Milwaukee, WI – Over the July 4 weekend, residents of Milwaukee held a banner drop and a social to commemorate 250 years of resistance by people fighting for freedom and liberation from oppression. The events were organized by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and supported by other community organizations.

The weekend’s events were in response to the National Day of Action called by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN). As the Trump administration celebrates 250 years since the founding of the U.S., people are fighting against Trump’s ICE detention and deportation, against unjust wars and genocide funded by their tax dollars, and for basic rights such as healthcare, education and a living wage.

The banner drop, on the night of July 3, was strategically held at Brady Street Bridge just as a drone show was beginning.

As the drone show celebrated corporations and the U.S. military, MAC, joined by community members and CODEPINK Milwaukee, flew banners reading, “Money for human needs,” “Stop the U.S. war machine!” and “U.S. & Israel: Hands off Iran & Lebanon!” Passersby in cars honked and shouted “Free Palestine!” while people on foot stopped to offer support and thank the organizers for putting the message out.

The second event was held on July 4, a social event to mark People’s Independence Day. Students for a Democratic Society University of Milwaukee (SDS) and Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR) co-sponsored MAC’s event, joining community members who came to celebrate People’s Independence. Around 20 people came to share food and listen to speeches about the history of people’s resistance, which countered lies about this country’s history.

Hayley Angel, one of MAC’s co-chairs said, “What is worth celebrating today is the fact that for every oppression that people have endured at the hands of the U.S. government, both domestic and international, they have resisted. We reject militaristic displays, and instead uplift the struggle of the people. We know we have so much more in common with people all over the world resisting the U.S. war machine than we do our government at home!”

“I’ve never seen this country be so unpopular. Locally, we see terror take many forms, like inviting multiple law enforcement agencies into Milwaukee, where one of these ultimately murdered Sam Sharpe Jr, or the police chief going to Israel to explore new ways to over-police Milwaukee, or the Sheriff’s Department lying about collaborating with ICE. Nationally we see my compañera Nadia Topete being subpoenaed down in LA for protesting ICE’s terror. Some of this may sound scary or intimidating. But one thing remains constant: the people are fed up with this country’s constant boot on our neck and we’re not afraid to fight back against the powers that be and we’re eager to take what’s rightfully ours!” said Diego Garcia, a co-chair of MAARPR.

The People’s Independence Day event also featured a potluck, lawn games and a piñata of Donald Trump.

Attendees of the two events in Milwaukee are not fooled by the false claim of independence and freedom as touted by the Trump administration. They used the weekend to protest, to come together, and to pledge to continue the fight for as long as it takes to truly win freedom for the people.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #July4th #AWAN

Salt Lake City, UT – On July 4, dozens of protesters gathered to demonstrate at the Raytheon Applied Signals Technology facility located in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city. Raytheon, a company long since linked to U.S. and Israeli war crimes, is the target of a new campaign by the Utah Anti-War Committee.

Protesters began the event chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dollar, we won’t pay for Raytheon’s slaughter!”

Speaking on behalf of the Utah Anti-War Committee, Nova Morra stated, “I am done being complicit in a genocide. I don’t know how I will leave the earth, I don’t know when, and I think I can tell you why, but I know that I will have lived my life with dignity and respect. I will die knowing I stand for the people of Gaza.”

UAWC member Amber Grace, while discussing the genocide of the indigenous population of the U.S., observed that “this dispossession is exactly what is being continued today when we manufacture weapons for land theft by Israel’s settler project.”

Delivering a speech for Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Sebastian Miscenich remarked, “Last year, Raytheon made nearly $90 billion in weapons sales to the U.S. and its allies, including a $1.25 billion contract for Israel’s Iron Dome system. A Raytheon Tomahawk missile killed over a hundred Iranian schoolgirls in February this year, mostly between the ages of seven and 12. Is this really what we want our public funds spent on?”

Miscenich continued, “250 years ago, the American Revolution won power for the richest white business owners, but today working and oppressed people in America need to take total power over our society.”

Adam Koritz from FRSO talked about the case of Nadia Topete, an immigrant rights activist In Los Angeles recently targeted by a subpoena to appear before a grand jury simply for speaking out against ICE terror in her community. “It is important to stand in solidarity with Nadia right now, as she would for any of us,” Koritz remarked.

While closing out the rally, organizers handed out leaflets and a petition that will be used to demand Raytheon’s removal from the Salt Lake City area.

The energetic demonstration was unfettered by the extreme July heat, as new contacts were brought into a growing coalition. Responses from motorists and cyclists at the rally were overwhelmingly positive.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Raytheon #Palestine

Brooklyn, NY – On July 3, dozens of activists rallied outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) to demand freedom for kidnapped Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. The picket also marked six months since President Maduro and First Lady Flores were kidnapped from Caracas in a United States military operation which killed 100 people, including 32 Cuban bodyguards.

Despite the oppressive 100-degree heat, energy was high. Bolstered by reports that Maduro had been able to hear last month’s protest, protesters chanted loudly, “Maduro, aguanta, el pueblo se levanta!”

Organizations in attendance included Workers World Party, Palaver Collective, Black Alliance for Peace, the International League of People’s Struggle, and Brooklyn Against War.

Michela Martinazzi of Brooklyn Against War spoke, connecting the heatwave with the U.S. military aggression against Venezuela. “The number one polluter in the world is the United States military. It is our responsibility as people living on this planet to fully dismantle the U.S. military and the system that upholds it. So today, we’re standing in record-high temperatures, and we know that war affects all of us. It affects every single one of us. And President Maduro and Flores, who haven’t done anything wrong except govern their country in a way that challenges the United States, are being held right here at the Metropolitan Detention Center. This is a war crime.”

The activists vowed to continue their monthly protest at the MDC until Maduro and Flores are freed. They will also rally at the federal courthouse in Manhattan on July 22, the next scheduled court date for Maduro and Flores.

#BrooklynNY #NY #International #Venezuela #AntiWarMovement

San Jose , CA – On June 30, San Jose State University Professor Dr. Sang Hea Kil of the Justice Studies Department held a victory rally after her arbitration allowing her to return go with full backpay. This came after a protracted campaign where she bravely resisted her firing due to her vocal disapproval of the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine. She was the first tenured professor to be fired from a public university for speaking against the genocide in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

At the rally outside of the Martin Luther King Library, Dr. Kil triumphantly exclaimed, “This is an incredible victory for free speech, academic freedom, student protest, freedom of assembly and pro-Palestine speech on campus and beyond.” Rallying alongside a demonstration of allies and supporters, she encouraged others to continue the fight, “Let’s use this as a watershed moment to turn the tide against targeted repression on our campus and in this nation!”

For the courageous act of joining a march and rally with Students for Justice in Palestine to protest a Zionist speaker on campus in February 2024, Dr. Kil was arbitrarily suspended with pay the following May and subsequently fired in summer 2025. Despite winning her case under the public hearing option of Article 19 of the collective bargaining agreement between her union and the California State University system, which ruled that she would receive no charges, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente Matson unilaterally overturned the ruling and forcibly removed her in November. This is in stark contrast to the now-retired Professor Johnathan Roth, who received no charges for hitting a Palestinian student and sexually assaulting Dr. Kil during that same demonstration.

Regarding President Matson, Dr. Kil noted, “I think she is doing MAGA’s work in the attack on higher education by going against people who speak against genocide.”

Dr. Kil also listed others who impeded her reinstatement, including SJSU Provost Vincent Del Castino, Skelly Officer Jennifer Sclafani, former Director of Student Involvement (now Student Union Director) John Tucker, DEI Head Kristin Dukes, English Department Head Noelle Williams, State Senator Scott Wiener, and Governor Gavin Newsom.

SJSU admin’s claims included many falsehoods, such as the notion that the embattled professor ordered students to protest, which Dr. Kil vehemently debunked. They also claimed she chanted “Kill the Jews” in a public hearing, despite herself never saying such. The misinformation campaign represented a flimsy yet relentless effort to justify an attack on free speech when it comes to human rights for Palestinians, especially for longtime activists like Dr. Kil, who had traveled to the Occupied Territories in 2016.

“We are in the belly of the beast in Silicon Valley which is collaborating to genocidal oppression and the ICE raids that are terrifying our communities by using Israeli surveillance technology that is being used to control everybody,” Dr. Kil said. “We have rights and we have a duty as citizens and residents of this nation to unite and fight back!”

Among those who had supported her, she thanked San José Against War, San José Peace and Justice Center, Silicon Valley Debug, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Palestine Action Network, Palestine-Arab-Muslim Caucus of the California Faculty Association, Bay Area Labor for Palestine, Switchboard, AP National and Anita Levy, California Scholars for Academic Freedom, Palestine Anti-Repression Network, Council on American-Islamic Relations – California, Palestine Legal, and the NAACP-SJ.

Wendy Greenfield of JVP recalled the original demonstration which took place. “I never heard anything like ‘Death to the Jews’, or to anyone, and I made it clear to SJSU admin that she was not involved with the students,” Greenfield reported. “One of the biggest points for JVP is that antisemitism is not related to anti-Zionism, and that JVP is in solidarity with all peoples who are seeking liberation, and we are so happy to see the unity; this is a huge victory for unions, faculty, students, and freedom of expression.”

Legal manager for the SF-Bay Area Branch of CAIR California Amith Gupta stated, “This is only part of the struggle; all throughout the Bay Area, students and faculty want to speak out in defense of the most basic and fundamental rights that all human beings have the right to protection from racist violence, the right to protection from genocide, the right of return to your homeland irrespective of your religion.”

Gupta continued, “SJSU decided that that right should be erased when it comes to professors, faculty and students that speak out, and we made it clear to them that that is not true, that we will fight back, that we will defend our right to speak out. It is our obligation to speak out, and when people speak out the way Sang Hea Kil does, they are censored, repressed, and fired from their jobs. It is our obligation to defend them, and we were successful.”

Jack McCann of San José Against War drew from his experiences as a student activist during the 2024 Student Intifada in Humboldt University stated, “The real criminals sit in their ivory throne in SJSU admin inviting genocide deniers and companies that are complicit into this campus, such as the AI Data Center for Civic and Social Good, which Students for a Democratic Society in SJSU says is more like, the AI Center for War and Genocide.”

Humboldt University is currently mired in its own scandal from its decision to file a case against activist Rick Toledo for his direct involvement in the student encampments and his victorious legal efforts to release his fellow protesters.

“I saw firsthand through my own university in Humboldt what professors go through in losing their jobs or coming under fear of deportation, and I want to thank Dr. Sang Hea Kil for what she is doing,” McCann stated.

NAACP-SJ President Sean Allen called out SJSU for spraying dirty water on student encampments which is, under the legal definition in California, assault and battery. “This case was never just about one professor,” Allen remarked. “It was about whether a public university can punish people, especially people of color, queer people and Muslim faculty and students for speaking out on matters of conscience.”

Allen continued, “This is not an isolated case. The NAACP had received at least two other complaints involving SJSU describing a consistent pattern: When people who support Palestinian rights, or who are Muslim or the Islamic faith speak out, they face extreme punishment. Why was one group subjugated and not treated equal as opposed to the other group?”

This is the question of the day, as the genocide continues under a nominal ceasefire, which has seen over 1000 Palestinians killed by Zionist forces, and the violence now encompasses the broader Middle East with the U.S.-Israeli wars of aggression against Iran and Lebanon.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #StudendMovement #SJSU #Palestine

Tucson, AZ – The Tucson Anti War Committee (TAWC) along with nine other organizations rallied outside the Mexican Consulate on June 27 to demand: U.S. hands off Cuba! U.S. hands off Mexico!

The crowd of nearly 30 people received numerous honks from vehicles passing by the busy street corner. The action joined the national Week of Action called for by the National Network on Cuba and endorsed by Black Alliance for Peace, UNAC, Resist US-Led War, Anti War Action Network (AWAN), and many others.

James Jordan of the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ) initiated the call for an action to support Mexico’s solidarity with Cuba and demand an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba. Jordan wanted to raise the profile of U.S. interventions in Mexico, like the recent appearance of CIA agents in Chihuahua and the bogus indictments against elected representatives who are members of the Morena party.

Protesters held signs that read: “Let Cuba live!” “E.E.U.U. fuera de México!” “Bloqueo no! Cuba si!” and “CIA fuera de México!”

While not present for health reasons, James Jordan sent important talking points that Jim Byrne of TAWC shared in a speech, “There is a lot of U.S. activity in and on Mexico these last few months, like the CIA agents invited to Chihuahua by the PANista governor without telling the President Claudia Sheinbaum. The U.S. claims it has ten indictments, many of whom are members of the party of past president AMLO and current President Sheinbaum, the popular Morena party. Meanwhile, Trump pardoned a convicted drug trafficker, past Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. This ‘HondurasGate’ threatens any sitting progressive president in Latin America.”

Byrne continued, “Mexico has sent over 4800 tons of aid to Cuba during this U.S. blockade. They deserve our solidarity! Cuba is surviving a decades-long embargo and now an inhumane blockade, they deserve our solidarity!”

The action was endorsed by the immigrant rights organizations Coalición de Derechos Humanos and Paisanos Unidos, progressive veteran organizations Common Defense and Veterans for Peace, and political organizations CPUSA Tucson, PSL Tucson, Pima County Green Party, and FRSO Tucson.

#TusconAZ #AZ #AntiWarMovement #Cuba #Mexico #AWAN

Chicago IL – Over 50 people gathered for a rally outside of the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) quarterly meeting in downtown Chicago on Monday, June 22. As the start of the rally drew near, chants of “Free Palestine,” “Money for jobs and education” and “Israel bombs, Illinois pays!” reverberated through the air for the morning commuters to hear.

This was the seventh protest held by the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, led by Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) – Chicago, a project of U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Anti-War Committee (AWC) – Chicago. Their demands: ISBI divest from companies complicit in Israel’s genocide in Palestine, divest from companies facilitating the U.S. attacks on immigrant communities at home and for State Treasurer Michael Frerichs to divest Illinois tax dollars from Israel Bonds. Members of the public waited in line for three hours before they were let in to give public comment.

This protest followed the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network’s recent announcement that ISBI quietly divested $33 million from various companies that were targeted by the BDS movement, the American Friends Service Committee, and the United Nations for their complicity in supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the genocide in Gaza, and the illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank, as well as the operations of federal raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the U.S. The ISBI concealed this information in a condensed version of its 2025 annual report, and it was only revealed after the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the full annual report.

“Across the country, we have seen a massive wave of divestment victories because of the resolve and pressure of everyday working people organizing on the ground to hold their public officials accountable,” said Caeli Kean, co-chair of the Anti-War Committee Chicago.

Minnesota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maryland and Louisiana were among some of the states that have seen city councils and labor unions vote to either fully or partially divest public dollars from Israel. In Detroit, Michigan, the United Auto Workers (UAW) voted to amend their union’s constitution, prohibiting investments in Israel Bonds. Urbana and Champaign joined the list when its city council voted unanimously to revise their divestment policy

“We were the first city in Illinois to divest from war and genocide,” Jess Yasin, an organizer from Champaign Urbana Muslim Action Committee announced, shouting out organizational allies and Urbana’s mayor who helped to make it happen. “Today we’re asking [Micheal Frerichs] to follow suit with his home [town] and to go and divest. Do not renew, do not repurchase any more Israel Bonds!”

Doors opened before 9 a.m. and only 20 members of the public were allowed entry into the building. State police searched the attendees and their belongings, threatening arrest if anyone were to protest the meeting with chants, flags or noise-making devices.

Illinois residents, educators and paraprofessionals packed the public comment section and made impassioned speeches to the board’s use of state worker pension funds to invest in surveillance and weapons manufacturers while urging the board to reallocate tax-payer dollars ethically.

“Investigations confirm that torture, and specifically sexual torture, is a systemic practice in Israeli prisons. And Palantir software is used by ICE and CPD to fill prisons here too, where Black and brown people are subject to many of the same methods of torture,” Elinor Keener of AWC – Chicago said, speaking to the conditions of Palestinian prisoners unjustly held captive in Israeli detention. “This is what happens when government bodies like you invest in genocide. This would not be possible without U.S. funding, including via corporations like Palantir, and you are part of that. Nothing in this world justifies investing in genocide. It’s time to swallow your pride, summon your courage, and divest.”

Protesters rejoined the rally as the public comment section of the meeting wrapped up, emphasizing that the recent divestment victory is only a fraction of the divestment they are demanding.

“Israel continues killing Palestinians on a daily basis in Gaza, stealing and annexing more land in the West Bank, and has occupied swaths of Lebanese land,” said Husam Marajda, USPCN-Chicago chapter co-chair, “Israel is threatening to drag the entire region into war, and not holding it accountable only empowers it to continue to commit war crimes.”

Organizers ended the rally by announcing September 28 as the next scheduled quarterly meeting date and vowing to continue to show up until every last taxpayer dollar is divested from Israel.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Divestment

Seattle, WA – On June 26, the day of the World Cup Iran–Egypt match, the Hands Off Iran Coalition organized a flash action in the form of an anti-war “People’s Football Game” in the middle of a packed street within view of the main stadium.

The lively protest broadcasted the demand “Kick Israel out of FIFA!” through signs, banners, chants and song. In a press release sent out in the lead-up to the action, Hands Off Iran Coalition organizers condemned FIFA’s participation in Trump’s “Board of Peace,” where FIFA released an AI-generated video in February 2026 depicting football stadiums rising out of the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza.

“From the streets to the stadiums,” the press release said, “the game of football was built by communities, fans and generations of ordinary people. We reject FIFA’s use of the game for ‘sportswashing’ to normalize oppression and injustice.”

The football pitch was erected by creating an unbroken perimeter of anti-war and anti-imperialist banners held by organizers and activists. Ad hoc teams of three players competed in a “queen of the hill” style tournament, with team names like “Right to Rebel,” “Strait of Hormuz” and “The People’s Team.”

Football fans passing the pitch stopped to watch the People’s Game, with many asking how they could sign up to play. New teams were created and joined the tournament on the spot, with some teams representing countries including Mexico and Italy.

The People’s Game was a new type of protest for Seattle, with an emphasis on meeting people where they are and reclaiming a sport that rightfully belongs to the masses and not to pro-imperialist, pro-Trump FIFA. At the same time, the event brought sharp anti-imperialist messaging, demanding an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and justice for the victims of Israel’s genocidal campaigns in Gaza and south Lebanon.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #FIFA #WorldCup #PeoplesStruggles #Palestine #Iran

Salt Lake City, UT – On Saturday, June 20, at an event organized by the Utah Anti War Committee, dozens of community members gathered at an overpass to demand hands off Cuba.

This protest was called after recent escalations in the decades-long effort by the U.S. to destabilize the nation of Cuba through economic strangulation and covert means. The Trump administration recently indicted beloved Cuban leader Raul Castro and has made threats of more direct military confrontation. Other organizations quickly signed on to the protest, including the National Network on Cuba, Armed Queers SLC, The 71% Coalition, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Protesters held a large banner sporting the Cuban flag, reading “Hands off Cuba!” and received overwhelmingly positive reactions to their message from the vehicles passing by.

“The overall general trend in regard to U.S. imperial power is one of decline,” said Adam Koritz of the FRSO of the aggression on Cuba and the ongoing U.S. war on Iran. “However, we know a wounded beast is dangerous and prone to lashing out in its death throes.”

Mustafa Khader of the 71% Coalition condemned attempts to restore a U.S. backed dictatorship in Cuba saying, “You don’t care about the Cubans; you care about your pockets!”

Protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!”

An activist with Armed Queers stated, “By being an unknowing accessory to an empire, we are forcefully kept from becoming fully human. This will continue to happen until we stand up, destroy the shackles of capitalism, and prove that we can build a system that does not rely on the subjugation of people based on race, gender, sexuality, or nation, the destruction of the environment, or the impoverishment of workers.”

Nova Morra of the Utah Anti-War Committee then called the crowd to join their July 4 protest at a local Raytheon Applied Signal Technology facility in West Valley City as part of their campaign to shut down the facility and protest Raytheon’s involvement in war crimes carried out by the U.S.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #International #UAWC #AWC #Cuba

Minneapolis, MN – On July 24, pro-Palestine and police accountability advocates as well as local media gathered in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda around a banner that read, “Drones out of MPLS. Drones out of Palestine. Say no to Skydio.” The Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition (FPC) proceeded to hold a press conference calling on Minneapolis City Council to reject a proposal that would enact a trial program of so-called “drones as first responders” supplied by U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio.

Organizers explained that Skydio was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza for supplying cutting-edge, AI-powered drones that autonomously surveil urban areas and identify potential targets.

In 2024, the FPC successfully mobilized Minneapolis residents to pass a city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and supporting an end to tax dollars contributing to Israel’s attacks. A campaign against a city contract with Israeli surveillance company ZenCity followed in 2025.

Speakers at the press conference argued that rejecting the Skydio proposal was a logical next step for the local boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.

“Minneapolis should not be a customer for genocide-linked technology,” said Maamoun Slayhi with American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota. “Israel is an apartheid state. It is committing genocide in Gaza. It has used surveillance, drones, artificial intelligence and military technology to control and destroy Palestinian life. We should be cutting ties with that system, not creating new ones.”

Wyatt Miller of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee explained how Skydio’s current business model relies on drone sales to Israel. “Before October 2023, Skydio was a small company and its drones were primarily sold to individual civilian consumers,” Miller said, noting that the Gaza genocide allowed the company to pivot to scaled-up contracts with militaries and police departments. “Within hours of beginning its genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military had reached out to Skydio for expedited orders of autonomous surveillance drones. Hundreds were shipped within weeks.”

Organizers highlighted that the Skydio proposal would also be a dangerous new tool in the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). If enacted, the “drones as first responders” trial program would be run out of Minneapolis’s 4th Precinct in the city’s Northside, a heavily Black community with a history of repression at the hands of the police. In 2015, the 4th Precinct was the site of major Black lives matter protests after the murder of Jamar Clark by MPD officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze.

Jae Yates is an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, a group founded in the immediate aftermath of Clark’s murder. “As a Black-led organization, we understand this drone technology would be used on our already overpoliced and heavily surveilled communities,” said Yates. “We cannot trust a police department with a pattern and practice of racist policing to responsibly implement a drone program.”

Yates continued, “If this contract goes through, these drones will be another tool for an unaccountable, racist, and violent police force to increase surveillance and repression on Black, brown, indigenous and immigrant communities.”

Marvina Haynes is the founder of Minnesota Wrongful Conviction Reform, and the sister of Marvin Haynes, a Black Northside resident who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit before his sentence was vacated in 2023. “We are being told these drones are intended for emergency response. But communities across this country have seen surveillance technologies expand beyond their original purpose. Once these systems are in place, residents often have little control over how they evolve, what data is collected, how long information is stored, or how the technology is used in the future,” wrote Haynes in a letter read at the press conference. “I am especially concerned that North Minneapolis could become the testing ground for a program that many residents neither requested nor had a meaningful role in shaping.”

Speakers from FPC member groups Minnesota BDS Community, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America Abolition and Decarceration Working Group, and Women Against Military Madness also spoke at the press conference.

The FPC urged community members to speak out at a public hearing on July 8 at 1:30 p.m., when the Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee of will hold a preliminary vote on the Skydio “drones as first responders” proposal.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Miller asked rhetorically, “Do we really need a new technology that only became available at scale after being developed to facilitate a genocide? Is this proposal the solution to a real problem that we face, or is it a hammer in search of a nail?”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #Drones

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, June 17, about 30 protesters gathered at the busy intersection of Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue to demand U.S hands off Cuba. Passing cars were supportive with many honks and fists out the windows. Chants of “What’s the number one threat to the world today? Donald Trump and the USA!” could be heard down the street. The action was organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

In the last year the United States has tightened sanctions on Cuba, resulting in intensified shortages of fuel, medicine and food. Linden Garcia-Torres, a healthcare worker and member of Women Against Military Madness’s Hands Off Latin America committee, spoke about the impact of deadly sanctions on Cuban hospitals.

“When hospitals lose power, medical supplies are accessible to only 3% of Cubans in pharmacies, and infant mortality increases to 148 percent the level prior to Cuba’s reinstatement on the [U.S. government designated] ‘State Sponsors of Terror’ list in 2018. And public water access is strained by lack of fuel,” Garcia-Torres said. He noted that even with deadly sanctions, Cuba still has a lower infant mortality rate than the Twin Cities does for Black and indigenous people giving birth.

Garcia-Torres continued, “An invasion would make visible the corrupt, extortive practices and policies of the U.S. regime.”

Earlier this month, in an attempt to show strength during a failing war in the Middle East, Trump imposed sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. These new sanctions also include attacks on the president’s wife and stepson as well as the son and grandson of former President Raul Castro, brother of Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro, for whom the U.S. also issued an arrest warrant for last month.

Trump and the U.S. claim that Cuba’s policies of free healthcare, free education, and housing programs are a threat to U.S. security, but speakers at the protest underscored that the real threat to global peace and security is the United States itself.

Liz Bolsoni, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, spoke about the violence of the U.S. government against foreign countries, saying, “Our government doesn’t want to simply arbitrarily take out people in power, but it wants to take out an idea and the mere possibility of any nation or people that exist in opposition to the U.S.”

“We have a lot to learn from the Cubans who have shown that international solidarity, not power grabbing, is what being on the right side of history means,” Bolsoni continued.

Calls for international solidarity were echoed by other speakers who made connections between Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Lebanon and Palestine.

Nadiyah Salawdeh, a member of the Minnesota chapter of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, explained, “It is because of this internationalism that the ruling class is targeting Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. Alone, these countries may pose a threat, but together, the ruling class knows that they cannot and will not win. As a movement, we must demand an end to the U.S.’s illegal occupation of Cuba in Guantanamo Bay and an end to its genocidal sanctions. We must demand no war on Cuba.”

Salawdeh continued to speak to the connection to Palestine, where collective punishment has been on full display throughout the genocide, with severe food insecurity reaching alarming levels across the territory, leaving large numbers of families struggling to meet basic nutritional needs. “From Cuba to Palestine, food should be nourishment, not a weapon. Kids should be able to grow up without fear of a bomb dropping on their home or their school. The people of the land should have sovereign control over their own land,” Salawdeh concluded.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Cuba #MPAC

Detroit, MI – On Tuesday June 16, activists rallied outside of the Reindustrialize Summit to oppose war profiteers, surveillance tech billionaires, members of the war mongering Trump administration and high-ranking military personnel. The companies that attended the conference seek to bring war industry manufacturing and surveillance tech jobs to Detroit and other Midwest cities to expand their businesses. For this reason, protesters demanded that the attendees and the companies they represent have no place in their city.

The event was organized by the Detroit Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Detroit, and Engineers Against Apartheid with many other organizations participating.

The conference was hosted in the Hudson’s building, which is owned by Detroit Zionist billionaire Dan Gilbert. The speaker list of the conference included capitalists from war-profiteering companies such as Boeing, Hadrian, Lockheed Martin, GM, Castelion, and the Summit’s marquee sponsor, Govini, which makes “defense” software.

The conference included speakers from the Trump administration such as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, United Nations Ambassador Waltz, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of War David Lorch, and Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. The Reindustrialize Summit featured pre-recorded videos from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At the beginning of the rally, a few members of Detroit Anti-War and Freedom Road Socialist Organization protested on the street corner closest to where the attendees were exiting the Reindustrialize Summit. These protesters were met with antagonism by several attendees, including keynote speaker Campbell Meyers, CEO of CreateMe, who pushed a protester. Not long after this encounter and others, the Detroit Police Department exited their vehicles nearby and told the activists to join the rest of the rally on the other side of the street. Despite providing no clear legal justification for this request, Sergeant Johnson threatened to arrest the activists if they failed to comply.

Though the police prevented the activists from taking one street corner, they occupied two out of the four corners of the intersection, forcing many attendees to either walk around the crowd in the street, walk through the crowd where they were heckled, or completely change the direction they were walking.

Detroit Anti-War Steering Committee member Daanyal Syed said, “We cannot allow these companies to make Detroit their home. The jobs they might bring are ones soaked in blood. The services these killer companies will offer the city will only increase surveillance and the deadliness of our police force. Services that these companies want our tax dollars to fund them. These people are not only murderers, but they’re also thieves, stealing from our paychecks to fund their bloodsport.”

Celia Erikson, a member of El Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Detroit, spoke on how some of these companies collaborate directly with ICE. These companies include Palantir, Northop Grumman and Ford, which is headquartered in Dearborn and provides vehicles to CBP and ICE. The Department of Homeland Security uses prison labor to modify their vehicles for agency-specific purposes.

Erickson finished her speech, “The technologies created by these companies and their use by ICE harm real Detroiters, real children, parents, families and community members. That is why we are here to say, Reindustrialize, get the fuck out of Detroit!”

Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Social Organization Detroit stated, “Detroit doesn’t need reindustrialization, if it means slaughter. Detroiters don’t need bomb factories; we need factories that build up the people. We need to bring back automotive and working-class jobs that better society. We need union jobs, not jobs run by war profiteers or jobs that kill children.”

Towards the end of the action protesters gathered outside of the Shinola Hotel, which is also owned by Dan Gilbert, where CEOs, speakers and attendees of the conference were staying. Protesters chanted “Detroit makes it clear, war profiters aren’t welcome here!” and proceeded to heckle the speakers by shouting their names and their crimes.

Some of the high profile attendees took it upon themself to “speak” with the protesters, coming down from the balcony to the rally across the street. Two of these individuals were Cody James, CEO of OpenX, a company that works with the Air Force and war profiteer Raytheon, and Brian Greeley, senior vice president and chief banking officer of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. While James was quickly deterred from interacting with the protesters, Greeley proceeded to antagonize the crowd. As he was escorted by a line of police officers, Greeley called one of the protesters a queer slur.

The rally continued for an hour after that, with the protesters continuing to target the men on the balcony. After chanting, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, loser chuds go away!” for several minutes, a vast majority of the people on the balcony returned inside the hotel. Despite earlier being driven off the balcony due to the activists recognizing him, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr returned outside, smiling and waving at the protesters as they continued to call out his complicity in the Trump administration’s warmongering and targeting of immigrants at home. Not long after this, the rally concluded with only Carr and a few others remaining on the balcony.

Beyond just the scope of the protest, the Reindustrialize Summit showed itself to be a hub of imperialist networking and a platform for the Trump administration’s destructive agenda. For example, while at the Summit, General Motors announced a partnership with Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer well known for producing the Hellfire missiles Israel has dropped on Gaza throughout the genocide.

At the same time, despite the struggles of the day, from Detroit police department’s repression to Brian Greeley’s bigotry, Detroit made a clear stance against the summit. The fight against these companies and the Trump administration continues. As the protesters yelled to Brendan Carr as the rally ended: “See you next year!”

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Divestment

Richfield, MN – On June 14, over 50 protesters gathered outside a U.S. Army recruitment center to demand an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Lebanon, highlighting the war crimes committed by U.S. military personnel while admonishing recruiters for preying on vulnerable people’s basic needs. The event was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) with a wide range of grassroots organizations participating in the event.

The day also marked the Flag Day holiday. Instead of flying the U.S. flag, protesters displayed the flags of Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba and other countries targeted by Trump, calling on Americans to respect the sovereignty of other nations. Hundreds of passing cars honked in support.

Maamoun Slayhi, a member of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), spoke at the rally. “They tell us this is about security. But whose security? Not the security of the children in Gaza. Not the security of the families in South Lebanon. Not the security of the people of Iran,” said Slayhi. “And certainly not the security of working families here in the United States who are told there is no money for healthcare, no money for schools, no money for housing, and no money for infrastructure, but somehow there is always money for bombs, warships, and unconditional support for Israel.”

Slayhi continued, “Brown University’s Costs of War project found that the U.S. spent over $21 billion on military aid to Israel after October 7 [2023], not counting billions more in related U.S. military operations in the region. And now over $15 billion for the Iran War. That is our money. That is money that could be spent on healthcare. That is money that could be spent on schools.”

The Pentagon has not been forthcoming about the true cost of the war on Iran. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, at a House Armed Services Committee on April 29, estimated the cost of the war to be about $25 billion. However, a more comprehensive analysis by Popular Information estimated the total cost of the war through the first 60 days at $71.8 billion, almost three times the stated cost.

Doubts about the true cost have been further legitimized by reports that the Pentagon has sought hundreds of billions to be added to the War Department’s budget.

Sima Shakhsari, a founding member of the grassroots group Let Iran Live, connected military recruitment to the human toll the U.S. military has inflicted on their home country, saying, “These recruiters make it sound like it is a heroic act to go and fight in the U.S.-Israeli wars. I ask you: Is it heroic to kill a three-day-old baby in Lebanon or a 20-day-old baby in Iran? How heroic is it to kill Avina, a two-year-old girl who struggled to take her last breaths with her pacifier still in her mouth, as doctors tried to save her?”

In the last week, the U.S. and Iran reportedly reached a memorandum of understanding — reportedly including major U.S. concessions — aimed at ending the war. Continued Israeli violations in Lebanon, as well as mixed signals from the Trump administration about the terms of the agreement, have threatened to keep the war going.

“Many of us are skeptical about the end of the military attacks, because we have seen repeatedly how Israel, under the protection of the U.S. government and under the cloak of ceasefire agreements, continues to bomb and kill Palestinians and the people of Lebanon,” cautioned Shakhsari.

Cedar Larson, a member of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), spoke about the system that is ultimately responsible for these wars, saying, “We, as the people, the majority in this country, the workers of the world, we are so united. We see the world around us – we see that our enemy is the ruling class! It is the billionaires – the trillionaires! Elon Musk is an official trillionaire. The Pentagon budget is one trillion dollars. And still millions go hungry. We can see that the only option is an end to capitalism, an end to U.S. imperialism, and the time has never been more ripe!”

“The U.S. government itself creates the poverty conditions that many look to escape by joining the military,” explained Yossi Aharoni of the AWC, one of the rally’s emcees. “We can all see the corruption of the Iran war: completely illegal, immoral, built on lies upon lies. It is a disgusting immoral war and it is a disgusting immoral act to recruit young people at the prime of their lives to fight and die for this administration or any U.S. war.”

Members of Veterans for Peace and U.S. Palestinian Community Network also spoke at the rally.

Protesters concluded the event with a group photo in front of the recruitment center, leaving behind a few signs bearing the words: “Genocide is not a job!”

#RichfieldMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran #AWC #AMP #WAMM

West Valley City, UT- On June 13, members of the Utah Anti-War Committee held a hybrid teach-in at the West Valley City library for local communities. The material? Raytheon.

Members of the UAWC informed members of the community about Raytheon, how they have profited off of human suffering, and how they continue to receive full financial support of the U.S. government. They also brought to light a local subsidiary of Raytheon, Applied Signal Technology, a mere ten-minute drive from the event itself.

UAWC member Adam Koritz said, “A Raytheon Tomahawk missile was used to target a girls’ school in Minab, killing 156 people, including 120 children, during the initial U.S.-Israeli onslaught.” It was a chilling reminder that even your neighbor can knowingly or unwittingly participate in the slaughter of innocent children.

Adrian Romero, a member of the UAWC, slammed Raytheon, saying, “The central structure of Raytheon’s business model is that taxpayer money goes into weapons production, which gets deployed in active wars, perpetuating a cycle of corporate profit and mass violence.”

In his presentation, Paris Lamb pointed out the fraud Raytheon perpetrates with public funds, saying, “Raytheon takes billions of dollars from the public, through legal and illegal fraudulent methods for their own personal profit and at the expense of both oppressed people abroad and the American public.”

Lastly, Sebastian Miscenich said, “We’re launching the Raytheon Out campaign at a time when Utahns are speaking out against military facilities in our state. UAWC is going to take to the streets and to the community to shut down this criminal, war profiteering facility and replace it with something that Salt Lakers need.”

Not wasting the effort of the gathering, members of the UAWC then proceeded to plan a protest on July 4 against the facility and further actions to deal with the blight within the community, Applied Signal Technology.

#WestValleyCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Raytheon

Minneapolis, MN – On June 5, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) and allied organizations held a rally outside the Minneapolis Convention center to disrupt the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s (DFL) 2026 Humphrey-Mondale fundraising dinner. The dinner is the Minnesota Democratic Party’s annual fundraising event and a strategic rallying point for local Democrats ahead of key elections.

Braving the intense summer heat for a program of chanting and speeches, community members made their voices heard as they demanded an end to state funding of Israel’s genocide in Palestine, an end to the war on Iran and Lebanon, and a return to quarterly in-person State Board of Investment (SBI) meetings.

Cassidy Aickin, member of the AWC and co-emcee for the day, opened the event by saying, “In that building the DFL is hosting their annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner; their biggest fundraising event of the year. The people who have the most institutional power in our state, alongside their benefactors, are coming together to celebrate – another ‘great year’ of shutting out their constituents, ignoring people’s cries for divestment, and directly paying for the bombs that have martyred hundreds of thousands of Palestinian, Lebanese and Iranian people. Shame!”

Aickin continued, “The State Board of Investment, composed of Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha and Steve Simon, chooses to invest hundreds of millions of Minnesota state employee pension dollars into weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies, and war profiteers like Palantir.”

The SBI had been scheduled to hold its second quarterly meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, June 3, but quietly removed the details from its schedule less than a month before. This effective cancellation continued the SBI’s over year-long trend of restricting community participation in what should be public meetings. But these cancellations have not deterred community involvement and have instead given way for powerful coalitions.

Representing the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Mira Altobell-Resendez reminded the crowd that, “The Minnesota Democratic Party spent all of winter ignoring the calls for protections for immigrants during Metro Surge. Tim Walz can sign an executive order at any time to ban 287(g) agreements that deputize county law enforcement into local ICE agents. The candidates for this year’s gubernatorial election like Amy Klobuchar could commit to creating ICE free zones as soon as they step into office.”

Alissa Washington, founder and executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council of MN, gave an impassioned speech connecting the wrongful conviction of her fiancé, Cornelius Jackson, and the over-policing of communities here and abroad. Washington said, “We’re here tonight because while the DFL dines with donors, we’re out here struggling to survive. While politicians gather behind closed doors, families are torn apart by wrongful convictions and over-sentencing! While they celebrate fundraisers, our loved ones are deported, imprisoned, displaced, and forgotten.”

Washington continued, “The DFL loves to tell us they are the party of working people. Then prove it! Stop shutting the public out of SBI meetings. Stop making decisions that impact our communities without our communities present.”

“What they’re really doing is defining what it means to run as a Democrat: position yourself as the only alternative to the Republican Party when you support genocide, racist tough-on-crime policies, corporate profiteers, expansion of the police state, all at the expense of the same constituents you claim to represent,” said Maddy Schwartz, member of the MN AWC. “The SBI has ignored constant calls from public employees to address this disgusting complicity in human rights violations. This sends a clear message that if you stand against genocide, your voice doesn’t matter.”

Only two days after the SBI was scheduled to meet, workers and allies in the anti-war movement made their voices heard, questioning why DFL politicians have time for their donors but not the taxpayers who pay their salaries. One volunteer working at the dinner stepped out from his role inside the Convention Center and picked up a “Divest MN from Apartheid Israel” sign for a portion of the action, before returning to his duties inside. When asked why he chose to join the voices demanding divestment he said, “It is the right thing to do.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #DFL #Palestine #Divestment #BDS

The conversation began with Merawi Gerima, member of FRSO DC and emcee for the event, asking about how the blockade is discussed and viewed in Cuba and what attention was given to it during the trip. “All attention in Cuba is on the blockade at all times,” said Fanaeian, “From the moment you arrive, there are murals in the airport detailing the blockade and slogans about fighting to end it. The Cuban people are affected every day by the lack of access to food, water, fuel and other goods that come from overseas.” She elaborated further, “It’s not just a blockade, it’s warfare. Economic warfare.”

The conversation next turned to discussion about Cuban healthcare and medical advancements made by Cuban researchers. Despite the devastating material consequences of the blockade, Cuba has more doctors per capita than any other country. The country maintains a comprehensive socialized healthcare system, which includes ample access to in-home doctor’s visits and rural clinics. Recently, a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s care was made available free of charge to anyone seeking care in Cuba. “It is amazing to see what the people of Cuba are able to accomplish despite the ongoing economic warfare,” opined Fanaeian.

Gerima next asked if the Cuban people hold any animosity towards the American people. “The Cuban people love Americans, and they want us to visit. They do not hate us; they hate our government.” Fanaeian told Germia. She went on to say that Cubans want the people of the U.S. in the streets protesting the blockade, and to fight for normal international relations with the Cuban government.

The Anti-War Committee DMV, an organization devoted to anti-imperialist action in the heart of the U.S. empire, had a contingent in attendance. “It was so important to be here today and hear about the work Cuba is doing to fight the blockade,” said Katie Sayour of the Anti-War Committee DMV, “With his recent indictment of Raul Castro, Trump is telegraphing the possibility of heightened aggression against Cuba. Now is the time for us to fight against this escalation!”

Follow @anti-war.dmv on instagram as the Anti-War Committee DMV – in coalition with FRSO DC – organize new actions to fight for Cuba.

#WashingtonDC #DC #AntiWarMovement #DMV #Cuba #MayDay

San Jose, CA – On Thursday June 11, San Jose Against War called an emergency action in response to Trump’s escalated bombing of Iran. The group of over 20 gathered outside of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library in San Jose with signs reading “No to war on Iran, Lebanon, & Palestine” and “Money for people’s needs, not for war and genocide!” Participants waved Palestinian and Iranian flags in solidarity with the people and counties targeted by U.S.-Israeli forces.

Drusie Kazanova, a member of SJAW stated, “It has been 100 days since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, killing thousands, including over 100 schoolgirls in an attempt to topple the only state in the region capable of resisting their ceaseless violence and imperial aims.”

Kazanova continued, “Part of why negotiations have taken so long is due to Iran’s refusal to back down to Israeli terror that the United States continues to fund with our tax dollars.”

“We pushed the city council to vote on divestment in March of this year, and four city council members voted to keep using our city funds to fund these atrocities. [Council members] George Casey, Michael Mulcahey, David Cohen, and Anthony Tordillos. Just like Trump and Netanyahu, just like war profiteering corporations, these council members have blood on their hands!” said Kazanova.

John Duroyan of Students for a Democratic Society at San Jose State University (SDS SJSU) spoke on the students’ struggle for divestment from war profiteers saying, “Here at SJSU’s campus, they opened a ‘Campus Center for Civic and Social Good,’ but we call it ‘Campus Center for War and Genocide.’”

Duroyan continued, “Companies like Open AI are just one of the many companies that aid and abet Zionism, aid and abet U.S. invasion, U.S. war mongering, aid and abet Trump and his billionaire cronies. But we, the working people of America, the students of this campus, the students of campuses all across the world, just as we fought for Palestine in 2024, we’re continuing to fight now, and that fight doesn't stop until we’ve shut down those companies, kicked them off our campuses, kicked them out of our cities, until we’ve shut this brutal war machine down!”

Jack McCann of Freedom Road Socialist Organization reflected on the strength of the resistance to U.S. and Israeli aggression, and the weakness of Trump and his allies, saying, “Today, as we condemn U.S. aggression, let us honor the strength of the resistance, the bravery of people who stand strong in the face of overwhelming force, to assert their right to human dignity by any means necessary.”

McCann continues, “Trump is gambling our future for his own personal gain, and he is failing. The working people of the U.S. and the people of oppressed nations around the world share a common enemy: the monopoly capitalist class. In their desperation to secure resources, they sacrifice us all upon the altar of war to sacrifice for their selfish goals. The time is now to unite all who can be united to resist Trump and the ruling class’s attacks on the people of the world!”

Donna Wallach of SJAW described the nature of the abuses of the U.S. and Israel in the region. “Iran did not attack Israel. However, Israel has attacked Iran on numerous occasions. Bombing their nuclear facilities, assassinating scientists and government officials. And the USA has had horrendous sanctions on Iran for over a decade! [The] U.S.A and Israel target hospitals, medical people, journalists, homes, infrastructure. Iran targets military bases and installations.”

Wallach continued, “Israel is trying to steal more land, now from Lebanon to make Israel bigger of stolen land. Israel is attacking Iran because they want to devastate the Iranian economy. Also, the Israelis have this stupid notion that if the infrastructure and homes of the Iranian people are bombed, the Iranian people will blame their government, and they will try to overthrow their government. Iran has the right to defend itself, and it has the right to help Lebanon defend itself.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #SJAW

Jacksonville, FL- On June 10, the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network held a press conference before the dismissal of the State Attorney’s Office’s municipal charge against Leah Grady for “resisting an officer without violence.”

The Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, in coalition with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, maintained Grady’s case as a flagrant attack against freedom of speech. State Attorney Melissa Nelson was further emboldened to attempt double jeopardy, another breach of constitutional law. On May 29, the state had already charged and sentenced them for a misdemeanor of the same title.

In the eyes of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network and the people of Jacksonville, the cases of Conor Cauley and Leah Grady have represented repeat violations of constitutional rights, most prominently the right to freedom of speech and protections from double jeopardy.

The targeting of activists was made clear to the public, as Jacksonville Sheriff TK Waters had spoken to the press, demanding Grady and Cauley be made into an example. The collusion between city council officials and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was prevalent in pushing an identical agenda. As Ryan Delaney with JPSN reported, “the Director of City Council Jason Teal demanded an example needed to be made out of him [Conor Cauley]” in order to justify the harsh sentencing.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee asserted Leah Grady and Conor Cauley’s cases are inextricably linked, contributing to the growing trend of repressing views that oppose the Jacksonville City Council and their continued injustices in the city. When interviewed by First Coast News, Monica Gold with JCAC noted, “They [Grady and Cauley] are being targeted for their political speech, for their practice of speaking out, for their practice of going to city council, for pointing out flaws in Jacksonville and trying to make Jacksonville a better place.”

Despite the aggressive year-long mission to repress the Palestine movement by State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s Office, the dismissal of Leah Grady’s second charge was a result of consistent community pressure and a competent defense campaign. Today’s win shows that the people will not accept these political attacks by Melissa Nelson or the Sheriff’s Office, and JPSN will work tirelessly to find the same victory in the upcoming appeals process.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #ConorCauley #LeahGrady #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #JPSN #JCAC

Garland, TX – On Friday, June 12, 20 community members gathered outside the Paligen bomb factory in Garland, Texas to say no to Trump’s war on Iran. The factory, situated in a working-class Chicano neighborhood, produces vast quantities of the bombs that the U.S. and Israel are dropping on communities in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and elsewhere. The DFW Anti-War Committee has an active Stop the Bombs Garland campaign to target this factory.

Speakers at the protest condemned Trump’s war on Iran and Paligen’s bombs used to wage it. Paligen, the U.S. subsidiary of Turkish REPKON, has been coming under increasing fire in Türkiye for its bomb production in the U.S. in an effort to skirt around trade embargoes with Israel. These same bombs, the Mk-80 and BLU-109 series, make up a core part of the U.S. and Israeli arsenals in their current wars of aggression around West Asia.

Jo Hargis with the DFW Anti-War Committee commented, “These bombs have been used in countless attacks on Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, and have been used in war crimes as far back as the U.S. wars on Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia. Now Paligen, which is complicit in killing students and destroying educational institutions, is bringing Garland-area students into their bomb factory for ‘experience’ through the FAME program.”

A member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization Dallas, Glen Reed, said, “It was great to see people come out and make a stand against this company that has been profiting off of killing innocent lives in Iran and Palestine.”

Community members in attendance chanted “Stop the bombs Garland” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” towards the nearby Paligen bomb factory and the Dallas College campus, which houses the office of Paul Mayer, board of trustees chair and initiator of the FAME program partnership with Paligen.

Lauren Aguilar, a Garland resident and organizer with the DFW Anti-War committee, said, “The partnership between schools and Paligen is revolting. The location of this bomb factory, close to schools and colleges and neighborhoods within a mile radius, is another important factor in this fight to shut down this factory. There are a lot better partnerships schools should be making instead of Paligen.”

The Stop the Bombs Garland campaign has an active petition demanding Paul Mayer remove Paligen from FAME, available at tinyurl.com/NoFamePaligen.

#GarlandTX #TX #AntiWarMovement #Paligen #DAWC

Seattle, WA – Activists from Seattle’s Hands Off Iran Coalition held an emergency rally in downtown Seattle at Westlake Park on June 8 to oppose Israel’s latest attacks on Lebanon and Iran. The rally was organized after Israel violated the ceasefire that has been in effect since April, by bombing Dahiya, a southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. The rally began at three light rail stations across the city, before all groups converged in Westlake at 6 p.m.

Despite heavy rain, the coalition, consisting of seven grassroots anti-imperialist organizations based in Seattle, had a significant turnout of at least 40 protesters, who carried flags, set up tables, and delivered speeches and chants using amplified speakers.

The organizations in attendance as part of the Coalition included Seattle Against War, Nidal Seattle, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Super UW, Seattle University Students for Justice in Palestine, Seattle Revolutionary Youth, and the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America.

A number of passersby joined the protest to announce their support, take photos, and learn more about the organizations involved in the coalition. An even greater number of cars honked their horns in support as they were stopped at red lights right next to the park. With lots of public support, the energy remained high for the duration of the event. Speakers not only condemned the imperialist aggression against west Asia, but also celebrated the resistance, who they declared shared the same common enemy with the people of the United States: the monopoly capitalist class.

FRSO’s speaker Izzy McCabe stated, “When the resistance fights, they do not just fight for Iran, they fight for you. Every military base Iran flattens hurts the boss that yells at you. Every tank the Lebanese resistance destroys hurts the landlord that refuses to repair your apartment. Every inch of land that the Palestinian resistance defends strikes a blow against the politicians that steal from you.”

The other speakers from the Hands Off Iran Coalition stressed that now is the time to organize within your community. “The time to strike is when your enemy is weakest,” said Nolan Good of Seattle Against War. “Now is the time to fight back. And the only way that we can fight back is to get organized. Our enemies fear us because history shows that when we fight, we win!”

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Iran #SHOIC #SAW

Chicago, IL – Around 150 people gathered outside of the Hyatt Regency hotel on Saturday, June 6 to demand that the American Medical Association (AMA) advocate for the immediate release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian pediatrician who was abducted by the Israeli military in late 2024 due to his refusal to abandon his young patients.

The campaign to demand his freedom was formed in August 2025 by US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) and Healthcare Workers for Palestine and was later joined by Code Pink. The organizations called Saturday’s action to target AMA’s House of Delegates and Board of Trustees, who were gathered inside the Hyatt Regency for the organization’s annual conference.

“The inaction and silence of the AMA and its leadership in regard to a medical colleague who survived a genocide and horrific imprisonment in Israeli prisons is a betrayal to its oath. It is directly violating AMA’s own civil and human rights policy and only exposes the organization’s anti-Palestinian bias, hypocrisy and selective advocacy,” said Rania Salem of USPCN.

“We've tried a lot of different things,” stated Erin of Healthcare Workers for Palestine, “We tried to go and talk to them, we tried to get them to meet with us. We've had call campaigns, we've had email campaigns. 
We've had press conferences outside of their central office, which is here in Chicago. We've gone to their House of Delegates meetings where we were outside because they wouldn't let us inside.”

One campaign tactic that proved successful happened a few months ago when organizers cornered the president of the AMA, Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, and set up a meeting with him. In this meeting, Mukkamala stated that the AMA prioritized remaining “neutral” to not alienate either side. Yet on Saturday, the campaign learned from a medical student attending the conference that on the opening night, the AMA gave a special acknowledgement to the members of the Israeli Medical Association that were invited and present in the room with the entire organization.

The call for Dr. Abu Safiya’s release became even more urgent when on Thursday, June 4, he was placed in solitary confinement. When April Ward of Mothers Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity (MAMAS) heard the story of Dr. Abu Safiya, she thought of her son, Mickiael Ward, who was tortured into a false confession by Chicago police and held in solitary confinement. She described it as “mental torture.”

“We hear, watch, and talk about the cruelty and inhumanity in Palestine and Gaza, specifically, and we want the mothers, the sisters, the aunties, and the caregivers in Palestine to know that we are in unconditional solidarity with you,” Ward stated.

Many of the methods of torture that the Israeli military uses against Palestinian prisoners are also used by the Chicago police. “There are hundreds of people who are locked up here with credible, verified accounts of torture by the police, who still, and were forced into signing false confessions, who were still locked up in prisons today,” said Merawi Gerima on behalf of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR), “and so we know that Black people, brown people, working and poor people here in the United States, have every interest to stand in solidarity with Dr. Safiya and all Palestinian prisoners.”

Despite its location on a small side street, the rally drew lots of attention as it unfolded. Many medical professionals attending the conference watched the speakers from the building’s glass skywalk, and several passersby stopped to listen and join the chanting.

“Dr. Husam represents a value that is often forgotten among doctors today. He represents the value of the medical fight against imperialism. That's why it's crucial we organize globally like how we are today to demand the release of Dr. Husam,” said Alfonso Castillo of Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC).

The rally ended with a reading of testimonies of Palestinian medical workers and naming the 83 medical workers who are in Israeli detention today.

Individuals can send a letter to the AMA delegates demanding they immediately advocate for the release of Dr. Abu Safiya and follow @uspcn and @hcw4palichi and @codepinkalert on Instagram for updates on the campaign.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression #USPCN