “We are answering the call from over 300 Palestinian-led sports clubs, youth centers, and civil society organizations to support their demand that the IOC apply its principles and fulfill its obligations by banning Israel from the Olympic Games to be held in Paris next month.”

Seeking to educate and bring awareness to those attending, speakers at the event stressed that the Olympics are not an apolitical spectacle, but a stage of international prestige and validation. In observance of this responsibility, the charter of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) states that “Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement.” By that principle, South Africa was barred from participation for nearly 30 years due to its apartheid regime.

Israel being allowed to compete reflects the international community’s refusal to hold it accountable, while Palestine is struggling to even field athletes for competition due to the widespread death and destruction of its athletes and athletic facilities in Israel’s genocidal rampage. “Since October, over 300 professional athletes and sports officials have been killed in Gaza, and 42 sports facilities have been completely destroyed,” Anti-War Committee speaker Brandon Veal pointed out, “which amounts to every single one of them in the Gaza strip.”

Another member of the Anti-War Committee, emcee Ruby Arnone, highlighted the deaths of Majed Abu Maraheel, Palestine’s first Olympic athlete, and Nagham Abu Samra, a Palestinian karate champion hoping to compete in the 2024 games. Both died because Israel’s siege on Gaza prevented them from receiving medical care – Majed for kidney failure and Nagham for injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike that killed her sister.

Their deaths are two of over 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza over the last nine months. As Arnone put it, “Each week we hear of Israel carrying out massacre after massacre, torture and kidnapping, all punctuating the slow and deliberate campaign of starvation and medical neglect that kills children and adults just as surely as a bomb or bullet.”

Speaking for American Muslims for Palestine, Abdullah Mohammed drove the message home, “The Olympic games are a ‘celebration of human spirit and unity, transcending borders and conflict.’ However, allowing a nation that perpetuates such systemic oppression and violence to participate undermines these very principles. The story of Majed and countless others in Gaza highlights the dire need for the international community to take a stand.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #MNAWC #AMP #olypmics #feature

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, June 25, around 100 people gathered as the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition led a protest of the Honeywell Aerospace Building in Northeast Minneapolis. Cars honked in support and many people who were just passing by brought bulk packs of cold bottled water for the protesters unprompted, just to show their support on the sunny day.

The crowd chanted “Who profits? Honeywell! Who dies? Gazans!” and speakers made connections between Honeywell and other local weapons companies and the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza as part of a national week of actions against weapons companies called by the newly formed Anti-War Action Network.

“We’re back, Honeywell!” Sarah Martin from Women Against Military Madness began, “It’s been a minute, but here we are again because you’re not just about thermostats. You’re still a merchant of death and have the blood of Gaza on your hands. On June 6, among the rubble of the United Nations-run al-Sardi school in Central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp were the remnants of a weapon that had Honeywell’s name on it!”

Honeywell has supplied precision guidance components for the Israeli Air Force’s guided missiles since 2000.

Martin also detailed the half-century history of local struggle against Honeywell, led by the Honeywell Project. For decades the group organized tirelessly fighting against Honeywell’s headquarters in Minneapolis until it finally left in 1991. Activists led civil disobedience actions, were arrested, and fought Honeywell in court. When the FBI infiltrated the Honeywell Project on behalf of the weapons company, the Project partnered with the ACLU to sue them and win $70,000. Martin finished by shouting, “But Honeywell is still at it. And so are we! Honeywell you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide!”

Carrying that fight to today, Shahd Abouhekel from Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota spoke about UMN Divest Coalition’s work on campus: “The university contributes almost $700,000 in Israeli public stock for Honeywell. Shame. Shame. I don't know about you, but I don't wanna see weapon manufacturing companies coming to my campus to recruit students to work for them. Students have shown time and time again that we don't want our tuition dollars to fund genocide supporters.”

Nick Tolliver from the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “Honeywell also supplies the police and military in America. Honeywell is everywhere invested in repressive state violence to defend the interests of the powerful. They supply the technological material for the slaughter of the people that Western imperialists deem targets for subjugation, exploitation, and violent oppression. We demand that the state of Minnesota divest from Honeywell and the $4 billion it has invested in institutions and companies that are participating in and profiting from genocide.”

Abdullah Mohammed of American Muslims for Palestine MN ended with a hopeful message to the group, “I tell you guys, what we're doing here today really impacts the Palestinians. And justice will come. And we shall see a free Palestine in the near future.”

Protesters were encouraged to go to the AWC’s protest outside of the Olympic gymnastics trials on June 28, outside of the Target Center to demand that Israel be banned from the Olympics.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SJP #AWAN #UMNDivest #AMP #MNAWC #WAMM #MNPeaceAction

St. Paul, MN – On June 21 during rush hour, 75 people rallied and chanted at the weekly WAMM (Women Against Military Madness) bannering at the busy intersection of Snelling and Summit Avenues in Saint Paul. This week’s event was co-sponsored by the Free Palestine Coalition.

The demonstrators held signs, “MN divest from apartheid Israel,” “Stop bombing Gaza” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.” Car drivers honked approval and passengers gave thumbs up constantly.

Emcee Robyn Harbison led the crowd in chants, “Hey Biden what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” The chants rotated, naming President Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.  

After the chanting were speakers representing several local Palestine solidarity groups including the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Ceasefire Choir, and Normandale Students for Justice in Palestine.

As the death toll of Gazan martyrs at the hands of the Zionist murderers approaches 37,000, the speeches reflected the deep horror at the ongoing U.S.-sponsored genocide. There is plenty of anger because of the U.S. support, without which the Israeli war would not be possible. Speakers expressed awe, respect and love for the people of Palestine who continue to resist and continue to struggle until Palestine is free. 

Ellie McCloud, a new member of WAMM, pointed out to the crowd, “If the genocide were to stop this very second, if we had one funeral every day for everyone murdered, it would take over 100 years.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead spoke representing the AWC, “This is the month we are supposed to be celebrating Pride and our resistance since Stonewall. But I’m not proud that stories of people like myself and other queer people are being used to justify U.S. support of this genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This is called pinkwashing. We have the responsibility next weekend in the Take Back Pride march where tens of thousands of people will be watching to say, ‘None of us are free, until Palestine is free!’”

Abdullah Abdulwahab spoke for AMP, “I want to tell you the story of Badr, a 29-year-old who was this week released from a prison after enduring unspeakable and sadistic torture. He returned to Khan Younis only to find his home bombed. He had nowhere to go. But despite his everything he has endured he will not give up. Not until Palestine is free. And neither will the father holding his dead child, nor the people from Rafah who are trapped and being bombed on a daily basis. Not until Palestine is free in the near future!

Abdulwahab concluded with the chant, “By the millions, by the billions, we are all Palestinians!”

Protesters were encouraged to come out to the MN Peace Action Coalition’s protest on Tuesday at a Honeywell facility in Northeast area of Minneapolis to hold Honeywell accountable for the weapons it produces that are used in this U.S.-supported genocide of the people of Gaza.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #WAMM #AMP #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition