Minneapolis, MN – On the afternoon of Dec. 3, a group of anti-war activists braved a major snowstorm to join a protest against recent U.S. war threats in Korea.

The rush hour protest was held as the falling snow brought traffic to a crawl.

“It was very important for there to be a visible opposition to the growing threat of a new U.S. war in Korea, snowstorm or not,” said participant Linden Gawboy.

The protest was organized under the call of “Say no to U.S. war provocations – Stop U.S. war threats against Korea – No New Korean war!”

The protest comes on the heels of the dispatch of the nuclear powered USS Washington aircraft carrier to participate in military maneuvers in the Yellow Sea off the coast of the Korean peninsula.

The protest was initiated by the Ad Hoc Emergency Committee to Stop U.S. War in Korea with initial endorsements from Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Peace Campaign and Women Against Military Madness.

Organizers issued a statement that said, “The new U.S. war crisis on the Korean peninsula demands an anti-war response. During the past week, protests and other actions have been held in cities around the U.S. to speak out against a new Korean war. A new war in Korea could easily escalate into a wider regional conflict and a potential nuclear war.”

The statement went on to say, “On Nov. 23, the government of South Korea mobilized 70,000 troops for a week of military maneuvers just off the border of North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).”

“The military deployment was held many miles north of the Demilitarized Zone, in an area long considered to be disputed territory. On Nov. 23, South Korean forces fired multiple shells into waters right off the DPRK. An hour and a half later, the DPRK retaliated to what it saw as an attack on its territory by firing shells at the island of Yeonpyeong. Yeonpyeong Island is a South Korean military garrison, seven miles from the DPRK and more than 70 miles from the South Korean mainland.”

“Now the U.S. has sent the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and its battle group, destroyers and hundreds of fighter jets back into this area of the Yellow Sea, close to both DPRK and China, to participate in new war provocations,” the statement concluded.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Korea #DemocraticPeoplesRepublicOfKorea