News and Views from the People's Struggle
Bloomington, MN – National calls were made for protests and boycott actions on Black Friday, the largest shopping day of the year, to draw attention to Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza. At the Mall of America in Bloomington, the largest mall in the United States, protesters dropped multiple banners on November 24 in solidarity with Palestine.
Tallahassee, FL – On November 10, approximately 30 students at Florida State University attended FSU’s Board of Trustees meeting to demand the university divest from Israel. The students were organized by the Florida state chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (FSU SDS).
St. Paul, MN – On October 12, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition rallied at the site of a new ForwardEdge ASIC LLC office. ForwardEdge is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the world’s largest defense contractor. Amid the horrific Israeli bombing of Gaza, around 150 protesters gathered in a show of solidarity with Palestine and to demand “No Minnesota money for weapons manufacturers.”
Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, October 3, more than 20 people gathered outside the office of Minnesota State Senator Amy Klobuchar to demand an end to U.S. involvement in the war in Ukraine. The event was a response to a national call by the Peace in Ukraine Coalition and the United National Antiwar Coalition for activists all across the country to unite in demanding an end to U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine and U.S. Interference in negotiations.
Milwaukee, WI – The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) held a rally on Sunday, October 1, in response to a call from the United National Antiwar Coalition to condemn the funding the U.S. continues to provide to pursue their policy of an endless war in Ukraine. The rally took part in a coordinated week of action called for by UNAC on the war in Ukraine held in many cities. Chants like “Biggest threat in the world today? NATO and the USA!” rang out as passersby honked in support.
The event began with emphasis on recent history in Ukraine, starting in 2014 with the U.S.-backed coup. As Western media continues to frame the war as an irrational attack by Russia on an innocent and peaceful Ukraine, MAC continues to stress that this is an inter-imperialist war between the U.S. and Russia, orchestrated and set off by the insatiable greed for power and resources of the U.S.
Stephanie Splatin of MAC spoke of the years of shelling of ethnic Russians living in eastern Ukraine leading up to the war, conveniently ignored in the mainstream narrative of the war. The weapons used then and now are supplied by the U.S. and swiftly end up in the hands of right-wing extremist groups so often used to further U.S. interests at the expense of innocent lives.
“Neither U.S. weapons nor U.S. sanctions have had their intended effect against Russia. No longer able to impose its will through brute force, declining U.S. imperialism foments instability and proxy conflicts, which it attempts to steer toward its interests” said Ryan Hamann of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), who spoke at the event. “The U.S. is trying to use the war in Ukraine to destabilize Russia, while bringing Ukraine into the orbit of U.S. monopoly capital. This means prolonging the war for as long as possible, no matter the human cost.”
The Milwaukee Anti-War Committee and United National Antiwar Committee (UNAC) plan to continue to hold events in the future protesting the U.S. and NATO involvement in Ukraine, and offering a principled analysis of the war instead of the constant pro-war and pro-Ukraine views parroted by western media.
No to NATO! No to war!
Milwaukee, WI – On August 26, organizers with the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and their supporters, numbering around 20 in total, gathered in downtown Milwaukee to protest the threats of the U.S. government at intervening in the internal politics of the west African country of Niger.
New Orleans, LA- On August 12, New Orleans students and their supporters demonstrated during a 120-degree heat index against the potential U.S. intervention in the West African country of Niger. They gathered on the University of New Orleans campus with the group Students United UNO and chanted under a Nigerien flag and a banner reading “US: Hands off Africa.” Demonstrators passed information handouts to students as they returned to campus on move-in day.
Milwaukee, WI – On August 6, the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) joined with Peace Action of Wisconsin, Veterans for Peace Milwaukee, and others to host the annual Lanterns for Peace event to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Minneapolis, MN – On August 5, around 80 people gathered outside the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Walker Art Center for an anti-war protest organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition. The protest memorialized the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, killed approximately 210,000 people.
Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, July 22, activists and community members united at The Calling sculpture in downtown Milwaukee to protest the annual Milwaukee Air & Water Show. The rally was organized by the Milwaukee Anti-War Committee (MAC) to demonstrate that the show is not a harmless family event as it is often portrayed, but a celebration of U.S. militarism and a polarizing affair for the city.