DFL dines while Gaza starves, Minnesotans protest Democratic Party support for genocide
Minneapolis, MN – On June 13, over 100 protesters rallied outside the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) annual Humphrey-Mondale fundraising dinner. Despite hours of rain, picketers chanted outside the Minneapolis Hilton hotel, demanding that DFL leaders use their power to divest Minnesota funds from apartheid Israel after almost two years of U.S.– funded genocide of Palestinians. The action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).
The protest came during a critical time in the pro-Palestinian struggle; Israel has not only continued its genocidal bombing campaign against Palestinian civilians, but it has implemented an explicit starvation policy in which IDF troops massacre Palestinians at so-called “humanitarian aid” centers. Activists in the Anti-War Committee have long demanded that the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI), which manages public-sector pension funds, divest public funds from companies aiding the Israeli apartheid regime.
Minnesota public sector workers truly made their presence felt at this action. One of these workers was Maddy Schwartz, a member of the AWC and a trade unionist with AFSCME 668, who stated, “It is outrageous to see Governor Walz and the other members of the State Board of Investment remain silent and ignore public workers' calls for divestment as they themselves watch Israel's literal slaughter and starvation of Palestinians.”
Speakers called out DFL elected officials not only for their material support for Israeli genocide and occupation, but also for their complicity in President Trump's agenda at large. As Skyler Dorr, an AWC member and public employee with AFSCME 3800, pointed out, “What these investments show is a deep financial tie between the Democratic Party-led state institutions, such as the Board of Investment, and the tools of horrifying violence used against Palestinians and immigrants to the U.S. alike.”
While continuing to provide full support for Israel and its sadistic attacks in Gaza, the Trump White House has also escalated attacks against immigrants within the United States. In response, DFL elected officials such as Walz have sought to brand themselves as “resistance leaders” against Trump's policies, a narrative Skyler soundly rejected, “How is funding the very partners of Trump's terror at home and abroad in any way fighting for a better world?”
This connection between the U.S.'s imperialist foreign policy and its repression of immigrants was made repeatedly at the rally, and speakers were quick to note that this repression is not just being carried out by Republicans. For example, Tim Walz has recently agreed to sign a bill that would end MinnesotaCare eligibility to undocumented immigrants. Al Lamp, an organizer at the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), stated, “It's disgusting that Walz would prefer to kill immigrants for fiscal gain by denying them healthcare, rather than to do the ethical thing and provide healthcare for all!”
Just hours before the rally itself, Israel committed a large-scale bombing of Iran, including many civilian targets. Naveen Borojerdi, an Iranian American organizer with the AWC, described the horrors of this experience, “What's happening right now is that we're playing the death lottery.” What Borojerdi described – the feeling of not knowing whether one of your friends or family members could be the next person murdered by a U.S. bomb – is all too common for Palestinians, Lebanese, and now Iranians. At the end of his speech, Borojerdi, who is also a public sector union worker with the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE), pointed directly at the Minneapolis Hilton, denouncing DFL “leaders” who continue to materially support nonstop bloodshed through weapons manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin.
Neil Radford, a member of Minnesota Workers United and a rank-and-file union member of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators, stated, “The international working class coming together in true solidarity is the only path to ending war, to ending genocide, to freeing Palestine, and to building a peaceful future for all. “
Radford ended his speech by calling for Minnesotans to attend the next quarterly SBI meeting, which will take place June 18, 10 a.m., at the Minnesota Senate Building. Public workers and activists will once again make their demands for divestment directly to Governor Tim Walz and the rest of the SBI. Activists expressed that they believe the Minneapolis community’s resolve to win divestment is higher than ever before.