Minneapolis, MN – After a year of community pressure, Minneapolis cut funding for its contract with Zencity, an Israeli tech company whose surveillance technology emerged from Israel’s military intelligence center, Unit 8200, notorious for development of surveillance and phone hacking technology.

Throughout the campaign, community members expressed concern with Zencity’s complicity with violations of Palestinian human rights, as well as its role in racist policing practices in the U.S. The campaign to “Cut the Contract” noted that ending this contract will save Minneapolis $112,500 in 2026.

Erin Michaels, an organizer with the Free Palestine Coalition, explained, “Prior to the campaign, Zencity was largely unknown in Minneapolis. Over the course of a year, Free Palestine Coalition members organized across the city, engaging thousands of residents through webinars, social media, and petitions to build public awareness and opposition. Community members from all 13 Minneapolis wards then met directly with their city council members to educate them and demand that the contract be cut. We sustained and escalated that pressure by rallying at City Hall, hand-delivering more than 2000 signed petitions to Mayor Frey and consistently showing up at city council meetings to call for an end to the contract.”

Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, speaking for Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) -Twin Cities said, “Our tax dollars should be spent in our city, not on a company with origins in a genocidal military. As Jews we know that a budget is a moral document. We are grateful to the community members and city councilors who pressure the mayor to cut the contract with Zencity.”

The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) was using Zencity to target residents with digital surveys to gather community perceptions of itself and public safety but did not proactively update the city council with such data and provided very little information to the community.

Zencity’s technology has been used by U.S. law enforcement nationally to surveil the Black community’s internet activity after high profile killings of Black people. For example, the Brooklyn Park police department contracted with Zencity after Brooklyn Center police killed Daunte Wright, a young Black man, in 2021.

Ray Himmelman of JVP-TC and Healthcare Workers for Palestine summed it up this way, “We know that investment in community means centering the voices of those who are systematically harmed by MPD and whose voices are erased by a survey targeting people via ads on social media. We need community engagement in the hands of the people of Minneapolis, with our powerful history of community care despite the abuses of MPD over the last 150 years.”

Community members have been clear – the contract with Zencity is a waste of taxpayer money and raises ethical concerns. Over 2000 people signed the petition to Cut the Contract, which was then delivered to Mayor Frey’s office in September, followed by multiple rallies that attracted hundreds of community members and public testimony. The campaign to Cut the Contract, which includes over 20 organizations including Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Twin Cities, MN BDS Communities and the Free Palestine Coalition, led a rally on November 19 outside of the city budget hearing.

After community members across Minneapolis expressed outrage, City Councilmembers Payne, Wonsley, Osman and Cashman issued a press release on November 26 requesting that Mayor Frey cut the contract by the December 1 deadline, a position supported by a supermajority of the council. On December 16, the council passed a budget that eliminates funding for Zencity, effectively withdrawing authorization for the contract and politically constraining Mayor Frey.

This makes Minneapolis the first U.S. city in over a decade to effectively cut a contract with a company in response to sustained community campaigning over ethical concerns, the most recent cases being the Veolia corporation in Boston and security firm G4S in Durham.

“Minneapolis's divestment from Zencity sets a historic precedent for divestment at the state and national level, and draws pivotal attention to the role of even our municipalities in the genocide of Palestinians. Our government institutions, including our cities, have been historically complicit – but this victory is the start of a dramatic shift,” explained Sanaa Wazwaz, chapter lead of the MN chapter of American Muslims for Palestine and a spokesperson for the Free Palestine Coalition.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #JVP #AWCMN #AMPMN

St Paul, MN – Over 400 anti-war activists attended a three day conference organized by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) from April 5-7. The conference was held in Saint Paul with the theme “Decolonization and the Fight against Imperialism.”

Topics of the panels ranged from the U.S./NATO war in Ukraine, climate justice, sanctions, the U.S. encirclement of China, the struggle against U.S. imperialism in Africa, and organizing in solidarity with Palestine and its heroic resistance to Zionist occupation.

Friday night’s opening plenary from the Twin Cities Free Palestine Coalition highlighted the diverse support for Palestine from local movements of immigrants’ rights, labor, students, community control of the police, anti-war and Muslim organizations.

Cassia Laham of the UNAC administrative committee explained, “It was so inspiring to hear from leaders of the grassroots movements on the ground. Hearing from their firsthand experience leading and organizing mass mobilizations on behalf of the Palestinian cause was inspiring for all aspiring and current activists. Their analysis of the present resistance to genocide and occupation and they're hopefulness for a free Palestine left the audience filled with hope as well.”

Saturday morning’s plenary saw Husam Marajda from U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and Taher Herzallah from American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) condemn Israel's genocide in Gaza and its terror campaign throughout occupied Palestine.

Meredith Aby, an activist with the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “It was helpful to have Marajda and Herzallah give us their analysis about Israel’s attacks on Palestine and the tasks of the movement. Many of us in the room have been organizing protest after protest, week after week, so it was helpful to take the time to hear serious analysis of the regional and U.S. domestic impact of Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians.”

The conference hosted a special international guest, the Nicaraguan ambassador to the U.S., Lautaro Sandino. He spoke about the numerous gains in improved livelihood and economic development the Sandinista government and Nicaraguan people have achieved in the face of U.S. intervention and sanctions.

Audari Tamayo, co-chair of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said after the panel, “Recalling his time as a guerrilla in the mountains, Lautaro Sandino, the Nicaraguan ambassador, urged us to resist and mobilize, and if we get tired, to mobilize again. Ambassador Sandino reminded us that creating change is no easy task and requires utmost effort, a sentiment shared by revolutionaries from around the world who dared to struggle and won. Nicaragua has stood proud in the fight against imperialism, and we will take the lessons learned by those who have been on the front lines and never get tired of mobilizing!”

Saturday afternoon's workshop on Palestine solidarity organizing across the U.S. shared stories from seven different cities. Organizers from Dallas-Fort Worth, New Orleans, Grand Rapids, Denver, Milwaukee, Tucson and Minneapolis discussed the successes and challenges in building mass movements in solidarity with Palestine.

“We are working to strengthen the Palestine solidarity movement by finding dynamic ways to organize in support for the united front of the Palestinian resistance,” explained Emerson Wolfe of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids.

As other presenters covered topics on stopping Cop Cities, banning nuclear weapons, and explaining the U.S. imperial maneuvers to encircle and provoke a war with China, a plenary on defeating repression rounded out the program on Saturday.

From FBI entrapment of Muslims,to the FBI raids on the Anti-War 23, to the campaign to free Simon Trinidad, Hands Off Uhuru struggle and celebrating the victory of a freed Alex Saab, the crowd appreciated the sharing of experiences in defending our movements from repression in the final plenary of Saturday.

“As Dallas-Fort Worth Anti-War Committee members are facing charges for our work, it was very relevant to hear from people like the Anti-War 23 grand jury resisters and the Uhuru Movement members fighting back against political repression and to directly ask their advice,” explained Jo Hargis, of the Dallas-Fort Worth Anti-War Committee (DAWC).

The conference proved to be a consolidating moment for a movement that has seen a massive influx of young people from diverse backgrounds since October 2023, when Israel’s latest aggression on Gaza began. A unity resolution passed by the conference on its final day pledged to continue building protests in the streets for Palestine along with all countries targeted by U.S. imperialism and its proxies.

Conference attendees also unanimously agreed to support related progressive causes like immigrant rights, the fight against racist policing and militarized occupation inside U.S. borders, and freeing political prisoners.

#StPaulMN #TwinCitiesMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #UNAC #USPCN #SDS #MNAWC #AMPMN

Minneapolis, MN – The Minneapolis city council voted, February 8, to override Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of their ceasefire resolution.

Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists are celebrating the victory across the country. They are excited that Minneapolis is joining cities like Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Detroit in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Palestine.

Sana Wazwaz, a leader with American Muslims for Palestine-MN, explains the significance of the vote, “Our victory signals a radical shift in what is considered acceptable criticism of Israel. We are the first city in the U.S. to pass a resolution to call for a complete end to U.S. aid to Israel; a measure that was once ‘too radical’ is now becoming normalized. Minneapolis has broken that barrier, and we believe that our city will set the precedent for cities across the U.S. to continue pushing that boundary, for language to become more and more progressive. To override Mayor Frey's veto is to send the message that principles win over politics – that Minneapolis stuck to their strong language, and didn't back down despite pressure to conform to ceasefire resolution norms.”

Meredith Aby, an activist with the Anti-War Committee, explains the next steps for the Free Palestine Coalition: “We have started attending Saint Paul city council meetings and pressuring them to join Minneapolis in calling for a ceasefire and an end to the U.S. support for genocide in Palestine. We want to keep this momentum growing so that we can end U.S. aid to Israel.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #CityCouncil #Ceasefire #MNAWC #AMPMN

St. Paul, MN – On October 18, more than 8000 people demonstrated on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol building to show solidarity with Palestine and to highlight the U.S. role in endorsing and funding the ongoing Israeli war on Palestine.

The protest was organized by American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota, Students for Justice in Palestine – University of Minnesota , and the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.

International human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Israel’s own B’Tselem, have long charged the Israeli government with violating international law and functioning as an apartheid state.

Last week, Israel established an even more brutal and barbaric blockade of Gaza, cutting the entire population off from essential resources. On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, killing over 600 people. This strategy of collective punishment was clearly outlined by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who on October 9 stated, “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we will act accordingly.”

At the capitol, speakers addressed how the American public's tax dollars enable the Israeli government's human rights abuses. Since 1949, the U.S. has given over $150 billion in aid to Israel – more than ever sent to any other country. Every year the United States issues $3.8 billion to Israel.

Andrew Josefchak of the MN Anti-War Committee spoke to the crowd and connected the war on Palestine with the state capitol, saying, “Our government’s support for the war on Palestine didn’t start last week. We know that the thousands of bombs being dropped on Gaza right now – including the one Israel dropped on the hospital yesterday – are paid for by our federal tax dollars. But U.S. aid to Israel also comes from our state government right here in Minnesota. Minnesota’s State Board of Investments has invested hundreds of millions of our pension funds into supporting Israel. It has over a million invested in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest weapons company that advertises its products as ‘field tested’ on Palestinians. It has $55 million invested in Lockheed Martin, which builds the jets currently massacring the people of Gaza. The state of Minnesota recently spent another million to help open a new Lockheed facility right here in Saint Paul.”

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he will send billions in additional aid to support Israel in its war on the Palestinian people. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has publicly stated, “Minnesota joins the nation in condemning the horrific acts of violence against Israeli civilians by Hamas,” and, “the United States and Israel are united by a shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity and regional security.”

Since October 7, Israeli bombing of Gaza has killed over 3000 people and has injured many thousands more. The Israeli government ordered Palestinians to evacuate Gaza but then repeatedly bombed the border checkpoint between Gaza and Egypt, killing civilians and making fleeing the violence impossible. Israel also claimed south Gaza would be a “safe zone” but has continued to drop bombs there.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency stated on October 13, “The call from the Israeli Forces to move more than 1 million civilians living in northern Gaza within 24 hours is horrendous. This will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into an abyss.”

There have also been reports that Israel is using white phosphorus, an illegal chemical weapon. Israel previously used white phosphorus in the Gaza war in 2008 and 2009.

The capitol protest in Saint Paul followed an emergency action called in response to the hospital bombing on Tuesday, when local Palestinian-Americans blocked the busy Hennepin and Lyndale Avenue intersection in Minneapolis during rush hour. Hundreds of local supporters joined them, shutting down traffic for hours.

Last Sunday, over 15,000 people marched for Palestine through Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood. Additional protests for Palestine are being planned.

#StPaulMN #Palestine #AWCMN #SJP #SJPUMN #AMP #AMPMN

Minneapolis, MN – Over 15,000 demonstrators shut down the main arteries of Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood on Sunday, October 15, marching in solidarity with Palestine. The crowd was overwhelmingly Palestinian, joined by the city's Somali community, anti-Zionist Jews, and members of all swathes of the multinational working class.

The size and power of the march made the neighborhood echo with chants of “Resistance is justified when Palestine is occupied!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” The big turnout revealed the massive gap between the people of Minneapolis and their elected officials, who have closed ranks to defend Israel's illegal, colonial occupation of Palestine.

Leila Yeshaya of the Anti-War Committee stated, “It's ignorant and dangerous to say Israel and Palestine are equal sides, to say that the first shots were fired last weekend. Not only that Israel killed 22 Palestinians for every Israeli killed since 2008, not only that the Knesset erupts in anti-Arab chants every few weeks, but they are not living in the same conditions.”

Yeshaya continued speaking about the U.S. media’s distortions, “There is no day where Palestinians in the West Bank aren’t forced to confront occupation. There is no day where Gaza lives without fear of a rainstorm of missiles with nowhere to hide. There are millions of Palestinians cramped into Gaza or discarded to the West Bank that had homes that were repossessed or destroyed on land decided to be Israeli. I'm sorry but this is not Israel's daily constant reality.”

Sana Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine MN spoke to the crowd, “Israel now knows that when they don't have the facts on their side, they have to fabricate information, about beheading babies, about mass rape, all of which have been quietly retracted. But I don't want to see retractions anymore, I don't want to see “oops, sorry, that was wrong”. I want you to end the apartheid regime! Make it right, don't just retract, don't just condemn, make it right! Make it right and end the $3.8 billion in unconditional military aid to a genocidal machine!”

The US currently sends $3.8 million dollars in military aid to Israel each year, and President Joe Biden has proposed sending further aid packages to support Israel's current violence.

The march was organized jointly by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC), American Muslims for Palestine — MN (AMP-MN), and Students for Justice in Palestine — University of Minnesota Chapter (SJP-UMN). These groups are organizing another rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on October 18 at 5:30pm.

#MinneapolisMN #Palestine #MNAWC #AMPMN #SJP