Anti-War Committee to join Saturday protest against anti-Muslim bigots
St Paul, MN – Hundreds will join “Protest Anti-Muslim Bigotry: Oppose Racists at the Capitol” to challenge a rally planned by the anti-Muslim hate group, Act for America (ACT), June 10, 11 a.m. at the Minnesota State Capitol building. The University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) issued the call, now joined by the Anti-War Committee and some 20 organizations, including religious organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, to, “outnumber, drown out the racists, and rally as a progressive community to appreciate our religious, racial and national diversity and oppose these kinds of anti-Muslim and racist actions in the future.”
The anit-Muslim bigots are gathering under the banner, “March Against Sharia,” and are holding events in cities across the U.S. on Saturday. These events are part of a rising tide of hate speech, which fuels racist hate crimes that target Muslims. The recent deadly stabbings in Portland awakened many to danger of normalizing anti-Muslim hate. While, Trump’s close supporters call for internment camps for Muslims, people of conscience are calling for solidarity against racism and hate.
In the Twin Cities, this is part of an ongoing movement against racist hate and government repression that both target our Muslim neighbors. From defending Somali youth who were entrapped by an-FBI ‘terror’ plot, to standing with Palestinian icon Rasmea Odeh in the face of bogus immigration fraud charges, the Anti-War Committee recognizes that opposition to war abroad has a home front as well. All the countries targeted by the travel ban were first targeted by military attacks; demonizing immigrant communities from countries where the U.S. is engaging militarily helps to demonize the military ‘enemy’ abroad.
Just a few months ago, Trump’s attempts to establish a Muslim travel ban was defeated when tens of thousands hit the streets and flooded airports in every major city to say no.