Chicago IL – A group of 50 residents protested outside the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) quarterly meeting in downtown Chicago, Friday March 27. The action was organized by the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Anti-War Committee Chicago (AWC), BDS Chicago, and the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, a group of 60 organizations. Protesters demand that ISBI divest from all companies complicit in Israeli, U.S. wars, as well companies materially supporting ICE and other federal immigration enforcement here in the U.S. 

The network hosted a rally outside of the quarterly meeting as they have been for the past year and a half.

“The aggression on Iran both by our government and the Zionist state happened because boards like ISBI and treasurers like Michael Frerichs refuse to divest from genocide and war. When we gift companies with government contracts, investments and tax incentives, they will continue doing the evil things that our so-called politicians stand against and oppose,” stated Husam Marajda of USPCN during the outside rally portion. 

In addition to ISBI’s investments, Michael Frerichs, the Illinois state treasurer and vice chair of ISBI, has invested $100 million in Israel bonds. He renewed $15 million worth of bonds as recently as this February, despite growing demands for divestment.

After the outside rally, several people went through intense security checks and were even threatened with arrest to give public comment at the board meeting where they expressed their concern over ISBI and Frerichs’s inaction and demanded divestment. Several commenters discussed how money invested in companies like Palantir, L3Harris, and Boeing directly funds ICE kidnappings at home, and Israeli war crimes and genocide in West Asia. 

Several directly invoked ISBI and Frerichs’s responsibility. As Dominic Robolino, a healthcare worker and commenter stated, “We can stop this. We can end the genocide. We can end the wars. All we have to do is turn off the tap. Pull the money out. No money for genocide. Set an example for others to follow.” 

Speakers at public comment and the outside rally, including the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) spoke to how the Israeli state and complicit companies fund police violence on the streets of Chicago, ICE deportation blitzes around the country, and U.S. imperialist aggression around the world. 

Gianna Escareño, another public commenter and a member of CAARPR, highlighted the ways that Boeing, L3Harris, and Palantir sell weapons and software for genocide in Palestine, and terrorizing immigrant communities in Chicago. Palantir, for example, “uses data to surveil our immigrant communities here at home and they are used in Palestine as well. They develop a kill list that is then used to brutally murder families in Palestine. How disgusting is that?”

At the end of the meeting, the network presented its research on the atrocities that Israel has committed using weapons from companies in the ISBI portfolio. They also presented signatures added to the organization’s divestment petition.

ISBI has still not released their 2025 annual report which should have been released by the end of 2025. The network had to get the data through FOIA, showing the importance of keeping pressure. 

Illinois residents can sign onto the petition demanding ISBI and Frerichs divest from genocide, warmongering, and ICE raid and can keep up with any actions surrounding the campaign by following @antiwarchicago, @BDSchicago, and @USPCN on social media.

#ChicagoIL #IL #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #AntiWarChicago #BDSChicago #USPCN #BDS #Divestment

San Jose, CA – On May 22, the Sustainability Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the county divest from Chevron and all fossil fuels. Community organizers joined the commission meeting to give public comments, exposing Chevron’s environmental crimes and urging the county to divest.

Santa Clara County currently has $15 million in Chevron bonds that will be maturing this August. A coalition of local organizations launched the divestment campaign earlier this month with a petition that has gathered over a hundred signatures and over a dozen organizational endorsements.

“Chevron spilled millions of gallons of crude oil and polluted wastewater in the Amazon rainforest, causing cancer, miscarriages and skin conditions in indigenous people and poor farmers,” Drusie Kazanova of San Jose Against War stated during the public comment section of the meeting.

Kazanova continued, “Here at home in the Bay Area, in 2021, Chevron’s Richmond refinery spilled 600 gallons of oil into the Bay, creating conditions where people had to stay inside because the oil spill made it unsafe to breathe. This is in addition to many refinery fires over the past several decades which have created unsafe air conditions for Richmond residents, and in particular for the children of Richmond.”

Nassim Nouri of the Santa Clara County Green Party emphasized the importance of taking action in light of right-wing attacks on environmental protections, saying, “Just today, we saw that the U.S. House of Representatives rolled back hard-fought environmental regulations. This assault on our communities and the environment is the direct result of this industry's undue influence in shaping our policies.”

Notably, Chevron has direct involvement in Israel's genocide against Palestine, providing fuel to Israeli military bases and Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank. Chevron also provides hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from royalties to Israel’s government every year through its extraction projects co-ownership of Tamar and Leviathan, Israel’s largest active gas fields.

After hearing public comments and after some debate between commissioners, the Sustainability Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the county divest from Chevron and all fossil fuels.

This vote is an important initial victory for the campaign and represents the first stage for divestment in the county system. Next, the commission's recommendation will go to the county's Housing, Land Use, Environment, and Transportation Committee, before finally heading to the board of supervisors. Organizers plan on mobilizing the community to show up and give public comment at these future meetings as well.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Divestment #Chevron

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, June 30, The recently formed Detroit Anti-War Committee (DAWC) announced their campaign to divest the city of Detroit from Israel, with a banner drop over a city highway.

DAWC is demanding that the Detroit city council withdraw any funds granted to or invested in companies which do business with the apartheid state. Additionally, DAWC is demanding that the Detroit Police Department be banned from any future training with the Israeli military or police.

DAWC member Luis Rivera commented on the importance of the Committee’s demands. “Financial investments should reflect our ethical values. Divesting from Israel aligns Detroit’s investments with our city’s commitment to justice, peace and human rights,” said Rivera. “It's a powerful statement that Detroit stands against apartheid and in support of Palestinian freedom.”

The new anti-war committee did a banner drop to announce and popularize its campaign. The group is growing bigger as it prepares to take on the city council and Detroit police.

DAWC holds regular bi-weekly meetings, which are open to the public and announced on their Instagram, @detroitantiwar.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #DAWC #divestment #Feature

St. Paul – On February 29, dozens of Palestine solidarity protesters packed into the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI)’s first quarterly meeting of the year to demand divestment from apartheid Israel.

The board heard testimony from a series of pensioners, workers and solidarity activists who chastised the SBI for its investments that enable Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza and its system of apartheid and occupation across Palestine.

The SBI manages $138.2 billion in assets, largely pension funds for public employees, including the Minnesota State Retirement System, Public Employees Retirement Association, and Teachers Retirement Association funds. Protesters highlighted that over $3 billion worth of investments are in weapons manufacturers like Elbit Systems and Lockheed Martin, which make the equipment used by the Israel to kill Palestinians; banks that fund illegal settlements; Israel Bonds, which directly finance the State of Israel; and a list of companies found to be enabling or profiting from Israel’s crimes. The criteria mirrored that used by the SBI in 1985, when it began a sweeping initiative of divestments from companies that helped prop up apartheid South Africa.

The SBI members are Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha and Secretary of State Steve Simon.

“I would rather than have no pension at all than to have my money contribute to your genocide,” Stephen Vizenor, a Minneapolis parks worker with LiUNA Local 363 and tribal member of the White Earth Nation, told the SBI. “The blood of Palestinians is on your hands, and you’ve been spreading it to every single public employee’s hands by investing our pensions in Zionism.”

Deb Konechne, a public health nurse and union activist with AFSCME Local 34 and Minnesota Workers United, also testified before the board. “When I started at Hennepin County 13 years ago, I was so happy to get a job that provides a pension,” she said. “Now I’m ashamed to find out that my pension is made up of blood money.”

“Do any of you have any humanity?” Samantha Alsadi of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee asked the SBI. “While you were sleeping last night, over 100 Palestinians were murdered and over 1000 were injured by Israeli occupation forces when they were trying to get flour. I truly have no idea how you all sleep at night.”

Alsadi, who is Palestinian-American, added: “You are complicit in murdering my relatives.”

Jess Sundin, a retired University of Minnesota clerical worker with an SBI-managed pension, spoke at a press conference held by the AWC after the board meeting. “We’re here because people in Gaza shouldn’t starve so that we can eat,” Sundin said. “People in Gaza shouldn’t lose their homes so that I can pay my mortgage. This isn’t right.”

The night before the SBI meeting, 14 protesters were arrested during a civil disobedience action as they occupied the property of the governor’s residence for over two hours in freezing temperatures to demand divestment.

As of press time, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel since October had surpassed 30,000.

#StPaulMN #TwinCitiesMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNSBI #Divestment #MNAWC

St. Paul, MN – On February 28, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee organized a protest at the Eastcliff Mansion, where Governor Tim Walz currently resides. On the eve of the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) meeting, a crowd of over 100 people rallied to demand that the Minnesota governor, also the chair of the SBI, divest from apartheid Israel and weapons manufacturers.

Speakers addressed how their specific struggles relate to the state investments in Israeli apartheid. Simultaneously, 14 people participated in civil disobedience on the governor's front lawn to demand that he meet with his constituents and promise to divest.

The Minnesota State Board of Investments has $3.2 billion invested in Israeli entities and corporations complicit in Israeli apartheid. This includes weapons manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical companies, the tourism industry, heavy machinery companies and even investing $25 million in bonds directly into the Zionist state of Israel. Some of these companies, such as Elbit systems and Boeing, make cluster bombs and surveillance technology. Others, such as Caterpillar, produce armored bulldozers that are used to collapse the homes of Palestinians. The Minnesota State Board of Investments has been a political target of the Palestine solidarity movement for years.

Since the issue of funding Israel affects all Minnesota tax-payers, divestment is a unifying demand to organize around. Members of Students for a Democratic Society, AFSCME 3800, FLAGS-JP, American Muslims for Palestine, and MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee spoke at the protest.

Jasper Nordin from Students for a Democratic Society explained, “We refuse any longer to be complicit in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people! We will not allow you, Tim Walz, to continue to use our money to carry out this slaughter. We will not relent, we will not stop showing up until you listen to the people of Minnesota and you end Minnesota’s complicity in this genocide!”

As the death toll in Gaza increases every single day, the demand to divest from Israel becomes more urgent. Additionally, as the Anti-War Committee and many other organizations have been targeting Governor Walz with no response, they saw a need for more escalation. After the first speaker, , a group of 14 activists jumped the fence and began occupying the lawn of the Eastcliff mansion, risking arrest. The activists were accompanied by bloody child-sized body bags, red poppies, and a large check stating the amount Tim Walz has “made out” to Israel.

As the rally and speeches continued, the activists remained on the lawn, at times getting on the microphone and demanding that Walz “come out and face them,” drawing attention to their demands for the chair of the SBI to divest. Many state troopers and security officers came and stationed themselves right next to the activists, preventing them, some with hostility, from moving closer towards the house.

One of the arrestees, Lina Jebara from the Anti-War Committee stated, “If Governor Walz, the chair of the board, sees issue with anti-apartheid activist sitting in close proximity to his temporary home, perhaps he can find issue with the apartheid regime slaughtering thousands of refugees in their displacement camps. As Israel’s genocidal campaign on the people of Palestine is allowed to escalate, we will also continue to escalate.”

After two-and-a-half very cold hours, the 14 activists were publicly arrested with the support of chants and drums coming from observers and attendees.

The Anti-War Committee showed up to the State Board of Investment meeting the next day and plans to continue a campaign to target the board and demand for divestment from apartheid Israel.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNAWC #GovWalz #Divestment #MNSBI #CivilDisobedience #SDS #UMNSDS #MIRAC #FLAGSJP #AFSCME3800 #Feature

St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) meets quarterly to review investment reports and to hear from the public. Normally the meetings start around 10 a.m., but on May 25 the SBI started their meeting over three hours late. The Executive Board, which includes Governor Tim Walz, Secretary of State Steve Simon, Attorney General Keith Ellison and State Auditor Julie Blaha, heard testimony concerning taconite mining leases until after 1 p.m.

By the time the governor acknowledged the SBI meeting, most of the people who had come for the public meeting had been turned away due to the meeting being scheduled for too small of a room or because they had to return to work. Despite the delayed start time three activists testified on the importance of Minnesota divesting from Israel.

The SBI has invested over $800 million of Minnesotan taxpayer money into corporate interests and pension funds that facilitate Israel's longstanding human rights violations.

Elizabeth McLister, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC), addressed the State Board of Investment, “The board is mistaken if it assumes that Minnesotans will remain unwitting profiteers of Israel's crimes forever. Americans are awakening to the egregious human rights violations carried out by the Israeli government. According to a recent Pew Research poll, an unprecedented number of U.S. citizens report feeling sympathetic to the Palestinian plight.”

McLister continued, “SBI members have condemned regressive policies when doing so has been politically expedient. For example, board members decried Trump's abhorrent border wall. But when have they objected to Elbit's role as a top border security contractor charged with surveilling the U.S.-Mexico border and literally building the wall?”

McLister addressed the fact that the SBI meeting was being held on the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. “SBI members have claimed to stand in solidarity with the Black lives matter movement, but they've remained silent about the deadly exchange program by which American law enforcement and Israeli armed forces trade tactics for suppressing and oppressing marginalized people within their respective countries. When Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd three years ago today, over 100 on-duty MPD officers had been trained by the Israel Defense Forces.”

Memo Perez, an activist with MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee who went on the Legalization for All Network's U.S.-Mexico border delegation in April, witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of Elbit Systems technology. Perez told the SBI, “After going to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year, myself and other MIRAC members saw firsthand Elbit’s surveillance technology in action. This technology sold to the U.S. government facilitates the ongoing border crisis, the separation of families, and the trafficking of separated children who are then forced into working dangerous jobs. A recent New York Times investigation found that among the 85,000 unaccounted-for migrant children by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, many are here in Minnesota in places like Worthington, Owatonna, and Mankato working long and dangerous shifts in meat packing plants and sanitation in violation of labor laws. This problem is not far off in the borderlands; it is also here in Minnesota, and Elbit systems technology is facilitating the problem.”

Wyatt Miller was the last activist to speak. Miller is a member of the MN Anti-War Committee and he told the SBI that the AWC had recently hosted Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, grandson of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who is a member of South Africa’s Parliament. While Mandela was in Minnesota he spoke out against the state’s investments in Israel. Miller quoted Chief Mandela to the SBI, “We also have to confront other states and private sector players who are complicit in the illegal occupation and in the daily atrocities meted out to Palestinians. I am told that the Minnesota State Board of Investments has over $800 million invested in entities carrying out or complicit in Israeli apartheid systems. For this reason, we must intensify the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign. We must intensify the BDS campaign to end these investments in apartheid Israeli crimes.”

Miller went on to reference, “our own experience in isolating apartheid South Africa and making it a pariah state in the world’s community of nations,” saying, “The Minnesota State Board of Investment itself divested from its holdings in South Africa, contributing to helping end the apartheid regime. Let us join hands once again and work tirelessly in supporting the BDS campaign for a free Palestine.”

Miller concluded, “I hope Chief Mandela’s words, and the moral authority he carries as the chief of his grandfather’s family, resonate with this board. Nelson Mandela himself stated that Palestine is 'the greatest moral issue of our time.' I know members of this board were involved in the struggle to divest from apartheid South Africa. There is a sea change underway in U.S. public opinion, with a majority of Democratic voters now reporting to support Palestine, not Israel. I urge this board to show leadership, to boldly begin the process of divestment from apartheid Israel despite the apparent obstacles. Palestine will be free, and so Israel is not only a bad investment from a fiscal perspective, but also politically. I hope you will join the right side of history on this urgent question.”

After their testimony, the governor abruptly called for the session to end even though other people who had filled out the paperwork to testify hadn’t gotten to speak yet.

The AWC plans to continue to organize Minnesotans against the State Board of Investment’s Israeli investments and to bring petition signatures to their next meeting on August 23.

#StPaulMN #Palestine #Divestment #MiddleEast

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, May 21, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota held a protest calling for university divestment from companies funding the Israeli apartheid.

Over 150 students and community members rallied at the Memorial Union, where speakers voiced their anger with the university administration for complicity with the genocide against Palestinians and its giving support to Zionist student groups. Additionally, students condemned the administration’s lack of action following the passage of two separate referendums in campus elections: one in 2018 calling for divestment from companies funding Israel and one in 2021 calling for full disclosure of university investments.

Speaking on the intersection of the call for police accountability on campus and the university’s support of companies that fund both Israel and the Line 3 pipeline, Nadia Shaarawi of Students for a Democratic Society said, “When we say ACAB [all cops are bastards], we mean the police, we mean the UMPD, but we also mean the Israeli Defense Forces.”

Students and community members marched down Washington Avenue proudly waving Palestinian flags to send a message to administration that the student body will not stand by and allow their tuition money to be used to fuel a genocide.

The event was sponsored by over ten other groups including Students for a Democratic Society, American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voices for Peace, and the Anti-War Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #StudentMovement #Palestine #Divestment #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine

St. Paul, MN – Over 40 people protested in front of the Governor's Residence Monday, September 16, to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems by the State of Minnesota. The protest, which was organized by the Anti-War Committee, is the latest action in their current campaign to demand the divestment of Elbit Systems from the state’s public retirement fund. Currently the Minnesota State Board of Investments, which Governor Tim Walz chairs, holds $1.2 million, or approximately 10,000 shares, in Elbit Systems.

Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons company, which has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to further militarize the U.S.– Mexico border by installing “Integrated Fixed Towers” security systems; the same border militarization technology that has been deployed against the Palestinian people.

Kane Widlicka, who spoke on behalf of the Anti-War Committee, explained, “We are not here to negotiate with apartheid, we are here to abolish it. The Anti-War Committee sees a particular connection on the war being waged by U.S.-funded Israel against Palestinians, and the war being waged against refugees of U.S. caused economic and violence crisis in Mexico. We see the connection between the war on Palestinians and the refugees because the systems that causes both is funded by and benefits the U.S. government.”

Erika Zurawski representing the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) broke down how “Elbit systems is violating the sovereignty of the Palestinian people and violating the sovereignty of the native lands here in the United States. It is important that Governor Walz, who said he supported a pro-immigrant agenda when he was elected, knows that this is an anti-immigrant company.”

Mariam El-Khatib, representing the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, said, “It's become easy now to figure out what side you’re on. You either support walls or you don't. You either support kids being in cages or you don’t. You either support immigrant rights or you don't. Just talk to people – because most people are gonna want to stand on the right side of the street.”

Chants and messages during the protest included, “From Palestine to Mexico, Elbit Systems has got to go!” “Divest from Elbit!” and “Walz, stop funding walls!”

The MN Anti-War Committee’s next event is a BDS/border militarization teach-in and new members meeting at 4200 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis at 7 p.m. on September 25.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities #Divestment #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Antiracism #GovernorWalz #Elbit

St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders.

Advertising its products as “battle-tested” on occupied Palestine, Elbit has won over $150 million in contracts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security to build surveillance towers on the U.S.-Mexico border, including as part of President Trump’s racist ‘build the wall’ initiative.

Aadarsh Akula of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee told the State Board of Investments, “Since 1990, as a result of border militarization, there’s been about 7000 corpses in the desert on the southern border. The Migration Policy Institute notes that these corpses are directly correlated with increasing border militarization.”

“As a concept, border militarization totally ignores the fact that humans have intrinsic value, that they don’t just need to die if they cross a border,” Akula added. “This company cares more about its bottom line than the intrinsic value that all human beings pose.”

The SBI is comprised of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha, Secretary of State Steve Simon, and is chaired by Governor Tim Walz. All are Democrats who were elected on promises of opposing President Trump’s immigration policies. In 2018 while campaigning for governor, Walz tweeted, “President Trump wants to blow $18 billion of taxpayer funds on his border wall? Give me a break.” Ellison appeared at 2018’s May Day Parade in Minneapolis wearing a “Yo no creo en fronteras” (“I don’t believe in borders”) t-shirt, and earlier this year stated that Trump was “unable to persuade Congress and the American people that a wall is necessary.”

Speaking to the SBI, Autumn Lake of the MN Anti-War Committee elaborated on Elbit’s role in Israel’s war crimes. “Cluster munitions, white phosphorus shells and military drones have all been used by the state of Israel in their brutal campaigns against Palestinian civilian populations. Almost 10,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed since September 29, 2000. Two thousand of those killed were children. Elbit Systems bears a direct responsibility for helping maintain this cycle of colonial violence against an indigenous people.”

Lake concluded, “Simply put, the funds that are being used to bring people peace of mind in their retirement years should not be gained through investment in a company that profits from war and imperialism.”

Elbit Systems is one of several Israeli companies from which organizations of the Minnesota BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Community have long demanded the state divest. Minnesota BDS Community member Sylvia Schwarz, of Jewish Voice for Peace, spoke at the press conference activists held just before the SBI meeting.

“I urge the State Board of Investments to divest from Elbit Systems, just as the Norwegian Pension Fund, the Danske Bank, the Swedish National Pension Fund, the Dutch Pension Fund, and Deutsche Bank have done,” Schwarz said.

Despite holding a lengthy conversation over the conflict between ethical considerations and their “fiduciary duty” as state investors as it pertained to climate change, the SBI had nothing to say about Elbit Systems. Following the presentation by the activists, Governor Walz abruptly adjourned the meeting without comment.

In response, organizers have called for a militant protest outside the governor’s mansion at 1006 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, to take place on Thursday, August 29 at 5:30 p.m.

#StPaulMN #International #AntiwarMovement #OppressedNationalities #Palestine #Divestment #US #MiddleEast #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCoalitionMIRAc #Antiracism #DonaldTrump #borderMilitarization

A statement from SJP said, “We call for the divestment of four specific companies: Elbit Systems, G4S, Caterpillar and Raytheon. The University of Minnesota’s investments in these companies shows implicit support for the decisions and actions of these companies, as well as their consequences, which include the killing of civilians and violations of their basic human rights.”

The call to divest is a response to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement- a global campaign to pressure Israel into complying with international law and to recognize Palestinians’ rights. BDS was initiated by Palestinian civil society in 2005 and is endorsed by over 170 Palestinian political parties and organizations that represent Palestinian refugees and Palestinians living under occupation in Israel and the West Bank.

The SJP statement concluded, “We, the students, call upon our university to dissociate itself from companies that engage or aid in systematic prejudiced oppression, whether this system targets people based on their religion, nationality, gender, race or orientation, by divesting from companies that participate in or profit from human rights violations. The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people should not be infringed upon or disregarded.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #Divestment #PeoplesStruggles #Israel #MiddleEast

Milwaukee, WI – On Nov. 5, the self-proclaimed “fastest growing motivational movement,” #besomebody, met the world's fastest growing boycott movement on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Over 20 activists handed out informational fliers exposing the connection between SodaStream and the #besomebody “movement” which markets SodaStream's in-home soda machines. Activists educated fellow students on SodaStream's human rights abuses which include operating on an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank of Palestine.

Members of two Students for Justice in Palestine chapters held signs that read, “Don't drink SodaStream. Support Palestinian human rights. #besomebody against occupation.“During the action, activists from the Milwaukee Palestine Solidarity Coalition and Friends of Palestine met with #besomebody's founder, Kash Shaikh, and urged him to cut ties with companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine. Before a large group of activists Shaikh admitted, “I didn't do a very good job looking into their background,” referring to SodaStream, and said he was personally opposed to the occupation.

Actions and local campaigns against companies that sell SodaStream have been springing up over the last year as it becomes one of the primary focuses of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. A national week of action against SodaStream will coincide with ‘Black Friday’ later this month, focused on the retailer Target, demanding they withdraw the product and break ties with the Israeli occupation.

#Milwaukee #WI #Palestine #Divestment #Boycott #solidarity #SodaStream #besomebody #andSanctions #BDMMovement #MiddleEast

Chapel Hill, NC – A delegation of students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) delivered a letter to Chancellor Thorp's office, Feb. 25, demanding that UNC divest from Israel. Holding a banner that said, “End U.S. aid to Israel!” the students explained their demands to the university administrator who received the letter in place of Chancellor Thorp. “We want our university to stop investing in the murder of Palestinian civilians,” said Maddy Miller, a member of SDS.

The letter delivery is the first step in what SDS and other student organizers project will be a long, hard-fought battle to make UNC divest from the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

“We believe the direction of history and the demands of justice are clear,” reads the conclusion of the letter delivered to the UNC administration. “Rather than sit on the sidelines, or worse, consciously try to hold back progress, we would like for our university to take a stand and help move the Palestinian people's struggle for justice forward. Divestment and boycott will be a powerful message to those who continue to oppress and occupy the Palestinian people and a strong impetus to negotiate a lasting peace based on the principles of equality and justice.”

The letter outlined several demands, including disclosure of all university investments through the UNC Investment Fund; severing contracts with and divesting from any corporations that are profiting from the occupation of Palestine; establishing a curriculum in Palestine Studies and partnering with Palestinian academics and academic institutions; providing scholarships to at least five Palestinian students each year; and removing Israeli products and products made by companies profiting from the occupation of Palestine from university stores.

The recent Israeli assault on Gaza, which left thousands dead and wounded, has created a shift in public opinion. More and more student groups, labor unions and religious organizations are initiating campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel until it recognizes the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the right of return for all Palestinian refugees.

In January, in New York state, students occupied the University of Rochester in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Then days later a major victory for the divestment movement came in Massachusetts when Hampshire College became the first university in the United States to divest from companies that are profiting from the occupation of Palestine. Significantly, Hampshire College was also the first university to divest from the apartheid regime in South Africa in 1977. And on Feb. 19, solidarity with Gaza and aid for Palestinian students was a core demand of the student building takeover at New York University.

Commenting on the victory of the Hampshire College divestment, Ben Berry, a Hampshire student and current organizer with SDS at UNC Chapel Hill, said, “The Hampshire divestment was a great victory, and a humble beginning. We achieved economic divestment at a college with a relatively small endowment.” Hampshire College's investment fund is valued at about $46 million. Divestment at UNC will be much more difficult, Berry said, “When you look at the fact that UNC's investments are over $2 billion.” Speaking of why he was motivated to work for this cause, Berry said, “As a Jew, I feel a personal tie to the conflict, and feel it's important for me to do what I can to help raise awareness and bring an end to this terrible occupation.”

#ChapelHillNC #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #News #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #Palestine #Divestment #GazaWar #MiddleEast