Minneapolis, MN — A coalition of peace, anti-war, faith based, student and other groups will march and rally in Minneapolis on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Oct. 7 will mark 16 years to the day since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001.

The protest is organized under the call of “Stop Endless U.S. Wars.” The event will speak out against the recent decision by the Trump administration to escalate U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan and oppose the growing danger of U.S. war on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The protest will gather at Cedar Avenue and 3rd Street on the West Bank in Minneapolis at 1:30 p.m. There will be a march starting at 2:00 p.m. that will return to the starting location.

The Minneapolis Oct. 7 protest is being organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition. The Minneapolis event will be among a series of protests and other activities being held in cities around the U.S. Oct. 2 – 8.

The U.S. war in Afghanistan is the longest foreign war in U.S. history. A statement issued by organizers points out that “In just a few years time, the U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan may well have been born after the war started.”

The statement issued by organizers goes on to say, “After 16 years at war in Afghanistan the U.S. is now escalating the level of U.S. involvement once again, with plans to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan. At the same time, the Trump administration is threatening a new war in Korea.”

The statement says, ““The war crisis in Korea remains at a boiling point, the Trump administration is making unhinged threats of war. There are reports that more U.S. military forces are being sent to Korea, including an additional aircraft carrier arriving in October.”

The statement continues, “The U.S. is very much at war today, not only in Afghanistan and the threat of a war in Korea, but U.S. troops, air strikes and drones are in combat in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and this past week the U.S. restarted air strikes in Libya.”

In recent weeks the Trump administration has also threatened military action in Venezuela.

“U.S. intervention, wars, air strikes and drone attacks, will do nothing to fight terrorism, or to make the word safer. The U.S. war machine does not intervene to protect people or to fight terrorism, but to serve U.S. economic interests,” the statement concludes.

The Minneapolis protest will also call for funds to be redirected from war and intervention around the world to meet human needs, jobs, housing and hurricane relief.

Sponsoring organizations for the October 7 protest include Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Mayday Books, Minnesota Cuba Committee, St. Joan of Arc Peacemakers, Socialist Action, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace and Women Against Military Madness.

Organizations that have endorsed the Minneapolis October 7 protest include: Every Church A Peace Church, Filipinx for Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice MN, Immigrant Movement for Justice, International Socialist Organization (Twin Cities branch) , Military Families Speak Out (MN chapter), Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Progressive Coalition Minnesota, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Socialist Party of the Twin Cities Metro, Students for A Democratic Society (UMN), Students for Revolutionary Socialism, The New North, Walker Community UMC Peace with Justice Committee, Welfare Rights Committee, and Workers International League.

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