Garland, TX – On July 2, outside the Garland Chamber of Commerce meet and greet, the DFW Anti-War Committee held a protest to demand that Garland Independent School District (GISD) and Dallas College stop sending students to build bombs in the Paligen Technology factory.

The event was hosted at Tavern on the Square, the owner of which berated, threatened and called the police on protesters for writing chalk messages on the public sidewalk near his business. Messages included “Stop the bombs Garland,” “Stop partnering with Paligen” and “No to Garland students building bombs.” Police came and went without incident and the protest proceeded.

“We were able to have some really good conversations with people in Garland who were horrified to find out that schools are partnered with a place like Paligen that’s been involved in so many war crimes,” said Kai Leslie of DFW Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. The MK-84s produced by Paligen have been heavily used by Israel in the genocide in Palestine, including the bombing of a school that killed 65-year-old retired school principal Mohammad Eltif, along with over 100 others. Israel has also used Paligen’s MK-84 to bomb dozens of universities in Iran.

Regarding the private GROW networking event being protested, Kate Deremo of DFW Anti-War Committee explained, “This is one of Paligen Technologies opportunities to connect with the local business community. The Dallas County Manufacturers’ Association, which is a subset of the Chamber of Commerce, is the direct link between Paligen Technologies and GISD and Dallas College. Their membership in the DCMA is the driving factor in both their access to students as well as influence in educational programming.”

DAWC has standing plans to protest Dallas College board meetings to continue to pressure for Paligen to be dropped from all partnerships with schools and to end student involvement in building bombs at the facility. The next Dallas College protest will be at 4 p.m. on August 11 at Dallas College headquarters.

#GarlandTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #DAWC

New York City , NY – Early on the morning of Wednesday, July 22, dozens of anti-war activists and community members gathered facing the courthouse in downtown Manhattan for the federal hearing of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

This was the third hearing after the abduction of Maduro and Flores from their home in Caracas on January 3. The Trump administration carried out a bombing campaign that killed around 80 people in their pursuit of the president and first lady. They were brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where they are awaiting a sham trial.

The protest outside was organized by several organizations, many who have been on the frontlines of the struggle to free Maduro and Flores since January 3. The forces were Brooklyn Against War, Black Alliance for Peace, Workers World Party, Bronx Anti War, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The rally began with chants such as, “We want justice, you say how? Free Maduro, free him now!” and “Donald Trump, you’re a liar! No more wars for empire!”

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were kidnapped by Trump and the U.S. government after an illegal military invasion. They have committed no crime. We are here in NYC to oppose their kidnapping, detention and trial! They should be set free!” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The chants and rallies continued, despite the small opposition forces trying to feebly out-chant the protest.

As the protest in New York was happening, there were concurrent protests all over Venezuela in support of their president and first lady.

The last speech was made by Briony Smith, a member of Brooklyn Against War and a steering committee member of the Anti-war Action Network, “It is not the will of the American people to invade foreign nations and capture their leaders, because it is not the American people who grow rich off their exploitation. Every day, more and more people in this country are realizing that we have more in common with the people of the Philippines, Palestine or Venezuela than we do with Congress, the White House, or Wall Street.”

Smith continued, “American imperialism is crumbling, while our movement is growing. President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong, and they will walk free! The sanctions on Venezuela will be lifted! The people will be victorious!”

The rally finished with a march and protesters are ready to gather for future hearings. The next seems to be set for November 17. The trial is officially set for June 2027, and activists are ready to hit the ground running to build the campaign to free Maduro and Flores.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #NYC #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #CiliaFlores #Featured

Washington D.C. – On Sunday, July 19, close to 100 community members took to the streets to demand an end to the U.S. siege of Iran. The demonstration was organized by local D.C. group Anti-War Committee DMV and was attended by many from local mosques and Iranian communities who heard about the action.

The action began in front of the White House, where attendees began gathering to unravel their Iranian flags, and was the most noticeable presence on Pennsylvania Avenue that weekend. Organizers had announced the action only a couple days before, and immediately the Iranian communities of the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas began mobilizing.

“U.S. imperialists – number one terrorists!” chanted Katie Sayour with the Anti-War Committee DMV, before addressing the crowd on the state of Trump’s aggression towards Iran. While on the mic, she was greeted with chants from the families who attended, expressing their enthusiasm to be fighting for Iran’s sovereignty.

Jennifer Koonings, a prominent anti-imperialist journalist, spoke about her most recent trip to Iran during the demonstration, “I was met with such love, the Iranian people were truly the most welcoming I have ever met.” She also spoke on the importance of those within the belly of the beast to be engaged in anti-imperialist struggle, “It’s especially our responsibility, as people in America, whose tax dollars are being used to fund the bombing of Iran.”

The strong sense of Iranian identity and faith was clear throughout the sentiments of the attendees. Mothers who were a part of the demonstration offered prayers, while attendees brought close to 50 Iranian flags. Many chants from the crowd were repeated in Farsi as well as English.

One agitator began shouting vulgar language about Iran. The crowd responded back with a united chant “Long live the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The event concluded with organizers announcing the next event, which will be hosted in honor of the Shia holiday of Arbaʽeen. Organizers of the Anti-War Committee expressed that partaking in national, and faith, holidays that are of importance to the immigrant communities that make up D.C. is an important part of their political work.

#WashingtonDC #DC #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, July 18 the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) held a protest at the intersection of University and Central Avenues at Chute Square Park. The committee demanded an immediate end to the U.S. war on Iran and Israel’s ongoing attacks and occupation of Lebanon. Over 50 community members and activists attended the action, holding signs, flags and banners to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Commuters honked in support as they drove by, while passengers yelled “Free Palestine” out the window.

Since the signing of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding in June 2026, Israel has violated the shaky ceasefire agreement on a daily basis, leveling entire city blocks and killing thousands with impunity. According to organizers, Israel’s violence was the original impetus for this action – until early in the second week of July, when President Trump ordered U.S. escalations against Iran.

The U.S. launched multiple strikes across Iran, including near Qeshm Island, Jask, Sirik, and Bandar Abbas, allegedly because of strikes on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran struck U.S. military bases in the region – including UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain – and announced the closure of the strait. Now the U.S. has reinstated its “blockade of the blockade,” preventing ships from leaving Iran's ports

The Strait of Hormuz is responsible for allowing travel of around 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil trade. Closing it even for a day costs is expensive and severely limits global access to crucial energy. What seemed to be a war on the wane has restarted and once again threatens to throw the region into total chaos.

One of the emcees for the event was Yossi Aharoni, a Persian Jew and longtime member of the AWC. In a powerful opening speech, Yossi said, “I’m against this war not just because my tax dollars pay for it, I’m against it for the same reason that anyone with a heart and conscience is against it. This is an immoral, illegal war of aggression and it sickens me to my very core.”

The first speaker of the event was Lina Jebara, a Lebanese-American member of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). Jebara declared, “Israel has used the war on Iran as a smokescreen to expand the tactics it’s been using in its genocide of Palestine and Lebanon. Since the last ceasefire went into place, Israel has destroyed over ten thousand homes in Lebanon’s south and continues to target critical civilian infrastructure, razing all that it can. These acts of depravity seem to be devoid of any real strategic objective, seemingly more analogous to hapless flailing, and that’s because they are. The Israelis have failed to secure any tactical victories since the war on Iran began, and are now grasping for anything that can be framed as a victory for their own people who need to believe in an image of superiority to tolerate living in a land that is not their own.”

The last speaker for the day was Maamoun Slayhi of the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP-MN). A Lebanese-American political organizer with nearly two decades of activism under his belt, Slayhi reflected on the devastation Israel and the U.S. have caused, saying, “More than 4100 people have been killed in Lebanon, and more than one million have been driven from their homes. In Iran, at least 3400 people have been murdered since this war started, 3.2 million people have been displaced, and renewed American strikes are killing more people again.“

Slayhi continued, “Behind every number is a mother, a father, a child, a paramedic, and a family whose home became a target. Neighborhoods have been reduced to rubble. Villages have been emptied. Hospitals, roads, homes, power systems, and water infrastructure have been damaged. The United States and Israel opened the war against Iran. Israel expanded its assault on Lebanon. Then Washington told us that every new strike was necessary because of the consequences of the previous strike. Different maps. Same empire. Same weapons.”

The action was endorsed by AMP-MN, Families Against Military Madness, Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Twin Cities, Free Palestine Coalition, Let Iran Live, Minnesota 50501, Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #MNAWC #AMPMN #WAMM #FAMM

NYC, NY—On July 22 at 8 a.m., protesters will rally to demand, “Free President Maduro and First Lady Flores!” outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York.

A growing coalition of groups and individuals, both in NYC and nationally, support freedom for the pair. Coalition members include Brooklyn Against War, the Anti-War Action Network, Workers World Party, International Action Center, Palaver Collective, Black Alliance for Peace, and the International League of People’s Struggle.

“President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores have done nothing wrong. They have committed no crime. Their kidnapping, detention, and trial by Trump and the U.S. government is the only crime here,” said Tom Burke, a longtime anti-war activist and organizational secretary for the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Burke continued, “The whole world sees Trump and Wall Street attempting to dominate Venezuela’s oil, minerals and economy. It is armed robbery.”

“While other countries send Venezuela earthquake aid, Trump and the U.S. government are imposing U.S. military forces and enforcing U.S. economic sanctions,” Burke said.

Dozens of anti-war and international solidarity protesters will gather at Baxter Street and Worth Street in Manhattan to let the U.S. Department of Justice know they demand the cancellation of the prosecution against President Maduro and Cilia Flores. Their flyer reads, “Free Maduro! Free Flores! Hands off Venezuela! No war with Cuba!”

#NYCNY #NY #International #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #Maduro #Cuba #BAW #AWAN #Featured

Minneapolis, MN – On July 16, over 100 people packed the city council chambers and overflow room to oppose the 75-day pilot program contract proposal with Skydio, a drone manufacturing company that has ties to ICE and the Israeli Defense Force. The contract would allow Skydio drones to act as “first responders” to surveil emergency scenes prior to police arriving.

After weeks of organizing by the Free Palestine Coalition against this proposal, which included protests, a call-in campaign, and a petition, the Minneapolis city council rejected the motion in a 6-6 vote.

Sana Wazwaz, a leader with American Muslims for Palestine-MN stated, “The vote against Skydio is a testament to the relentless and boundless drive of our city to set historic precedents in the fight for Palestine. Once again, Minneapolis has set an example for cities across the country – first through our passage of the strongest ceasefire resolution in the U.S., and secondly, through our uprising against operation metro surge. Our people will be known as those who will fight militarization to the end – a city which shows that no BDS win is ‘too radical” for us to achieve.’”

Maeve Aikin, a member of the Minnesota Anti War Committee stated, “City council’s rejection of this contract is a win for our already over-surveilled and overpoliced communities in Minneapolis and a win for the BDS movement writ large. In the imperial core, it is our moral responsibility to reject partnerships with companies like Skydio that materially benefit from Israeli apartheid and genocide as part of the wider strategy of economic isolation. As with Palantir products developed in Gaza and implemented in the Twin Cities during Operation Metro Surge, the IOF’s surveillance technologies will always come home because Israel exists as a military outpost of the United States.”

Jae Yates, an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), related the opposition toward the proposed Skydio contract with Minneapolis residents protecting their neighbors during Operation Metro Surge, stating, “If the majority of the people of Minneapolis, who bravely stood up to ICE's terrorism of our immigrant neighbors this winter, had our way, there would be no debate about whether to give money to a company profiting off of a genocide so that cops can misuse their surveillance technology.”

Abir Ismail, a Minneapolis public school educator and member of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, pointed to Skydio’s history of providing drone technology and data to both Israel and ICE, stating “These drones can monitor and record all our data. They are used by ICE and the Israeli military. Homeland Security itself has stated that our police, the FBI, ICE and Israeli soldiers undergo shared training. The connection is unbroken.”

After the vote on the pilot program, the council also considered a motion to remove the Skydio proposal from future agendas, which failed 6-6, and therefore will be eligible for future consideration.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Sydio #WeaponsIndustry #AI #Surveillance #MNAWC

Chicago, IL – On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 15, over 200 National Nurses United (NNU) nurses from Illinois and across the country held a rally and picket outside of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin’s condo in Lakeview.

They demanded that Durbin reject and return all campaign contributions from Palantir Technologies, the AI tech company responsible for collecting civilians’ personal data on behalf of government agencies such as the US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Department of War, and the Israeli military. About 15% of Palantir’s revenue comes from healthcare, and its software is currently managing 21% of U.S. hospital beds.

Brenda Langford is a registered nurse at Cook County and is one of the vice presidents of NNU. Langford spoke about how Palantir’s Timpani and Inspire scheduling software affect the day-to-day lives of nurses.

“At face value, [Timpani and Inspire] do a terrible job of what they're supposed to do,” Langford stated. “They're inflexible and don't accommodate nurse’s needs. They mess up our schedules, they don't provide a good mix of skills and experience among nurses for any given shift and ultimately they, of course, tend to short staff. We have learned of ICU units where nurses were tripled with patients because of these apps. This is unsafe!”

Langford’s words were met with strong agreement from the crowd. “On the back end,” Langford continued, “nurses are worried for the safety and privacy of themselves and their patients. Through all these products, Palantir has access to a whole host of sensitive data. Nurses need to download Timpani and Inspire on their personal phones, accept the terms, and input their entire profile into these apps in order to be able to use them.”

The nurses who spoke expressed concern not only for themselves, but for their patients, particularly those with vulnerable immigration status.

“The Trump administration and ICE has contracted Palantir to compile data on immigrants for their deportation machines, and to make it easier for the federal agencies to surveil, detain, and even kill those of us who protest and resist,” said Cathy Kennedy, president of NNU and California Nurses Association. “Recently in Maine, they killed Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, and in Houston, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, like they killed VA RN Alex Pretti, and mother Renee Good.”

Maria Heavener, an elementary school teacher and member of the Chicago Teachers Union, spoke to her encounter with ICE during Operation Midway Blitz last October. “They came within feet of our school and started deploying tear gas at our community members while our students were outside at recess,” Heavener stated. “[Palantir is] profiting off of this despair that they're putting families into. And then they're taking that profit and turning around and buying our representatives!”

Elinor Keener of Anti-War Committee – Chicago explained that in addition to being used to criminalize and deport immigrants in the US, Palantir helps Israel conduct its genocide in Gaza by developing “kill lists.” With very little human oversight, its AI software surveils Palestinians in order to choose targets for assassination and arrest, and then plans a sequence of attacks designed to kill the target. Those attacks often kill civilians near the target as well. When mass murder is built into the software, it is not ‘collateral damage’ – it’s genocide,” said Keener.

Keener then went on to describe how the Illinois State Board of Investment, which includes State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, nearly tripled its investment in Palantir over the past year. However, the board also quietly divested $33 million from companies complicit in genocide, apartheid and ICE attacks, which they tried to obscure from their 2025 annual report. “They hid this because elected officials like Michael Frerichs and Dick Durbin don’t want to admit that when we organize, we shape the political landscape,” Keener stated.

Despite the 90-degree heat and strong afternoon sun, the crowd at the rally was energized and engaged. The organizers had planned to hand-deliver their petition to the door of Senator Durbin’s condominium, but building security refused to let them inside. Undeterred, the crowd took the street and rallied there instead. “So, Senator Durbin,” Cathy Kennedy said, “we nurses wanna know, whose side are you on? Are you with our nurses, our patients, our communities; or are you with Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, JD Vance, and Donald Trump? Which side are you on?”

Supporters of the call to remove Palantir from the healthcare system can sign the NNU’s petition and follow their Save Our Hospitals Tour.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Labor #NNU #Nurses #AntiWarMovement #Palantir

On July 1, law enforcement came to the home of a Los Angeles immigrants’ rights activist and Centro CSO member, Nadia Topete, to deliver a second subpoena ordering her to speak in front of a grand jury on July 8. Topete had been first subpoenaed to testify in June. Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) condemns this second subpoena of Topete and will fight against any attempt to jail her.

We now know that this grand jury is related to the anti-ICE activism in Los Angeles that took place last summer. We also have every reason to believe that this is an attempt to re-examine the case of Alejandro Orellana, another immigrants’ rights activist who participated in the anti-ICE protests last year. Orellana was charged with conspiracy to commit civil unrest. The bogus charges were later dropped.

Nothing good comes from speaking in front of a grand jury. Grand juries, nine times out of ten, result in indictments, and they are frequently used against activists. Not testifying against one’s fellow activists can mean jail time. Those who refuse to testify in front of grand juries are heroes. We should learn from their example and exercise that kind of courage in order to protect our movements from harm.

Women Against Military Madness members Sarah Martin and Meredith Aby resisted grand jury subpoenas in 2010 as a part of the “Justice” Department’s investigation into the anti-war and international solidarity movements. Martin was re-subpoenaed in an effort to pressure her to speak. She refused and in the end none of the Anti War 23 went to jail. Our movement had this victory because people around the country stood up for our people. We understand the importance of doing this again.

WAMM also understands that the targeting of activists in LA is a part of a broader effort to criminalize anti-ICE activism nationally. We also stand with the MN 15 who were indicted on “conspiracy to impede federal officers.” People across MN, including WAMM members, stood with our immigrant siblings to demand ICE leave MN last winter and protesting political repression of our immigrant siblings is NOT a crime.

Neither Topete nor Orellana did anything wrong by protesting against the ICE occupation of Los Angeles. Nor did Topete do anything wrong by not speaking about her activism in front of the grand jury. We ask all fair-minded people to stand with Nadia Topete. She has only ever done the right thing, which is to stand by the Chicano people and the people of Aztlán. We call upon our supporters to dial into the office of Assistant US Attorney Michael Wheat and demand, Hands Off Nadia Topete!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WAMM #ImmigrantRights #AntiWarMovement #NadiaTopete #PoliticalRepression