Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

MN

By Kalani Matus

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, September 5, over 50 people converged on Minneapolis’s urban lakes to pressure Minnesota’s presumptive governor Amy Klobuchar to take a stand against sulfide mining. While the majority of those assembled took to canoes and kayaks, another contingent marched alongside the flotilla on the lakeshore.

Chants of “Hey hey! Ho ho! Sulfide mining has got to go!” and “Water is life!” could be heard across the water as the protesters navigated the chain of lakes in vessels bearing flags with slogans such as “Defend MN waters” and “No sulfide mining.”

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By Chrisley Carpio

Minneapolis, MN – On August 30, T-Mobile and AT&T disclosed that they had sent the phone records of several Twin Cities activists to ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents after receiving a summons filed by Homeland Security on April 12, 2026. These included the telecommunications data of Jess Sundin, Steff Yorek and other anti-ICE and anti-war activists, such records for the phone line for Minnesota Council for American-Islamic Relations.

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By Roxanne Threlfall

Minneapolis, MN- August 26, 50 protesters rallied to demand an end to Palantir’s catastrophic violence in Gaza and terror campaign here in the United States. The action included three banners on the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, which connects Loring Park to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden over Interstate-94. The banners read, “MN money funds AI weapons: divest MN from Palantir,” “Divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel! No tax $$$ for occupation” and “Divest MN from Palantir! Israel and Palantir out of Palestine!”

Organizers explained how Palantir has a long, dark history, made worse under the Trump administration. Founded 23 years ago during the so-called War on Terror, the company marketed itself as a software start-up. “Palantir isn’t just another technology company sitting in an investment portfolio,” said Alissa Washington from Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN (WIAOFC-MN).

According to Vincent O’Connor from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC), Palantir is a “tool used to commit countless crimes against humanity with the funding and support of the U.S. military and a plethora of agencies like the CIA and the FBI that have an interest in surveilling and controlling entire populations.”

Miki Pensec from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) pointed out that Palantir is not only a Republican problem, but in fact, “the first Palantir contracts were signed under Obama.”

Organizers highlighted U.S. regime change plots around the world, intensified with Trump in office, in support of its imperialist intentions. O’Connor said that Palantir allows the United States government to “commit this violence more quickly and more efficiently, or, in other words, on a larger scale than ever.”

It’s not just the U.S. government that uses this technology, but also the Israeli government. According to Nadiyah Salawdeh of U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), in 2024, “Palantir entered into a ‘strategic partnership’ with Israel. This partnership has allowed the cowardly Israeli military to hide behind screens, remote controls, and AI models to commit genocide in Gaza and Lebanon.”

O’Connor added that the Israeli occupation forces “use Palantir to recommend bombing targets, generate kill lists, and even track Palestinians so they can bomb them when they’re in their homes with their families.”

“Palantir CEO Alex Karp said in February 2026 that Palantir’s ‘weapons software is in every combat situation I’m aware of’,” said Salawdeh. “It looks like double-tap strikes on hospitals. It looks like hundreds of bullets fired at Hind Rajab. It looks like hundreds of thousands of dead kids. It looks like mass murder and displacement in Lebanon.”

Salawdeh continued, “What we have allowed to happen to Palestinians has come back to roost. These same technologies that have been tested on Palestinians for over a decade are being deployed in our communities.”

Within the U.S., Palantir is an integral tool used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In Minnesota, Palantir’s AI surveillance technology reportedly was used directly during Operation Metro Surge. O’Connor said this allowed for “racist policing and mass deportations” by thousands of agents who were “brutalizing, killing, and abducting our own community members.”

Pensec explained how during Operation Metro Surge, “ICE agents photographed MIRAC members, observers, and ordinary bystanders, called them out by name and told them they knew where they lived.” This was likely aided by Palantir’s technology.

Activists drew attention to the fact that the Minnesota State Board of Investment still has $57 million invested in Palantir. “Minnesota cannot claim to protect immigrant communities and civil liberties while our public money is invested in infrastructure being used to surveil and target people,” said Washington.

The organizers spoke to an upsurge of protest against Palantir around the country and called on the community to rise up and demand accountability and justice. “We are tired of politicians creating another advisory board, another task force, another committee that can make recommendations and then be ignored,” Washington added.

Pensec concluded, “They are starting with immigrants, with people of color, with trans people, with activists. But the endpoint is a profile on every one of us.”

The action included a rally at the nearby busy Hennepin/Lyndale Avenue interchange, where the banners were visible. The rally featured speakers from several groups, including the US Palestinian Community Network, Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-sentenced Families Council-MN, Minnesota Anti-War Committee, MN 50501, and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palantir #Surveillance #ImmigrantRights #ICE

By Elizabeth McLister

Minneapolis, MN – On August 30, the newly-formed U.S. Out of Africa Committee of Women Against Military Madness hosted its first event, “Understanding the Tools of Empire: A Panel on Mass Incarceration, Police Violence, and Extraordinary Rendition.” 

Dozens of community members packed the main room of the Lucy Parsons Center. They wanted to learn about the relationship between racialized policing and mass incarceration inside U.S. borders, and U.S. intervention and state-sponsored abductions in Africa.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Dozens of community members gathered at New City Center on August 30 for a screening and discussion of the documentary 20 Years, ¿Y Qué?. Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) hosted the 58-year commemoration of the Chicano Moratorium, when 30,000 Chicanos marched against the Vietnam war in East Los Angeles on August 29,1970.

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By staff

St. Paul, MN – Amid a nationwide wave of outrage against Flock automatic license plate readers, community members packed city council chambers on August 26 for a public hearing on police surveillance technology and data privacy. Dozens of community members testified to their opposition to the city’s use of the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras made by Flock and Axon, as well as autonomous drones manufactured by Skydio.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, August 27, over 100 people turned out to the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for the latest hearing for Minnesota 15, the group of anti-ICE protesters who have been indicted on bogus federal conspiracy charges for their alleged activities during Operation Metro Surge.

Recently, documents were released by the courts which detailed the Trump administration’s massive surveillance operation in Minneapolis targeting anti-ICE activists, labor unions and community groups. It included tactics such as sending undercover agents to public meetings and protests, using AI facial recognition software to track individuals, and recording suspected activists’ license plates in public parking lots.

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By Vincent O'Connor

Panelists in Minneapolis discuss divestment from Palantir.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 20, dozens of community members attended a panel titled “How MN Money is Funding Palantir’s Deadly Surveillance Network” at the Lucy Parsons Center. The panel, organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC), discussed divestment from the AI surveillance company Palantir. Palantir facilitates human rights violations against Palestinians, as well as immigrants in Minnesota.

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By staff

Minneapolis Spider-Man out to smash white supremacy and Jake Lang.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 22, at 11:30 a.m. the People’s Action Coalition Against Trump (PACAT) organized a counter-protest to the Jake Lang hate rally. More than 100 protesters showed up in opposition to Lang’s white supremacist hate speech, aimed this time at the Black community. Lang has also called for the reinstitution of Jim Crow laws, calls to deport all immigrants from the U.S., and anti-Muslim hate speech.

When counter-protest organizers arrived at city hall, Minneapolis Police Department officers threatened to tow away their sound and medic vehicles. But when Jake Lang and his band of less than ten supporters showed up with two vehicles, MPD allowed them to drive onto the sidewalk. Officers surrounded Lang’s vehicles as they moved forward, effectively providing them with an armed escort.

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By Maddy Schwartz

A Honeywell inertial measurement unit stamped "Mpls, MN", found among bomb fragments in Gaza, Palestine.

Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday, August 13, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition (MPAC) hosted a panel titled “To Hell With Honeywell” at the Lucy Parsons Center. The panel shared the history of Honeywell’s production of weapons parts in Minneapolis, and local resistance efforts to its complicity in U.S. war crimes.

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By Roxanne Threlfall

Minneapolis protest demands end to occupation of south Korea.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 15, community members gathered at Mayday Plaza to honor the 81st anniversary of Korean Liberation Day. The event was held in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood, right outside of Mayday Books.

The action was emceed by Trent Fast from the Minnesota Anti-War Committee and Leo Del Rio from About Face, who began with the acknowledgement of the U.S.’s ongoing presence and occupation in Korea.

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By Tracy Molm

Protest against mining in the BWCA.

Minneapolis, MN – On August 15, around 20 people gathered on a rainy afternoon in downtown Minneapolis to raise awareness about proposed mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness by a company called Twin Metals.

Sophie Kampmeyer from the Climate Justice Committee told the crowd, “The proposed mines near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness would be sulfide mines, a byproduct of which is sulfuric acid, AKA battery acid, polluting the lakes and rivers. As the acid makes its way through the environment, it leaches other toxic metals from the ground, including mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead. These contaminants would pollute crops and wildlife throughout the state,” adding that it would be, “permanent pollution for less copper and nickel than we’d get from recycling e-waste that already exists.”

Activists’ chants of, “When the water we drink is under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” and “Hey hey, ho ho, toxic mines have got to go!” echoed for blocks, including at the busy downtown farmers market, where activists handed out information to market-goers. Cars honked and people joined in chanting to show their support for protecting the Boundary Waters region.

Emma Scherrer from Minnesota Workers United, stated, “We cannot ignore the climate crisis for short-term profit. If we don't do something now, there won't be anything left to protect. The mining interests are pitting people who want good paying jobs against those of us that want clean water and clean air! Now I don't know about you, but I don't just want clean water and clean air or a good-paying job. I want all three. This is definitely possible.”

Ulysses Dolan from the AWC made the connection to environmental and anti-war fights around the globe. “The State Board of Investment is investing in companies that fuel the genocide in Palestine and Twin Metals. We need to call on our governor to divest!”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #Environment #BWCA #Mining #CJC

By staff

St. Paul, MN – Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) and the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) responded to the Legalization for All Network’s call to protest against Trump’s racist attacks on Haitian immigrants. Dozens of protesters gathered on the Marshall Avenue/Lake Street bridge at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5 to stand with the Haitian community against Trump’s latest racist anti- immigrant attack.

In Ohio, Hattian immigrants are being summoned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are being forced to wear ankle monitors until their deportation hearing – or be deported immediately.

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By Meredith Aby

Minneapolis, MN: On July 30, 35 people protested at Loring Park in Minneapolis to demand an end to the U.S. oil blockade on Cuba. The protest was called by the MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) and Women Against Military Madness’ HOLA (Hands Off Latin America) Committee as a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s call for a week of action in solidarity with Cuba.

An increasing amount of international attention is focused on the consequences of President Trump’s tightened blockade on the island. Since the U.S. kidnapped Venezuelan President Maduro, the Trump administration has imposed a six-month-long U.S. oil blockade on the island, which is causing a humanitarian crisis. Electric water pumps frequently sit idle due to lack of power, leaving major cities like Havana struggling with running water. Hospitals and medical manufacturing have also slowed down due to the lack of electricity.

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By Michael Wood

St. Paul, MN – Eastside Neighbors will breathe clean air come January 1. After a years-long struggle, Eastside neighbors are celebrating the closure of industrial polluter Northern Iron Tool and Machine. On Thursday, July 30, the foundry announced that it will close by the end of the year. Northern Iron was a constant source of pollution that harmed the Eastside community.

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By Mikael Pensec

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, July 25, the first riders of a protest on wheels started arriving at George Floyd Square before the sun had fully risen. By 10 a.m., the crowd swelled to around 100.

Three days earlier, Corey Ruiz was fatally shot in Madison, Wisconsin. Nine days before that, Joan Sebastian Guerrero was brutally murdered by ICE in Maine, in front of his one-year-old daughter. And just the night before, word came through that the “drugs” DHS had used to smear Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had tested negative, too late to undo the damage of the accusation. This is the backdrop against which the riders gathered: a rolling body count that never seems to pause long enough for anyone to catch their breath.

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By Carolyn Handke

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, July 18, more than 50 community members rallied on the corner of Loring Park in Minneapolis to demand Minnesota take tangible steps to be a real sanctuary state for trans people. Loring Park is a historically queer neighborhood in Minneapolis and hosts Pride every year.

The rally was called by the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee to demand Minnesota become a true refuge state for trans people relocating here by providing concrete support and resources that help people safely build their lives.

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By staff

St. Paul, MN – The Climate Justice Committee (CJC) joined East Side Neighbors for Health to pack the courtroom for the administrative hearing, July 21, regarding the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) action to revoke Northern Iron’s permit to pollute, due to noncompliance and noncooperation.

Before the hearing started, extra chairs were needed for the nearly 40 people who had come out on a Tuesday morning to witness the hearing. The small administrative court is unaccustomed to bystanders.

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By staff

Minneapolis protests U.S./Israel attacks on Iran and Lebanon.

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, July 18 the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) held a protest at the intersection of University and Central Avenues at Chute Square Park. The committee demanded an immediate end to the U.S. war on Iran and Israel’s ongoing attacks and occupation of Lebanon. Over 50 community members and activists attended the action, holding signs, flags and banners to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Commuters honked in support as they drove by, while passengers yelled “Free Palestine” out the window.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, July 17, around 200 people gathered in a majority-immigrant neighborhood in scorching 95-degree heat to demand justice for four men who were murdered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in just seven days.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was shot by ICE on July 7 during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas. He had built houses for over three decades, worked hard while putting his three sons through college, and was simply driving his construction crew to work that morning.

Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, was killed on July 13 in Maine. He was working two jobs in order to support his wife and their three-year-old daughter. His daughter was in the car when ICE agents shot through the window.

Both men were killed because ICE agents were looking for someone else.

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