Denver, CO – On a sunny afternoon on Saturday, February 28, the Denver Coalition Against Trump, the Colorado Palestine Coalition, and more than 100 people mobilized in front of the Colorado State Capitol to demand “Hands off Iran,” and to say no to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

“It's clear that the people are ready, at the drop of a hat, to come out and stand boldly against Trump's egregious attacks whenever and wherever they bear their ugly heads!” said Eliot Howe of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA).

DAWA recently led a coalition that helped to drive AI surveillance and weapons firm Palantir out of Denver. DAWA members wore unmistakable black shirts bearing the symbol of a fist breaking a nuclear missile and passed out signs reading, “No war with Iran! Stop the military madness!” A couple of members stood at the table discussing their recent campaign victory with participants.

“If you’re here and you’re not affiliated with an organization, that’s your homework,” said Nels Pine, a cadre of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “Find an organization that you can seriously get involved with and do some of the difficult work that will push this movement forward to a higher level, to get this where it needs to go, to get Donald Trump where he needs to go— to a goddamn prison! To go on trial for his war crimes!”

Flags for the Islamic Republic of Iran and Palestine dotted the crowd, flying above banners that read, “Hands off Iran” and “No war with Iran! U.S. intervention benefits no one!”

The people took to the streets in a march seizing Colfax Avenue, the busiest transit strip in the Denver metro area. The march and action gained momentum as people took the struggle to the streets, proceeding from the Colorado State Capitol around the Denver County Jail and back to the capitol.

The event concluded with a speech by Omar French of the United States Palestinian Community Network, who addressed the academics who came to rally, saying, “I call on all students and professors to use your leverage in the capacities that you have, to pressure your universities to get them to divest from the occupation.”

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Iran #DAWA

Denver, CO – On January 3, around 200 people gathered at the Colorado State Capitol building to protest attacks on Venezuela by the United States. In the dark of the night, Caracas was hit with a barrage of aerial strikes that claimed the lives of an unknown number of Venezuelan citizens, while U.S. armed forces kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), the main organizer of the event, spoke out against Trump’s open declaration of war against Venezuela.

“I’m so glad to see so many people were ready. You woke up this morning, saw the news, and knew you had to act. That’s what we need!” said Julia Swezy of DAWA. “We need people power; we need boots on the ground.”

Rally attendees held banners and signs with messages such as “Stop the U.S. war on Venezuela,” “No wars, stop the bombs,” “We want peace,” and “Free President Maduro.” Swezy led the crowd in a series of chants, such as, “We will say it every time, U.S sanctions are a crime!” before passing the microphone to activists of various local organizations like Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the US Palestinian Community Network.

After several speeches, protesters marched through downtown, from the capitol building to the office of Senator Michael Bennet. Outside of Bennet’s office, the rally continued with speakers demanding that the United States stop its illegal occupation and release Maduro, while shaming the complicit politicians like Governor Jared Polis for refusing to condemn the attack on Venezuela.

“The United States bombed a sovereign nation; we don’t know how much destruction there was, we don’t know how many people were killed, but we do know that the United States has kidnapped the democratically elected, popular president of Venezuela,” said Shaine Carroll-Frey of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Among the speakers was Jeanette Vizguerra, a local activist who just last month was released from ICE custody after nine months of a sustained campaign to free her from ICE detention.

“In this moment, this imperialist president tried to take control of Venezuela,” said Vizguerra, “These countries have many resources: oil, petroleum, gas; this is the real [reason] that this country invaded Venezuela.” Vizguerra continued, “Everybody needs to wake up and open their eyes. Everybody needs to fight together. This fight is for everybody, this fight is for community. Everybody needs to work together!”

After Vizguerra's speech, the crowd marched back to the capitol.

Organizers ended the event with a call to get organized. “We must keep mobilizing, the price of failure is too high,” said Eliot Howe of DAWA, “Continue to show up, organize, and get loud. Join an organization here today, attend the meetings weekly, and get out to more actions – our collective liberation depends on it.”

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #DAWA

Denver, CO – On July 4, dozens of Coloradans gathered outside the Tabor Center on 17th Street in a rally against Palantir, whose headquarters are located on the 15th floor.

Palantir, a tech company notorious for its links to both ICE and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), relocated to Denver in August of 2020. Their AI technology is used to expedite both the mass deportations of immigrants under Trump, as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Palantir was recently given billions of dollars in no-contest contracts by the Trump administration with the passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill.” Palantir is spearheading the development of mass surveillance and drone warfare. They are in the process of developing a surveillance platform called “ImmigrationOS” to track the movements of immigrants all across the country.

Gina McAffe, a member of the Immigrant Protection Team stated, “Manufacturing systems to surveil us is not acceptable. Assisting ICE to arrest, detain and deport our neighbors is not acceptable. Not in our backyard!”

Palantir’s AI systems “Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy?” are used by the Israeli government and the IDF to target individuals on a “kill list.” The IDF attacks them in their homes, resulting in the reckless slaughter of innocent civilians throughout Gaza and Palestine. Profit margins for Palantir have increased since the escalation of the genocide on October 7, 2023.

“I’m here in part because of my nieces and nephew,” said Connor Posey of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), “I have seen what happens to children just as wonderful, beautiful, and innocent as them in Gaza and I cannot separate the two. Were things slightly different for them, Palantir wouldn’t hesitate to assist in their slaughter if it made them a dirty nickel!”

DAWA member Eliot Howe emceed the event and led the crowd in chants of “Palantir profiteers off of Palestinian tears!” and “Genocidal tech-bros get out of Colorado!”

Howe sang to the crowd, including Have You Not Heard?, a song taking aim at the hypocrisy of Christian Zionists. They sang:

“I was thirsty and had nothing to drink And you gave me not a drop I was naked and had nothing to wear And you did not give me clothes! I was hungry and had nothing to eat And you did not give me food Depart from me for you are cursed For you did not comfort me!”

Terry Burnsed, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, characterized Palantir as an inevitable outgrowth of imperialism, saying, “Palantir’s commodities are diligently identifying, targeting, filtering, prioritizing, assigning and firing. And Palestinians die. And die and die.”

DAWA passed out food and Palestina sodas to pedestrians, along with fliers about Palantir. Many drivers passing by honked in support of the demonstration, with a few waving keffiyehs and Palestinian flags out of their windows.

Simon Peña of DAWA gave an impassioned speech lamenting the passage of the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” a bill that gives billions of dollars to ICE, guts Pell Grants, and strips away Medicaid. Peña emphasized the importance of organizing and collective action, and the connection between Donald Trump, Palantir and ultimately all of our struggles.

Peña told the crowd, “The price of this bill is our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, mothers, fathers, grandparents and grandchildren dying sooner, and suffering more, all so companies like Palantir and egomaniacs like Trump can keep playing their game.

“You alone might be able to move a mound. The people in this courtyard could probably move a hill. But the people? The people can move mountains. The people can topple empires. The people can free Jeanette [Vizguerra]. The people can free Palestine. The people can and will free them all!” Peña concluded.

As chants of “Free Palestine” and “Palantir Out” rang in the Tabor Center Plaza, the anti-war activists of Denver repurposed the Fourth of July. They made it a day to speak out against the war machine and corporations. The groups united to rally urged the crowd to get organized in the fight against Palantir and in the larger fight against Trump and the Republicans.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #DAWA #Palantir #JVP #Palestine

These investigations are meant to scare student activists. They also aim to stop people from speaking out against what Israel and the U.S. are doing in Palestine. The government is threatening to cut funding to schools found “guilty.” But even more serious are the threats to free speech, academic freedom and civil rights on campus. The Auraria Campus in Denver is one of many universities being targeted by this investigation, due to the Auraria student encampment for Palestine last spring.

The first meeting showed that the investigation was based on false claims and bad faith from the start. It focused on choosing the final language in the investigation proposal. Several parts were removed as they were found to be too extreme, describing the Auraria encampment slogans as murderous. In addition, false claims such as, “participants chanted slogans calling for terrorist attacks on Jews globally,” remained in the proposal.

At the end of the meeting, students and organizers involved in the Auraria encampment gave public comment. They talked about the inclusive community environment at the encampment and the threat to academic freedom and basic rights that this investigation poses. Several Jewish students gave comments firmly saying that the encampment was a place where Judaism was respected, honored and celebrated, and that community space was given for ritual and education.

Students also raised that the investigation is a distraction from the ongoing genocide, having nothing to do with antisemitism, and everything to do with destroying higher education.

“What's happening is clearly a violation of First Amendment rights, student rights, and is perpetuating dominant narratives being swept under the rug and weaponizing the term antisemitism to repress what students at the encampment were truly protesting,” said Daranee Teng, a PhD student. Teng attends CU Denver to study censorship and repression.

Despite the student comments, the members of the vommittee voted unanimously to continue with the investigation.

When looking more closely at the individuals on the committee, the ill intention behind the investigation becomes clear. While the chair is an attorney who specializes in indigenous rights and has experience working on real civil rights issues, the majority of the committee members have close ties to right-wing politics, including the vice chair, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights during the first Trump administration.

Other members of the committee have histories of islamophobia, supporting efforts against DEI, and working to privatize education. Pamela Benigno has spent her career privatizing education and fighting to remove standards that educate students on LGBTQ history and identities.

The vice chair, William E. Trachman, argues that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are a form of racism and infringe on free speech.

David Kopel, who recommended the launch of this investigation, has a long track record of islamophobia. He published articles and blogs filled with inaccurate and bigoted stereotypes against Muslims, including frequent use of the terms “Islamonazi terror,” “Islamofascists” and “Islamo-nazism.” Kopel has also written articles filled with factual errors and conspiracy theories, extending this bigotry to Palestinians and justifying discrimination against them.

This isn't the first time the commission has been used to push conservative political agendas. In 2006, during the Bush administration, the commission used a similar investigation to establish standard pro-Israel talking points still widely used today.

All of this together makes it undeniably clear that while the genocide in Palestine continues, the U.S. government will continue to do whatever it can to silence dissent. In the case of this investigation, it includes destroying academic freedom and trampling on students’ civil rights. Regardless, students will continue to speak out and organize on their campuses and communities until Palestine is liberated.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DAWA

Denver, CO – On Saturday, June 14, over 30,000 people took to the streets in protest against the Trump administration. The protest was organized by the Colorado Palestine Coalition and was supported by many organizations including the United States Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Aurora Unidos CSO, Denver Anti-War Action, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The march coincided with national No Kings protests across the country to condemn the Trump administration’s racist attacks. In particular, the march focused on the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine and the ongoing resistance to ICE terror across the country, particularly in Los Angeles.

Jeanie Novack of Aurora Unidos CSO stated, “As Americans of Mexican immigrant origin, we have a responsibility to challenge not only the exploitation of oppressed nationalities in the U.S., but also the impacts of this country’s imperialist agenda in other parts of the world.”

In recent days, Denver has experienced large mobilizations in solidarity with the uprising against ICE in Los Angeles. Since last weekend, the people of Los Angeles have risen up against ICE and Trump’s plans for mass deportations, in many cases taking militant action to prevent ICE from carrying out arrests and other immigration enforcement.

Another focus of the march was the U.S.-backed genocide against the people of Palestine, which to date has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians. This genocide was escalated on June 13, when Israel launched air strikes against Iran, killing dozens of civilians.

“We’ve seen hundreds of thousands slaughtered. Their livelihoods ruined. Whole families wiped out without mercy,” said Hatem Teirelbar of Denver Anti-War Action, “All of this, fully sanctioned by Donald Trump. He’s authorized more aid, more bombs, and a ground invasion – a blank check for Israeli aggression!”

The protest marked the largest march in Denver since the George Floyd rebellion of 2020.

“I am sick and tired of seeing my taxes go towards starving and bombing children who haven’t had the chance to live out the breadth of their lives,” said Kacey Hicks of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, “but this is exactly why we need to get organized! If we want U.S. government aid to Israel to end and to bring an end to the continuous violence being wrought upon our most oppressed communities, we have to get involved in organizations and fight back!”

#DenverCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #Trump #DAWA #AUCSO #Palestine #NoKings

Denver, CO – On the afternoon of May 15, in honor of Nakba Day, several dozen pro-Palestine and anti-war activists held a rally at the headquarters of Palantir in downtown Denver. The rally condemned the technology company, which develops artificial intelligence programs to assist Israel in the surveillance and mass slaughter of Palestinians.

On the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, protesters heard speeches describing the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes. The group marched through Denver, carrying bundles of sheets to represent the tens of thousands of Palestinian martyrs. Protesters arrived at the Tabor Center, which houses Palantir, to lay down the sheets in front of the building and support the approximately 20 protesters who had recently occupied the building’s lobby.

Despite the empty threats of imminent arrest from the building security, the activists occupied the lobby for almost an hour, with their calls for accountability echoing through the building.

Protesters chanted “Palantir profiteers off of Palestinian tears” and “Palantir profiteers off of immigrants’ fears,” highlighting the fact that Palantir contracts with not only the Israeli’s to murder Palestinians, but also the Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the mass deportations.

Eliot Howe, the emcee of the protest, read Denver Anti-War Action’s demands of Palantir, namely that Palantir cut all ties with Israel and cancel all contracts with the Israeli government, and that Palantir end all contracts with government agencies that use its technology to violate human rights.

When over a dozen police officers arrived in riot gear, the activists on the inside exited the building to join the outside crowd, where speeches highlighting Palantir’s complicity in the modern day Nakba in Palestine continued.

The group stood firmly in the Tabor Center’s Plaza, undeterred by the police’s attempts at intimidation. They chanted “AI WMD: Threat to all humanity” and “From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go” before marching back through downtown to close out with a call to get further organized against the Zionist entity and ongoing genocide.

The rally was called by the Colorado Palestine Coalition, and several organizations supported the event, including Denver Anti-War Action, the United States Palestinian Community Network, Denver Democratic Socialists of America, Denver/Boulder Jewish Voice for Peace, Colorado May Day Club, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Andrew Marquetalia, representing DAWA, emphasized the reason for protesting Palantir, saying, “The software written here is the architecture for the modern-day Nakba. It puts the names of countless people on lists and marks them for death!”

Marquetalia continued, “We must fight back by jamming a wrench in the gears that are churning out the latest iteration of genocidal technology.”

Denver Anti-War Action recognizes the importance of Palantir in facilitating and expediting the genocide in Palestine and is ready for a fight to get Palantir out of their city and ultimately to challenge militarized AI in general.

It is clear that DAWA aims to disrupt business as usual until Palantir’s work is untenable in the mile high city.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba #Palantir #DAWA

Denver, CO – On March 29, in honor of Land Day, between 80 and 100 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the Denver Tech Center Monument, a location within eyesight of the RE/MAX Headquarters. RE/MAX is infamous for advertising and selling property in occupied Palestine, thus enabling Israel’s apartheid and theft of land in the West Bank.

RE/MAX claims to operate in about 100 countries worldwide. The United Nations says it is responsible for how its Israeli franchises sell houses and apartments in the occupied West Bank. Despite the backlash and controversy, RE/MAX has shamefully maintained its business in occupied Palestine. Advocates of a liberated Palestine are calling for an end to this, recognizing Land Day as a chance to draw attention to the theft of land.

Land Day marks a moment in Palestinian protest history, beginning in 1976 when the people of Palestine participated in general strikes, protests and mass mobilizations to fight back against illegal Israeli theft of land – this resulted in the murder of six Palestinians.

Land Day doesn’t just commemorate the events of the past but also calls attention to the very much alive Palestinian resistance. Land Day echoes the call for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.

Groups in the Colorado Palestine Coalition participated in the action, speaking out against the ongoing genocide, Israel’s breaking of the ceasefire, and the role that RE/MAX plays.

Activist Maggie Gutberlet with Denver Anti-War Action spoke out about how the U.S. military is sponsoring the genocide in Palestine, and the importance of fighting back from the belly of the beast, stating “A violent oppressor will never give us our rights, we must fight for them!”

Gutberlet emphasized that every year on Land Day, “this fight must be remembered and honored,” and instructed attendees to “Keep Palestine in your hearts and liberation in your minds.”

“Indigenous peoples everywhere have a deep connection to the land that has remembered them for generations,” said local indigenous activist Leala Courier, “This is why you will always see a Palestinian protecting their olive trees and why you see Natives here in so-called America defending our land against oil pipelines.”

The importance of solidarity with Palestine was kept front and center. Keegan Estrella, rank-and-file Teamster and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke about international solidarity and how the struggle of working people here at home is intertwined with the struggle for a free Palestine. They spoke about the billionaires and their politicians, stating, “They don’t care if people are being killed, and they don’t care about Israel breaking the ceasefire. They only care about their own interests, so we as both working-class people and members of the Palestinian community alike must continue to fight for our interests.”

The protesters occupied space right up next to the highway that passed by the demonstration, holding banners reading “Free Palestine” and “End U.S. aid to Israel” visible to thousands of cars passing by, and chanting as they flew Palestinian flags.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DAWA #ColoradoPalestineCoalition #RE/MAX

Aurora, CO – On February 8, around 50 community members gathered outside Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, to protest the base’s collaboration with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the detention of immigrants.

Organized by Aurora Unidos CSO and Denver Anti-War Action, the protest was part of a larger national week of action by the Legalization for All Network.

Protesters voiced their opposition to the role the base would play in the Trump administration's plans for mass deportations. Yoselin Corrales, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO, said, “Today, we are here to fight against recent discussions to potentially detain and imprison our neighbors on the Buckley Space Force Base.”

The protest comes in the wake of a controversial announcement in late January, wherein the U.S. Military’s Northern Command revealed plans to make facilities at Buckley Space Force Base available to ICE to set up processing and staging areas for detained immigrants at the request of the Department of Homeland Security.

Speakers at the rally emphasized the strength of the community coming together to fight, with Brandon Gehrke, another organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO, addressing the crowd, “We keep us safe – not ICE, not the military, not those who seek to use fear to control us. When we stand together, we are stronger than any force that tries to break us. Together, we will demand legalization for all. and put an end to these harmful and inhumane operations.”

Jason Crow, congressman for Colorado’s 6th District, recently reported that the base has agreed to only use the base for staging and logistics for now, but this is likely only temporary. The scale of deportation being discussed by the Trump administration’s “Operation Aurora” requires expansions of ICE’s detention capacity. Currently, Aurora has a processing center that holds around 1500 people, operated by GEO Group, a private for-profit prison corporation.

Aurora Unidos CSO pledges to stand opposed to the expansion of ICE’s capacity to detain people and calls on all people to actively hinder the ability of the Trump administration to carry out their racist and reactionary agenda.

As the protest ended, many of those who attended expressed their commitment to continuing the fight for immigrant rights. The rally at Buckley Space Force Base is proof to lawmakers and the military that the community will not stand by while the government targets immigrants, and that efforts for legalization and justice will continue.

#AuroraCO #CO #ImmigrantRights #SpaceForce #CSO #CSOAU #DAWA

Denver, CO – On December 10, 50 people marched in downtown Denver in honor of Human Rights Day and to condemn Colorado’s complicity with the genocide in Gaza. The event was organized by the Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) in coordination with a national call to action made by the Anti-War Action Network.

Protesters gathered at the State Capitol building and then marched into the downtown Civic Center Christmas market, past security, successfully disrupting business as usual. The protesters’ chants reminded shoppers that American taxes currently support the genocide in Palestine. Many shoppers joined in supporting the protesters as they passed.

Several workers at the Christmas market showed their support of the protest by lining up along fences to signal their solidarity.

Protesters did not meet with any resistance to their message, and members of DAWA state that this helps prove their point that Coloradans do not want to be complicit in genocide.

Rita Haywood, a member of DAWA, told the crowd that Coloradans must speak out against the genocide and that a massive portion of the “genocide industrial complex” is headquartered in Colorado. This includes Lockheed Martin, which is run by a very small group of war profiteers. Lockheed Martin will soon supply 80% of all Israel’s combat aircraft, and they supply a similar proportion of the GPS constellation satellites that guide deadly bombs and military intelligence decisions which has led to the massacre of Palestinians.

DAWA says they stand unwaveringly with Palestine, demand an arms embargo, and an end to all Colorado support of genocide.

#DenverCO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DAWA #LockheedMartin

Highlands Ranch, CO – On Monday, November 4, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by 25 community members to march and rally in front of Lockheed Martin’s Human Spaceflight Center. The group demanded disclosure to the public regarding the purpose of Lockheed Martin's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program. 

The event began with a march on the building; however, themarch was short lived due to police cracking down with the threat of arrests unless organizers backed up to the sidewalk. DAWA member and emcee Solveig Swain stated, “These cops care about shutting down our right to peaceful protest, but turn a blind eye to the endless war crimes being carried out by Lockheed? Shame!”

The event continued on the sidewalk, where a picket and rally were held with speeches from socialist, student and anti-war organizations. 

Vincent Verheij with DAWA spoke on how militarism harms the average American, stating, ”Last year $1748 of the average Americans hard-earned tax dollars went to military contractors for the Pentagon.” The crowd found this fact shameful, and expressed that, especially in times as financially hard as these, this money should be going towards addressing the needs of people at home, rather than harming people overseas. 

Many of these weapons that Lockheed Martin and other weapons manufacturers produce are sold directly to Israel, with the intent to be used upon the Palestinian people.

Khalid Hamu from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The resistance in Palestine is waging a struggle to see their people liberated. Israel has not been able to stamp out the resistance after more than a year now. The biggest military power in the Middle East has been failing to win their military objectives.” Despite the Israeli military failing its objectives in Palestine, the genocidal siege carries on; yet so does the resistance in Palestine and resistance to weapons manufacturers the world over. 

After speeches, chants, and marching along the sidewalk, the event wrapped up. Organizers stated that this is only the beginning of their actions targeting the Lockheed Martin Human Spaceflight Center, and that they will be returning soon to continue fighting for their demands.

DAWA held a teach-in the previous week to raise awareness about space militarism and Lockheed Martin’s role in Colorado. The DRACO program, funded by NASA and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), is often marketed as a peaceful advancement of technology for space travel. However, DARPA’s funding, primarily for military applications, signals a new arms race in space.

Lockheed Martin’s partnership with DARPA has historically led to significant military advancements, including the F-35 fighter jet and MLRS artillery systems, sold to Israel. In 2022, Eric Brown, a vice president of Lockheed Martin’s space program, described the DRACO program as a “watershed moment,” comparing it to the Manhattan Project of today.

DAWA urged community members to recognize Lockheed Martin’s space program as another means of developing technologies for genocide and to reject attempts to portray these developments as technologies for neutral space exploration applications. DARPA’s funding, with a history of U.S. government investment in military technologies that were later sold to Israel and other bad actors, confirms space militarism as the new arms race and market for war profiteers.

DAWA is poised to continue fighting against space militarism and Lockheed Martin until their demands to achieve disclosure, end Lockheed Martin’s aid to Israel, and to push the company out of Colorado are met.

#HighlandsRanchCO #DAWA #AntiWar #DRACO #DARPA #LockheedMartin #FreePalestine

Aurora, CO – On October 26, community groups came together in Aurora, Colorado, for a conference supporting the “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign, launched by Nodutdol last June. The event took place at the Active Adult Center on Del Mar Circle in Aurora.

Aurora is home to a large Korean American community, ranking sixth in the U.S. for population size. Conservative estimates place the Korean American population in Colorado at over 30,000, with many residing in Aurora, known as Denver’s Koreatown. The presence of this community, and the launch of Notdutdol’s “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign, inspired this conference.

The conference opened with introductions from the attending groups, who expressed their solidarity with the campaign. Next, Korean Elder Subok Kim, a longtime supporter of Nodutdol and current member of Korean Americans for the Progressive Party, gave a speech. He spoke about his experience as a child in the Korean war and connected it to children in Gaza today.

Central to the event was a “Korea 101” presentation by Haruki Eda, a local educator and longtime member of Nodutdol, who stated, “Many civilians were massacred across the peninsula by both the South Korean and U.S. militaries.” They continued, “During the Korean War, 18 of the 22 major cities in the North were more than 50% destroyed. This included bombing dams and flooding whole areas of farmland, towns, and villages. That’s an act of genocide.”

Eda’s presentation was followed by a talk from Julia Sweezy, a founding member of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) who stated, “Our tax dollars are going to warfare instead of meeting the needs of the people here. In the end, only the war profiteers and the ruling class benefit.”

As recent tensions in the region have increased, conference organizers shared an update near the end of the event. “In early October, drones flown from South Korea were spotted over Pyongyang. Previously, there were balloons, but this is a significant escalation and blatant violation of North Korean airspace. The U.S. treated a stray Chinese weather balloon as a national security threat, yet it supports these provocations against North Korea. Shame!” said Paul Nelson, an organizer from DACAC.

Eda added to the update, stressing the risks of the U.S. military’s expanded presence in Asia, “If an Asian NATO gets involved in warfare, whether because of Russia and Ukraine or something else, the Korean Peninsula is very likely to become a battleground in this larger conflict.”

The conference included up with a plenary session, where attendees signed a resolution supporting the four demands of the “U.S. Out of Korea!” campaign. It called on everyone to “organize, participate in, and support actions against Imperialism, especially the U.S.-funded genocide in Palestine and broader U.S.-Israeli war in the Middle East.” Additionally, the resolution urged groups to join DAWA’s efforts against Lockheed Martin, a leading U.S. war manufacturer that supplies weapons used in U.S. wars and intervention, including in Palestine.

Organizations represented included Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and the Chicano Liberation Committee. Attendees also included members of the Denver Aurora Community Action Committee, Denver Students for a Democratic Society, the Colorado Springs People's Coalition and Nodutdol – the group leading the “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign. Veterans For Peace, the Mayday Club, and virtual participants like the SDS Chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were also present.

After the speakers, organizers thanked everyone for their participation and support, specifically recognizing the groups that made it possible, and the Denver DSA for providing equipment to allow remote attendees to join. The conference concluded with attendees chanting, “U.S. out of Korea now!” and “End the war economy!”

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #NorthKorea #DPRK #SDS #Nodutdol #DAWA

Denver, CO – On Saturday, September 14, 30 people from Denver and Aurora met at James Bible Park in Denver, Colorado to oppose the U,S. occupation of Korea. A striking banner at the rally read “U.S. out of Korea! End the War Economy!”

This action was organized in solidarity with Nodutdol’s “U.S. Out of Korea” campaign. The energy of Nodutdol’s campaign can was felt those who gathered for the rally. Opposing the rising tensions of war from the continued sanctions on North Korea and U.S. war games is a priority for anti-imperialist groups.

Solveig Swain, a member of Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), said, “The U.S. is ramping up the war games and the threats of invasion into North Korea in an attempt to stoke the flames of war.”

Raika Sailing, a member of DAWA and one of the organizers of the action, spoke to the broader agenda the U.S. has in the region. Speaking on the topic of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems deployed in Korea, Sailing said, “[They] threaten China and instigating further conflict in the East. The U.S. uses stolen Korean land to further their violent campaign across Asia. This has to stop.”

After a series of speeches and chants, the rally ended with an encouragement for those present to think seriously about how they could make this demand a reality, and how they can contribute themselves and their organizations to the call to get U.S. out of Korea and to the fight against US imperialism.

Near the end of the action, speakers connected the struggle in Korea to the brave people of Palestine fighting back against the U.S.-funded genocide being carried out by the Israeli occupation, chanting “Free, free Palestine!” and “From Korea to Palestine, occupation is a crime!”

The organizations present included Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), Students for a Democratic Society, and Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee, among others. The action drew people from far and wide, with groups coming from Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Wyoming, including some of the Veterans for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine UCCS, and the Colorado Springs People’s Coalition.

#DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #Korea #Nodutdol #DAWA #SDS

Lakewood, CO – Around 10 a.m., August 26, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) rallied outside Representative Brittany Pettersen’s Lakewood District office on Wadsworth. Around 35 protesters showed up from various Colorado Palestine Coalition organizations in a continuation of DAWA's fight against Israel’s genocide, Lockheed Martin and war profiteering politicians.

Pettersen, the U.S. representative from Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, is beyond complicit in the Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. Indeed, she actively profits from and endorses it.

Protesters made the short walk over to her office from Belmar Park, holding banners, signs and giant checks representing the total of $149,933 Pettersen accepted from Lockheed Martin and AIPAC. They shouted chants such as “Shame, shame war profiteer, you are not welcome here” and “Brittany, Brittany, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?” These chants emphasize Pettersen’s pro-genocide actions, such as the letter to President Biden she signed that supported increased funding for the Israeli military and opposed a ceasefire, claiming “de-escalation would be a victory for the terrorists.” 

Once the group arrived at the office, the office building’s management threatened the protesters with the police, claiming the parking lot was private property. Undeterred, the protesters moved to the sidewalk, where the hundreds of passing cars could see and hear the clear message that Coloradans reject Pettersen’s war profiteering and support of genocide. As the crowd chanted and listened to speeches, drivers honked their horns in support of the protest.

A speaker from DAWA, Emily Schlichter, spoke about the contradictions in Pettersen’s platform. While she acts to improve water infrastructure in Colorado, she ignores the Israeli destruction of water infrastructure in Palestine. While she takes pride in investing in mental health services, she looks the other way from the devastating mental health impact of the genocide on Gaza’s population. And while she champions democracy, she does “not listen to the crystal-clear will of [her] constituents for an immediate ceasefire and arms embargo.”

After the speeches, the protesters continued to chant before returning to the park. Later, around 1:00 p.m., DAWA dropped a banner that read “Brittany Pettersen is a war profiteer!” from the Lakewood-Wadsworth light rail station bridge. Only a couple of miles from Pettersen’s office, the banner informed constituents who drove by of Pettersen’s acceptance of blood-soaked checks from AIPAC and Lockheed Martin.

DAWA will continue to challenge Pettersen, holding her accountable for endorsement of the ongoing genocide. There will be no rest for war criminals in Colorado.

#LakewoodCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #DAWA

Highlands Ranch, CO – On Saturday, July 20, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) held its second car rally in a series of pro-Palestine actions targeting Lockheed Martin. Saturday’s action was directed at Eric Brown, who is the vice president of mission strategy and advanced capabilities for Lockheed Martin Space communications.

With over 20 cars in attendance, protesters made several loops through Eric Brown’s Highlands Ranch neighborhood over the course of an hour, drawing the attention of his neighbors. Two Arapahoe County Sheriff’s vehicles were parked on Brown’s street, but there was no interaction between the police and the protesters, nor was there any interaction or sighting of Brown.

At the nearby meeting location before the procession, speakers reminded the gathered crowd of Lockheed Martin’s complicity in the Palestinian genocide. Mat Hunsaker, a member of DAWA, related Lockheed Martin’s complicity in the genocide to current conversations about political violence, saying, “Many days, it feels impossible to hold both endless grief and longing for hope, especially as we see the media decrying ‘political violence’ while manufacturing consent for genocide. But we keep showing up because we know the truth is on our side. We refuse to let war profiteers live in peace while they perpetuate political violence around the world.”

The car rally finished up with a lot of energy and a speech from Julia Swezy, a founding member of DAWA. “When we let war criminals and profiteers know that the people oppose them, that the people refuse to let them know peace, that the masses do not take their side or buy their lies, we weaken them.”

Lockheed Martin Space Systems is the second largest employer in Colorado with over 10,000 employees. While the main arm of Lockheed Martin provides F-35 fighter jets and weapons to Israel, their space program also provides satellite and surveillance technology that the Israeli military uses to target Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

#HighlandsRanchCO #Palestine #DAWA

Signs reading “Was that legal?” “Pigtrain fires people for free speech” and “Pigtrain fires freedom fighters!” were raised above protesters’ heads as they circled just outside one of Pigtrain’s entrances. Speakers and written chants alike called for a boycott of Pigtrain after Raine Philips, a worker who had supported the Auraria Palestine solidarity encampment, was wrongfully fired four days prior for wearing her keffiyeh, something which is permitted under Pigtrain’s dress code.

On June 25, Philips was confronted by her manager and told to take off her keffiyeh or go home. After refusing to take off her symbol of solidarity with Palestinians, she requested to speak to a higher-up for an explanation and was fired for “misconduct and aggression.”

Philips also cited several times in which she and other queer and trans employees were targeted for their outfits that followed Pigtrain’s dress code, as well as workers’ rights violations and anti-BDS products being sold at all Union Station businesses.

Philips and Denver SDS chose the Saturday after her termination to stage the picket outside Pigtrain Coffee Company. Not only are Saturdays Union Station’s busiest day of the week, but June 29 was the first day of the Mile High Global Bazaar, a one weekend long, annual celebration showcasing cultural foods, music, and merchandise from around the world. With hundreds milling through Union Station and the Bazaar, visitors would be unable to turn their attention away from the glaring Zionist, bigoted, anti-labor business practices of one of Lower Downtown Denver’s most beloved coffee shops.

To further deter business from Pigtrain Coffee Company, free coffee was handed out to passersby, as well as flyers explaining the multitude of reasons why protesters were calling for a boycott of the café.

In an interview with Philips after the picket, she emphasized how solidarity with both workers and Palestinians is the most important message of the action, stating, “I would encourage people who frequent Union Station or are often downtown to, instead of spending money there, consider donating it to people who are in Palestine to help with aid.”

Philips said that she planned to go back to Union Station and protest Pigtrain Coffee Company again with Denver SDS in the future.

#DenverCO #DenverSDS #DAWA #Palestine

Highlands Ranch, CO – On Saturday, June 29, protesters led by Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) paid a visit to the home of Martin Pitre, the plant operations manager for Lockheed Martin’s Waterton Campus in Littleton, Colorado.

With a line of nearly 30 vehicles, the protesters circled in front of Pitre’s house and around his neighborhood, honking and chanting about his war profiteering.

After a short rally to decorate cars with slogans like “No need for Lockheed,” “Lockheed out of Colorado,” and “Genocide pays your mortgage,” the anti-war group coordinated a plan with all participants and set out for the Northridge neighborhood in Highlands Ranch. They caravanned a loop by the house and through the affluent suburban neighborhood, making the loop three times at low speeds over the course of 40 minutes. With the help of a powerful portable speaker and some focused chants, they made sure Pitre and all of his neighbors had no doubts about why the protest was there.

Many of those neighbors peeked at the car rally through curtains and blinds in their homes, but some came out to the sidewalk to observe, mostly wearing expressions of bewilderment. The protesters waved and smiled at the observers, inviting them to join the cause. Though it was a quiet and sunny Saturday afternoon, many other motorists waved and honked in encouragement of the caravan.

After three loops through the neighborhood, two Highlands Ranch Sheriff patrols showed up in front of Pitre’s house. Only then did Pitre, accompanied by a woman, go outside their house to stand behind the officers, where they yelled obscenities at the cars passing by. The woman was visibly upset, holding up a shaking middle finger and screaming at the activists to “get a job.” The protesters continued chanting and honking and rolled slowly by the house without interacting with the police.

The Northridge neighborhood is a rich suburb in Highlands Ranch. According to the popular real estate website Zillow.com, Pitre’s home is worth over $1 million, as are the homes of his neighbors. Just a 15 minute drive from his house is the 4 million square foot Lockheed Martin complex that he manages. This site designs, tests and produces satellites used by the Air Force for weapons targeting and intelligence. It also produces parts for military aircraft and their weapons systems, such as Lockheed’s F-35 fighter jet, which has been used by Israel to drop white phosphorus on the civilian population of Gaza in addition to numerous other war crimes.

Lockheed Martin has deep ties to the apartheid state of Israel and its occupation forces, and even doubled its office space in Tel Aviv in 2014. On their website, Lockheed Martin boasts that they have been supplying the state with military aircraft since the 1970s. They are also the largest single recipient of Pentagon funds in the world, with roughly 10% of annual Pentagon expenditures going to contracts with Lockheed.

Denver Anti-War Action used these facts when deciding to target Martin Pitre as part of its ongoing campaign against Lockheed Martin.

The car rally on Saturday certainly succeeded in bringing the fight of Palestinian resistance home to the profiteers at Lockheed Martin. It is one, but certainly not the last, step in Denver Anti-War Action’s campaign against Lockheed’s use of public funds for Israel’s genocide.

#DenverCO #CO #DAWA #Palestine #AntiWarMovement

Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, June 12, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) furthered their fight against Lockheed Martin with a rally outside the weapon manufacturer's Space Division headquarters in Colorado.

Dozens of protesters showed up between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. as employees finished up with the workday. While vehicles lined up at the intersection to begin their commute home, protesters denounced the corporation for their contribution to the crimes against humanity being committed in Gaza.

Alongside chants and speeches, fliers detailing the horrific effects of carpet bombing and white phosphorus were given to those leaving the facility, forcing them to witness graphic images of the violence they ignore.

“The employees that work at this building get their salaries from blood money,” said Mat Hunsaker, a speaker with DAWA. “While Palestinians starve to death, they stock their fridges with groceries paid for with blood money. While Palestinians are living in tents, they pay their rent and mortgage with blood money from the U.S. and Israeli governments.”

“They say they don't make weapons of war here – that all they do is work on innocent satellites. They scoff and roll their eyes at us. They think we're ignorant, that we're misled, that they have nothing to do with the carnage the United States perpetuates,” said Raika Sailing, another DAWA organizer.

The satellites developed and built in the Space Division are far from innocent. Satellites were invented for the purpose of war and, true to their origin, aid Israel with the surveillance of Palestinians and aim of missiles. “But we're not the ignorant ones,” Sailing continued. “We're not the ones who turn a blind eye to genocide. We're the ones who make the genocide stop.”

Amongst the demands of DAWA’s Lockheed Martin campaign is the demand to end all material support to Israel. This includes not only weapons and fighter jets, but the space technology that is used in tandem with those weapons.

#LittletonCO #DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #WeaponsIndustry #DAWA

Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, May 29, the Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) continued their pro Palestine actions against weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin with another all-day picket at the corporation’s Colorado headquarters.

Around 50 protesters engaged in direct action throughout the day, forcing Lockheed employees to take fact sheets that laid out their location’s specific role in the ongoing genocide in Palestine, attached with explicit imagery of carpet bombing and the brutal effects of white phosphorus.

The fliers pointed out the connections between Lockheed Martin and Israel, included graphic imagery of war crimes, and the specifics of the activity that Lockheed Martin is engaged in in Colorado. Lockheed Martin’s primary roles in the genocide are sending F-35s, F-16s and C-130-Js to the occupation as well as providing the tools for mass surveillance and missile and drone targeting with satellites and GPS systems that are produced in Littleton.

One protester with the DAWA, Solveig Swain, explained, “We have to see these traumatizing images constantly by following the news coming out of Gaza. Those actively contributing to the genocide, the people providing the satellite surveillance used to target Palestinians, need to see the results of their crimes as well.”

These engineers of a genocide at Lockheed Martin did not appear out of thin air but were hand picked by Lockheed Martin. Tom Chaney, an organizer with the Students for a Democratic Society Denver (SDS) explained, “These young engineers are brought in with promises of money, with promises of safety and security for the future. There is no security when you’re funding a genocide.

Lockheed Martin, through “donations” and funding for “research” provided to Colorado universities, has deep ties to these institutions which allow them to aggressively recruit Colorado’s students. The end of this relationship is one of the demands of the SDS,and DAWA is also fighting to break the ties with corporations that arm Israel.

Another speaker with the DAWA, Julia Swezy, laid out the future of the movement, “We are building our discipline and militance daily. We will fight until the resistance achieves the victory they deserve, the liberation they are entitled toAs the resistance forces in Palestine wage their struggle against the occupation, those in the United States fight to end the supply of weapons that facilitate the genocide. By building militant people power in a similar fashion to the protests against the war in Vietnam, these activists hope to strike blows against domestic weapons manufacturers in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.”

#LittletonCO #DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #DAWA #WeaponsIndustry

Littleton, CO – On Wednesday, March 27, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) kicked off their new campaign against Lockheed Martin with a powerful all-day picket, bringing around 80 protesters to Lockheed’s Colorado headquarters campus.

With thousands of cars passing by throughout the day, the action gave a massive amount of visibility to DAWA’s message that Coloradans do not support Lockheed’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. If this action is a preview of events to come, the days of Lockheed hiding in the shadows outside of suburban Littleton are behind them, as it appears that the people have had enough of the company.

The action began around 9 a.m. and continued without a break until 5 p.m. Throughout the day, every Lockheed worker who drove in or out of the campus heard chants regarding an end to Lockheed weapons for Israel, Lockheed’s role in the genocide of Palestinians, and for a free Palestine.

Tyler Hartley, a speaker at the event and member of the DAWA, explained, “Here in the heart of the imperial war machine, Lockheed Martin claims they and their facilities are ‘full of life and safe from threats here in Colorado.’ Their arrogance will lead to their downfall.” DAWA’s campaign appears to have been unforeseen by Lockheed.

Another speaker with the DAWA, Solveig Swain, explained her issue with the current economic framework, “Instead of centering education, they center war. Instead of centering healthcare, they center destruction. Instead of centering a living wage, they center genocide.”

With DAWA’s first action against Lockheed Martin such a success, the organizers repeatedly stated a desire to continue the new campaign. Only time will tell what future actions DAWA will conduct against Lockheed, but one fact is certain: Lockheed's days of the company remaining under the radar in the minds of Coloradans are now firmly over.

#LittletonCO #DenverCO #CO #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #LockheedMartin #DAWA #MilitaryIndustrialComplex

Garland, TX – On March 7,  a pro-Palestine demonstration at the General Dynamics Ordnance plant in Garland, Texas stopped production for about six hours. General Dynamics produces several classes of bombs currently being used to kill Palestinians.

Some protesters used their cars to block entrances at the plant. Shortly after the protesters' arrival, workers began to arrive at the plant but were unable to enter. An 18-wheeler loaded with bomb parts was forced to wait outside the facility for the duration of the demonstration.

“We’re here protesting because of the profiteering of General Dynamics off the genocide in Gaza. This facility creates so many of the MK-80s and BLU-109 bombs that are used to destroy homes and centers and mosques and churches in Gaza. They commit massacres against Palestinians every day and we’ve seen that happening for the last 150 days,” said Niveen Abdulwahed from Palestinian Youth Movement.

The General Dynamics Ordnance plant is the only facility in the United States that produces the MK-80, and that is the bomb dropped most often on Gaza. This facility also produces the BLU-180, a bunker buster bomb that penetrates through several feet of concrete and underground before exploding. It was a BLU-180 that was dropped on Jabalia refugee camp, utterly destroying an apartment block and killing over 100 people.

Demonstrators chanted ‘‘This factory kills kids! Not one more!” One banner stretching across a street demanded “Stop arming Israel.”

After those blocking the entrances were arrested, the cars blocking the entrances were towed away and impounded.

#GarlandTX #FreePalestine #PYM #DAWA #GeneralDynamics #BDS #Feature