Minneapolis, MN – El viernes, 1 de mayo, una coalición encabezada por el Comité de Derechos de Inmigrantes de Minnesota y el Movimiento de Protectores Indígenas y respaldado por más de 60 sindicatos, grupos de derechos de inmigrantes, y otras organizaciones progresivas salieron a las calles para conmemorar el 20ª marcha annual el Día Internacional de los Obreros.

La coalición exigió que ICE se saque de Minnesota y la legalización para todos, puesto que la marcha siguió meses de lucha intensa contra la ocupación federal de la ciudad por los policías de inmigracion y confrontaciones militantes entre la gente y ICE. 10,000 manifestantes marcharon, cantaron, mostraron pancartas y celebraron durante la marcha del Día Internacional de los Obreros este año.

La marcha llenó la Calle Lako, el corazón de la comunidad inmigrante en Minneapolis del Sur, con grandes banderas, y contingentes de varios sindicatos, grupos de derechos de inmigrantes, grupos contra-guerra, grupos de estudiantes y otros movimientos progresivos. Como tradición para las marchas de MIRAC de 1 de mayo, la bandera principal fue sostenida por jóvenes, este año un grupo de estudiantes del colegio. La enorme marcha tuvo tres camiones de sonido, cada uno con su propio programa de discurso. La gente y las familias bordearon las aceras de la calle Lake para dar elogio a los eslóganes y brindar la marcha, saliendo de los varios negocios de inmigrantes para mostrar su apoyo.

Justo antes del inicio del programa, Consejeros de la Ciudad de Minneapolis progresivos tuvieron una rueda de prensa para leer la resolución del consejo municipal para nombrar al 1 de mayo como Día Internacional de los Obreros, seguido por una interpretación de baile por Danza Unida.

En la congregación inicial, las multitudes escucharon a Diego Guaman de Operación Vuelo Sagrado, un grupo comunitario de las bases que fue creado como respuesta directa a la campana en aumento a los inmigrantes en Minnesota y la necesidad de protegerlos, educar y apoyar a las familias inmigrantes.

“Ser inmigrante no es un crimen, pelear por tus derechos no es un crimen y hacer oír tu voz no es un crimen!” proclamó Diego Guaman.

Manuel Pascual, participante de MIRAC, les contó a las multitudes un poco de la historia de May Day y la importancia de salir a las calles en la 20ª marcha de 1 de mayo de la ciudad, “Cada año estamos aquí el 1 de mayo y cada año queremos decir la misma cosa: este es el dia del obrero. ¡El día de los obreros inmigrantes! El único día de fiesta del mundo que nos pertenece a nosotros!” Concluyó su discurso diciéndoles a las multitudes sobre la campaña actual de MIRAC para convertir Minnesota en Estado Santuario y un fin a toda la colaboración local y en el estado con ICE. “Estamos organizando, estamos presentándonos, y estamos retrocediendo a nuestros vecinos cuando ICE intenta llevarlos. Hoy es la práctica, mañana seguimos adelante!

La marcha se detuvo en la Calle Lake y la Avenida Bloomington, sitio de una gran operación federal en la cual policías de inmigracion estaban presentes el junio de 2025. Las multitudes escucharon a Isavela Lopez, activista que fue brutalizada por policías federales aquel día y ahora enfrenta cargos federales sin validez.

“Yo se que no estoy sola,” dijo Lopez, “En el momento se trata de más que me, y se trata de los niños en Palestina, se trate de la gente de Venezuela, y se trata de la gente que quedan encarcelada en los centros de detención ahora mismo!

Benji Gomez, miembro de las bases de Teamsters Local 638, quien también organizó una despensa comunitaria para las familias inmigrantes ubicado en su garaje durante la Operacion Metro Surge con la ayuda de los otros Teamsters de su sindicato, le dijo a las multitudes, “Soy inmigrante. También soy el primero de mi familia que me inscribí a un sindicato y me ha dado verdadero poder. Los sindicatos existen porque los obreros se presentaron juntos y exigieron dignidad, sueldos justos, condiciones sanas y respeto, y muchas veces esos obreros eran inmigrantes, ¡gente con la menor protección pero con el coraje de organizarse de todos modos! Eso sí es verdad hoy en día.”

En la marcha también aparecieron habladores incluyendo Presidente de AFL-CIO Minnesota Bernie Burnham, Presidenta de Local 59 de MFE MArcia Howard, miembros de Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, MN8, Monique Cullors-Doty con los Honrados 39, el Comité Anti-Guerra de MN, y muchos mas que representaban sus sindicatos y otras organizaciones de las bases.

La Organización Socialista Camino de la Libertad también tuvo un contingente grande y visible en la marcha.

La marcha terminó en una tienda Target al otro lado de la calle de la 3ª Delegación anterior (quemada) con un teatro criticando Target y la avaricia corporativa, y también más discursos inspirando a la gente que siga tomando acción. Al final de la marcha, los organizadores pidieron a los manifestantes que coman en los negocios que tienen como dueños inmigrantes en la calle Lake y que asistan a la posfiesta en el Mercado Central para concluir el día.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Trabajo #DerechosdeInmigrantes #1ºdemayo #MIRAC #OSCL #ImmigrantRights #Labor #MayDay #FRSO

Minneapolis, MN – On Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) organized a pro-choice Mother’s Day protest across from what was an anti-abortion, Pro Life Action Ministry (PLAM) billboard.

A few days leading up to the protest, members of MNAAC learned the billboard was replaced with a local orthopedic billboard. Despite this change, they continued with the protest with about two dozen attendees to fight for comprehensive reproductive healthcare, oppose abortion restrictions and the attempts of “pro-life” organizations to influence legislation and to shame women.

MNAAC is actively fighting against the existence of “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs), or anti-abortion centers, in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, with activists demanding restrictions on the ability of CPCs to spread medical misinformation and demanding state and local regulations to require CPCs to disclose that they do not provide a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare.

CPCs convince unknowingly pregnant people in crisis to not have abortions by using scare tactics and promoting myths about abortion causing depression, cancer and infertility. In Minnesota CPCs outnumber abortion care clinics eleven to one, since there are 90 CPCs and nine abortion care clinics. Anti-abortion attacks continue at the federal level with the recent 5th Circuit ruling that seeks to block remote prescription and delivery of mifepristone by mail.

Activists shared their stories about what it means to have the ability to choose to become a parent and how American imperialism continues to harm mothers.

Jordann Hoff, a member of MNAAC, shared that blocking access to mifepristone via telehealth and delivery by mail will harm nearly two-thirds of people needing to have an abortion, since approximately 63% of all abortions are via medication.

Emily Newberg, a member of Women's Against Military Madness (WAMM) shared how Palestinian women are using tent scraps for pads and, without aid mothers, are continuing to take care of their children alone as the men have migrated away throughout the war.

River Road Townsend, a member of Twin Cities Coalition For Justice (TCC4J), told their story about receiving a lifesaving abortion during their first trimester because they still had children to take care of, and how they later were able to choose to adopt a child into their family. Townsend calls their family a family of choice; and that reproductive healthcare should not have to come through the intersection of luck and circumstance.

MNAAC is a grassroots, volunteer-based organization fighting for reproductive justice. The pillars of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child in safe and sustainable communities while maintaining personal bodily autonomy as a human right.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #MNAAC #AbortionRights #WomensMovement #LGBTQ

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, April 22, the city of Minneapolis released a long-awaited after-action review examining the Minneapolis Police Department’s failures in the handling of the murder of Allison Lussier and the shooting of Davis Moturi.

Allison Lussier was a Native woman living in the North Loop of Minneapolis who called MPD more than six separate times to protect her from her abuser Chuck Foss. Despite her family and community making MPD aware of Foss’s potential connection to the case, MPD never called a crime scene unit to investigate and failed to interview witnesses or review surveillance footage. Chief O’Hara, without reviewing the findings of the medical examiner, immediately declared she had died of an overdose despite the lack of investigation.

There was similar neglect in Davis Moturi’s case. Moturi logged 19 separate complaints with MPD regarding racist harassment and threats from his white neighbor John Sawchak, and, leading up to the shooting, the Moturi household called MPD at least 38 times according to the report. Officers did not arrest Sawchak until five days after the attempt on Moturi’s life.

The findings confirmed what families, organizers, and community members have been saying for years: the system meant to protect the most vulnerable is failing, and without sustained public pressure, those failures are buried. This review did not come out of nowhere. It exists because Allison’s family and loved ones refused to stay silent. They organized, they pushed, and they forced this city to confront the truth.

Activists and community members listened as the City Auditor presented for nearly four hours to a joint meeting of the Audit Committee and the Minneapolis City Council. What the City Auditor presented was beyond misconduct; the presentation showed MPD engaged in patterns of neglect and indifference toward non-white victims and that these failures show up in every level of the department’s functioning.

The audit revealed that MPD did not request the Medical Examiner’s report in Allison’s case until nearly two years later and only after the Auditor attempted to obtain it. Several officers outright refused to participate in the audit, including Sergeant Heyers, who was the detective assigned to Allison’s case. One officer who took early retirement before the auditor could speak to him reportedly said, “I’m not going to participate in the investigation.” Despite orders from leadership to participate, O’Hara chose not to enforce this order and as yet there have been no consequences for these officers.

When asked whether race played a role in how Allison’s case was handled, Chief O’Hara repeatedly dodged the question. Additionally, coordination between MPD and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office still had not been established even after months of public scrutiny and promises. O’Hara blamed these issues on understaffing, but a lack of staff does not explain why reports weren’t requested, why officers refused to cooperate and properly file reports, why families were ignored, or why accountability only shows up when the community forces it. MPD received a budget increase of over $5 million in addition to nearly $20 million in approved overtime in 2026, so the issue is clearly not a lean budget but a mismanagement of its resources.

Despite everything revealed in this audit, justice has still not been served. Allison Lussier’s killer has not been charged and MPD has yet to take full responsibility not just for failing her in the investigation, but for failing her before her murder and in how they communicated with the public afterward.

We also stand in solidarity with the family of Mariah Samuels, whose case reflects the same patterns. These are not isolated incidents. This is a pattern of neglect, especially when it comes to indigenous women, Black women, and marginalized communities. The families and community members demand a full direct apology, real consequences for officers who failed to act and investigate these cases, and immediate and meaningful investment in domestic violence response. Twin Cities Coalition for Justice will continue to highlight these cases and push for community control of the police so that cops are held accountable for these egregious failures.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #TCC4J #AllisonLussier #DavisMoturi #MariahSamuels #PoliceAccountability #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, May 1, a coalition led by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the Indigenous Protectors Movement (IPM) and endorsed by more than 60 unions, immigrant rights groups, and other progressive organizations took to the streets in Minneapolis to commemorate their 20th annual march on International Workers’ Day.

The coalition demanded ICE out of Minnesota and legalization for all, as the march came after months of heightened struggle against a federal occupation of the city by immigration agents and militant clashes between the people and ICE. 10,000 protesters marched, chanted, held signs and celebrated at this year’s International Workers’ Day march.

The march flooded Lake Street, the heart of the immigrant community in South Minneapolis, with large banners and flags, and contingents of various unions, immigrant rights groups, anti-war groups, student groups and other progressive movements. As is tradition for MIRAC May 1 marches, the lead banner was held by youth, this year a group of high school students. The massive march had three sound trucks, each with their own speaker programs. People and families lined the sidewalks on Lake street to join in on chants and cheer the march on, coming out of the various immigrant businesses to show their support.

Just before the program began, progressive Minneapolis City Council members held a brief press conference to read the city council’s resolution recognizing May 1 as International Workers Day, followed by a performance by Danza Unida.

At the starting rally, the crowd heard from Diego Guaman from Operación Vuelo Sagrado, a grassroots community group that was created as a direct response to the growing crackdown on immigrants in Minnesota and the need to protect, inform and support immigrant families.

“Being an immigrant is not a crime, fighting for your rights is not a crime and speaking up is not a crime!” said Diego Guaman.

Manuel Pascual, a member of MIRAC, told the crowd some May Day history and the importance of taking the streets on the city’s 20th annual May 1 march, “Every year we are out here on May 1 and every year we mean the same thing: this is the workers’ day. The immigrant workers’ day! The only holiday in the world that belongs to us!” He ended his speech by telling the crowd about MIRAC’s current campaign for a Sanctuary State in Minnesota and an end to all state and local collaboration with ICE. “We are organizing, we are showing up, we are pulling our neighbors back when ICE tries to take them. Today is the rehearsal, tomorrow we keep going!”

The march stopped at Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue, the site of a large federal operation where immigration agents were present in June of 2025. The crowd heard from Isavela López, an activist who was brutalized by federal agents that day and now faces bogus federal charges.

“I know that I am not alone,” said López, “Right now it’s more than about me, it’s about the kids in Palestine, it’s about the people in Venezuela, and it’s about the people that are still in detention centers right now!”

Benji Gomez, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 638 who also organized a pantry for immigrant families out of his garage during Operation Metro Surge with the help of other Teamsters from his local, told the crowd, “I am an immigrant. I am also the first in my family to join a union and it's given me real power. Unions exist because workers stood together and demanded dignity, fair wages, safe conditions and respect, and so often those workers were immigrants, people with the least protection but the courage to organize anyway! That’s still true today.”

The march also featured speakers from Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernie Burnham, MFE Local 59 President Marcia Howard, members of Asamblea de Derechos Civiles, MN8, Monique Cullors-Doty with the Righteous 39, the MN Anti-War Committee, and many others representing their unions and other grassroots organizations.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization had a large and visible contingent in the march.

The march ended at a Target store across the street from the former (burned down) 3rd Precinct with a theater performance calling out Target and corporate greed, as well as more speeches inspiring the crowd to continue to take action. At the end of the march, organizers encouraged participants to eat at the immigrant businesses on Lake Street and attend an after-party at Mercado Central to finish up the day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay #MIRAC #FRSO

Minneapolis, MN – On April 25 Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) and the Climate Justice Committee (CJC) hosted a panel on the environmental consequences of U.S. imperialism.

The panel, held on the plaza right outside of May Day Books, took place a week after the People’s Earth Day March, and was an effort to deepen community understanding on the role of U.S. militarism in exacerbating climate change. April 25 was also Independent Bookstore Day so, in addition to the 30 people who attended, there was a steady stream of people who stopped by on their way in and out of the bookstore.

Liz McLister, representing WAMM’s Families Against Military Madness committee, opened the panel, “The United States boasts the largest military in human history, which is also the world’s largest polluter, gobbling up more petroleum than any institution on earth and emitting more greenhouse gases than some countries.”

McLister continued, “According to Brown University's Costs of War, the U.S. military drives the climate crisis in at least four ways. First by burning enormous amounts of fossil fuels. Second, through emissions-intensive military operations and installations. Third, through the destruction of soil, wetlands, forests and other natural areas that would otherwise absorb carbon. And fourth, by decimating civilian infrastructure and thereby leading to carbon-heavy reconstruction.”

Trish Knous, a member of WAMM’s Palestine Solidarity Committee and the CJC, spoke next about how U.S. imperialism has destroyed the environment in Palestine. “Today it [Gaza] is an area of flat, hard packed land and crushed cement. It is one of many villages, towns, and cities that no longer can support people's lives. When buildings are destroyed, wiring, insulation and asbestos release toxins into the air, land and water. Some of the bombs used penetrate the ground before exploding and release heavy metals such as uranium, lead and arsenic. Some of these metals decay slowly and will affect the composition of the soil and water for decades.”

The panel was closed out by Rebecca Scott from the CJC, who spoke about the environmental devastation from the current U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, “There were 14 million tons of carbon dioxide released in just the first 14 days alone.” She addressed “black rain,” the 14,000 buildings that have been demolished, and the impact of the U.S. bombing Iran’s oil infrastructure.

Panelists encouraged the attendees to protest against U.S. wars and to get involved.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Environment #WAMM #CJC

Minneapolis, MN – On the evening of Saturday, April 25, 50 members of the Twin Cities community rallied downtown Minneapolis to demand the release of Salah Sarsour from ICE custody. Sarsour serves as president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and is a board member for American Muslims for Palestine. He has been an organizer for the Palestine movement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for decades. Saturday’s protest was organized by the Twin Cities chapter of American Muslims for Palestine and the Minnesota Anti-War Committee.

On March 30, Sarsour outside his home near Milwaukee when he was pulled over, surrounded by ten ICE agents, and taken into custody without cause by ICE and DHS. He was initially held at a facility in Chicago, before being transferred to a detention center in Indiana where he remains in custody. Sarsour is a father, grandfather and husband, and has been a lawful permanent resident of the United States for 32 years.

At the rally, organizers led the crowd in chants of “Protesting is not a crime, free free Palestine” and “When immigrants are under attack what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” The crowd handed out fliers to passersby and to cars stopped at the busy downtown intersection of Washington and Hennepin Avenues to inform people about Sarsour’s abduction and the fight to free him from ICE.

Rani Hamza from American Muslims for Palestine articulated that Sarsour’s abduction is not some attempt at immigration enforcement but in fact an act of political repression against the Palestine movement by the Trump administration. Hamza said, “As they try to strip us of our dignity, we will fight harder to protect it. As they try to strip us of our humanity we will fight harder to preserve it. As they try to silence our voices, we will make them louder. And no matter how long it takes, and no matter what obstacles stand in our way, we will continue to fight for our dignity, our humanity, and our right to speak.”

Freedom Road Socialist Organization member Wyatt Miller laid out successful tactics of past battles against repression stating, “We do it by putting up a fight in court and by mobilizing the masses, by taking to the streets, by raising the banner of ‘Free them all’ without any qualifications and without fear.”

Insisting this is an opportunity to favorably shift the political terrain of the movement, Miller continued, “Fighting back against repression changes the political conditions and can help make what was impossible become possible.”

Alissa Washington of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-sentenced Families Council and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice spoke at the protest. Washington’s fiancé Cornelius Jackson has been wrongfully incarcerated and over-sentenced in Minnesota for the past 19 years. Connecting Jackson’s case to Sarsour’s she said, “His case is not unique. It is a reflection of a system that relies on informants, hides evidence, and then expects us to just accept it. At the same time, we are seeing that same system expand beyond prisons into our streets, into our neighborhoods, into our immigrant communities. Because today, we are also demanding: free Salah Sarsour from ICE detention.”

Representing the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Alvin Sheng said, “All immigrants and their families have to band together to ensure that our constitutional rights are preserved for everyone in this country.” He called on supporters of the immigrant rights struggle in the Twin Cities to show up this Friday for MIRAC’s 20th annual International Workers Day march. “The biggest opportunity for us to exercise our collective power and unity with immigrant communities is coming up next Friday May 1. The International Workers Day march is starting at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue at 4:30 p.m. Come out to the most important march of the year for immigrant and labor rights!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #ImmigrantRights #MNAWC #AMP

Minneapolis, MN – On April 18, hundreds took to the streets of Minneapolis, to celebrate Earth Day and demand an end to capitalism’s relentless attacks on the planet. Organized by the Climate Justice Committee along with numerous coalition partners, the rally and march was held under the banner “Earth is for everyone – No one is illegal.”

The march began at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis and travelled to The Commons park, where speeches and tabling were held. Minneapolis-based band Van Cleaver provided music for the afternoon.

Speakers covered a range of topics, from the Trump administration’s attacks on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, to how climate change is a driver of immigration and displacement.

Tracy Molm of the CJC said, “ At a time when communities are facing environmental destruction, displacement, and escalating political attacks, this Earth Day action makes one thing clear: the fight for the planet is inseparable from the fight for human rights.”

Aizar Cabrera from MIRAC drew a connection between climate change and the immigration, saying, “When humans harm our planet, through pollution, deforestation, mining, and countless other atrocities caused by their manic greed they permanently disrupt ecosystems and destroy livelihoods, forcing people to leave their homes to survive. And when these climate refugees come here, seeking the safety and prosperity they have lost to climate change and natural disasters, they are vilified and told to go back to where they came from.”

The attacks on the Boundary Waters proved to be an energizing issue for the attendees. Chris Knopf, the executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters, gave a fiery speech excoriating Representative Pete Stauber’s use of the Congressional Review Act to overturn a moratorium on mining in the Boundary Waters watershed.

Knopf stated, “We in Minnesota have proven that hardship is not what defines us. What defines us is how we respond. Our strength, our resilience, our resistance have inspired the nation and the world.”

Knopf continued, “Trump, Stauber, and those in power in Washington DC are no match for the people of Minnesota. They are no match for you. We in Minnesota know how to stand up to Trump. We’ve done this for months now. We will stand up for the Boundary Waters; we will stand up for our clean water.”

A member of the CJC stated, “Our planet has a disease. And that disease is capitalism. A virus that corrupts…that works for the 1% instead of us. Our forests and wetlands, burned for beef production, stripped and polluted for minerals and drained for data centers. Our rivers and aquifers drained for oil pipelines and animal agriculture, rising oceans used as a dumping ground, and overfished until all that is left is waste and water. If you kill the planet you kill the people! The vision of the ruling class is a frightful new world where we own nothing, have no rights and have to remove the parts of us that make us human: empathy, community, critical thinking, love, in order to survive under the constant, deadly watch of corporate overlords.”

The event concluded with pizza for all, more music from Van Cleaver, and an invite to future events, including MIRAC’s May Day march on May 1.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #EarthDay #ClimateJusticeCommittee #BoundaryWaters #BWCA

Minneapolis – On April 2, protesters gathered in Chute Square, a small park located at the busy intersection of University and Central Avenues Northeast Minneapolis. Commuters honked in solidarity at the sight of Palestinian, Iranian and Lebanese flags. The action, called by the Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition, highlighted Israel’s renewed invasion of Lebanon amid the broader war surrounding U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran that began on February 28.

“Trump thinks he can bomb his way out of the global economic upheaval he started, because he hasn’t yet realized that he’s bombed his way into U.S. hegemony’s unraveling in the region,” said Lina Jebara, speaking on behalf of coalition member U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN). “Iran is redefining the status quo and leading the struggle against U.S. imperialism, along with the resistance fronts nestled in every nook and cranny in the Middle East, in their homelands, ready to defend their countries, lands and peoples to their dying breaths.”

Two weeks later, on April 15, the war continued and protesters gathered again at Chute Square. This time, the occasion was Tax Day, in an action billed “No war on Iran – money for human needs, not the U.S. machine” organized by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition as a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s day of action.

Protesters emphasized the extreme costs, both financial and human, of the U.S.– Israeli attacks on Iran, Lebanon and elsewhere. In the first 12 days of the war alone, the U.S. spent an estimated $12.7 billion as it bombed civilian targets, including the Minab girls’ elementary school, where over 160 students, teachers and parents were murdered in a double-tap strike.

Nadiyah Salawdeh, co-chair of the Minnesota branch of USPCN, spoke of the many ways U.S. acts of aggression have been paid for on the taxpayers’ dime, saying, “It was our tax money that paid to slaughter millions of Iraqis, Afghanis, and so many more in the endless so-called War on Terror. Our tax money that paid for the illegal kidnapping of President [Nicolás] Maduro. Our tax money that paid for the bullets that killed Hind Rajab and the explosives that flattened al-Shifa hospital, that made the genocide in Palestine possible for the past 80 years.”

Amber Mathwig is a member of About Face: Veterans Against the War. “What I did not learn about our taxes until later in life is that our military budget makes up approximately 25% of our government spending,” Martwig told the crowd. “This is up about 4% under the current Trump administration [...] and this 4% will come from cutting programs related to housing, education, utility assistance, and of course – healthcare.”

Polls show the war is not popular among the U.S. population. According to a recent Pew Research poll, 61% disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, while 37% approve, a nearly two-to-one margin. Western allies that have traditionally gone along with U.S. aggression have begun to distance themselves from the war. On March 25, Spain announced that all flights involved in the war were banned from its airspace. On April 14, Italy, due to popular grassroots pressure, canceled its 20-year-old defense treaty with Israel.

Speakers at the Tax Day protest connected the war to local issues. Montana Hirsch, an organizer with the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, explained that “this federal occupation of our city cost Minneapolis alone at least $203 million.”

“The income that we have generated for this war-hungry government is being used to oppress people around the world,” said Kelly Thomas of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice. “This means that it is our responsibility to take a stand and fight back. As long as we are in the belly of the beast, it is our duty to fight for our freedom and for the freedom of everyone who is engaged in the struggle for liberation from capitalism and imperialism.”

In recent days, a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S., and Lebanon and Israel, have been reported. Oil prices seem to have stabilized at just under $100 per barrel, but with extreme uncertainty surrounding the ceasefire and commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz remaining limited, organizers said they expected economic conditions to remain volatile unless the U.S. completely withdrew from the Middle East.

As of press time, U.S. and Israeli attacks since February 28 had killed over 3300 people in Iran, 2200 people in Lebanon, and at least 50 people in Iraq.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran #AntiWarActionNetwork

Minneapolis, MN – On April 7 over 50 anti-war protesters held Iranian, Palestinian and Lebanese flags and anti-war on Iran signs and banners over Interstate-35W in downtown Minneapolis to denounce Trump’s latest threats against Iran and demand an end to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. The emergency response demonstration was called by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).

On April 7, Trump stated that “a whole civilization will die” if his escalation against Iran goes forward, while he and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have repeatedly threatened to send Iran “back to the Stone Age.” Trump announced an 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline for Iran to capitulate to a list of maximalist U.S. demands or face destruction of its critical civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.

Bombing civilian infrastructure is considered a war crime under international law. Moreover, all attacks launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran beginning February 28 are widely understood as unprovoked, making them a war of aggression that violates the United Nations Charter.

Ahead of Trump’s deadline, Iranians have been holding large demonstrations on bridges and near power plants and other critical infrastructure in Iran threatened by Trump, in the hopes of preventing them from being bombed. The MN Anti-War Committee organized the action to show solidarity with Iranians of all backgrounds and beliefs who are standing up against Trump’s war.

Near the end of the action Trump announced that he would back down from his threat on Iran and agree to a two-week ceasefire.

Wyatt Miller, member of the AWC, explained the intent behind the protest, “This bridge is close to the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi that collapsed in 2007. Here in Minneapolis, we know that the destruction of critical infrastructure is no joke. U.S-Israeli bombings are a war crime.”

Miller continued, “Trump seems to have backed down from his genocidal threats for now. But we know he can’t be trusted. It’s more clear than ever that we need to dismantle this whole system of U.S. war and empire once and for all, no matter who’s in charge of it.”

The MN Peace Action Coalition has called for supporters to join Women Against Military Madness’ protest on Wednesday, April 8 from 4 to 5 p.m. to continue to say no to the U.S. war on Iran.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Iran #AntiWarMovement #AWC

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday, March 31, more than 100 community members rallied outside of the Walker Library on Trans Day of Visibility to protest national policies targeting the rights of trans people.

The rally was called by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee in response to anti-trans measures, including the Trump administration’s executive orders E14168 and E14187, which have been used as templates to remove access to healthcare for adults and minors, remove protections against rape for trans prisoners in jails and immigration detention centers, and expose trans prisoners and detainees to conversion therapy, which is considered by the United Nations to be a form of torture. Earlier in the day the U.S. Supreme Court announced a decision that would overturn the right of states to ban conversion therapy.

Yann Chen, an organizer for the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, spoke about how the U.S. government is not only forcing trans prisoners to endure conversion therapy, but also withholding medications from over 2000 trans people. In addition to these attacks on transgender people by the federal administration, legislators across the U.S. have been proposing and passing state laws targeting trans peoples’ ability to change or maintain their legal documents, or even to use the bathroom safely. In February, the state of Kansas revoked the drivers licenses of around 1700 trans people. 27 states across the U.S. have now imposed some kind of ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth.

These repressive laws and policies have led to a mass migration of trans people to trans refuge states like Minnesota, where the Minnesota Human Rights Act enshrines trans rights as human rights. Lizzie Palmer, an organizer with Communities Against Transphobia, pointed out that trans people now make up 1% of Minnesota’s population, and received an audible positive response when she asked the crowd to applaud if they had moved to Minnesota from another state. However, organizers at Tuesday night’s rally argued that, in order to become a genuine refuge for trans rights, Minnesota must also ensure the ability to live with dignity.

Natalie Berger, an organizer with the Minnesota Abortion Access Committee, listed three demands as part of the group’s campaign for trans rights. The first was to make Minnesota a real trans refuge, with local agencies creating and advertising structures of support for trans refugees like housing and job placement, as well as assistance with navigating the healthcare system. The second demand was to make the name change process cheaper, non-invasive, and private, with Berger pointing out that name changes cost $322 on average in Minnesota and are matters of public record, meaning that trans people’s deadnames, or names given at birth, are accessible by public records requests. The third demand was to fund gender-affirming care at the state level. “It's one thing to say trans people are welcome here. It's another thing to mean it and practice that solidarity,” she said.

Michelle Hanlon, an organizer with Minnesota 50501, spoke about the experience of working as a healthcare provider for trans people, reminding the crowd of the importance of real support for trans people in an era when trans people are under attack more than ever.

“Visibility without support makes you a target,” Hanlon said, pointing out that Children’s Minnesota, a vital children’s hospital within the Twin Cities area, had been forced to end their gender-affirming care program due to politically motivated attacks against their organization.

Jae Yates, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, the Taking Back Pride Coalition, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “I see the same choice before us now. Will we submit, or will we resist? Will we hide, or fight? Will we accept a life where we are second-class citizens, afraid to take a damn piss in public, or will we demand the same respect, dignity and privacy that many cis people take for granted?”

The mood then turned solemn in remembrance of Sam Nordquist, a Black trans man from Minnesota who was tortured and murdered by a group of people in upstate New York in 2025 after he moved away from his support network in Minnesota.

Khrys Wetzel, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, read a speech written by Kayla Nordquist, Sam’s sister, who asked that protesters remember her brother as more than what happened to him. “Being seen should never come at the cost of someone’s life,” Nordquist wrote. “No one should have to choose between being themselves and being safe. Sam deserved to be seen. He deserved to be respected. He deserved to live a full, long life, without fear.”

Rae Rowe, the cofounder of the Paper Lantern Project, spoke about the organization’s work providing mutual aid and name-change clinics for Asian American and Pacific Islander trans people

Rowe stated, “They’re afraid of a love that shows ways to exist beyond capitalism, beyond tyranny, beyond the powers that be. And the last few months, we have seen what happens when we are powered by love instead of hate.”

As the rally came to a close, the protesters lined the streets with signs calling for the protection of trans youth and for justice for Sam Nordquist. Drivers honked in support as organizers led the crowd in chants of “No hate! No fear! Trans people are welcome here!” and “We’re not here to compromise! Hands off trans lives!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #LGBTQ #Trans #TransDayOfVisibility #MNAAC

Minneapolis, MN – It was an unseasonably warm spring day in Minneapolis, as around 50 people gathered in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood to mark the 50th annual observance of Palestinian Land Day.

Land Day is a commemoration of the 1976 general strike against the Israeli government’s seizure of Arab-owned land in the Galilee region. By the end of the day, six unarmed Palestinians were dead and over a hundred were injured. Since then, the day has become a commemoration of the Palestinians’ defiant struggle for their land, as well as a day of solidarity.

For the 50th observance of Land Day, the Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis served as the venue. Layna Crandall of the MN Anti War Committee (AWC) told the crowd, “We chose this location because we often hold protests in Mayday Plaza, but Cedar-Riverside is also where a large part of our Somali community lives, and is close by to Little Earth, which houses many of our native community members. This year we wanted to connect all of these struggles.”

Community members demonstrated support through honks, waves and raised fists throughout the protest

The indigenous dance group Danzaketzalb declared their solidarity with the struggle. Seppo Niemi-Colvin of the AWC stated Land Day “serves as a reminder that we still need to preserve and defend Palestinian and indigenous land, and fight to return what Israel and empire have stolen.”

Niemi-Colvin stated, “A key aspect of our divestment campaign is that where the enemy touches us is where we touch the enemy. Companies such as Palantir or Elbit may seem far off and hard to reach, but through state investments we are tied together and we can deal a blow by severing that connection. The point of days of action like Land Day is not just what we can accomplish on that day alone, but it is the building and flexing of organizational muscles that continue beyond that day.”

Maamoun Slayhi of American Muslims for Palestine stated, “I grew up knowing what a fighter jet sounds like. I grew up knowing what a bomb sounds like. I grew up knowing what it looks like when they fall. And we all knew that there was a part of our land that no longer belonged to us. It felt like a piece of us had been taken, because if at any time you tried to go down there, you could be attacked.”

Morgan Budiandri of the MN Immigrant Rights Action stated, “The parallels of Israeli apartheid and U.S. racial oppression are deafening. The perpetrators of genocide are the same as those of deportation. Both systems purposely dehumanize men, women and children to try to break them. But the desire for justice cannot be broken.”

Nadiyah Salawdeh of the US Palestinian Community Network stated, “Land Day is about honoring those that we have lost in the fight for our land and for our liberation. It is also about recommitting ourselves to the fight that is still to come.”

White Wolf of the White Earth Nation closed the event with a traditional song of healing.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #LandDay

Minneapolis, MN – Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) hosted CODEPINK Co-founder Medea Benjamin at three events in the Twin Cities the weekend of March 28-29 to discuss her recent trip to deliver aid to Cuba, Trump’s attacks on Iran and Venezuela, as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Benjamin first spoke Friday afternoon at the weekly WAMM Free Palestine rally, held at the intersections of Summit and Snelling in Saint Paul. Speaking to the crowd, Benjamin said, “I see things changing; way too slowly, agonizingly slow, certainly for the Palestinian people, certainly for the people on the West Bank who are being attacked every day by violent settlers. Certainly for the people in Lebanon, one million of whom have just been displaced, over a thousand of them killed in this recent time, since a ‘ceasefire’. And we know that in the case of Gaza, over 600 people have been killed since a supposed ceasefire. So it’s agonizingly slow, but it is changing.”

Benjamin continued, “The issue is: do you want a foreign power coming in to bomb the heck out of you, destroy your culture, and tell you who should be governing your country? No, you don’t! And that’s what the U.S. is doing in Iran, and of course we see that’s what the U.S. has just done, and tried to do, in Venezuela, that’s what they want to do in Cuba.”

Later that evening Benjamin spoke in an intimate setting of WAMM members and community members about many topics, one of which being her trips to Cuba and experiences with the Cuban people.

Benjamin stated, “The most remarkable source of income for Cubans was medical missions,” Benjamin said. “It became the number one source of income at one point. Which is just remarkable to think about, how a poor country could create so many professionals and send them all over the world to help people. And I say this with great expertise, because my life was saved by Cuban doctors.” Benjamin went on to explain that Cuban doctors in a poor region in Guinea-Bissau saved her from a horrible case of malaria.

On March 28 about 100 people gathered for WAMM’s annual meeting, themed “Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad,” featuring Benjamin alongside Layna Crandell of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump and the MN Anti-War Committee. Guests enjoyed a community meal before the talk began.

During the panel, Benjamin emphasized the ways unlimited funding for war harms us here at home. “In Minnesota, 69% of fourth graders do not read at a proficient level. Eighth grade, 72%,” she said. “And of course we know how defunded our healthcare system is, and everything else that’s good for people.” She ended by saying “It is a multipolar world. While sometimes we might feel lonely in our work here, the majority of people around the world want the same thing we do. They want to live in peace and cooperation around the world.”

The panel also featured Layna Crandell, a member of the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT), who stated, “U.S. intervention has destabilized countries, supported coups to carry out regime change, and imposed deadly sanctions that strangle economies. This forces people to migrate for survival, only for them to be criminalized and targeted when they come here looking for better conditions. All the while, the aggression we see directed at our own communities relies on the same tools used to destabilize nations abroad. The brutality carried out on the periphery becomes normalized, making it easier to carry out similar repression here through the degradation of human rights, through policing, surveillance, and border control.”

After the event, many attended the No Kings protest in Saint Paul, featuring guests like Senator Bernie Sanders, Jane Fonda and Bruce Springsteen. Upwards of 200,000 people were said to be in attendance, making it the largest single protest in Minnesota history. Benjamin attended and talked with demonstrators at the event. The weekend was a large success, giving hundreds of Minnesotans opportunities to learn from Benjamin’s experiences fighting U.S. imperialism in the belly of the beast.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #WAMM #CodePink

Minneapolis, MN – On March 24, 75 people gathered at the Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with Iran and to demand an end to the aggression of the U.S. and Israel in the Middle East.

The protest was called by the MN Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) to draw attention to the level of devastation that the U.S. and Israel have unleashed in their war of aggression on Iran. The past four weeks have seen the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials, together with a relentless bombing campaign that has wrought destruction on Iran’s people, environment, and cultural sites.

Naveen Borojerdi, a member of the MN Anti War Committee and MPAC, opened the program. He has family in Tehran who have spent the past four weeks struggling to survive under the relentless onslaught of the U.S. and Israel. Borojerdi stated, “This past Friday, it officially became the year 1405 on the Persian calendar. May this year be the year that the criminals waging this illegal war on Iran finally lose.”

Speakers pointed out that the Minnesota State Board of Investment has millions of dollars in public pension funds invested in companies like Raytheon and Palantir, whose technology directly aids and abets war crimes like the Minab school massacre.

Vincent O’Connor from the MN Anti-War Committee stated, “When the Pentagon requested $200 billion to fund the war on Iran, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth explained it by saying that it ‘takes money to kill bad guys’. What bad guys? The common thread throughout decades of bloodshed from Latin America to southeast Asia to the Middle East is that the U.S. oligarchy will deem anyone a ‘bad guy’ to suit their own selfish interests.”

Amber Mathwig, a ten-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and member of About Face, spoke directly to the American service members carrying out this war, “Why must children in their classrooms, with their tiny, colorful backpacks and voices of excitement on their first day of school, be murdered so that we can sit in classrooms and claim superiority?”

Danna Qamhieh from USPCN stated that “Palestinians are all too familiar with the aggressive war-mongering and criminal tactics of the United States and Israel. We are familiar with the concept of ‘pre-emptive’ strikes, framed as defensive actions against an ever-present threat.”

The event concluded with a call to continue action against American wars in the Middle East, including taking the message to the No Kings rally on Saturday, March 28.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, March 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee and other partners hosted a protest and march on International Women’s Day at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis. The protest drew over 500 people across generations and movements.

International Women's Day was born as a result of mass action by immigrant working women. These women walked out and began marching to demand better lives. The rights we have today came from people who refused to stay silent, refused to stay home, and refused to accept the conditions imposed on them. This International Women's Day, organizers in the Twin Cities demanded protection for our immigrant neighbors, opposition to U.S. militarism, community control of the police, freedom for the wrongfully incarcerated, resistance to U.S. imperialism across the globe, and trans liberation now.

An immigrant woman representing MIRAC stated, “All we want is peace – stop treating us like criminals and delinquents and start treating us like the workers that we are.” Other speakers detailed the horrors immigrant women face in detention centers, including, sexual assault, forced sterilization, and forced birth.

Nekima Levy Armstrong is a pastor, lawyer, and leader who was arrested earlier this year, celebrated the people’s unified response to Operation Metro Surge.

Isavela Lopez is an organizer in the Twin Cities who was abused by ICE in June. That abuse resulted in four federal charges which she is still fighting. During her speech, she linked immigration to U.S. imperialism. She spoke about how when the federal government destabilizes other countries, the families in those countries are forced to migrate.

An organizer with Women Against Military Madness stated, “War and regime change has never liberated women of other countries. Any attempt by the U.S. government to tell you that their bombing and killing campaigns abroad are for the safety of women is an outright lie.”

A representative of 50501 told the crowd, “Many people are just beginning to realize how discriminatory and racist these so-called public safety agencies are. But immigrant communities and communities of color have been dealing with the practices for a long time.”

Mona Samuels spoke about the brutal death of her sister. Minutes after the police left her sister with her abuser, she was shot 22 times and killed. Their cases show how racist and sexist the Minneapolis Police Department is, and why we need community control of the police.

Nicole Anschutz and Nicole Farias-Lezama spoke on behalf of the Planned Parenthood Union. Nicole Farias-Lezama said, “Eliminating trans rights reinforces traditional gender stereotypes and patriarchal systems that have historically oppressed women.”

This International Women's Day, many speakers highlighted the attacks on the transgender community, namely, in Kansas where trans people have had their drivers licenses revoked. On behalf of MNAAC, Natalie Berger introduced a new campaign that focuses on increasing support for trans refugees.

MNAAC’s next action is planned for Trans Day of Visibility. It will be held at Walker Library on March 31 at 6 p.m.

Beth Miller is a member of Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #ImmigrantRights

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday March 13, Minnesotans held a candlelight vigil in honor of the 165 to 180 victims, majority children, of the U.S. bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in Iran.

The event was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC).

As the vigil began, the crowd of about 50 mourned around a memorial with a display of the victims, flowers and tea lights, while the names and ages of victims, most of whom were girls between seven and 12 years old, were read out before community members came up to speak on their importance.

AWC member Maddy Boucher said, “Tonight, we stand up for the kids our nation has erased from this world. Our children. The world’s children. It is all of our duty to protect the children of the world. It eats on my conscience and it eats on me as a mother. We pay taxes that go directly to killing little children everywhere.”

The massacre, which occurred on February 28 at the outset of the war, shocked people across the world. Despite the U.S. government attempts to suggest a misfired Iranian missile hit the school, new details in the press confirmed U.S. responsibility and revealed it was conducted with two Tomahawk missiles, in a “double-tap” strike. After the first missile hit, students and teachers sheltered in a prayer room while first responders and parents were called. The second strike hit 40 minutes later, killing more inside the school as well as some of those who came to their rescue.

“Tomahawk missiles are manufactured by Raytheon, a U.S. company also known as RTX, which Tim Walz and the State Board of Investment fund by investing 88 million Minnesota pension dollars in,” said emcee Maeve Aickin, highlighting the urgency of the AWC’s long-running DivestMN campaign against the state’s investments in weapons manufacturers and apartheid Israel. “My public school teacher pension is invested in the development of technologies for killing children in what should be safe spaces of learning, and killing my peers in Iran in their place of work.”

Lina Jebara of the US Palestinian Community Network connected the massacre to the widespread killing of children in the region by the U.S. and the Israeli military it sponsors. Together, they have taken the lives of at least 20,000 children in Palestine since the beginning of the genocide in 2023, and killed or injured 1100 more in Iran and Lebanon after launching their attack two weeks ago.

Jebara said, “Every single one of these children was someone’s world. Every single one of these children deserved the same sense of safety, security and protection afforded to all the children in our lives. Every single one represents the future of these countries.”

Over 1200 Iranians have been killed and millions more have been displaced, but Climate Justice Committee member Ben Sullivan-McKone pointed to the long environmental toll of the campaign, particularly the bombing of an oil refinery in Tehran, which caused chemical rain over the city of 10 million people. “The effects of this toxic black rain will be felt for generations,” he said. “These acts must be called what they are; crimes against humanity, crimes against the earth. It is an attack on not only the people, but their entire ecosystem – land, air and water. Nothing will be spared.”

At the end of the program, mourners each laid a flower in front of the memorial.

Jebara told the crowd, “We cannot be content with expressing our remorse only after these attacks occur. We need to proactively organize, take to the streets and fight back to upend the U.S. war machine before more lives are needlessly taken. The future of Iran, its land, its resources belong to Iranians, belonged to the schoolgirls that the U.S. martyred. Not to Donald Trump and his friends.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Minneapolis – On the evening of Saturday February 28, 200 protesters answered an emergency call from the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) to gather at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis to oppose U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Overnight the news broke that the U.S. and Israel had begun carrying out coordinated strikes by land and sea which struck the Iranian cities of Tehran, Qom, Tabriz, and Khorrashahr. Dubbed “Operation Epic Fury” by the Pentagon, the attack took place in the midst of negotiation talks between the U.S. and Iran.

Saturday’s protest featured speakers from many anti-war groups in the Twin Cities, many of which are member organizations of the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

In their speech, Lina Jebara of the U.S. Palestinian Community told the crowd, “We should be clear with ourselves and with our peers, that the U.S. bombing Iran is not evidence that Israel controls the U.S. Trump is not being blackmailed to drag us into this war, and this is not something that could only ever happen under the Trump administration.”

Jebara pointed out, “Taking down Iran has long been an aim of this country because this country prioritizes lining the pockets of billionaire oil execs and friends rather than its own working-class people.”

Yossi Aharoni of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke to the crowd about the bombing of an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, “the largest attack of which was directed against an all-girls school, murdering at least 108 young girls and injuring 80 more. This is all amidst the backdrop of two and a half years of the ongoing genocide of Gaza, four years of the U.S. proxy war against Russia, two months after the illegal kidnapping of President Maduro of Venezuela, three months of the federal occupation of Minneapolis by ICE, and barely one month since the murder of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”

Naveen Borojerdi, an Iranian American with family in Iran, spoke as a representative of MPAC and had a message regarding his recent meeting with a staffer for Minnesota Senator Tina Smith.

Saturday’s protest was just one of dozens that were held across the United States to oppose Trump’s war with Iran. The nationwide Anti-War Action Network called on member organizations in cities ranging from New Orleans, Portland, Dayton, Tucson, Philadelphia, Colorado Springs, Dallas, New York, and many others to hold demonstrations against the war.

The next protest against U.S. attacks on Iran will be on Tuesday, March 3 at Lake Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis at 5 p.m. as a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for action for that day.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Iran #AntiWarCommittee #USPCN

Minneapolis, MN — During rush hour, February 19, protesters rallied in the freezing cold beneath the Interstate 94 bridge to demand the divestment of Minnesota taxpayer money from Israel, ICE and Palantir, a corporation that abets both institutions’ violence.

The rally was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) in response to the Anti-War Action Network’s (AWAN) call for a national week of action against Israel’s continuing U.S.-sponsored genocide in Gaza.

As attendees chanted, “No hate, no fear; divest from Palantir,” emcee Brian Chval of the AWC set the tone for the evening by highlighting the thematic and financial threads connecting Operation Metro Surge to Israel’s violent surveillance regime in Gaza and the West Bank.

Taher Herzallah, American Muslims for Palestine’s (AMP) director of outreach and community organizing stated, “We are standing here today, speaking in one voice – telling ICE to get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” Herzallah added, “And I don’t say that in the fake, performative way that [Minneapolis mayor] Jacob Frey says it on TV. Is Jacob Frey out there doing ICE watch?”

“He’s not doing shit!” crowd members shouted in reply.

Alvin Sheng of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) stated, “Both U.S. parties would gladly throw immigrants under the bus like they’re doing for the Palestinians, as seen by Walz’s kowtowing to the border czar Homan’s demand for greater cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement.”

Sonja Tomasko of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) spoke about WAMM’s grassroots campaign demanding that the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners divest from Waterfall, an Israeli cybersecurity firm. One of Waterfall’s directors, Ami Shafran, served in the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) for four decades.

Tomasko stated, “I want to pause on that number for a moment,” Tomasko said. “40 years working for the IOF! To the Saint Paul Board of Water Commissioners, we ask, ‘How could you do business with this man?’” Tomasko detailed WAMM’s success in pressuring the board to select a replacement for Waterfall without connections to apartheid and genocide, but she emphasized the importance of continued community pressure until the contract is officially terminated.

At the end of the rally, Maeve Aickin of the AWC spoke about Palantir’s active participation in war crimes and human rights violations across the U.S. and the Middle East as a consequence of its Forward Deployed Software Engineer model.

Aickin stated, “This year, we have all witnessed the human cost of Palantir’s technology firsthand—in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our schools. ICE terror has transformed the geography of our city so that we know intersections not by the dead presidents whose names they bear but by the names of our friends, neighbors, and students who were abducted in these places.”

Aickin continued, “Palantir technology constitutes the very fabric of the modern surveillance state, and it quilts Palestine and Minneapolis closer together as working people in both territories resist state violence and occupation while their neighbors are kidnapped and murdered.”

Aickin closed her speech by directing attendees to call Governor Walz’s office demanding that he use his power as chair of the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest the $55 million in public worker pension funds currently invested in Palantir.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Palantir

Minneapolis, MN – Over 1000 union members, immigrant rights activists and supporters marched through Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood on Monday, February 16, to demand an end to ICE’s occupation of the city and for the defense of immigrant rights.

Marchers held dozens of banners with slogans like “ICE our now,” “Legalization for all,” and “Killer ICE off our streets.” The march began at Stewart Park, crossed a highway where the supportive honks of passing traffic temporarily drowned out the marchers’ chants, and ended at the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 26th Street, where Alex Pretti was murdered.

Pretti was shot repeatedly in the back while held down on the ground by masked federal agents agents, after stepping between the agents and a woman who they were attempting to pepper spray.

The march was headlined by the Minnesota AFL-CIO, and was endorsed by many local unions, including AFGE Local 3669, AFSCME Council 5 and Council 65, ATU Local 1005, IATSE Local 13, IAM District 77, IUPAT District Council 82, LiUNA Minnesota and North Dakota, Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Minnesota Nurses Association, NALC Branch 9, SEIU Locals 26 and 284, UFCW Locals 1189 and 663, and UNITE HERE Local 17. Many community organizations endorsed the event and turned out their membership to march as well, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations — MN (CAIR-MN), 50501 Minnesota, Reviving Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE), Women’s March Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).

Speakers were unanimous in driving home the message that ICE occupation of Minnesota has not ended. Manuel Pascual, a member of MIRAC, spoke to the crowd from the back of a truck as the marchers took the streets, saying, “Just days ago, federal officials announced the end of Operation Metro Surge. Let’s be clear — that did not happen because they suddenly found compassion. It happened because people across Minnesota organized, spoke out, marched, and refused to stay silent. It happened because immigrant communities and allies showed courage. It happened because resistance worked.”

However, Pascual continued to note that the community fight against ICE continues, and spoke to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s agreeing to “unprecedented” levels of state collaboration with ICE, without details of this agreement being made public. Pascual said, “What we are seeing now is not a victory lap from those in power. It is a shift in strategy. A quieter approach. Deals being made behind closed doors. Policies that risk embedding ICE deeper into our local systems — into our jails, into policing, into everyday encounters — where harm becomes less visible but no less real. We must say clearly: we will not be fooled.”

Organizers noted that a decreased ICE presence in Minnesota also does not mean that the battle against ICE has ended on a national scale, and that just as millions marched across the country in solidarity with Minnesota, Minnesota will march in solidarity with any future city to see a large-scale occupation by ICE.

When the march arrived at the site of Alex Pretti’s murder, organizers handed out flowers to attendees so they could lay them in tribute at his memorial. The crowd was asked to repeat these slogans after the emcee: “We have a duty to fight for our freedom! We have a duty to win! We have nothing to lose but our chains!”

MIRAC plans to take their demands for an end to ICE terror and for legalization for all directly to Governor Walz, with a rally outside the Minnesota Governor’s Residence at 1006 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #ImmigrantRights #Labor #AFLCIO #AFGE #AFSCME #ATU #IAM #MIRAC #CAIRMN #FRSO

Minneapolis, MN – 30 people gathered in 16-degree weather in the heart of Minneapolis on February 7 to call for U.S. hands off Venezuela, Cuba and Iran, after weeks and months of tension, threats of escalation, and direct attacks on these sovereign counties.

The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition organized the action as part of an International Day of Action called by the Unione Sindicale di Base (USB), a dockworkers union located in Genoa, Italy. The dockworkers union called for the day of protest to shut down the U.S. war machine.

The cold weather did not discourage the crowd in their energy as they filled the streets with chants of “We will say it every time; U.S. sanctions are a crime!” and “From Venezuela to Falasteen, stop the U.S. war machine!”

Speakers addressed the parallels between the attacks from ICE in Minnesota to Trump’s attacks on Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran.

Yossi Aharoni, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, stated, “Six months ago in a brazen act of aggression and escalation the Trump administration attacked the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz in Iran. One month ago, the Trump administration kidnapped the sitting president of a sovereign nation, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, killing over 30 Cuban bodyguards along with dozens of Venezuelans. Two months ago in December 2025, the Trump administration began Operation Metro Surge, which can only be described as a federal occupation of the Twin Cities.”

Aharoni continued, “Both ICE and the IOF [Israeli occupation forces] rely on Palantir’s AI surveillance technology data to track and capture their victims. The bombs dropped on civilians in Gaza are made by the same companies that build the bombs that Trump and Netanyahu drop on Iran. The same 200-year-old Monroe Doctrine that Trump uses to justify attacks against Venezuela are used against Cuba; Trump believes the U.S. can treat Latin America like its own backyard! The same threats that Trump makes against Venezuela are made against Cuba.”

Allison Gunderson, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and the Women Against Military Madness, participated in a U.S. delegation to Venezuela in December and spoke about the need to stand with the people of Venezuela and President Maduro against U.S. attacks.

Gunderson stated, “It is our duty to stand with Venezuela, Cuba, Latin America and the Caribbean and demand an end to U.S. interventions, devastating sanctions, and the stealing of resources and wealth from these countries!” She continued, “We cannot allow the Trump administration to do whatever it wants, especially not waltz into any country it pleases and kidnap their democratically elected leaders, as Trump has made it clear he intends to do to Cuba next! We must demand President Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores be released and we must be ready to get in the streets to protest these sham court proceedings. We have to let it be known we say hell no to Trump's efforts to criminalize the Bolivarian revolution!”

Oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba have been cut off as a result of the U.S. attack on Caracas, Venezuela. Cuba is now facing an energy crisis; this, combined with the pre-existing embargo, will directly threaten the lives of the people.

Demonstrators held signs saying, “Hands off Venezuela” and “No war with Iran.”

Dex Davis explained why he felt the need to show up in the streets. “How can anyone build a life when a foreign power controls their access to medicine, food, fuel, electricity and education? This is the reality for people in Cuba, Venezuela and Iran.”

As Minnesotans continue to respond to the attacks by ICE in their communities, it is clear they are making connections to Trump’s attacks abroad and will keep showing up in the streets.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Venezuela #Cuba #MNAWC #WAMM #MPAC

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