Denver anti-war protests target new Palantir headquarters
Denver, CO – On December 21, protesters gathered at the Cherry Creek Financial House in Denver for a noise rally to protest at the new headquarters of Palantir. The tech and AI surveillance company has plans to move into the new Cherry Creek location after months of community organizing have made their downtown headquarters untenable.
Palantir, whose technology is widely used by ICE to track immigrants and by Israel to facilitate genocide in Gaza, was invited to place its headquarters in Denver by Colorado Governor Jared Polis, after protests drove them out of California in 2020.
The crowd, armed with drums, pots and pans, trumpets and even a saxophone, followed the emcee in chants before hearing a speech from Denver Anti-War Action member Andrew Marquetalia, who said, “We’ve made it clear that Palantir is not welcome here in Denver. We’re out here making noise and we’ll be back again and again until Palantir cancels their planned move into this building.”
And make noise, they did. Streets away the drumming and chanting could be heard amid a busy shopping area just days before Christmas. Attendees and passersby were encouraged to sign a petition for the cancellation of Palantir’s lease and to demand Palantir out of Denver and out of Colorado.
In a speech, Terry Burnsed of the May Day Club said of Palantir, “They target all of these communities. Terror is both a commodity making profits, and an enforcer of the profit making regime. They target those who resist and those who don’t alike.”
Kacey Hicks with Freedom Road Socialist Organization highlighted U.S. attacks on Venezuela, explaining, “We need to continue to stand strong with the people of Venezuela. We need to stand firm in opposition to cowardly acts by Trump, like stealing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The threat of Palantir using their AI technology on the people of Venezuela is real.”
In another speech, Brandan Gehrke with Aurora Unidos CSO told the crowd, “Palantir’s founders talk about defending freedom while building tools to destroy it. They claim to see the world clearly, but all they see is targets. We see a different world, a better world, a world where families are able to go to school without fear, a day where everyone has access to healthcare, and a day where the end of the genocide of Palestinians comes.”
Crowds circled the block with their chants and drums, demanding the attention of shoppers passing by with chants like “Palantir, can’t you see? Time to pack it up and leave!” and “Palantir, can’t you hear? Denver doesn’t want you here!”