Minneapolis, MN – To mark 12 years since the start of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, 50 people joined a Minneapolis anti-war protest on Oct. 5.

The protest was called by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC). MPAC organized the protest under the call of “Say no to war! U.S. troops and drones out of Afghanistan now; no U.S. military intervention in Syria; stop government spying and attacks on civil liberties; people need housing and jobs, not war.”

The protest took place along the sidewalks of the very busy Hiawatha Avenue and Lake Street intersection. A large number of people driving by honked their car horns and waved in support of the anti-war message. One participant said the majority of the cars passing had people honking, waving or showing some sign of support.

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “The U.S. has been at war continuously for 12 years: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia. Now the Obama administration is proposing yet another military intervention, this time in Syria. At the same time, plans are being made to leave thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan for years to come. The Oct. 5 protest marks 12 years of war with a call for an end to U.S. wars and interventions.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead , a member of the Anti-War Committee spoke at the demonstration. She said, “President Obama keeps promising to the American people that the war in Afghanistan is winding down...with Afghanistan making an agreement that would continue a strong U.S. presence but also gives them immunity for their war crimes – including for drone attacks and night raids. Does that sound like an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan? No.”

The Oct. 5 Minneapolis protest was endorsed by AFSCME Local 3800, Anti-War Committee, Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Libertarian Party, Mayday Books, Military Families Speak Out (MN chapter), Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, Minnesota Cuba Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition, Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign, Peace and Justice Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic Church (St. Paul), Socialist Action, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans For Peace (Chapter 27), Welfare Rights Committee, Women Against Military Madness and the Workers International League.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #MinneapolisAntiwarMovement #AfghanistanWar #Anniversary

Washington DC – More than 300,000 people are gathered on the mall today for the March on Washington, with at least 150,000 on each side of the reflecting pool. The massive crowd is largely African-American, mobilized by the 50-year anniversary of Martin Luther King’s speech and by the pressing demand for justice for Trayvon Martin. African-American groups range from Florida’s Dream Defenders, to New Jersey’s People’s Organization for Progress, to the national NAACP. There is also a big union mobilization, with the United Auto Workers turning out thousands of members in t-shirts. Many other unions and their associated groups like Working America are also out in force.

BJ Murphy drove up to the March on Washington from North Carolina and he said, “We arrived early, a little after 8:00 AM, and there were already tens of thousands on the Mall. It is great to see! On the down side, people are growing frustrated about feeling trapped. The police put up huge fences and there are choke points so people feel penned in, unable to come or go, and some folks are growing angry.”

Murphy continues, “The crowd is so big and so loud that it is challenging for African-American leaders and government officials to speak over the crowd. The crowd is impatient and looking forward to the march and being allowed more freedom to move.”

#WashingtonDC #AfricanAmerican #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #MarchOnWashington #DreamDefenders #Antiracism #MartinLutherKingJrNAACP #Anniversary