Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the University of Minnesota Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

By Sophie Breen and Montana Hirsch

Minneapolis, MN – On Monday, October 14 over 50 protesters gathered together on Indigenous People’s Day to tell Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance that he is not welcome in Minneapolis. Vance attended a private fundraiser in Minneapolis the same day, and held a press conference at the burned down Minneapolis former 3rd Precinct police station.

The protest was organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) as part of a national week of action called by the Legalization for All Network to stand with Haitian immigrants in the fight for legalization for all, in the face of the intensely racist anti-immigrant rhetoric spewed by right-wing politicians at every turn.

Minneapolis, MN – Both chapters of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59 (MFT59) have voted to pass an arms embargo resolution demanding an end to U.S. military aid to Israel. The final vote in the Teacher’s Chapter was 67% for and only 33% against, while the final vote in the Education Support Professionals (ESP) Chapter was unanimous: 47 for, 0 against, with 3 abstentions.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 6, over 4000 protesters gathered in downtown Minneapolis on to mark one year of protest and resistance to Israel’s U.S. funded genocide in occupied Palestine. The Free Palestine Coalition started the march with a rally at the Gateway Park Fountain on the corner of Hennepin and Washington Avenues. Protesters marched through downtown and the North Loop neighborhood, proudly displaying support for Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, Iraq and all people caught in the crosshairs of Israel’s terror campaign.

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, October 4, 30 abortion rights organizers, allies and community members gathered to mourn the deaths and celebrate the lives of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller. Thurman and Miller tragically passed away because they were unable to access lifesaving reproductive care, as a result of Georgia’s draconian anti-abortion laws. Their stories just recently came to light after the state’s maternal mortality review committee ruled both of their deaths preventable.

Minneapolis, MN – On October 2, over 100 people protested outside the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. The MN Anti-War Committee called the protest to bring attention to the recent Israeli ground offensive into Lebanon which is leaving many Lebanese civilians dead in its wake.

Senator Klobuchar was targeted for the protest because her policy decisions have repeatedly put Israel first, and its victims last; and that the people of Minnesota stand with the Lebanese people and against U.S. military support for an Israeli led large-scale regional war.

Minneapolis, MN – On September 26, 200 protesters demonstrated to demand an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. The protest started with a lot of energy as Students for Justice in Palestine marched from the University Minnesota Student Union and across the Mississippi River to the West Bank campus to join the community solidarity action. Protesters filled the plaza in front of Mayday Books to chant and wave Palestinian and Lebanese flags. The emergency action was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee as a part of a wave of protests nationally in solidarity with Lebanon.

Minneapolis, MN – On Wednesday, September 18, over 700 protesters rallied outside Northrop Auditorium as the new University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham was inaugurated inside. As university workers prepped the Northrop Mall for the massive celebration set to begin in just two hours, students walked out of class, joining the rally to demand that the University of Minnesota divest from Israel.

As the crowd chanted, “Neutrality is a lie! You’re supporting genocide!” nervous low-level administrators fidgeted with their clipboards and took photos of the protest. The rally was a campus-wide effort, called for by the UMN Divest Coalition, AFSCME 3800, and Educators for Justice in Palestine.

Minneapolis, MN – On September 16, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee held a rally in remembrance of those killed during the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre. About 100 people rallied to project a message of solidarity with Palestine.

The Sabra and Shatila massacre was one of the most brutal massacres that Israel should be held accountable for. Between 2000-3500 Palestinian refugees and Lebanese civilians were killed in refugee camps outside of Beirut. The massacre occurred between September 16-18, 1982.

Minneapolis, MN – On September 10, 40 people rallied to protest predatory anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” First Care. This marks the fifth protest of a First Care facility organized by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) as part of their campaign to expose the deceptive and manipulative practices of these facilities.

During the protest, Jay Belsito, a member of UnRestrict MN and Gender Justice, recalled their experience with an anti-abortion center as a pregnant teenager in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They were misled about how far along they were in their pregnancy and given fake ultrasound images, a common tactic used to prevent people from making informed choices about their bodies and their health.