Minneapolis, MN – On February 2, Palestine solidarity protesters marched down Hennepin Avenue in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. The action, called by the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, was entitled, “Ceasefire is not the end! Stop the attacks on the West Bank!” Hundreds of people rallied at Gateway Park for speeches before taking the streets on foot and in cars.

The protest came on the heels of the ceasefire agreement won by the Palestinian resistance, which took effect on January 19. In addition to a cessation of Israel’s massacres in Gaza and at least partial withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza, the ceasefire also won the release of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held by Israel.

Despite the victories, Israel and its imperialist backers have hinted at intentions to resume the genocidal attacks on Gaza. Notably, on January 25, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of his hope to “clean out” all the inhabitants of Gaza by forcibly removing them to countries like Jordan and Egypt. In Lebanon, Israel openly flaunted a separate ceasefire won by resistance forces there, refusing to withdraw its troops after a 60-day deadline that expired on January 26.

Since January 21, Israeli forces have initiated new attacks on the West Bank, especially in Jenin and Tulkarm. As of press time, the occupation forces have killed dozens of Palestinians and displaced at least 15,000. Zionist politicians openly compared this new campaign to the 15 months of genocidal violence Israel waged on Gaza. The latest military attacks in the West Bank also coincided with an onslaught of settler violence against Palestinians.

At the Minneapolis protest, speakers urged the solidarity movement to not separate the various fronts of resistance to Israel. “Do not say the ‘Gaza Genocide.’ Say the ‘Palestinian Genocide’,” said Maysoon Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota. “Because Gaza is Jenin. And it’s Ramallah. And it’s every damn city in Palestine.”

Organizers with the Free Palestine Coalition called for an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Several local groups, including the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Minnesota BDS Community, have also called for divestment at the state level from weapons manufacturers and companies complicit in Israel’s apartheid system. The next State Board of Investment is scheduled for March 5; the Anti-War Committee will hold a “State Board of Divestment” indoor rally at the New City Center in Minneapolis (3104 16th Avenue S), on March 1 at 3 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #MNAWC #MinnesotaBDSCommunity #AmericanMuslimsforPalestine

St. Paul, MN - As Donald Trump was inaugurated the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, people gathered in Saint Paul to make a promise that from day one they would resist Trump’s agenda. 

The day began at the Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct. With temperatures dipping to negative five degrees, a single hearse led a caravan of over 100 cars in remembrance of Marcus Golden. At the young age of 24, Mr. Golden was murdered by Saint Paul Police on January 14, 2015. He is the nephew of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities organizer Monique Cullars-Doty. 

The caravan participants decorated their cars with Palestinian flags and signs in support of the defense of Black lives, immigrant rights, and reproductive rights. The caravan proceeded from The Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct along University Avenue. Two young men exited their parked cars in subzero weather to wave a Palestinian flag in support as the caravan passed. The caravan participants honked as they continued east toward downtown.

Cullars-Doty spoke about the significance of the single hearse leading the caravan today. “The hearse is from the same undertaker who took my nephew Marcus Golden’s body from Ramsey County Coroner’s office, but it also represents all the revolutionaries this country has killed and silenced. It is also symbolic that we all follow the hearse because we are still fighting. So as this Trump administration rolls in, we cannot let our dreams die. It means we have to keep fighting.” 

A coalition of organizations led by Black Lives Matter Twin Cities (BLM-TC Metro), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) organized the car caravan and indoor rally.

In the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol, the caravan arrived at Saint Paul College where 500 attendees filled the cafeteria to chants of “Black Lives, they matter here! and “Immigrants are welcome here!” 

Despite the somber occasion of Trump’s second inauguration, the room buzzed with enthusiasm as the emcees led the crowd in chants. Speaking for MIRAC was Manuel Pascual - a first generation Filipino immigrant who witnessed the violence of ICE raids against his community first hand. 

Pascual stated, “Immigrants and the working class are the backbone of this country. It is extremely important we don’t panic or fall into despair in this time of uncertainty. Instead, we organize. We take to the streets. We continue speaking up, showing up, and fighting for one another.” 

Charlie Berg, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, affirmed the task ahead of everyone in the room: “It is up to all of us to unite the many in order to defeat the few. We need to make this country ungovernable! Our job is to take the fight to higher stages than ever before.”

Toshira Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, whose fiancé was murdered by the Saint Paul Police in 2009, inspired the crowd saying, “When we see someone being hurt or harmed or mistreated for any reason at all it’s going to take every nationality of people from every walk of life to stand up against the evil and the corruption in this world and we are going to win!”

Sarah Murphy from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee who spoke about the fight for abortion access under Trump and the fight against the predatory crisis pregnancy centers that are run by the Christian right and embed themselves in predominantly Black and brown working-class communities and college towns to dissuade people from getting abortions.

The crowd also heard speeches from the Climate Justice Committee, the TCC4J, the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, among many others. Other groups were present to table and talk to community members and other organizers throughout the day to share information and get more community members involved in joining the fight against Trump. 

Closing out the program was Anti-War Committee and Free Palestine Coalition member Sabry Wazwaz, who connected the fights for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “This connection is not something new. It has always been there. They don’t want us to remind each other that our struggle is one struggle! If you go to Palestine, you will see murals all along the apartheid walls of Martin Luther King, of Malcom X, of George Floyd - because our struggle is one struggle!”

After the program, participants returned to their cars to caravan to the Minnesota State Capitol building where they ended the day of protest honking outside of the Minnesota State Capitol to send the message that Minnesotans will be in the streets to fight Trump’s agenda starting on day one, even in extreme subzero weather.

#StPaulMN #MLKDay #MLK #Trump #Inauguration #Minnesota #AntiWarCommittee #FreePalestineCoalition #FreePalestine #Abortion #AbortionAccess #ReproductiveFreedom #ReproRights #BLM #BlackLivesMatter

St. Paul, MN – On Friday, August 2, the Free Palestine Coalition held a rally on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge and marched to Governor Tim Walz’s residence to commemorate 300 days of genocide in Palestine and to demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to the occupation, and a free Palestine from the river to the sea.

As hundreds of cars drove by, crowd of over 150 people gathered on the bridge despite the 90-degree heat, chanting and holding signs calling for the arrest of Netanyahu, demanding Minnesota divestment from Israel and an end to the genocide.

The crowd then marched to the governor’s temporary residence at the Eastcliff Mansion. Walz is a potential vice presidential candidate pick. Gathering at the mansion, speakers from organizations such as Ceasefire Choir, Students for Justice in Palestine, the MN Anti War Committee, and the Palestinian community all talked about what the last 300-plus days of genocide by the terrorist state of Israel has looked like.

This last week has been particularly brutal, seeing Palestine officially declaring a polio epidemic as a result of the genocide, Israel bombing Beirut, Israel assassinating Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh (the main negotiator for the ceasefire) in Tehran, and assassinating a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. The last was as a result of Israel making unsupported claims that Hezbollah was responsible for a rocket attack on July 27 on a soccer pitch in the Golan Heights, an occupied territory in Syria.

As one of the speakers at the rally, Trent Fast from the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “It is crystal clear that these are the desperate actions of a dying power lashing out amid its death throes, hoping to start a regional war so that its primary sponsor, the U.S., is forced to come to its rescue or risk losing its attack dog in west Asia.”

Meredith Aby from the MN Anti-War Committee explained her feelings about the action, “It was particularly powerful to march to Governor Walz’s mansion, because he’s being considered for Kamala Harris’ running mate and, despite our call-in days, protests, testifying, and even civil disobedience, he has remained a barrier to getting Minnesota to divest from genocide.” As protesters marched and rallied outside the mansion, a state trooper car was stationed on the governor’s lawn and two police cars trailed behind the march.

One of the speakers, Muhammed Jallad, shared a heartbreaking story of his mother’s experience of Israeli military in Palestine and witnessing the death of her friends and neighbors when she was only five years old. He shared how much it means to him to see so many people showing up and fighting for Palestine.

Aby stated, “It was important for Minnesota to be represented this weekend as people across the world stood up for Palestine as we hit 300 days of genocide in Gaza. We have over 100 people from Minnesota planning on going to Chicago to protest for Palestine at the DNC in two weeks. Regardless of who is on the ticket we have the same demands. We demand the U.S. stop supporting Israel’s genocide campaign on Palestine!”

The Anti-War Committee’s Sabry Wazwaz said, “The people across the Twin Cities, despite the extreme heat, came out and we will never stop coming out until we not only end this genocide but the brutal military occupation by Israel as well.”

This crowd let it be known that they are not giving up on Palestine, they are still counting each day that goes by in this genocide and that they will not stop until Minnesota divests from Israel and Palestine is free.

#StPaulMN #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #CeasefireChoir #SJP #MNAWC

Columbia Heights, MN – On February 12, the Columbia Heights city council heard public testimony for a resolution calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as ending U.S. aid to Israel. The Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition organized community members to pack the council chamber in support of the draft resolution.

The Columbia Heights resolution comes on the heels of Minneapolis city council’s passage of a similar resolution, touted as the most progressive in the country. That resolution faced a veto from Mayor Jacob Frey, which was overturned on February 8 by the council supermajority.

If passed, Columbia Heights would join Minneapolis in a wave of U.S. cities now calling not only for a ceasefire in Gaza, but for ending military aid to Israel. Like the Minneapolis resolution, the Columbia Heights draft characterizes Israel’s campaign in Gaza as genocidal, citing the Genocide Convention case brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). On January 26, the ICJ ruled that there was plausible evidence of Israel committing genocide against Palestinians.

The Columbia Heights draft goes beyond the Minneapolis resolution, calling for an end to Israeli apartheid and Israel’s occupation and blockade of Palestinian land.

Taher Herzallah, a Columbia Heights resident and leader in American Muslims for Palestine spoke at the city council meeting. He explained the significance of the turnout, “Tonight was a historic night in Columbia Heights as we gathered to discuss the ceasefire resolution. It was incredible to see a diverse group of residents and neighbors come together unequivocally condemning the barbaric Israeli genocide in Gaza and demanding that their elected officials take a principled stand against it. The unity and passion of the community gives me strength as a Gazan to continue these efforts to shed light on my people's suffering on a local level.”

Donia Abu Ammo, Columbia Heights resident and student leader in Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of MN agreed, “It was inspiring and powerful to witness so many community members attend the council meeting to discuss the ceasefire resolution brought by Columbia Heights residents. I hope I can proudly say that my city stood on the right side of history and voted to end the genocide occurring in Palestine. The resolution's language is of the strongest and most assertive language in any resolution, and if approved, it will serve as an incredible stance against Zionism, and will set a significant precedent for other cities and states.”

The Free Palestine Coalition is also campaigning for Saint Paul to pass a ceasefire resolution. Over 70 U.S. cities have passed ceasefire resolutions, including Minneapolis, Hastings, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Saint Louis and others.

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #FreePalestineCoalition #Gaza

Saint Paul, MN – 300 demonstrators led by the Twin Cities’ Free Palestine Coalition gathered outside Saint Paul City Hall on Tuesday, February 2 to demand that Saint Paul adopt a city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Palestine and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

Minneapolis city council has already put forward a strong resolution condemning Israel’s genocidal crimes in Palestine, thanks to political pressure exerted by the Free Palestine Coalition’s street actions. The Minneapolis resolution is up again on Thursday, February 8 to overturn a veto by the mayor.

Tuesday’s rally marked the beginning of the Free Palestine Coalition’s new push to get Saint Paul to pass a similar resolution. The action was initiated by Women Against Military Madness, a member group of the Free Palestine Coalition.

Several speakers at the event addressed the attacks on the ceasefire resolution floated by local media, which have centered on the claim that the genocide in Gaza is not a “local issue,” and not something that Saint Paul city council should take a position on.

Meredith Aby of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee stated, “We need this passed. The attacks on Palestine are a local issue when the U.S. and the state of Minnesota are funding these massacres. We have the right – I would argue the responsibility – to demand that our tax dollars not be spent killing Palestinians. The U.S. federal government spends $4 billion a year on aid to Israel which is directly funding this war. The State of Minnesota has invested over $1 billion of public worker pensions in weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies and bonds which also sponsor this genocide. Think about what we could do with that money instead in regards to educating our kids, providing healthcare and housing to everyone.”

Aby went on to point out that Saint Paul recently paid the infamous weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which sells weapons to the Israeli Occupation Force, $1.3 million of public taxpayer money to open a new subsidiary, known as ForwardEdge ASIC, a new facility in Saint Paul. Aby again stated that Israel’s crimes in Palestine are a local issue because residents’ “tax dollars subsidized this genocide,” adding, “Lockheed makes the very weapons Israel is using to attack Gaza right now.”

Monique Cullers-Doty of Black Lives Matter Minnesota drew attention to the connection between U.S. support for genocide in Palestine and the U.S.’ own genocidal history. She said, “Genocide is very American. What the U.S. has allowed to happen to the Palestinian people is just another crime on top of the history of years and years of crimes against people of color.”

Cullers-Doty highlighted the attempts of U.S. settlers to totally exterminate indigenous Americans, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the “Black Codes” that stripped African-Americans of their civil and political rights, and modern mass incarceration as examples of the ways that the U.S. government has oppressed and attempted to outright exterminate people within the United States.

“It is local, and it is abroad, and America needs to stop acting American and change its ways,” continued Cullers-Doty, to cheers from the crowd. “We have to stand in solidarity, to support our Palestinian brothers, sisters and siblings, at home and abroad. Black Lives Matter, we stand in support, we want a free Palestine, we want Palestine repaired, we want America held accountable for its crimes at home and abroad.” She declared, “The Saint Paul city council needs to take action now to impact abroad, and to impact at home.”

A representative of American Muslims for Palestine-MN, closed the rally by describing what a strong ceasefire resolution in Saint Paul would need to contain, stating, “We are here to demand a ceasefire resolution, one that calls for justice, one that calls for an end to the siege, one that calls for an end to the occupation, one that calls for an end to the blockade, and which mentions the ICJ’s finding of genocide against the Palestinians by Israel. And, let them hear us, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, a complete end.”

The Free Palestine Coalition has called for Minnesotans to pack the room at the next Saint Paul city council meeting on Wednesday, February 7, at 2:45 p.m. at 15 Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, to demand a strong resolution. Another action has been called for Thursday, February 8, 9:30 a.m. at 250 S 4th Street, Minneapolis, to pack the Minneapolis city council meeting where the council will be voting to overturn Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of the prior successful ceasefire resolution vote.

#StPaulMN #AntiWarMovement #MiddleEast #International #Palestine #AMP #MNAWC #FreePalestineCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – With hundreds of Palestine supporters packing the meeting room and the hallway outside, on January 23 the Minneapolis City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 9-3 (with one abstention) to pass a Palestine ceasefire resolution.

The next step January 25, for a full council for a final vote.

The committee voted in favor of eight amendments to the original resolution, all of which clarified or strengthened the resolution.

If the nine council members who voted for the resolution in committee all stand firm, they would have enough votes to override a potential veto from Mayor Jacob Frey, who has publicly criticized the resolution.

The Free Palestine Coalition has organized a campaign to press the city council to pass a strong resolution. They’ve generated thousands of emails and calls to councilmembers. The coalition also organized a large rally outside City Hall the Saturday before the vote.

Increasing numbers of cities around the country are passing resolutions calling on the Biden administration to advocate for a ceasefire to stop the carnage in Gaza. The language in the Minneapolis resolution goes further than many that have passed in other cities.

While many cities’ resolutions start with October 7, the Minneapolis resolution puts the current events in historical context, saying, “Whereas, the ongoing bombardment in the Gaza Strip comes in the context of the 75-year displacement of Palestinians and in 2016 the United Nations Security Council found the settlements in the occupied West Bank, which have gone on for 56 years, unlawful, and the 17-year blockade of Gaza; and…”

The Minneapolis resolution also uses the word “genocide” in two places, referencing statements by the United National Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner and the South African case before the International Court of Justice arguing that Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition #CityCouncil #Resolution

Minneapolis, MN – At a press conference on Friday, January 5, members of the Minneapolis City Council were joined by movement leaders to announce that the city council plans to vote on a resolution for a permanent ceasefire and Palestinian human rights.

The vote will take place Monday, January 8 at the first meeting of the new city council term.

The city council members who spoke at the press conference were Aisha Chughtai from Ward 10 and Aurin Chowdhury from Ward 12. Robin Wonsley from Ward 2 was represented by her aide, Celeste Robinson.

Councilmember Chughtai said, “I stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. And I look forward to doing so with my city council colleagues on Monday, to send a message to our federal leaders, whether it’s our president or our congressional leaders, that the largest city in Minnesota wants a full, immediate and permanent ceasefire. We want an end to our tax dollars being used to contribute to this humanitarian catastrophe and unspeakable loss of life.”

Also speaking at the press conference were Jaylani Hussein of the Council on American Islamic Relations – Minnesota and Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg of Jewish Voice for Peace Twin Cities, among others.

The Free Palestine Coalition is urging people to attend and show support with keffiyehs and signs at the Minneapolis city council meeting where this resolution will be considered on Monday, January 8 at 10 a.m. in the Public Service Building, 505 S 4th Avenue, in room 100.

#MinneapolisMN #Palestine #FreePalestineCoalition