Minneapolis, MN – Over 30 people attended an educational forum on the current crisis in Ukraine on March 28 at Mayday Books.

The forum, entitled “What’s Behind the Crisis in Ukraine?” attracted longtime peace activists as well as people new to anti-war activities.

Speakers included Gerald Erickson, Professor Emeritus, Classical/Near Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota; Dean Gunderson, chair of the Minnesota chapter of U.S. Friends of the Soviet People; Linda Hoover of Women Against Military Madness and longtime peace, labor and anti-racist activist; and Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.

Erickson started the program by drawing attention to the similarities between U.S. and NATO policies that exasperated the breakup of former Yugoslavia and the current crisis in Ukraine.

Aby stated, “Most Americans don’t understand that the U.S. helped promote instability in Ukraine and supported the coup. And the mainstream media is not explaining this to people. An important role for the anti-war movement is to be clear that the debate is not about whether the U.S. should intervene in the Ukraine – because the U.S. already is. We need to be focused on ending and not escalating U.S. intervention. “

She continued, “We have done a good job in the Twin Cities of building a movement against drones and likewise we need to organize against the U.S. tactic of destabilization. At our protests it is critical that we focus on the main slogans of ‘U.S./West hands off Ukraine’ and ‘No sanctions/no threats against Russia.’”

Mayday Books, the sponsor of the program, is an all volunteer, independent progressive bookstore located in the West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis.

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