St. Paul, MN - As Donald Trump was inaugurated the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, people gathered in Saint Paul to make a promise that from day one they would resist Trump’s agenda. 

The day began at the Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct. With temperatures dipping to negative five degrees, a single hearse led a caravan of over 100 cars in remembrance of Marcus Golden. At the young age of 24, Mr. Golden was murdered by Saint Paul Police on January 14, 2015. He is the nephew of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities organizer Monique Cullars-Doty. 

The caravan participants decorated their cars with Palestinian flags and signs in support of the defense of Black lives, immigrant rights, and reproductive rights. The caravan proceeded from The Saint Paul Police Department’s Western District precinct along University Avenue. Two young men exited their parked cars in subzero weather to wave a Palestinian flag in support as the caravan passed. The caravan participants honked as they continued east toward downtown.

Cullars-Doty spoke about the significance of the single hearse leading the caravan today. “The hearse is from the same undertaker who took my nephew Marcus Golden’s body from Ramsey County Coroner’s office, but it also represents all the revolutionaries this country has killed and silenced. It is also symbolic that we all follow the hearse because we are still fighting. So as this Trump administration rolls in, we cannot let our dreams die. It means we have to keep fighting.” 

A coalition of organizations led by Black Lives Matter Twin Cities (BLM-TC Metro), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) organized the car caravan and indoor rally.

In the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol, the caravan arrived at Saint Paul College where 500 attendees filled the cafeteria to chants of “Black Lives, they matter here! and “Immigrants are welcome here!” 

Despite the somber occasion of Trump’s second inauguration, the room buzzed with enthusiasm as the emcees led the crowd in chants. Speaking for MIRAC was Manuel Pascual - a first generation Filipino immigrant who witnessed the violence of ICE raids against his community first hand. 

Pascual stated, “Immigrants and the working class are the backbone of this country. It is extremely important we don’t panic or fall into despair in this time of uncertainty. Instead, we organize. We take to the streets. We continue speaking up, showing up, and fighting for one another.” 

Charlie Berg, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, affirmed the task ahead of everyone in the room: “It is up to all of us to unite the many in order to defeat the few. We need to make this country ungovernable! Our job is to take the fight to higher stages than ever before.”

Toshira Garraway, the founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, whose fiancé was murdered by the Saint Paul Police in 2009, inspired the crowd saying, “When we see someone being hurt or harmed or mistreated for any reason at all it’s going to take every nationality of people from every walk of life to stand up against the evil and the corruption in this world and we are going to win!”

Sarah Murphy from the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee who spoke about the fight for abortion access under Trump and the fight against the predatory crisis pregnancy centers that are run by the Christian right and embed themselves in predominantly Black and brown working-class communities and college towns to dissuade people from getting abortions.

The crowd also heard speeches from the Climate Justice Committee, the TCC4J, the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, among many others. Other groups were present to table and talk to community members and other organizers throughout the day to share information and get more community members involved in joining the fight against Trump. 

Closing out the program was Anti-War Committee and Free Palestine Coalition member Sabry Wazwaz, who connected the fights for Black and Palestinian liberation, stating, “This connection is not something new. It has always been there. They don’t want us to remind each other that our struggle is one struggle! If you go to Palestine, you will see murals all along the apartheid walls of Martin Luther King, of Malcom X, of George Floyd - because our struggle is one struggle!”

After the program, participants returned to their cars to caravan to the Minnesota State Capitol building where they ended the day of protest honking outside of the Minnesota State Capitol to send the message that Minnesotans will be in the streets to fight Trump’s agenda starting on day one, even in extreme subzero weather.

#StPaulMN #MLKDay #MLK #Trump #Inauguration #Minnesota #AntiWarCommittee #FreePalestineCoalition #FreePalestine #Abortion #AbortionAccess #ReproductiveFreedom #ReproRights #BLM #BlackLivesMatter

The approximately 400 workers mine taconite in Babbitt, Minnesota, make iron ore pellets in Silver Bay, and transport products and tailings.

Workers elected to join the USW through card check, a process by which a majority of workers indicate their desire for a union.

“We chose to unionize so that we can have a voice on the job, especially when it comes to workplace health and safety, retirement security and other critical issues that affect us every day,” said Jason Curtis, who works as a maintenance technician in the operation’s concentrator.

The USW also represents approximately 2000 workers at four other Cliffs’ mining facilities in Minnesota and northern Michigan. Northshore Mining was the last remaining taconite mine on Minnesota’s Iron Range without a union.

#MinneapolisMN #Minnesota #usw #NorthshoreMining

Minneapolis, MN – The family of Khalil Ahmad Azad, a 24-year-old Black man who was found dead in Crystal Lake in Robbinsdale, Minnesota on July 5, 2022, still had many unanswered questions on March 10, after Robbinsdale police released some body camera footage. The footage was released months after Khalil’s family said they requested it in September of last year. Azad was chased on foot by police in July after he was pulled over, and his body was discovered in Crystal Lake two days later.

Azad’s case gained attention after his family shared autopsy photos of his body online, showing severe bruising on his face, damage to his nose, and large scrapes on his body. The autopsy, performed by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office, concluded that Azad died from “freshwater drowning,” but his family says that doesn’t make sense.

Azad’s sister, Ayisha Johnson, spoke at a rally on Friday, March 10, about the suspicious nature of the case. “Looking at those photos, you know something was wrong. There’s no drowning, he knows how to swim, he was like 6’ 4”, come on now,” Johnson said. “Every video I watch and every article, I add it up in my head. I know they [the police] are lying. Everyone can see that they’re lying.”

A statement released by Azad’s family last week says they believe the body camera footage from Robbinsdale Police was edited because the video skips, pauses, is blurry at times, and does not have time stamps listed. The family says that dogs can be heard barking in the background of the video, and an officer can be heard yelling to comply or they’ll release the dog.

Black Lives Matter Minnesota held several rallies last week demanding justice for Azad, which were endorsed by Twin Cities Justice for Jamar (TCC4J) and various other groups. Another rally is planned for this Wednesday at the Hennepin County Government Center. Azad’s family is demanding the release of all unedited body camera footage from all law enforcement agencies that were involved in Khalil’s case, and answers to all their questions.

Azad’s family said in their statement that they want to know why police stopped searching for Khalil so quickly. Police reported that they searched for Khalil for just 30 minutes. The family says they believe Azad ran from police for fear of his life, due to previous encounters with Robbinsdale police in which they threatened him.

“It’s the art of the cover-up, this is what police do,” said Monique Cullars-Doty during Friday’s rally. Cullars-Doty is a Black Lives Matter Minnesota and TCC4J member and the aunt of Marcus Golden, who was killed by Saint Paul police in 2015. “We can come out and stand up regardless of what the police say, regardless of what the media says, because we continue to see situations where white men survive and Black men do not.” Cullars-Doty also commended Khalil’s family for making the sacrifice to share the graphic autopsy photos and expose Khalil in that way.

During a rally in front of the Robbinsdale police station March 8, Toshira Garraway, founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, said she believes that what Robbinsdale police did to Azad is similar to what Saint Paul police did to her fiancé, Justin Teigen, when they beat him and threw him in a trash dumpster in 2011. Garraway said the way that the body cam footage in Azad’s case goes blank after an officer says that the cameras are rolling, is similar to how the footage in her fiancé’s case went blank, leading her to believe they were both edited.

“He looks like Emmett Till,” Garraway said of Azad’s autopsy photos. “We’re not stupid. We know what our eyes show us. We see a man brutally beaten. These are modern day lynchings happening at the hands of law enforcement here in the state of Minnesota.”

Azad’s brother, Jamal Johnson, said at Friday’s rally that his family received body camera footage from Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office that day, but he said they didn’t have the chance to review this footage before the rally. Johnson said his family is still waiting to receive body camera footage from other law enforcement agencies involved, including New Hope and Crystal police, and a State Patrol helicopter.

Trahern Crews, Black Lives Matter Minnesota founder, commended Azad’s family at Friday’s rally for all they’ve been able to accomplish even though they don’t have an attorney. In addition to the body camera footage that was released, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also opened an investigation into the case last week. Crews said this investigation is unprecedented, given it’s been over eight months since Azad’s death.

Azad’s family wants all law enforcement agencies involved in his case to release all remaining body camera footage and details. “It hurts me because I have to go to sleep at night knowing that I don’t have answers,” Azad’s sister, Ayisha Johnson said. “He was such a beautiful person. He was my best friend and I loved him so much.”

#MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #Minnesota #PoliceCrimes #justice

The workers, who are members of Teamsters Local 320, are set to engage in mediation tomorrow, March 18, which is required during the cooling off period. Settlement seems unlikely and workers are well organized for the fight. At issue are pay parity with prosecutors, overwhelming caseloads, and remote work.

Their employer knows that its position is weak given the resolve of the workers, public support and solidarity with other unions. So the employer has entered into a campaign of intimidation and workplace harassment to head off the strike.

Managers have been denying vacation requests, refused to allow workers to take their children to medical appointments and tried to force workers into providing details about strike plans. While disappointed about how they are being treated, workers are becoming hardened in their resolve to get a fair contract that addresses their demands.

As many of the workers are lawyers, there have been discussions about the ethical concerns of going on strike. They have concluded that they can strike since it is specifically permitted under state law and their district chief public defenders are the ones actually appointed to provide representation. The chiefs decide at will which lawyer will represent any particular client.

In a heavy-handed move, the Minnesota Office of Lawyer Professional Responsibility, which is overseen by the Minnesota Supreme Court, issued an advisory early this morning indicating that striking by lawyers is unethical. The OLPR is headed by Susan Humiston, who is currently under scrutiny for workplace bullying. She seems to have thought she could bully public defense workers. That’s not how things worked out, however.

Public defense lawyers quickly went to work scrutinizing the OLPR advisory and realized it was significantly flawed and did not accurately reflect the law. According to Veronica Surges, a public defense lawyer, “we quickly saw the advisory for what it was. It was an attempt to stop us from standing up for ourselves. It was a legally-flawed thinly-veiled effort to dissuade a strike. If anything, the advisory has strengthened our resolve to fight.”

Public defense workers provide representation for approximately 90% of people charged with crimes in Minnesota. A significant number of their clients are oppressed nationalities. Darcy Sherman, also a public defense lawyer, says, “We are fighting for ourselves and our clients. We are convinced we will win this and we won’t back down in the face of intimidation by our employer.”

#Minnesota #strike #TeamstersLocal320 #PublicDefenseLawyers

The workers, who are members of Teamsters Local 320, are set to engage in mediation tomorrow, March 18, which is required during the cooling off period. Settlement seems unlikely and workers are well organized for the fight. At issue are pay parity with prosecutors, overwhelming caseloads, and remote work.

Their employer knows that its position is weak given the resolve of the workers, public support and solidarity with other unions. So the employer has entered into a campaign of intimidation and workplace harassment to head off the strike.

Managers have been denying vacation requests, refused to allow workers to take their children to medical appointments and tried to force workers into providing details about strike plans. While disappointed about how they are being treated, workers are becoming hardened in their resolve to get a fair contract that addresses their demands.

As many of the workers are lawyers, there have been discussions about the ethical concerns of going on strike. They have concluded that they can strike since it is specifically permitted under state law and their district chief public defenders are the ones actually appointed to provide representation. The chiefs decide at will which lawyer will represent any particular client.

In a heavy-handed move, the Minnesota Office of Lawyer Professional Responsibility, which is overseen by the Minnesota Supreme Court, issued an advisory early this morning indicating that striking by lawyers is unethical. The OLPR is headed by Susan Humiston, who is currently under scrutiny for workplace bullying. She seems to have thought she could bully public defense workers. That’s not how things worked out, however.

Public defense lawyers quickly went to work scrutinizing the OLPR advisory and realized it was significantly flawed and did not accurately reflect the law. According to Veronica Surges, a public defense lawyer, “we quickly saw the advisory for what it was. It was an attempt to stop us from standing up for ourselves. It was a legally-flawed thinly-veiled effort to dissuade a strike. If anything, the advisory has strengthened our resolve to fight.”

Public defense workers provide representation for approximately 90% of people charged with crimes in Minnesota. A significant number of their clients are oppressed nationalities. Darcy Sherman, also a public defense lawyer, says, “We are fighting for ourselves and our clients. We are convinced we will win this and we won’t back down in the face of intimidation by our employer.”

#Minnesota #strike #TeamstersLocal320 #PublicDefenseLawyers

Minneapolis, MN – On February 16, Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota rallied and marched to demand justice for Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man murdered by the Minneapolis police in a relative’s apartment earlier this month.

80 people gathered outside the Student Union on Washington Avenue, chanting “What do we want? Justice!” and “Say his name! Amir Locke!” A banner reading “Justice for all stolen lives” was at the front, along with signs demanding justice for Amir Locke and community control over the Minneapolis Police Department. Signs announced SDS’s own referendum campaign for community control over the University of Minnesota Police Department. Members handed out fliers calling for police accountability and justice on and off campus.

Bella Harbison, speaking for SDS, said, “Police departments and political leaders across the country are not afraid of committing acts of violence against our Black and brown community members; they are afraid of being caught, and being held accountable for crimes against humanity.” Harbison declared to the powers standing in the way of accountability that “Amir Locke’s name will never be forgotten, and that we will always be ready to fight for him.”

Jae Yates from the Freedom Road Socialist Organization made clear that “it is no coincidence that police and slaveowners have so much shared history; both seek to keep oppressed nations and members of the working class in place.” Yates continuing in saying that in order to fight for real accountability, “you should join the fight for community control of police in Minneapolis both on and off campus. We cannot rely on the same people that benefit from policing to defund, demilitarize, or abolish the police. We have to fight for the self-determinative power that Black people have fought for for 400 years.”

Loretta Van Pelt, speaking for the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar raised the peoples’ demands: community control, a permanent end to no knock warrants and the charging and arresting of Amir Locke’s killer, Officer Mark Hanneman, and all other officers involved in the murder.

Allison Leopold, a member of White Coats for Black Lives, a student group from the UM medical school, made clear that when police are threatening the lives of Black community members it is a health issue, and that we have a duty to fight back against racist police crimes.

After chanting and listening to the speakers, students marched down Washington Avenue, ending up at the UMPD station. As they turned the corner, the chants of “Indict, convict send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell” were heard throughout the area.

Closing out the protest, Sasmit Rahman, another SDS member said, “We need you guys to sign [the referendum petition], we need more energy, because it is too easy right now for Joan Gabel and the regents to ignore us and to ignore our demands. We need people to share it with their friends, we need consistent action and consistent pressure on Joan Gabel and the regents!”

UMN SDS is currently running a campaign to get Community Control over the UMPD on the ballot in the all-campus elections of Spring 2022. This would be in the form of a democratically elected, all-civilian Civilian Police Accountability Council, that represents students, staff, faculty and the communities surrounding the campus – such as Cedar-Riverside where the UMPD are regularly present – so that they all have the power to decide UMPD’s budget, to hire and to fire, to discipline and carry out other accountability measures.

For students who want to join the fight, keep an eye out for SDS tabling and petitioning around campus. Sign and share the petition, and to keep up with the campaign follow SDS on instagram @umnsds. If you want to help organize around it, join the SDS weekly meetings, Thursday at 6 p.m. in Tate 105.

#Minnesota #StudentsForADemocraticSociety #AfricanAmerican #CivilianPoliceAccountabilityCouncil #AmirLocke

St. Paul, MN – Around 30 people lined the busy Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, June 30, to protest the latest U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The action was called by Women Against Military Madness and supported by the Anti-War Committee, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and other local groups. Peace vigils have been held at the bridge every Wednesday for over 20 years, regardless of weather.

This latest vigil followed the Biden administration’s June 27 announcement that U.S. warplanes had dropped bombs on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border. Several people were reportedly killed in the attack. The targets were militias with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), which formed in 2014 to stop the reactionary Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group’s rapid advances.

In 2018, the PMF was incorporated into the official security forces of the Iraqi state. The Biden administration said the airstrikes were in response to attacks on U.S. troops by the PMF, which it characterized as “Iran-backed.”

Militant resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq intensified after the January 2020 assassinations of top PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The assassinations prompted Iraq’s parliament to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal, which the U.S. rebuffed. After the June 27 airstrikes, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the airstrikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

At the bridge vigil in Minnesota, Iraqi-American activist Sami Rasouli agreed. “When the military of Iraq was dissolved, Iraq became a wide open arena,” he said. “When ISIS in 2014 invaded Iraq, the Iraqi army that was dissolved came back again, and now is still growing, to defend not only Iraq but Syria too, and Iran.”

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee added, “These kinds of airstrikes always run the risk of triggering a major regional war. We need to oppose the sanctions, too, and oppose the U.S. military occupation not only of Iraq but of the oilfields in eastern Syria, all of which are contributing to Syria’s inability to rebuild after the war.” In May, Miller travelled with a peace delegation to observe conditions in Syria firsthand.

Syria, which allows the Iraqi PMF to operate on its territory, also condemned the airstrikes, reporting that U.S. bombs had struck a residential building and killed a child while injuring several more civilians. Hours after the airstrikes, U.S. forces occupying Syria’s al-Omar oil field came under rocket attack by resistance forces in the area.

#Minnesota #AntiwarMovement #AntiWarCommittee #Iraq #Syria #Airstrikes

St. Paul, MN – Around 30 people lined the busy Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, June 30, to protest the latest U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The action was called by Women Against Military Madness and supported by the Anti-War Committee, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and other local groups. Peace vigils have been held at the bridge every Wednesday for over 20 years, regardless of weather.

This latest vigil followed the Biden administration’s June 27 announcement that U.S. warplanes had dropped bombs on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border. Several people were reportedly killed in the attack. The targets were militias with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), which formed in 2014 to stop the reactionary Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group’s rapid advances.

In 2018, the PMF was incorporated into the official security forces of the Iraqi state. The Biden administration said the airstrikes were in response to attacks on U.S. troops by the PMF, which it characterized as “Iran-backed.”

Militant resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq intensified after the January 2020 assassinations of top PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The assassinations prompted Iraq’s parliament to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal, which the U.S. rebuffed. After the June 27 airstrikes, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the airstrikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

At the bridge vigil in Minnesota, Iraqi-American activist Sami Rasouli agreed. “When the military of Iraq was dissolved, Iraq became a wide open arena,” he said. “When ISIS in 2014 invaded Iraq, the Iraqi army that was dissolved came back again, and now is still growing, to defend not only Iraq but Syria too, and Iran.”

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee added, “These kinds of airstrikes always run the risk of triggering a major regional war. We need to oppose the sanctions, too, and oppose the U.S. military occupation not only of Iraq but of the oilfields in eastern Syria, all of which are contributing to Syria’s inability to rebuild after the war.” In May, Miller travelled with a peace delegation to observe conditions in Syria firsthand.

Syria, which allows the Iraqi PMF to operate on its territory, also condemned the airstrikes, reporting that U.S. bombs had struck a residential building and killed a child while injuring several more civilians. Hours after the airstrikes, U.S. forces occupying Syria’s al-Omar oil field came under rocket attack by resistance forces in the area.

#Minnesota #AntiwarMovement #AntiWarCommittee #Airstrikes #AbuMahdiAlMuhandis

St. Paul, MN – Around 30 people lined the busy Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, June 30, to protest the latest U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The action was called by Women Against Military Madness and supported by the Anti-War Committee, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and other local groups. Peace vigils have been held at the bridge every Wednesday for over 20 years, regardless of weather.

This latest vigil followed the Biden administration’s June 27 announcement that U.S. warplanes had dropped bombs on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border. Several people were reportedly killed in the attack. The targets were militias with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), which formed in 2014 to stop the reactionary Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group’s rapid advances.

In 2018, the PMF was incorporated into the official security forces of the Iraqi state. The Biden administration said the airstrikes were in response to attacks on U.S. troops by the PMF, which it characterized as “Iran-backed.”

Militant resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq intensified after the January 2020 assassinations of top PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The assassinations prompted Iraq’s parliament to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal, which the U.S. rebuffed. After the June 27 airstrikes, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the airstrikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

At the bridge vigil in Minnesota, Iraqi-American activist Sami Rasouli agreed. “When the military of Iraq was dissolved, Iraq became a wide open arena,” he said. “When ISIS in 2014 invaded Iraq, the Iraqi army that was dissolved came back again, and now is still growing, to defend not only Iraq but Syria too, and Iran.”

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee added, “These kinds of airstrikes always run the risk of triggering a major regional war. We need to oppose the sanctions, too, and oppose the U.S. military occupation not only of Iraq but of the oilfields in eastern Syria, all of which are contributing to Syria’s inability to rebuild after the war.” In May, Miller travelled with a peace delegation to observe conditions in Syria firsthand.

Syria, which allows the Iraqi PMF to operate on its territory, also condemned the airstrikes, reporting that U.S. bombs had struck a residential building and killed a child while injuring several more civilians. Hours after the airstrikes, U.S. forces occupying Syria’s al-Omar oil field came under rocket attack by resistance forces in the area.

#Minnesota #AntiwarMovement #AntiWarCommittee #Airstrikes #AbuMahdiAlMuhandis

St. Paul, MN – Around 30 people lined the busy Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, June 30, to protest the latest U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The action was called by Women Against Military Madness and supported by the Anti-War Committee, the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and other local groups. Peace vigils have been held at the bridge every Wednesday for over 20 years, regardless of weather.

This latest vigil followed the Biden administration’s June 27 announcement that U.S. warplanes had dropped bombs on both sides of the Iraq-Syria border. Several people were reportedly killed in the attack. The targets were militias with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Force (PMF), which formed in 2014 to stop the reactionary Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group’s rapid advances.

In 2018, the PMF was incorporated into the official security forces of the Iraqi state. The Biden administration said the airstrikes were in response to attacks on U.S. troops by the PMF, which it characterized as “Iran-backed.”

Militant resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq intensified after the January 2020 assassinations of top PMF commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The assassinations prompted Iraq’s parliament to call for an immediate U.S. withdrawal, which the U.S. rebuffed. After the June 27 airstrikes, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the airstrikes as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

At the bridge vigil in Minnesota, Iraqi-American activist Sami Rasouli agreed. “When the military of Iraq was dissolved, Iraq became a wide open arena,” he said. “When ISIS in 2014 invaded Iraq, the Iraqi army that was dissolved came back again, and now is still growing, to defend not only Iraq but Syria too, and Iran.”

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee added, “These kinds of airstrikes always run the risk of triggering a major regional war. We need to oppose the sanctions, too, and oppose the U.S. military occupation not only of Iraq but of the oilfields in eastern Syria, all of which are contributing to Syria’s inability to rebuild after the war.” In May, Miller travelled with a peace delegation to observe conditions in Syria firsthand.

Syria, which allows the Iraqi PMF to operate on its territory, also condemned the airstrikes, reporting that U.S. bombs had struck