Message to the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, October 14, 2017

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement by Prof. Jose Maria Sison, Founding Chairman Communist Party of the Philippines that was sent to the Oct 14 Minneapolis celebration of the October revolution. The address can be viewed on youtube.

Minneapolis, MN – The walls were covered with red stars and Russian revolutionary posters, as more than 70 trade unionists, community, anti-war and student activists came together here, Oct. 14, to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1917 October revolution in Russia. The event was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO).

Minneapolis, MN – Protesters chanted and spoke out against President Trump’s third attempt at a Muslim ban, Oct. 10, at the Minneapolis Federal Building, in downtown Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, MN — The afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 7 saw over 100 people join a protest to mark 16 years of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. The protest was organized under the call of Stop Endless U.S. Wars.

Minneapolis, MN – Immigrant rights activists demanded “Sanctuary now!” at the Minneapolis City Council meeting Oct. 6. The activists gathered outside of City Hall then made their presence felt in the City Council chamber, holding their banner and signs at the start of the council meeting.

Minneapolis, MN – Puerto Ricans in Minnesota whose families are suffering on the island after Hurricane Maria organized rally on Oct. 4 to demand immediate and sufficient aid to relieve and rebuild Puerto Rico. The 50 person rally was part of a day of action in several cities across the country to highlight the plight of 3.4 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico who have no electricity or drinking water, face shortages in fuel and food, and who are dealing with severely destroyed telecommunications.

Minneapolis, MN — A coalition of peace, anti-war, faith based, student and other groups will march and rally in Minneapolis on Saturday, Oct. 7.

Minneapolis, MN – While Minnesota’s elite assembled for a University of Minnesota fundraising gala, Sept. 23, where the price of admission was a half-million dollars, about 200 campus workers and their backers crashed the party.

Minneapolis, MN – Around 50 people gathered on the steps of City Hall Sept. 20 for a press conference to publicly launch the Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform. Afterwards, many of them marched into the city council meeting to demand “Sanctuary now” for immigrants.

Minneapolis, MN – About 100 members of Teamsters Local 320, AFSCME Local 3800, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and others rallied Sept. 8 on the University of Minnesota campus at the McNamara building to demand decent contracts for the university workers’ unions.

Minneapolis, MN – For the second week in a row, the organizers of a weekly peace vigil in the Twin Cities addressed the war crisis in Korea by holding a very visible anti-war event. The Sept. 6 event was attend by over 35 people who held signs against a U.S. war on north Korea.

Minneapolis, MN — About 2500 people marched through the streets of Minneapolis, Sept. 5, demanding “Hands off DACA! No more deportations!” Protesters gathered at the Minnesota Republican Party headquarters and marched to downtown where they joined another powerful rally organized by Asamblea de Derechos Civiles.

Minneapolis, MN — About 2500 people marched through the streets of Minneapolis, Sept. 5, demanding “Hands off DACA! No more deportations!” Protesters gathered at the Minnesota Republican Party headquarters and marched to downtown where they joined another powerful rally organized by Asamblea de Derechos Civiles.

“The war in Afghanistan is Trump’s war”

Minneapolis, MN – A group of Twin Cities anti-war and peace activists gathered to listen to the Monday, August 21 speech on Afghanistan given by President Trump. In the speech Trump outlined what amounts to a continuation of the war.

Minneapolis, MN – More than 1000 people marched here August 14 to oppose white supremacy and honor the dead and injured in the aftermath of a white nationalist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia. The lead banner of the march read, “Minnesota against white supremacy.” Several protesters carried poster-sized images of Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old anti-racist murdered by a white supremacist in the August 12 attack.

Minneapolis, MN – Over 40 people joined a Minneapolis protest on August 11 to speak out against the growing danger of a new U.S. war in Korea.

Minneapolis, MN – Marianne Hamilton, 97, a long time, highly respected, and much loved anti-war activist died Saturday August 5. Along with Polly Mann, Marianne founded Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) years ago. Polly recalls she was the model of how to do peace work, that “she was a light to all of us.”

Minneapolis, MN — At the August 8 Minneapolis Public Schools board meeting, directors voted to keep School Resource Officers in the schools. Before the meeting began, a group of young people with the Black Liberation Project, who have spent months speaking with school board members about the impact of having School Resource Officers in the schools, held a rally outside of the district offices.

Minneapolis, MN — Meredith Aby-Keirstead of the Twin Cities-based Anti-War Committee condemned the August 5 bombing of the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center, stating, “It is important for all people of conscience to stand with our Muslim neighbors against the rising tide of hate crimes against them. Right-wing bigots feel validated by President Trump's words and policies and are no longer trying to control their hate. We need to denounce all acts of anti-Muslim bigotry and defend our Muslim neighbors. We need to call this what it is – a hate crime! We need to call out people, and politicians who defend these actions, as racists.”

Minneapolis, MN – President Trump signed a U.S. sanctions bill against Russia, Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on August 1. In a hostile move, both the U.S. House and Senate voted by large majorities to target the oil and gas industries of Russia, the space and nuclear industries of Iran, and the international banking and financial institutions dealing with the DPRK.