Bozeman, MT – On March 13, Montana State University students and community members disrupted the “Defense Innovation OnRamp Hub: Montana” open house held at the EngineWorks building on Montana State University’s Innovation Campus, to protest the university’s ties to military research and surveillance technologies that assist Israel’s war on Iran and the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.

The disruption was organized by Students Against Genocide (SAG). The group formed earlier this year in response to MSU’s research relationships with defense agencies and corporations whose technologies contribute to war crimes, surveillance and state violence.

SAG has focused particular attention on MSU’s Innovation Campus, which is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty – it hosts research facilities and private corporate tenants involved in war-related work. Among them is the site of Friday’s protest, the EngineWorks building, which hosts companies specializing in intelligence and surveillance technology.

According to SAG, some of these companies have direct links to Israeli military operations. One such tenant, Reveal Technology, confirmed in a public statement in 2024 that its Farsight intelligence software was being used by the Israel Defense Forces.

Shortly after the open house event began, the activists entered the auditorium. Several held Palestinian flags and signs reading “Stop the U.S. war on Iran.”

One protester took the stage with a megaphone and addressed the crowd, saying, “This facility is complicit in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the genocide of the Palestinians. End the war on Iran right now!” Security quickly intervened and pushed the protesters out of the auditorium. As the activists were removed from the building, they continued chanting, “Disclose, divest! We will not stop, we will not rest!”

After being forced out of the building, the students regrouped on a nearby sidewalk outside the EngineWorks building. There, they continued chanting and holding signs condemning U.S. and Israeli violence against Palestinians and Iran.

During the picket, an Innovation Campus official approached the students and asked them to stop chanting, claiming they should “have respect” for the event being hosted inside. Protesters refused, noting the hypocrisy of demanding “respect” for an event promoting technologies linked to the killing of over 70,000 Palestinians and the missile strike that killed around 150 Iranian schoolgirls in Minab.

One protester and MSU student, Julian Staggs, now faces Student Code of Conduct violation charges for involvement in the protest. When asked about his conduct charges, Staggs stated, “Repression faced by Palestine activists in the U.S. is nothing compared to the repression the people of Palestine face on a daily basis, which is facilitated by technologies developed here. I’m proud to have so many friends and supporters with Students Against Genocide to stand alongside me.”

Students Against Genocide has been organizing throughout the semester to pressure Montana State University to adopt enforceable ethics policies governing military and surveillance research, cut ties with companies connected to genocide, and disclose all research funding sources and corporate partnerships connected to the Innovation Campus.

They say they plan to continue protesting until the university addresses their demands and ends its involvement in research and partnerships that support war and occupation.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #AntiWarMovement

Billings, MT – On March 7, about 20 people rallied to celebrate International Women’s Day and to stand with immigrant women. The action was organized by the Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights (BAIR) and took place on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn.

Protesters learned about the ongoing violations of immigrant women’s bodily autonomy that occur at ICE detention centers, including forced sterilization and sexual assault. This issue was tied to the ongoing battle for reproductive rights in the U.S., which have been gutted in the past few years, through the overturning of Roe v. Wade and restrictive laws at the statewide level.

The protest also highlighted women who were victims of ICE murder, including Renee Good and Linda Davis. Good and Davis were killed during ICE operations, and the agents involved have yet to be brought to justice. Protesters chanted “Justice for Renee Good! ICE out of our neighborhoods!” and “Justice for Linda Davis! Down with ICE! Down with racists!”

Local artist and BAIR member Isabella Franklin spoke to the crowd, noting that it was her first protest and saying, “I came here because I am sick and tired of the dehumanization that is happening under the Trump administration!”

Franklin continued, “I come from a Black woman and a Mexican father. My family has been subjected to racism and terror in our community because of the propaganda from the Trump administration!”

At the rally, BAIR continued to push their demands of no Billings PD cooperation with ICE, just as the group has been during city council meetings. On the issue, BAIR co-founder Lain Dorsey said, “Billings Police Lieutenant Samantha Puckett has already said that the police would work with ICE if asked to.”

The crowd shouted “Shame!” One rallygoer said “Those are our tax dollars!”

Dorsey responded, “Our taxes are supposed to be going to Billings PD to protect and serve our community! But Billings PD signing a 287(g) agreement would mean our tax dollars are being used for our police to take part in ICE terror!”

The courthouse lawn, across the street from the Billings Police Department, rang out with chants of “Hey Billings PD! No 287(g)!”

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights will continue putting pressure on the city and Billings PD to not sign onto a 287(g) agreement with ICE. To join BAIR in their efforts, attend the upcoming city council meeting on Monday, March 9 at 5:30 p.m Follow the group on Facebook or Instagram @Billings_AIR for more information.

#BillingsMT #MT #InternationalWomensDay #WomensMovement #ImmigrantRights

Billings, MT – Billings activists gathered on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn on the evening of February 28 to demand an immediate end to the war on Iran. Organized by members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the protest was in response to the late-night bombing of multiple schools in Iran, killing over at least 200 people, including 100 schoolgirls.

The crowd stood in disbelief and anger at the horrific attack, chanting “We won’t buy your lies again! No war with Iran!”

Event emcee and FRSO member Lain Dorsey stated, “While Donald Trump and his capitalist friends are waging war against the people of Iran, war is being waged on our cities here! Trump is sending ICE to kidnap, brutalize, and murder us in the streets, so we share the same enemy as Iranians.”

Dorsey continued, “This won’t end when Trump leaves office. The Biden administration funded Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Republican or Democrat in office, the same shit will continue to happen! We need a workers’ party that can defeat U.S. imperialism and bring about world peace! FRSO is working to build that party.”

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is working to build the people’s movements and fight Trump’s agenda on all fronts. To get involved, sign up at frso.org/join.

#BillingsMT #MT #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Bozeman, MT – At Montana State University, Students for a Democratic Society won their campaign to have U.S. Customs and Border Patrol kicked out of the university's spring career fair.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) initiated their campaign on February 12, with a rally calling for the removal of CBP, the agency responsible for the murder of Alex Pretti. Students also did multiple “call-ins” to the university’s Career Office and were planning a protest of the career fair itself, if CBP was allowed to participate.

“Wednesday evening, we heard from Dean of Students Matt Caires that CBP would no longer be attending the career fair.” SDS said in a public statement released on their Instagram, “Through rallying, calling in, contacting employers, and planning a protest at the career fair students made their voice clear: We want CBP out!”

“Data gathered on the death and abuse perpetrated by CBP agents from 2010 to today show that a reported 367 people have died as a result of an encounter with at least one of these federal agents,” said SDS member Evangelia Minadakis at the organization's February 12 rally. “We will not stand to see those around us become mercenaries for these cruel systems, and we will not stand to allow our university to encourage these connections.”

This campaign came after the supposed end of operation Metro Surge, where ICE and CBP entered Minneapolis, in the wake of unsupported claims of widespread fraud, resulting in the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and a widespread resistance movement by the people of Minneapolis.

“Due to popular resistance in Minneapolis, ICE and CBP have temporarily pulled back,” SDS said in a public statement, “However, when the enemy retreats, we pursue!”

SDS Vice President Homa Masood stressed the importance of placing continued pressure on ICE and CBP, “While the Trump administration tries to intimidate the people from standing up against these agencies, we instead say that it is right to rebel against ICE, and that only by directly challenging them everywhere they show up, can we put an end to their terror.”

SDS says they plan to continue organizing at MSU and in the Bozeman community for a sanctuary campus and an end to any collaboration between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement.

You can follow Montana State University's SDS chapter’s activities @sdsmontanastate on Instagram.

#BozemanMT #MT #StudentMovement #SDS #Imm8grantRights

Billings, MT – The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights held a protest at the Yellowstone County Courthouse on Thursday, January 29 in honor of Alex Pretti, who was murdered by Customs and Border Protection agents in Minneapolis. Over 100 people turned out to support BAIR's demands that the Billings police department not sign a 287(g) agreement, justice for all victims of ICE terror, and legalization for all.

The Trump administration has praised the federal agents for their crimes and labeled civilians who fight back as “terrorists.” While the rally was called to protest the injustice of Alex Pretti’s murder, BAIR shared other stories of victims of state-sanctioned violence.

“Silverio Villegas Gonzales was a father with three children who was shot by an ICE agent in Chicago after dropping his kids off from school. The DHS tried to justify the execution by claiming self-defense. Bodycam footage and eyewitness testimony contradicted this lie!” BAIR co-founder Andreas Storey stated.

The protest received support from the Billings chapter of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. MMIP advocacy involves highlighting indigenous people who have gone missing or been murdered without their cases resolved. The work to investigate these cases has been stalled by the Trump Administration, notably its removal of the “Not Invisible Act Commission” report from the DOJ website.

The founder of MMIP Billings, Charlene ‘Charli’ Sleeper, told the crowd, “ICE and Border Patrol both have innocent U.S. citizen blood on their hands because they're poorly trained and overcompensated for incompetent work. We need to call for Kristie Noem to be removed from her position in DHS and improved funding dedicated to missing and murdered indigenous peoples. Yet here we are spending billions on ICE instead.”

Across from the protest, three men stood cosplaying as ICE agents: faces covered, bulletproof vests and tactical-style gear, each with a visibly holstered firearm. A segment of the rallygoers crossed the road to disrupt the counter-protest. Brooke Lynn, of Billings held a sign that said “Fuck ICE! Say no!” in front of the ICE supporters.

“We showed them a picture of Liam Ramos, the five-year-old from Minneapolis, they said it was AI. There was no reasoning with them. I concluded that you can’t argue with people in cults, so we shamed them and covered their signs with ours,” Lynn explained.

On that side of the road sits City Hall, which has been eyed by Billings residents as a place to demand change. Since the murders of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti, community members have been attending city council meetings to demand that local law enforcement do not sign a 287(g) agreement with ICE.

On January 26, Helena, the state’s capital city, passed a resolution that proactively limited Helena PD’s cooperation with ICE. This resolution specifically instructed Helena police to not enter a 287(g) agreement and not to stop, investigate, detain, or arrest anyone based on their suspected immigration status.

BAIR is demanding that a similar resolution be passed in the city of Billings immediately. Lain Dorsey, a BAIR co-founder said, “Council member Kendra Shaw claims that ‘state law prohibits Billings from enacting local ordinances limiting ICE.’ Well Helena just proved that that is bullshit! So the Billings city council needs to take action now!”

The Billings Alliance for Immigrant Rights will be mobilizing community members to the Billings City Council meeting on Monday, February 9 at 5:30 p.m. to demand that Billings PD does not cooperate with ICE. Stay updated by following BAIR on Facebook or Instagram @billings_air.

#BillingsMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #ICE #BAIR #Featured

Bozeman, MT – On Friday, January 23, students and community members gathered to protest Montana State University’s ties to military research and surveillance technologies connected to Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, and demanding the university cut ties with genocide-linked institutions and corporations.

The protest, organized by Students Against Genocide (SAG), took place outside the administrative building, Montana Hall, where attendees held signs condemning U.S.-funded Israeli military operations and called on university leadership to adopt enforceable ethics policies governing research and corporate partnerships.

SAG, a student-led campaign composed of MSU students and Bozeman residents, says the university’s research relationships and leasing practices directly contradict its public mission. As Montana’s land-grant university and an R1 research institution, MSU holds a responsibility to ensure its influence is not used to enable war crimes, mass surveillance, or state violence.

“We are here because what is happening in Gaza is not distant, abstract, or disconnected from our lives,” said Homa Masood, a member of Students Against Genocide, in a speech at the protest. “It is enabled by systems, institutions, and technologies that exist right here – including at universities that claim to stand for knowledge, ethics and human dignity.”

Speakers highlighted the MSU Innovation Campus, which is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty and hosts a range of research facilities and private corporate tenants. Among them is the Applied Research Laboratory, a classified research facility conducting defense-related research, as well as private companies specializing in military intelligence and surveillance technology.

According to SAG, MSU conducts research for agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Energy across multiple departments and university-owned facilities. The group’s investigation also identified companies leasing space on the Innovation Campus that develop surveillance and intelligence software used both overseas and domestically.

One such company is Metrea, whose Spectrum Operations division specializes in signals intelligence and military surveillance. SAG says Metrea’s work contributes to the expansion of surveillance infrastructure used in modern warfare, including technologies human rights organizations have linked to Israeli military operations over Gaza.

Another Innovation Campus tenant identified by SAG is Reveal Technology, a surveillance and intelligence modeling firm. In a public statement posted in 2024, Reveal Technology confirmed that its Farsight intelligence software was being used by the Israel Defense Forces. The company also develops surveillance tools, including biometric identification technology, that closely resemble those used by U.S. law enforcement agencies such as ICE.

The protest concluded with SAG outlining three demands: the adoption of enforceable ethics policies governing military and surveillance research; an end to genocide-linked investment and tenancy on the Innovation Campus, and full transparency regarding research funding sources and corporate partnerships.

“To live in a country guilty of collaboration within and direct support of genocide gives us all a duty to resist,” said Julian Staggs, another SAG speaker and president of MSU’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). “Doubly so for students, who have a historical duty to be at the forefront of the struggle against wars. And when U.S.-funded Israeli genocide has destroyed every single school and university in Gaza, places of education ought to speak out.”

SAG is calling on MSU leadership and the MSU Alumni Foundation to publicly respond to these demands and meet with students and community members. Organizers emphasized that they will continue organizing until the university’s actions align with its stated ethical values.

#BozemanMT #MT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Bozeman, MT – On January 25 at 3 p.m., over 1500 people gathered on Main Street in Bozeman to protest in response to the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE, expressing solidarity with Minnesota and demanding that ICE stay out of their town.

Among protesters of all ages, many students attended the rally, some of whom had been participating in Bozeman’s new Students Against Genocide campaign, with even more being newly interested and seeking ways to get involved in activism across Bozeman.

Besides remembering Alex Pretti, the people of Bozeman also demanded justice for Renée Good and Keith Porter, the release of Liam Ramos, and the end of the Trump administration by which the recent injustices have been perpetrated.

On the steps of the Gallatin County Courthouse, community members gave speeches about the recent events.

Julian Staggs from Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) told the crowd, “There is no function for this federal agency other than the oppression of immigrants and the American people, oppression that gets turned directly against us. Therefore, ICE serves no service to us, and we must demand its abolition and legalization for every immigrant in America!”

Staggs continued, “We should also know that the federal agents who killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti were not doing that due to a lack of training. They were veteran agents who had been with the agency for years. It is because of the function of this agency to oppress the American people and the immigrant population that they are committing these crimes!”

Homa Masood, another speaker from SDS, said “While we are in grief, we are not here just to grieve. We are not here just to go home and post about it. We are here to build pressure. We are here to disrupt business as usual. We are here to make it impossible for this violence to continue in silence. Change has never come from waiting politely. Change comes when people fill the streets. When people organize together. When people refuse to accept injustice as normal.”

Speakers also gave attention to the Bozeman Police Department, urging them not to follow the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office in collaborating with ICE.

After several speeches, the crowd marched down the sidewalk and across the street, chanting, “No justice, no peace, no ICE in our streets!” Many returned to the courthouse to repeat their demands and continue to show their anger against the administration. The afternoon ended with a call for all in attendance to join progressive organizations.

#BozemanMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #ICE #KillerICE #AlexPretti

Bozeman, MT — Students Against Genocide (SAG) is a student-led campaign by Montana State University members and Bozeman residents. We are united in our opposition to the U.S. sponsored Israeli genocide in Palestine and the use of mass surveillance technologies that enable war crimes, repression, and state violence. We are proud Bobcats and Montanans who are committed to ensuring our university’s actions match its stated values.

As Montana’s land-grant university, MSU holds a public trust to serve the people of this state through education and research to advance the public good. MSU’s recent designation as an R1 research institution reflects our influence and research capacity. Influence comes with the responsibility to uphold ethical standards in where funding comes from, who it partners with, and what kinds of technology are developed under its name.

The MSU Innovation Campus is operated by the MSU Alumni Foundation and Charter Realty and is described as “establishing collaborative programs between institutions and the private sector”. Our investigation uncovered MSU-affiliated facilities and corporate tenants connected to the war industry and to military surveillance operations linked to Gaza. MSU conducts research for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and other U.S. government agencies across academic departments and MSU-owned facilities, including research connected to the Innovation Campus.

We recognize the value of government partnership regarding research advancements that serve the public good. However, the absence of enforceable ethics policies when such partnerships involve technologies linked to civilian harm is alarming. Universities are not neutral when they build the technical infrastructure that enables state violence. As students, we refuse to accept genocide and mass surveillance as legitimate outcomes of university “innovation”.

The Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) on the Innovation Campus, conducts classified defense research and hosts defense-linked private operations including Metrea’s Spectrum Operations, which specializes in “Signals Intelligence.” SAG is concerned that MSU-affiliated facilities are helping expand military surveillance infrastructure in ways that conflict with our public mission and ethical responsibilities.

Engine Works, is an Innovation Campus building that leases space to private companies including Reveal Technology, a surveillance and intelligence modeling firm. In a public statement posted in 2024, Reveal Technology wrote that it “recently deployed its Farsight intelligence software with elements of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)”. Reveal also develops surveillance tools, such as biometric identification technology, for U.S. law enforcement, including ICE and police departments.

Our Demands

1. Adopt enforceable ethics policies governing military and surveillance research, Innovation Campus leasing, and research funding sources. 2. End war-industry leasing and relationships on the Innovation Campus by removing any tenants connected to genocide or war crimes and severing partnerships that enable such operations. 3. Commit to transparency by publishing annual public lists of research funding sources and Innovation Campus tenants and disclosing defense-related research to the greatest extent legally possible.

A comprehensive explanation of our full demands is listed here.

We urge MSU leadership to publicly respond to these demands and meet with concerned students and community leaders.

Learn more: studentsagainstgenocide.com Follow: @studentsagainstgenocidemsu

#BozemanMT #MT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SAG

Billings, MT – On January 8, around 20 people rallied together to demand an end to the U.S. war on Venezuela and the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The protest was organized by members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization after the bombing of Caracas and kidnapping of the Venezuelan leaders by U.S. forces in the early morning of January 3. The strike that took place reportedly killed 100 people and comes after months of the Trump administration bombing civilian fishing boats, murdering non-combatant Venezuelans.

Protesters gathered on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn in downtown Billings and chanted “Free Maduro, free him now!” and “No more bloody wars for oil! U.S. off Venezuelan soil!”

Homa Masood, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at Montana State University, told the crowd, “This was not about protecting human rights. If it were, the U.S. government would not openly side with dictators when it’s convenient for them. They would not openly support war criminals like Benjamin Netanyahu!”

The crowd also showed anger toward the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, with several attendees holding signs that read, “Fuck ICE.” Protesters called for justice for Good, chanting “Justice for Renee Good! ICE out of our neighborhoods!”

FRSO member Lain Dorsey, in an interview with local news station KTVQ, stated, “Trump has called Nicolás Maduro a dictator, but he is acting like a dictator by sending out his ICE thugs to kidnap men, women and children – from their schools – and to murder civilians in broad daylight. It's absolutely shameful.”

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization is committed to fighting Trump's agenda on all fronts. To get involved, sign up at frso.org/join.

#BillingsMT #MT #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela

Bozeman, MT – On January 7 at 6:30 p.m., with only hours’ notice, approximately 50 Bozeman residents rallied at the Bozeman Police Department with a clear statement: justice for Renee Good, the victim of ICE’s murder in Minneapolis earlier that day, and no ICE in our communities.

The protest was loud and energetic. Chants such as “IDF, KKK, ICE, they’re all the same!” and “Fuck ICE” were kept up the entire two-hour duration of the rally. At one point, protesters called out to Bozeman Police Department officers gathered in the parking lot, shouting “No cooperation, no deportations!” and demanding that BPD put out a public statement committing to non-cooperation with any ICE activity in Bozeman.

Daisy Baertschi with Students for a Democratic Society at Montana State University said, “”We showed up in the dark and the cold to tell our neighbors and police department that we don't want ICE murderers and kidnappers in our town. Fuck ICE, fuck this bullshit.”

This protest in Bozeman came at the same time as protests in Minneapolis and across the country against the murder of Renee Good and call for ICE out of their communities.

#BozemanMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #InJusticeSystem #ICE #KillerICE #KillerCops #ReneeGood #SDS

Billings, MT – On November 6, People United Billings (PUB) rallied outside the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Billings to protest the “Liberty Dinner” put on by the Mountain States Policy Center, a local right-wing think tank. The event was headlined by former Trump cabinet member Ben Carson, with Montana Governor Greg Gianforte listed as one of the featured guests.

PUB promoted the protest with the slogan “Gianforte dines while Montanans starve!” highlighting the hypocrisy of the governor's refusal to assist SNAP recipients during the federal government shutdown, while attending a dinner event with plates costing from $80 to $150.

The protest was sparked by a statement released from the governor’s office on October 29, which read, “While the governor believes these benefits are vital for vulnerable Montanans, he has been clear that the state cannot fund this federal program, which is funded by federal dollars, without promises of reimbursement.”

Danny Choriki, the president of People United Billings, responded saying, “Montanans can’t survive on half-rations and political excuses. Winter is coming fast, and every day of delay means empty cupboards and cold homes. Governor Gianforte must act now – not when it’s convenient, but when it’s critical!”

Shortly after the rally began, protesters learned that the governor would not be attending the dinner in person, appearing via Zoom instead. Gianforte’s office claimed that this was due to “scheduling conflicts,” but the organizers view it as an act of cowardice. Just as the dinner’s attendees avoided the entrances where protesters were positioned, the governor avoided facing his outraged constituents.

“Stamp out hunger! Stamp out thirst! Greg’s gotta grow a backbone first!” PUB member Dan Schaeffer chanted as he stomped with rally goers, calling out the governor's complicity with Trump's agenda.

Lain Dorsey, a member of PUB and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, addressed the crowd of around 40 community members stating, “Gianforte donated 25% of his salary – $20,694 – to Montana’s 77,000 SNAP recipients. That amounts to 25 cents per person! The governor had an estimated net worth of $190 million in 2018 and can only muster a quarter per Montanan that he has been elected to represent? Shame!”

In addition to the rally, PUB and another local group called Montana Resistance set up a food drive for rally goers to donate items to help food-insecure Billings residents. Billings Family Service, Fellowship Baptist Church, Billings Food Bank, and Peace Lutheran Church have more resources for community members that may be in need.

People United Billings meets every Thursday at the local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 6 p.m. To get involved in the fight against Trump’s agenda in Billings, attend a meeting or visit peopleunitedbillings.org to see the group's events calendar.

#BillingsMT #MT #PeoplesStruggles #SNAP #PUB #Feature

Bozeman, MT – On Friday, October 17, students and community members gathered with signs reading, “Blood money off campus” and “Pro-science anti-genocide” to protest against the presence of a U.S.-Israel Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund info session on campus, aimed at finding university researchers to do agricultural research for BARD.

The rally was organized jointly by Students for a Democratic Society at Montana State and Montana 4 Palestine. In a pamphlet distributed at the event, Students for a Democratic Society and Montana 4 Palestine critiqued the presence of BARD on campus, writing, “BARD pours U.S. money into Israeli research partnerships with institutions linked to occupation and genocide.”

Julian Staggs, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, called out the hypocrisy of Israeli agricultural research on campus while its genocide of the Palestinian people is ongoing saying, “Israel has waged a two-year intentional starvation campaign against the people of Gaza, which has included cutting off their access to fresh water making agriculture and food sovereignty impossible within the Gaza strip.”

A number of students attempted to enter the public BARD event held in the Montana State University library but were told they had to be on the registration list in order to get in. When students were able to show that they had properly registered for the event, the event organizer suddenly declared that students were not welcome at the event, and that no students were allowed to enter, deeming the event for faculty and community members only, despite no public advertising of it stating so.

In a public statement released online, Students for a Democratic Society and Montana 4 Palestine said that the University “seemingly decided on the spot that students had no place in knowing what research MSU participates in,” and that, “Students have a right to know who MSU is associating with! Students have a right to attend public events!”

Students turned away from the event rejoined the protest outside, leading chants such as “BARD, blood money!” and “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest.” A march was then led around the library building. Organizers also used the rally as a time to hand out fliers exposing Montana State’s other connections to Israel and the genocide in Gaza, making it clear that wherever genocide rears its head, students would come out.

#BozemanMT #MT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #M4P

Billings, MT – On Saturday, September 20, People United Billings (PUB) rallied with about 20 people in front of the local federal building, which houses an ICE field office. The event, called “Rally Against Racial Profiling,” was organized in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to allow federal agents to stop and question people based on their race, ethnicity and spoken language.

PUB joined Legalization For All’s weekend of action to condemn this ruling.

Lain Dorsey, a member of PUB and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) emceed the event, leading chants and speaking on behalf of both groups. Dorsey told the crowd, “Immigrants pose no threat to our safety or well-being. ICE does!”

The Supreme Court’s decision was issued as an “emergency order,” stemming from the case of Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. The ruling reverses a lower court’s injunction to prohibit racial profiling. The practice of racial profiling is a flagrant violation of human rights, as well as the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The rally focused on ICE raids, both local and nationwide, and the devastating effects these actions have on oppressed groups. PUB member Brooke Lynn helped lead chants, shouting, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Racial profiling’s got to go!”

Recently in Billings, a 90-year-old woman named Eva Sigsworth was raided by ICE, FBI and a SWAT team. The early morning attack was carried out using smoke bombs, flash grenades and a sound cannon. The agents ransacked Sigsworth’s home and other buildings on her property, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. Sigsworth, affectionately known as “Mamacita,” was formerly a prominent restaurant owner and a beloved figure in the Billings area. Her grandson was taken into custody in nearby Worden, Montana that same night. No information on his current status is available at this time.

The Billings protesters stood in solidarity with immigrant rights activists across the country, including Isavela López, who is facing up to eight years in prison for standing up to ICE in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In Whitefish, Montana, three members of Flathead Democracy were arrested for allegedly blocking a Border Patrol vehicle. The protest occurred after a mother and daughter were detained while attempting to help with a traffic accident. Colton Little, Aggie Putnam and Leanette Galaz are facing disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, and obstruction charges. Their next court appearance will be on Tuesday, September 30. Rally attendees chanted “Protesting is not a crime! Drop the charges now!” in support of Isavela López and the three protestors in Whitefish.

People United Billings will continue to organize against Trump’s agenda. The group holds a rally every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon outside of the Yellowstone County Courthouse and “visibility brigades” at the 27th Street overpass on I-90, Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.

#BillingsMT #MT #ImmigrantRights #ICE #L4A

Billings, MT – On Thursday, August 21, the Billings Chapter of Montana for Palestine (MT4P) held a rally outside of the local IRS building as part of the Global Strike for Gaza. The rally focused on the recent airstrike and murder of Anas al-Sharif and several other journalists covering the genocide in Gaza.

The death toll of journalists in Palestine has reached around 270 since Israel escalated its genocide on October 7, 2023. As such, the group’s demands were to “Stop the murder of Palestinian journalists” and to “End U.S. aid to Israel.”

Lain Dorsey, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, emceed the rally. She opened the rally by describing the events that brought the group to action, “On August 10, journalists in Gaza were intentionally air struck by Israel in order to cover up their war crimes that they have been committing for nearly two years. Israel lies and uses the excuse that they were members of the Palestinian resistance, but we in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization say that it is right to resist occupation and genocide!”

Will Ryerson, a member of MT4P spoke on his experience as an early childhood educator, stating, “It sickens me to my core to see starving children in Gaza. Over 18,000 children and babies have been murdered with direct support by the U.S. government!” Ryerson and other speakers repeated the staggering $46 million that is sent from Montana to Israel annually, with an estimated $8.3 million of that coming from Billings taxpayers.

Billings, which lies in Yellowstone County, is facing cuts to public institutions like the Yellowstone Art Museum, to pay for expansions to the county jail. While the Yellowstone county commission does little to address poverty, homelessness, and access to healthcare, they allow Billings tax dollars to be used for genocide and criminalizing the poor. Protesters showed their outrage by shouting “Shame!”

Toward the end of the protest, Lain Dorsey tied the fight for a free Palestine to the broader fight against Donald Trump’s agenda stating, “The way that the National Guard and federal police are occupying Washington, DC and targeting Black residents, is the same way that Palestinians are treated in apartheid Israel. If it can happen there, it very well could and is happening here!”

Israel’s targeting of journalists hit close to home for several members of MT4P who are journalists themselves. Closing the action, Jenna Martin, a frequent photojournalist in the West Bank shared the devastation of seeing her colleagues losing their lives and shared the final words of Anas al-Sharif. Quoting al-Sharif, Martin stated, “I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.”

To stay up to date with Montana for Palestine's upcoming events, follow them on Instagram @MT4Palestine.

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