Minneapolis, MN — In freezing temperatures with wind whipping around downtown Minneapolis, hundreds of protesters huddled near the front doors of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office to rally against a proposed $170 billion in additional funding for ICE.

With the current administration pouring millions of dollars, thousands of heavily armed agents, and a staggering volume of chemical weaponry into a violent occupation of Minnesota dubbed “Operation Metro Surge,” Minnesotans continue to stand their ground against political repression no matter the weather.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and included speakers from the Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, and the Council on American Islamic Relations Minnesota.

Kelly Thomas from the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice said, “Amy Klobuchar has a long history of not doing the right thing. She loves prosecuting Black and brown youth but protecting killer cops. Shame! She says she wants ICE out of Minnesota but isn’t willing to support the Palestinian people as they resist their own occupation and ongoing genocide. Shame!”

Myrka Zambrano of MIRAC said, “It seems that our leaders have forgotten who it is they serve. They do not serve a federal agency, they do not serve a king, they serve us, their constituents. They have a responsibility to us and we will hold them accountable!”

Congressional leaders are currently negotiating a number of funding packages as they attempt to reach a federal budget agreement by January 30 and avoid another government shutdown. As of yet there is no agreement on the funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). The negotiation of this particular bill will determine whether additional billions of taxpayer money is allocated to these agencies.

MIRAC is calling on Minnesota’s members of Congress to reject any bill that includes funding for ICE and CBP, demanding “Not one more cent for ICE! Stop the deportations! Legalization for all!

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #ICE #Klobuchar #MIRAC #TCC4J #CAIRMN

Minneapolis, MN – On July 24, several hundred protesters took to the street in front of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s downtown office on busy Washington Avenue. A smaller group, holding banners that read “We are the red line” then shut down the southbound on-ramp to Interstate 35W and declared their intention not to disperse despite police orders.

Earlier that day, Sen. Klobuchar had attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial speech in the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Standing in the front row, the Democratic senator was visible giving standing ovations for Netanyahu, despite an emerging global consensus that he is presiding over a genocide in Gaza.

With the street and highway on-ramp still blockaded, protesters heard speakers from Palestinians and other organizers with the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, which organized the action.

“What we witnessed today is a desperate man coming to his handlers in a desperate plea to convince Americans that they need to continue this genocide,” said Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine. “We’re here to say unequivocally and unapologetically that there is no political future for anybody in this country so long as they support genocide.”

“Amy Klobuchar believes that there is no political consequence for standing for genocide and against Palestinians,” Herzallah continued. “But we have shown time and time again over the last ten months that we are unrelenting in our demand that a free Palestine is the bare minimum.”

Other speakers represented groups like Jewish Voice for Peace – Twin Cities, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and Ceasefire Choir Twin Cities.

“The struggle for every community fighting for justice is connected together,” said Sabry Wazwaz of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee. “Malcolm X spoke about the connection between Black liberation in this country and Palestine, over 60 years ago.”

Maysoon Wazwaz of American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota added, “July 24, history will look back and say that we stood together. When they were unified over genocidal maniacs, we stood together in solidarity with human rights, with the freedom of all peoples, Palestinians and non-Palestinians.”

Dozens of police officers from multiple agencies descended on the scene. Eventually, 23 protesters were arrested and ticketed for their act of civil disobedience. Some were violently pushed to the ground during the arrests. An additional protester was arrested later and jailed overnight for reasons that weren’t immediately clear.

“Amy Klobuchar, she could apologize one million times. The cops could apologize to us one million times. Netanyahu himself could write an essay spanning the ocean on why he’s sorry. And I wouldn’t give a damn. Because you’re not going to bring back Hind. You’re not going to bring back little Muhammad,” said Maysoon Wazwaz.

In Washington DC, thousands marched and surrounded the Capitol during Netanyahu’s speech. At least 23 were reportedly arrested at that protest.

Netanyahu’s appearance came as Israel’s assault on Gaza continued with increased intensity, including a renewed invasion of Khan Younis that has killed hundreds of Palestinians.

“Keep this resolve,” Herzallah told the protesters in Minneapolis. “This strength that we have, this momentum, is what is keeping the people of Palestine hopeful, that the future is possible, and there is a future that can bring peace and justice for the Palestinian people.”

Organizers invited protesters to demand divestment from Israel at the Minnesota State Board of Investment’s next meeting on August 14, 10 a.m. at the Minnesota Senate Building.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Klobuchar #MNAWC

Columbia Heights, MN – On May 21, over 100 members of the Palestinian community and supporters held a spirited bannering and rally to draw attention to the dire situation in Gaza. The action was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition in response to the ongoing bombing of Rafah and slaughter of over 100 people in Gaza in their tents in a supposed “safe zone.” The event took place at a busy commercial intersection during rush hour.

On the pedestrian bridge spanning the busy highway, Palestinian flags blew in the strong wind. The banners read, “No U.S. aid to Israel,” “End to the occupation,” “Ceasefire now” and “Divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel.” They were clearly visible to passing motorists who responded with non-stop honks and fist pumps.

Demonstrators filled the median in the busy highway as well as lining both sides of the streets below the bridge. Protesters chanted for two hours expressing their anguish and outrage.

Many who were present will take buses to the DFL state convention in Duluth on June 1. They will take part in a demonstration organized by Duluth Palestine solidarity activists outside the convention center as U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar will be nominated for a third term. Klobuchar has remained silent on the U.S. supported Israeli genocide and protesters will hold her accountable for her complicity, demanding she call for an immediate end to the bombing.

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNFreePalestineCoalition #Klobuchar

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, April 18, about 30 members of the Minnesota Cuba Coalition gathered at U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Minneapolis office, under the banner of “Minnesotans love Cuba,” to call for an end to the U.S. embargo of Cuba

While at the senator’s office, the coalition hosted a program of speakers, with veteran organizers, Cuban Americans and their allies new to the movement represented. During rush hour near the heart of Minneapolis’s downtown, cars honked in support and solidarity as they passed the crowd.

The coalition’s main demand is for Senator Klobuchar to sign a letter calling on the Biden administration to take Cuba off the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT). As they arrived, SCOTA member Marcy Shapiro handed Klobuchar’s state director 500 petitions, with dozens of signatures each, supporting the call.

Many of the coalition members have taken educational trips to Cuba to study its culture, healthcare and education systems, its ecology and its environmental protection measures, its socialist government and its history of international solidarity with poor and oppressed peoples, including in the U.S. There is no legitimate reason Cuba should be on SSOT list. The listing and sanctions have caused immense damage and harm to Cubans as well their economy for over 60 years. The coalition urges the need to normalize relations with the U.S.'s neighboring country.

The coalition has lobbied the senator’s office to sign a letter to Biden calling on his administration to take Cuba off the list, hoping she would sign a similar letter as she did when Trump placed Cuba on the list. The senator has not responded in the four months that this campaign has been underway.

Robyn Harbison of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), the founder of SCOTA, closed the rally. He reiterated that “Cuba is a friend of Palestine, and Palestine is a friend of Cuba. Historically we must remember who was on the right side of history during this era of anti-imperialist revolution. The U.S. has no right to intervene into other country’s affairs or sovereignty, and that includes Cuba and Palestine.”

The April 30 protest delegation was made up of MN Cuba Coalition member groups Minnesota Cuba Committee, Solidarity Committee on the Americas (SCOTA), and Witness for Peace Solidarity Collective

Reach out to solidaritycommitteeofamericas@gmail.com to learn more about how to get involved with the MN Cuba Coalition.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #International #Cuba #WAMM #SCOTA #Klobuchar

Minneapolis, MN – On November 18, three University of Minnesota Twin Cities student organizations; (Students for a Democratic Society, Young Democratic Socialists of America, and Students for Justice in Palestine) held a rally and march starting in front of the Humphrey School of Public affairs on UMN campus.

This protest marked the end of the sixth week of Israel’s bombardment campaign against Gaza, and anger at the University of Minnesota’s unwillingness to denounce Israel’s ongoing war crimes in Gaza. Demands were directed at Jeff Ettinger in particular, the current interim president of the UMN, after he made a university-wide statement on October 11 condemning the “abhorrent acts committed by Hamas” without any reference to the ongoing Israeli occupation or acknowledging Israel’s war crimes and subjugation of the Palestinian people.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) member Amira Ahmed had this to say on Ettinger’s statement, “Do you, Jeff Ettinger, not see that in your silence, you are allowing the justification of terrorist acts committed by the IDF?” Ahmed went on to criticize Ettinger for refusing to acknowledge Israel’s bombing of hospitals and schools across Gaza and “failing to include historical significance, perpetuating a one sided agenda against the Palestinian people.”

U.S. divestment from Israel was highlighted as a step for Palestinian liberation by several speakers during the event. Emily Chu from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) said, “Israel cannot stand on its own without substantial financial and military support from the U.S.” Tracy Molm from Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke further on this topic: “We must stand with Palestine and say no more to our hard-earned money, our tax dollars that we work for day in and day out at shitty jobs with no healthcare, no food or housing security, huge amounts of student debt; paying for the genocide of Palestinians.”

Molm also spoke about her visit to Gaza in 2004 and connected the Palestinian right to rebel to the struggle against police brutality in America. “Just like in 2020 when millions in the U.S. and across the world stood for justice for George Floyd, said no more to the unjust and cruel murder of Black people, we had a right to rebel against the oppression that the U.S. imposes on Black people and other oppressed nationalities in this country. The Palestinian people have a legal and moral right to rebel against the Israeli occupation forces, and a right to their land.”

After the first half of speakers, a contingent of roughly 300 students marched from the Humphrey building to Amy Klobuchar’s office. While marching, several bystanders and families from the residential Cedar Riverside neighborhood, through which the march route traversed, ran up to join in the chanting and marching.

After arriving at Klobuchar’s office, the speaker program resumed with Maysoon Pali from Americans for Muslim in Palestine (AMP), who highlighted some of the IDF’s most recent attempts at social media, particularly their now-deleted Twitter post claiming that a calendar they found in the basement of al-Shifa hospital was actually a list of Hamas actions. She continued to speak about how the tide is turning in favor of Palestine on social media stating, “Israel and the U.S. are terrified of this new tide on social media for exposing their lies. More people than ever now are seeing the truth about the real victims of this conflict, and it is up to us to keep pushing the truth to the front. Even just one more person who becomes educated on the conflict can become a wave of truth that spreads to other people, and it is through spreading the truth that we will free Palestine!”

Matt Steitz, speaking on behalf of Young Democratic Socialists of America, emphasized the importance of not staying neutral in times of global crises. “Today, those who do not stand up and proclaim that they support the liberation of the Palestinian people are not just giving in to the status quo. They are complicit in genocide!”

Other speakers at the protest included Sasmit Rahman from SDS and Erin Gable from the Anti-War Committee, who both spoke on the importance of continued protesting and not relenting until the demands for permanent divestment from Israel and the liberation of Palestine are met.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCities #SDS #FreePalestine #Klobuchar #SJP #UMN

Minneapolis, MN – The Anti-War Committee and Women Against Military Madness held a picket in front of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office, April 5, to draw attention to her record of voting for U.S. military aid to Israel and her recent meeting with AIPAC during its national convention.

The action was during the opening day for the Final Four basketball tournament, which was also in downtown Minneapolis. Basketball fans heard chants of “From Mexico to Palestine, all the walls have got to go!” and “Heh, Klobuchar don’t you know? Aid to Israel has got to go!” as they drove towards US Bank Stadium.

April marks the 71st anniversary of the Deir Yassin massacre, in the Palestinian village where in 1948 100 men, women and children were systematically murdered by Israeli commandos. Every year Palestinians across the world mark Deir Yassin and demand the right to return to their homeland. This year, however, the Deir Yassin anniversary coincides with a growing resistance movement in Gaza and an ongoing brutal Israeli military response.

Sarah Martin, a member of Women Against Military Madness, spoke to the crowd of protesters and basketball fans about the critical situation in Palestine, “Heroic people of Gaza have marched every Friday for a year by the tens of thousands they have gathered and participated in tent city sit-ins and protests along Gaza’s eastern boundary to protest Israel’s decade-long siege on the territory, and to demand their internationally guaranteed right of return to their villages on the other side of the boundary fence from which their families had been forcibly displaced. Two-thirds of Gaza’s population of 2 million are refugees hailing from lands now inside Israel.”

Autumn Lake, a member of the Anti-War Committee led chants and also spoke to the crowd about Klobuchar’s role, as a presidential candidate and a senator, in aiding Israel’s attacks of Palestinians, “No component of Klobuchar's platform exemplifies this more than her consistent and enthusiastic support for the U.S.'s aggressive foreign policy; when it comes to foreign intervention and militarism, her voting record looks like that of any of the worst Republicans that Congress has to offer.”

Lake continued, “Like the most militant of warhawk politicians, this has led Klobuchar to portray herself as a friend of Israel. Her voting record includes the penalization of the BDS – Boycott Divestment Sanctions – movement and authorizing President Donald Trump to transfer precision-guided munitions to the Israeli state. Israel's own legacy of violence and repression doesn't seem to factor into Klobuchar's political platform. Almost 10,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli repressive apparatus since September 29, 2000. Two thousand of those killed were children. Over 6000 Palestinians are being held as political prisoners in Israel. Almost 50,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since 1967. As Israel has intensified its efforts to disenfranchise, displace and kill Palestinians in recent years, Klobuchar has not wavered in her support.”

She concluded, “Klobuchar said publicly that she would boycott the 2019 AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] conference but in March she met with AIPAC representatives in her office during that week in an effort to try to get votes as a presidential candidate. We are here to say that she can't hide from us. We know she sides with AIPAC and are here to call her on her silence about the 56 children killed by Israel and the 120 children arrested within the occupied West Bank by Israeli Defense Forces in 2018. As her constituents, we know her record and we aren't going to let her claim that she ‘boycotted’ the AIPAC conference or that she cares about the human rights of Palestinians!”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #PeoplesStruggles #Minnesota #Klobuchar #MiddleEast