Grand Rapids, MI – On the morning of August 19, activists walked into the Grand Rapids Retirement System board meeting with one goal in mind: “What will it take for the city pension plan to divest from Israeli companies?”

The ongoing “Grand Rapids Divest from Israel” campaign started when Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests confirmed the existence of a $1.1 million investment from the retirement system in an Israeli AI company called NiCE.

NiCE makes AI-powered software for use in anything from business management to police surveillance. 

“Word has gotten out among the broad public that our government has been funneling billions of dollars into Israel every year, and Americans are rightly upset about it,” said Nick Young during the public comment section of the board meeting. 

Young continued, “We suggest that you, as the board of the General Retirement System, communicate with your investment consultants and investment managers, directing them to eliminate all holdings in NiCE.”

Palestine solidarity activist Jessica Plichta commented, “This isn’t the police or U.S. government using and accessing our information alone, it is a foreign entity from a foreign government who is committing crimes against humanity that is using and saving our private information.”

After the meeting, trustees talked with activists, and many expressed their openness to working together to find which asset manager held the NiCE investment on behalf of the city and to continue the conversation.

“It is a great initial step,” said Anthony Hegarty. “People don’t want our economy tied up with Israel anymore. We want our city to stop conducting business with Israel and if it means chipping away at each lousy investment to get there, we will do it.”

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #BDS #Divestment

Ladson, SC – On Tuesday, August 11, more than two dozen community members joined the Elbit Out of South Carolina (EOSC) coalition’s first mass rally outside Elbit Systems of America in Ladson since the arrest of three picketers, collectively known as the Ladson 3.

The rally began with a reading of a speech written by Haley Sabados, a member of the Ladson 3, who has been barred from the premises of Elbit since her arrest and is actively fighting her trespassing charge.

The message from Sabados stated, “While sitting in state-detention for 19 hours, I reflected on this coalition and what we are building and struggling towards. How this community is showing up for one another and the people of Palestine. Your support and dedication is what liberation feels like.”

While the first EOSC rally demanding justice for the Ladson 3 was held in a location where all three arrested picketers could attend, the decision to return to Elbit was a conscious one.

“We’re out here tonight in front of Elbit because we stand in solidarity with the Ladson 3 and we refuse to be intimidated by off-duty North Charleston police officers working as security for a war profiteer,” said Nate Hubler, a member of EOSC and the Lowcountry Action Committee. “Their repression is not going to stop us from being out here and forcing Elbit employees and contractors to reckon with the death and destruction they are causing.”

Despite the picket being held in the evening, one employee left the facility to a chorus of boos from the crowd and one semi-trailer with a delivery was welcomed with chants of “Elbit, Elbit you will see! We’ll kick you out of SC!”

Many of the speakers reflected on the words and life of Anas Al-Sharif, a Palestinian journalist who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a tent outside the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City a year ago on August 10. Gia Ellis, an organizer with Free Palestine Charleston, read from Al-Sharif’s will, “I entrust you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be the bridges toward the liberation of the land and the people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.” They went on to say, “We take this charge seriously and it’s why we’ll continue to organize against Elbit until this factory is shut down. Gaza is our compass.”

The EOSC coalition has been picketing in front of the Israeli-owned weapons manufacturer every week since for months. The crowd chanted “Elbit, Elbit your hands are red! Two hundred thousand dead!” as passing cars honked in solidarity and flyers were handed out to cars parked at the traffic light. As the rally ended, attendees were asked to attend the upcoming EOSC community meeting on August 15.

#LadsonSC #Ladson #SC #Palestine #Antiwarmovement #EOS

New Orleans, LA – On the evening of Friday, August 7, around 30 people gathered at the downtown Hilton hotel to protest the local Democratic Party’s decision to platform Vice President Kamala Harris. Protesters demanded that Harris take a stance against the genocide in Palestine that started under her administration.

New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) led the noise demonstration, confronting wealthy donors to the Louisiana Democratic Party, which charged up to $10,000 to attend their “Masquerade Sneaker Ball.”

“While your constituents were begging for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza and end aid to Israel, you ignored them,” Miriam Lovelace, a member of NOSHIP, declared. For Lovelace, and everyone else present, Harris and the Democratic Party’s role in the genocide already doomed her chances, but her inability to meet the material needs of the people were evident as well.

“Your stance on Gaza lost my vote, but I think a lot of people just wanted a little hope for a better future, of which you offered none. Just snarky one-liners and a Dick Cheney endorsement,” Lovelace said.

Before the demonstration, NOSHIP issued three demands of Vice President Harris: arms embargo on Israel; end all U.S. aid to Israel, and, stop the U.S./Israeli enocide in Gaza. Kamala Harris failed to endorse those positions.

Rosalina Framboise, speaking on behalf of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, criticized Vice President Harris for her role in the genocide. “Kamala Harris and Joe Biden not only ‘stood back’ and ‘stood by’ as Israel conducted a live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people, but they have actively aided and abetted this carnage by sending billions of dollars to Israel.”

Throughout the evening, protesters were joined by supportive hotel guests who came down to hold signs and chant, hospitality workers and taxi drivers who waved and honked in support, and cyclists who rang their bells. Even the occasional fundraiser participant was sympathetic to the cause, raising their fists in solidarity or approaching to inquire about the cause.

NOSHIP members observed that this was the very same hotel and venue where they were thrown out earlier this year for demanding that the DNC and their Chairperson Ken Martin release the election autopsy report.

“The 2024 DNC postmortem told us something we already knew, that Harris’s complicity and backing of the genocide in Gaza was a major factor contributing to her loss,” Lovelace added.

Demonstrators also condemned both U.S. Representative Troy Carter and Mayor Helena Moreno for their inaction when anti genocide activists tried to stop shipments of arms from the Port of New Orleans. Other speakers invoked the name of Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, of nearby Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Jabbar was the first American killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023. There was complete silence from the local Democratic Party around his death.

Closing out her speech, Lovelace concluded, “To Kamala Harris, to Ken Martin, to Troy Carter, and every other politician who wants the support of the people, we demand you call for an end to all U.S aid to Israel. We demand you call for an arms embargo on Israel and a stop to the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine.”

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #KamalaHarris #NOSHIP

Jacksonville, FL – On Wednesday, August 5, Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network held their first class in a series of free educational sessions, inspired by the popular education that arose as a form of resistance in the First Intifada.

Approximately 30 community members attended this teach-in to learn about the phases and effects of the First and Second Intifada, and the history of popular education in Palestine, which was necessitated by the closing of schools by Israeli occupying forces.

Attendees were provided with literature, including a collection of excerpts outlining the origin and revolutionary nature of education in Palestine. During breakout sessions groups were provided with different topics to discuss and present to the class. The conclusion drawn by each group during discussion was abundantly clear – regardless of the force exerted upon them, Palestinians will always remain resilient, and each attack by the enemy only hardens their resolve.

“We see another example of repression just breeding more resistance. Kicking people out of schools simply created another opportunity for Palestinians to root themselves in their identities and open another avenue of resistance,” stated Lindsay Bowyer of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

“It caused education to seep into other areas of the resistance. They responded more fired up because of these policies,” said another attendee.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine

Kent, WA – On Friday, July 31, 12 anti-war activists held an action at U.S. Representative Adam Smith’s district office to demand that he take material action to stop funding wars and to cut ties with Israel. Smith is behind the House of Representatives’ most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) containing Section 219, which formally integrates the U.S. and the Israeli militaries.

This protest comes after Smith’s symbolic vote against the NDAA, a war funding bill he co-authored and co-sponsored. Activists emphasized that Representative Smith’s so-called “doomed-to-fail” vote is nothing more than an attempt to deceive nearly 800,000 voters ahead of a critical election into believing that he is against funding Israel and the Iran War.

Two activists attempted to deliver Seattle Against War’s petition to the office. When they arrived, the office appeared to be closed, which is unusual for a public office during office hours. The petition, with over 1400 signatures from community members, demands that Smith use his powers as Congressman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee to take action to end all aid to Israel, end the war in Iran, and hold U.S. and Israel accountable for war crimes.

Other activists joined the petition deliverers inside the building and brought the rally to Smith’s office doorstep. Rae Lee, a member of Seattle Against War stated, “He performs support for queer communities as a clear pinkwashing tactic to paint a picture of himself as an ally. That is fucking gross, and we need to call it out when we see it. He uses BIPOC communities as PR opportunities, the pittances he leaks to struggling grassroots groups to divert our attention away from the literal billions being used for senseless wars.

Section 219, which protesters are calling attention to, enables Israel’s unfettered use of U.S. military resources, including a permanent Pentagon position to synchronize Israeli and U.S. military initiatives, an open-ended technology deal, and the ability to deploy U.S. troops to carry out their genocide against Palestinians.

Protesters then canvassed and distributed flyers at the neighboring offices in the building to raise awareness of Smith’s crimes and his recent attempt to merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries, until they were escorted by building security.

The rally continued outside the building, where activists continued to amplify demands and slogans such as “No war in Iran” and “Stop funding Israel.”

#KentWA #SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #AdamSmith

Portland, OR – Portland for Palestine (P4P) gathered in the late morning of Sunday, July 19, along Natio Parkway in Portland to join in celebrating queerness during Portland’s Pride parade, and to name and shame parade contingents who participate and enable Israel’s occupation and genocide in Palestine.

The parade was marshaled by Dykes on Bikes, throwing their choppers into full throttle to rapturous applause. As the parade contingents passed by the Portland for Palestine group, they were greeted with the message of “Happy Pride and free Palestine,” which was mostly met with joyful solidarity.

But as the grocery store corporation Fred Meyer began crossing onto SW Ankeny Street, P4P began chanting, “Fred Meyer out of pride! You retail a genocide.” P4P organizer Judas Graves took to the megaphone, shaming Fred Meyer for actively promoting the Israeli fizz-baron SodaStream and for profiting off retail goods produced in illegal settlements.

As the parade moved onward, airlines, retailers and banks all caught condemnation for continuing their operations in the apartheid state. Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Daimler, Marriott, Jacobs Solutions, and JPMorgan Chase were all highlighted.

It’s been a longtime criticism of Pride events that corporate participation dilutes the original message of queer visibility and liberation. Many spectators joined in the public shaming, echoing “Free, free Palestine” on both sides of the street. Many were shocked to learn just how complicit these companies are; “That’s so fucked” yelled one young man covered in body glitter.

“I definitely feel conflicted,” said 24-year-old parade-goer Alexis Sonner, “I came out here today to be gay, look hot, and dance with my friends. The last thing I wanna do is validate JPMorgan.”

As queer folks in the United States face erosion of civil liberties and physical safety, it is abundantly clear that members of Portland for Palestine are far from the only people who want to see, not just Pride events, but everything divested from corporations and genocide.

#PortlandOR #OR #LGBTQ #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #P4P

Salt Lake City, UT – On Friday, July 24, dozens of anti-war protesters picketed in front of the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City to protest U.S. aggression against Cuba and continued funding for Israel.

The protest was organized by community members in collaboration with the Utah Anti-War Committee, responding to call from the Anti-War Action Network for a Nation Week of Action for Cuba.

Braving scorching July heat, demonstrators held banners reading “Hands off Cuba!” and “End all U.S. aid to Israel!” and marched around the intersection in front of the federal building. Chants of, “Hands off Cuba, end the blockade!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” echoed across the busy downtown streets.

“We aren’t worried about the heat. We’re worried about standing up against Trump and Rubio’s latest threats against Cuba and holding it down for Palestine,” said Adam Koritz of the Utah Anti-War Committee.

After over an hour of the roving picket, Salt Lake City Police officers moved in and tried to isolate an anti-war protester who was on a bike, alleging that he was violating rules of the road. Outraged, the rest of the demonstrators quickly surrounded the cyclist and filmed the officers. Police backed off from the picket.

The anti-war picket completed several more rounds of marching around the intersection as the pair of officers looked on.

“The police who tried to silence our protest work for the same government attacking Cuba and Palestine,” said Sebastian Miscenich of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We in Utah have more in common with people abroad fighting U.S. aggression than we do with the rulers of this country, whose police just tried to silence our voices.”

The protest coincided with the Pioneer Day celebrations, a local major holiday commemorating the arrival of Brigham Young and the first Latter-day Saint settlers to Utah. Passing motorists and revelers approved of the anti-war message, frequently honking and giving visible gestures of support.

Organizers urged the protesters to stay involved in the anti-war movement by joining the UAWC. Those opposed to U.S. wars should make plans to attend Salt Lake County Council at 2001 S State Street on Tuesday, August 4 at 1 p.m. to demand a resolution against Raytheon AST, a war-profiteering company for the U.S. and Israeli militaries, which has an office in Salt Lake City.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Cuba #Raytheon

Chicago, IL – On July 11 and 12, the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN) held its second national conference in Chicago. Reflecting AWAN’s growth of 11 more committees since its founding conference in 2025, over 250 participants gathered from more than 24 local anti-war groups from across the U.S.

As a grassroots, nationwide network, AWAN unites anti-war, pro-Palestine and student groups from across the country. The network’s growth follows a year of victorious campaigns led by AWAN affiliates and coordinated days of action responding to Trump’s aggression against Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

Among these victories, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) led a successful campaign to kick Chevron out of the city’s French Quarter Fest, and Palantir’s corporate headquarters was forced out of Colorado after a sustained campaign by Denver Anti-War Action.

The two-day conference reflected the geographic scale of AWAN’s growth, with speakers and panelists from cities including Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Dallas, Texas; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; San Jose, California, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Attendees benefited from the collective experience of AWAN through nine volunteer-run workshops on topics like “Lessons in Campaign Building,” “How to be in Coalitions and Build your Work,” “Design Matters: Using graphic design and zines to build the anti-war movement,” and “Media Relations 101: Strategies, tools, and tips for organizing.”

The conference’s opening panelists included Hatem Abudayyeh, the national chair of U.S. Palestine Community Network (USPCN); Steve Ellner, an advisory board member of the Science & Society journal and associate managing editor of Latin American Perspectives; Chrisley Carpio of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression; Sara Flounders, the coordinator of the International Action Center, and Meredith Aby, a key AWAN leader, director of Women Against Military Madness, and co-founder of the MN Anti-War Committee.

Speaking of the BDS movement against Israel, Abudayyeh said, “Divestment victories are happening everywhere, including the recent one in Michigan, and the one led by USPCN and AWC right here in Illinois, when the Illinois State Board of Investments divested more than $33 million from corporations profiting off war, genocide and ICE raids.”

In her opening remarks, Aby said “The Anti-War Action Network’s guiding objective as an organization is building a broad movement opposed to the greatest cause of injustice in the world today, which is the United States and its destructive wars, sanctions and interventions.”

Aby reported that AWAN remains on a trajectory of growth, boasting 28 member organizations and many other groups planning to affiliate after the conference.

The conference received greetings from BAYAN USA, a progressive, anti-imperialist alliance of grassroots Filipino organizations across the United States, and Nodutdol, an organization of Koreans organizing for social justice, Korea's reunification and an end to U.S. imperialism.

On the second day of the conference, AWAN elected an expanded steering committee to reflect its nationwide reach and passed 12 resolutions, both of which are available on its website.

If your organization would like to learn more about AWAN or join and participate in national calls to action, go to antiwaractionnetwork.org.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #AWAN #Iran #Palestine #Featured

Salt Lake City, UT – On Friday, July 10, more than a dozen people stood together in the record-breaking heat outside of the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City, demanding a free Palestine and an immediate end to the U.S. government's attacks on Iran.

Cars honked in support as picketers held signs, turning a busy downtown sidewalk into a visible display of resistance to U.S. imperialism and war.

The picket was organized by the 71% Coalition, a volunteer-run, Salt Lake City–based progressive anti-war organization that seeks to empower the people through community engagement, policy advocacy and education. The coalition takes its name from the portion of the federal budget that goes toward militarism and war spending. Over recent months, the 71% Coalition has become a driving force in the local movement for Palestine, organizing town halls, participating in overpass rallies, and ongoing street actions that keep the demand for liberation in the public eye.

Friday's action was part of a weekly picket series the coalition has sustained outside the federal building.

The Utah Anti-War Committee joined Friday's picket in solidarity while encouraging attendees to sign their petition to oust Raytheon Applied Technologies from its office on the west side of Salt Lake County. The committee has been running a campaign targeting Raytheon, a company linked to U.S. and Israeli war crimes, calling attention to how it profits from human suffering worldwide and American taxpayer money.

The Utah Anti-War Committee's ongoing campaign against Raytheon has included protesting outside of Raytheon’s office and holding educational events where Utahns can about the role local war profiteers play in the machinery of death. The 71% Coalition and the UAWC have joined forces for several events, including overpass banner-drop protests.

As long as the U.S. government continues to bankroll genocide and threaten nations like Iran, the 71% Coalition and its allies will be on the sidewalk outside the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building every Friday, demanding justice and building the struggle.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Iran

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns the unjust arrest and the U.S. Department of Justice’s extradition attempt of Fergie Chambers, a progressive philanthropist and steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause. He was dragged away from his family in Spain on dubious charges ranging from money laundering to material support for terrorism. If extradited to the U.S., he could be facing decades in prison.

Chambers is a son of billionaires who made the legitimate choice long ago to direct his funds towards progress, from free medical clinics to legal defense for activists facing repression. Now, the Trump DOJ is fabricating a narrative of terrorist financing. They want to create an upside-down world and twist the legal system so that humanitarian aid and solidarity land you behind bars, but the architects of the ongoing genocide in Gaza walk free. Ultimately, they want to use every avenue to squash and punish the tidal wave of support for the cause of Palestinian liberation that has stretched to every corner of the globe.

We are in a period of intensifying repression, and the imperialists are constantly in search of new ways to crush resistance and silence opposition. And that means that people like Chambers who use their resources to amplify the voices that call for freedom and liberation become targets, too. All those who oppose the Trump administration’s crackdown on our movements and the erosion of democratic rights need to stand against this. Solidarity is not a crime!

#PoliticalRepression #InjusticeSystem #Palestine #AntiWarMovement #PeoplesStruggles

The Palestine Solidarity Committee of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) found out on July 7 from the Saint Paul Water Board website that they have selected Waterfall Security Solutions again for a contract.

Saint Paul provides water to Saint Paul, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Lilydale, Maplewood, Mendota, Mendota Heights, West Saint Paul, Roseville, Little Canada and Arden Hills.

Meredith Aby, the WAMM director, explains, “After a year of attending board meetings, meeting with board members, petitioning and calling, we are angered that, despite Waterfall being an Israeli company that works hand in hand with Israel in its genocide of the Palestinian people, Saint Paul wants to expand and extend their contract. The new proposed contract will be $153,611.74 and for five years. They proposed this knowing that their constituents do not support genocide.”

WAMM has been working on this campaign for a year as a part of the boycott, divest and sanctions (BDS) movement. WAMM chose this strategy because it was previously successful in pressuring the U.S. to stop supporting South African apartheid. The BDS Movement website says that the tech sector “feeds Israel’s war chest, making up 20% of Israel’s GDP (in 2023) and 53% of its exports (2023).” The goal of the BDS movement is to isolate Israel economically to pressure them to end apartheid and genocide.

Aby continued, “If you drink or use Saint Paul water, please call today – 651-266-6350 extension 7. And regardless of where you live, we need you to come out to the next Water Board meeting on Tuesday, July 14 at noon at Saint Paul City Hall, 15 W Kellogg Boulevard in room 300 to demand that they cut the contract with Waterfall!”

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Divestment #BDS #Palestine #WAMM

San Jose, CA – On Friday, July 3, around two dozen people gathered for a rally and march starting at Dr. MLK Jr. Library to stand against the U.S.’s endless investment and participation in war across the globe, currently including but not limited to, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine.

The crowd chanted, “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation” and “Israel bombs, U.S. pays, how many did they kill today?”

Jack McCann, member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, spoke about the U.S.’s priority of profits over people over the last 250 years saying, “It has never been about freedom and liberty and all the other lullabies the ruling class sings to us, the working people of this country.”

McCann continued, “We have watched as they use our money to fight their wars, killing people around the world while we go hungry at home, while we struggle to pay our bills, while we fight for the scraps that fall off of their table.”

Donna Wallach, of San Jose Against War told the crowd, “Using our tax money, U.S.-made fighter jets, and high tech weaponry, Israeli soldiers bomb Lebanese villages in southern Lebanon, murdering civilians, and specifically target medical professionals and journalists. Many areas throughout southern Lebanon are flattened, everything destroyed, much like in Gaza.”

Drusie Kazanova of San Jose Against War spoke of the U.S. aggression towards Venezuela. Kazanova brought attention to President Maduro and First Lady Flores’s kidnapping in January, saying, “The U.S. is currently holding hostage the kidnapped, democratically-elected president and first lady of a sovereign country.”

Kazanova also highlighted the resilience of the Cuban people under the 64 year embargo against Cuba, saying, “Cuba has the most advanced doctors and medical training in the world, they invent and manufacture their very own vaccines but are unable to administer them because the U.S. blocks imports of medical syringes.”

Akubundu Amazu of the All African People’s Revolutionary Party, brought attention to recent repression of organizers with the Communist Party, Marxist of Kenya. Amazu noted, “We cannot let them stop us from building international solidarity. The only way we’re going to defeat this international repressive machine is with international global resistance!”

Representatives from the League of Filipino Students (LFS) at San Jose State University and the San Jose Peace and Justice Center also spoke highlighting the U.S.’s increasing efforts to develop manufacturing and AI specifically for war and genocide.

After the speaker program, the crowd began the march through downtown chanting loudly, waving signs, and passing out zines.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #July4th #Palestine #Cuba #Venezuela #Iran

Salt Lake City, UT – On July 4, dozens of protesters gathered to demonstrate at the Raytheon Applied Signals Technology facility located in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city. Raytheon, a company long since linked to U.S. and Israeli war crimes, is the target of a new campaign by the Utah Anti-War Committee.

Protesters began the event chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dollar, we won’t pay for Raytheon’s slaughter!”

Speaking on behalf of the Utah Anti-War Committee, Nova Morra stated, “I am done being complicit in a genocide. I don’t know how I will leave the earth, I don’t know when, and I think I can tell you why, but I know that I will have lived my life with dignity and respect. I will die knowing I stand for the people of Gaza.”

UAWC member Amber Grace, while discussing the genocide of the indigenous population of the U.S., observed that “this dispossession is exactly what is being continued today when we manufacture weapons for land theft by Israel’s settler project.”

Delivering a speech for Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Sebastian Miscenich remarked, “Last year, Raytheon made nearly $90 billion in weapons sales to the U.S. and its allies, including a $1.25 billion contract for Israel’s Iron Dome system. A Raytheon Tomahawk missile killed over a hundred Iranian schoolgirls in February this year, mostly between the ages of seven and 12. Is this really what we want our public funds spent on?”

Miscenich continued, “250 years ago, the American Revolution won power for the richest white business owners, but today working and oppressed people in America need to take total power over our society.”

Adam Koritz from FRSO talked about the case of Nadia Topete, an immigrant rights activist In Los Angeles recently targeted by a subpoena to appear before a grand jury simply for speaking out against ICE terror in her community. “It is important to stand in solidarity with Nadia right now, as she would for any of us,” Koritz remarked.

While closing out the rally, organizers handed out leaflets and a petition that will be used to demand Raytheon’s removal from the Salt Lake City area.

The energetic demonstration was unfettered by the extreme July heat, as new contacts were brought into a growing coalition. Responses from motorists and cyclists at the rally were overwhelmingly positive.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Raytheon #Palestine

San Jose , CA – On June 30, San Jose State University Professor Dr. Sang Hea Kil of the Justice Studies Department held a victory rally after her arbitration allowing her to return go with full backpay. This came after a protracted campaign where she bravely resisted her firing due to her vocal disapproval of the U.S.-Israeli genocide in Palestine. She was the first tenured professor to be fired from a public university for speaking against the genocide in the wake of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

At the rally outside of the Martin Luther King Library, Dr. Kil triumphantly exclaimed, “This is an incredible victory for free speech, academic freedom, student protest, freedom of assembly and pro-Palestine speech on campus and beyond.” Rallying alongside a demonstration of allies and supporters, she encouraged others to continue the fight, “Let’s use this as a watershed moment to turn the tide against targeted repression on our campus and in this nation!”

For the courageous act of joining a march and rally with Students for Justice in Palestine to protest a Zionist speaker on campus in February 2024, Dr. Kil was arbitrarily suspended with pay the following May and subsequently fired in summer 2025. Despite winning her case under the public hearing option of Article 19 of the collective bargaining agreement between her union and the California State University system, which ruled that she would receive no charges, SJSU President Cynthia Teniente Matson unilaterally overturned the ruling and forcibly removed her in November. This is in stark contrast to the now-retired Professor Johnathan Roth, who received no charges for hitting a Palestinian student and sexually assaulting Dr. Kil during that same demonstration.

Regarding President Matson, Dr. Kil noted, “I think she is doing MAGA’s work in the attack on higher education by going against people who speak against genocide.”

Dr. Kil also listed others who impeded her reinstatement, including SJSU Provost Vincent Del Castino, Skelly Officer Jennifer Sclafani, former Director of Student Involvement (now Student Union Director) John Tucker, DEI Head Kristin Dukes, English Department Head Noelle Williams, State Senator Scott Wiener, and Governor Gavin Newsom.

SJSU admin’s claims included many falsehoods, such as the notion that the embattled professor ordered students to protest, which Dr. Kil vehemently debunked. They also claimed she chanted “Kill the Jews” in a public hearing, despite herself never saying such. The misinformation campaign represented a flimsy yet relentless effort to justify an attack on free speech when it comes to human rights for Palestinians, especially for longtime activists like Dr. Kil, who had traveled to the Occupied Territories in 2016.

“We are in the belly of the beast in Silicon Valley which is collaborating to genocidal oppression and the ICE raids that are terrifying our communities by using Israeli surveillance technology that is being used to control everybody,” Dr. Kil said. “We have rights and we have a duty as citizens and residents of this nation to unite and fight back!”

Among those who had supported her, she thanked San José Against War, San José Peace and Justice Center, Silicon Valley Debug, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Palestine Action Network, Palestine-Arab-Muslim Caucus of the California Faculty Association, Bay Area Labor for Palestine, Switchboard, AP National and Anita Levy, California Scholars for Academic Freedom, Palestine Anti-Repression Network, Council on American-Islamic Relations – California, Palestine Legal, and the NAACP-SJ.

Wendy Greenfield of JVP recalled the original demonstration which took place. “I never heard anything like ‘Death to the Jews’, or to anyone, and I made it clear to SJSU admin that she was not involved with the students,” Greenfield reported. “One of the biggest points for JVP is that antisemitism is not related to anti-Zionism, and that JVP is in solidarity with all peoples who are seeking liberation, and we are so happy to see the unity; this is a huge victory for unions, faculty, students, and freedom of expression.”

Legal manager for the SF-Bay Area Branch of CAIR California Amith Gupta stated, “This is only part of the struggle; all throughout the Bay Area, students and faculty want to speak out in defense of the most basic and fundamental rights that all human beings have the right to protection from racist violence, the right to protection from genocide, the right of return to your homeland irrespective of your religion.”

Gupta continued, “SJSU decided that that right should be erased when it comes to professors, faculty and students that speak out, and we made it clear to them that that is not true, that we will fight back, that we will defend our right to speak out. It is our obligation to speak out, and when people speak out the way Sang Hea Kil does, they are censored, repressed, and fired from their jobs. It is our obligation to defend them, and we were successful.”

Jack McCann of San José Against War drew from his experiences as a student activist during the 2024 Student Intifada in Humboldt University stated, “The real criminals sit in their ivory throne in SJSU admin inviting genocide deniers and companies that are complicit into this campus, such as the AI Data Center for Civic and Social Good, which Students for a Democratic Society in SJSU says is more like, the AI Center for War and Genocide.”

Humboldt University is currently mired in its own scandal from its decision to file a case against activist Rick Toledo for his direct involvement in the student encampments and his victorious legal efforts to release his fellow protesters.

“I saw firsthand through my own university in Humboldt what professors go through in losing their jobs or coming under fear of deportation, and I want to thank Dr. Sang Hea Kil for what she is doing,” McCann stated.

NAACP-SJ President Sean Allen called out SJSU for spraying dirty water on student encampments which is, under the legal definition in California, assault and battery. “This case was never just about one professor,” Allen remarked. “It was about whether a public university can punish people, especially people of color, queer people and Muslim faculty and students for speaking out on matters of conscience.”

Allen continued, “This is not an isolated case. The NAACP had received at least two other complaints involving SJSU describing a consistent pattern: When people who support Palestinian rights, or who are Muslim or the Islamic faith speak out, they face extreme punishment. Why was one group subjugated and not treated equal as opposed to the other group?”

This is the question of the day, as the genocide continues under a nominal ceasefire, which has seen over 1000 Palestinians killed by Zionist forces, and the violence now encompasses the broader Middle East with the U.S.-Israeli wars of aggression against Iran and Lebanon.

#SanJoseCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #StudendMovement #SJSU #Palestine

Chicago IL – Over 50 people gathered for a rally outside of the Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI) quarterly meeting in downtown Chicago on Monday, June 22. As the start of the rally drew near, chants of “Free Palestine,” “Money for jobs and education” and “Israel bombs, Illinois pays!” reverberated through the air for the morning commuters to hear.

This was the seventh protest held by the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network, led by Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) – Chicago, a project of U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and Anti-War Committee (AWC) – Chicago. Their demands: ISBI divest from companies complicit in Israel’s genocide in Palestine, divest from companies facilitating the U.S. attacks on immigrant communities at home and for State Treasurer Michael Frerichs to divest Illinois tax dollars from Israel Bonds. Members of the public waited in line for three hours before they were let in to give public comment.

This protest followed the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network’s recent announcement that ISBI quietly divested $33 million from various companies that were targeted by the BDS movement, the American Friends Service Committee, and the United Nations for their complicity in supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the genocide in Gaza, and the illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank, as well as the operations of federal raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement across the U.S. The ISBI concealed this information in a condensed version of its 2025 annual report, and it was only revealed after the Illinois Divest from Genocide Network filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the full annual report.

“Across the country, we have seen a massive wave of divestment victories because of the resolve and pressure of everyday working people organizing on the ground to hold their public officials accountable,” said Caeli Kean, co-chair of the Anti-War Committee Chicago.

Minnesota, Michigan, South Carolina, Maryland and Louisiana were among some of the states that have seen city councils and labor unions vote to either fully or partially divest public dollars from Israel. In Detroit, Michigan, the United Auto Workers (UAW) voted to amend their union’s constitution, prohibiting investments in Israel Bonds. Urbana and Champaign joined the list when its city council voted unanimously to revise their divestment policy

“We were the first city in Illinois to divest from war and genocide,” Jess Yasin, an organizer from Champaign Urbana Muslim Action Committee announced, shouting out organizational allies and Urbana’s mayor who helped to make it happen. “Today we’re asking [Micheal Frerichs] to follow suit with his home [town] and to go and divest. Do not renew, do not repurchase any more Israel Bonds!”

Doors opened before 9 a.m. and only 20 members of the public were allowed entry into the building. State police searched the attendees and their belongings, threatening arrest if anyone were to protest the meeting with chants, flags or noise-making devices.

Illinois residents, educators and paraprofessionals packed the public comment section and made impassioned speeches to the board’s use of state worker pension funds to invest in surveillance and weapons manufacturers while urging the board to reallocate tax-payer dollars ethically.

“Investigations confirm that torture, and specifically sexual torture, is a systemic practice in Israeli prisons. And Palantir software is used by ICE and CPD to fill prisons here too, where Black and brown people are subject to many of the same methods of torture,” Elinor Keener of AWC – Chicago said, speaking to the conditions of Palestinian prisoners unjustly held captive in Israeli detention. “This is what happens when government bodies like you invest in genocide. This would not be possible without U.S. funding, including via corporations like Palantir, and you are part of that. Nothing in this world justifies investing in genocide. It’s time to swallow your pride, summon your courage, and divest.”

Protesters rejoined the rally as the public comment section of the meeting wrapped up, emphasizing that the recent divestment victory is only a fraction of the divestment they are demanding.

“Israel continues killing Palestinians on a daily basis in Gaza, stealing and annexing more land in the West Bank, and has occupied swaths of Lebanese land,” said Husam Marajda, USPCN-Chicago chapter co-chair, “Israel is threatening to drag the entire region into war, and not holding it accountable only empowers it to continue to commit war crimes.”

Organizers ended the rally by announcing September 28 as the next scheduled quarterly meeting date and vowing to continue to show up until every last taxpayer dollar is divested from Israel.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Divestment

Seattle, WA – On June 26, the day of the World Cup Iran–Egypt match, the Hands Off Iran Coalition organized a flash action in the form of an anti-war “People’s Football Game” in the middle of a packed street within view of the main stadium.

The lively protest broadcasted the demand “Kick Israel out of FIFA!” through signs, banners, chants and song. In a press release sent out in the lead-up to the action, Hands Off Iran Coalition organizers condemned FIFA’s participation in Trump’s “Board of Peace,” where FIFA released an AI-generated video in February 2026 depicting football stadiums rising out of the rubble of destroyed homes in Gaza.

“From the streets to the stadiums,” the press release said, “the game of football was built by communities, fans and generations of ordinary people. We reject FIFA’s use of the game for ‘sportswashing’ to normalize oppression and injustice.”

The football pitch was erected by creating an unbroken perimeter of anti-war and anti-imperialist banners held by organizers and activists. Ad hoc teams of three players competed in a “queen of the hill” style tournament, with team names like “Right to Rebel,” “Strait of Hormuz” and “The People’s Team.”

Football fans passing the pitch stopped to watch the People’s Game, with many asking how they could sign up to play. New teams were created and joined the tournament on the spot, with some teams representing countries including Mexico and Italy.

The People’s Game was a new type of protest for Seattle, with an emphasis on meeting people where they are and reclaiming a sport that rightfully belongs to the masses and not to pro-imperialist, pro-Trump FIFA. At the same time, the event brought sharp anti-imperialist messaging, demanding an end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and justice for the victims of Israel’s genocidal campaigns in Gaza and south Lebanon.

#SeattleWA #WA #AntiWarMovement #FIFA #WorldCup #PeoplesStruggles #Palestine #Iran

Minneapolis, MN – On July 24, pro-Palestine and police accountability advocates as well as local media gathered in the Minneapolis City Hall rotunda around a banner that read, “Drones out of MPLS. Drones out of Palestine. Say no to Skydio.” The Twin Cities-based Free Palestine Coalition (FPC) proceeded to hold a press conference calling on Minneapolis City Council to reject a proposal that would enact a trial program of so-called “drones as first responders” supplied by U.S. drone manufacturer Skydio.

Organizers explained that Skydio was complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza for supplying cutting-edge, AI-powered drones that autonomously surveil urban areas and identify potential targets.

In 2024, the FPC successfully mobilized Minneapolis residents to pass a city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and supporting an end to tax dollars contributing to Israel’s attacks. A campaign against a city contract with Israeli surveillance company ZenCity followed in 2025.

Speakers at the press conference argued that rejecting the Skydio proposal was a logical next step for the local boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.

“Minneapolis should not be a customer for genocide-linked technology,” said Maamoun Slayhi with American Muslims for Palestine – Minnesota. “Israel is an apartheid state. It is committing genocide in Gaza. It has used surveillance, drones, artificial intelligence and military technology to control and destroy Palestinian life. We should be cutting ties with that system, not creating new ones.”

Wyatt Miller of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee explained how Skydio’s current business model relies on drone sales to Israel. “Before October 2023, Skydio was a small company and its drones were primarily sold to individual civilian consumers,” Miller said, noting that the Gaza genocide allowed the company to pivot to scaled-up contracts with militaries and police departments. “Within hours of beginning its genocidal campaign in Gaza, the Israeli military had reached out to Skydio for expedited orders of autonomous surveillance drones. Hundreds were shipped within weeks.”

Organizers highlighted that the Skydio proposal would also be a dangerous new tool in the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). If enacted, the “drones as first responders” trial program would be run out of Minneapolis’s 4th Precinct in the city’s Northside, a heavily Black community with a history of repression at the hands of the police. In 2015, the 4th Precinct was the site of major Black lives matter protests after the murder of Jamar Clark by MPD officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze.

Jae Yates is an organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, a group founded in the immediate aftermath of Clark’s murder. “As a Black-led organization, we understand this drone technology would be used on our already overpoliced and heavily surveilled communities,” said Yates. “We cannot trust a police department with a pattern and practice of racist policing to responsibly implement a drone program.”

Yates continued, “If this contract goes through, these drones will be another tool for an unaccountable, racist, and violent police force to increase surveillance and repression on Black, brown, indigenous and immigrant communities.”

Marvina Haynes is the founder of Minnesota Wrongful Conviction Reform, and the sister of Marvin Haynes, a Black Northside resident who spent 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit before his sentence was vacated in 2023. “We are being told these drones are intended for emergency response. But communities across this country have seen surveillance technologies expand beyond their original purpose. Once these systems are in place, residents often have little control over how they evolve, what data is collected, how long information is stored, or how the technology is used in the future,” wrote Haynes in a letter read at the press conference. “I am especially concerned that North Minneapolis could become the testing ground for a program that many residents neither requested nor had a meaningful role in shaping.”

Speakers from FPC member groups Minnesota BDS Community, Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America Abolition and Decarceration Working Group, and Women Against Military Madness also spoke at the press conference.

The FPC urged community members to speak out at a public hearing on July 8 at 1:30 p.m., when the Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee of will hold a preliminary vote on the Skydio “drones as first responders” proposal.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Miller asked rhetorically, “Do we really need a new technology that only became available at scale after being developed to facilitate a genocide? Is this proposal the solution to a real problem that we face, or is it a hammer in search of a nail?”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #Drones

Detroit, MI – On Tuesday June 16, activists rallied outside of the Reindustrialize Summit to oppose war profiteers, surveillance tech billionaires, members of the war mongering Trump administration and high-ranking military personnel. The companies that attended the conference seek to bring war industry manufacturing and surveillance tech jobs to Detroit and other Midwest cities to expand their businesses. For this reason, protesters demanded that the attendees and the companies they represent have no place in their city.

The event was organized by the Detroit Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization Detroit, and Engineers Against Apartheid with many other organizations participating.

The conference was hosted in the Hudson’s building, which is owned by Detroit Zionist billionaire Dan Gilbert. The speaker list of the conference included capitalists from war-profiteering companies such as Boeing, Hadrian, Lockheed Martin, GM, Castelion, and the Summit’s marquee sponsor, Govini, which makes “defense” software.

The conference included speakers from the Trump administration such as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, United Nations Ambassador Waltz, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of War David Lorch, and Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. The Reindustrialize Summit featured pre-recorded videos from President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

At the beginning of the rally, a few members of Detroit Anti-War and Freedom Road Socialist Organization protested on the street corner closest to where the attendees were exiting the Reindustrialize Summit. These protesters were met with antagonism by several attendees, including keynote speaker Campbell Meyers, CEO of CreateMe, who pushed a protester. Not long after this encounter and others, the Detroit Police Department exited their vehicles nearby and told the activists to join the rest of the rally on the other side of the street. Despite providing no clear legal justification for this request, Sergeant Johnson threatened to arrest the activists if they failed to comply.

Though the police prevented the activists from taking one street corner, they occupied two out of the four corners of the intersection, forcing many attendees to either walk around the crowd in the street, walk through the crowd where they were heckled, or completely change the direction they were walking.

Detroit Anti-War Steering Committee member Daanyal Syed said, “We cannot allow these companies to make Detroit their home. The jobs they might bring are ones soaked in blood. The services these killer companies will offer the city will only increase surveillance and the deadliness of our police force. Services that these companies want our tax dollars to fund them. These people are not only murderers, but they’re also thieves, stealing from our paychecks to fund their bloodsport.”

Celia Erikson, a member of El Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Detroit, spoke on how some of these companies collaborate directly with ICE. These companies include Palantir, Northop Grumman and Ford, which is headquartered in Dearborn and provides vehicles to CBP and ICE. The Department of Homeland Security uses prison labor to modify their vehicles for agency-specific purposes.

Erickson finished her speech, “The technologies created by these companies and their use by ICE harm real Detroiters, real children, parents, families and community members. That is why we are here to say, Reindustrialize, get the fuck out of Detroit!”

Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Social Organization Detroit stated, “Detroit doesn’t need reindustrialization, if it means slaughter. Detroiters don’t need bomb factories; we need factories that build up the people. We need to bring back automotive and working-class jobs that better society. We need union jobs, not jobs run by war profiteers or jobs that kill children.”

Towards the end of the action protesters gathered outside of the Shinola Hotel, which is also owned by Dan Gilbert, where CEOs, speakers and attendees of the conference were staying. Protesters chanted “Detroit makes it clear, war profiters aren’t welcome here!” and proceeded to heckle the speakers by shouting their names and their crimes.

Some of the high profile attendees took it upon themself to “speak” with the protesters, coming down from the balcony to the rally across the street. Two of these individuals were Cody James, CEO of OpenX, a company that works with the Air Force and war profiteer Raytheon, and Brian Greeley, senior vice president and chief banking officer of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. While James was quickly deterred from interacting with the protesters, Greeley proceeded to antagonize the crowd. As he was escorted by a line of police officers, Greeley called one of the protesters a queer slur.

The rally continued for an hour after that, with the protesters continuing to target the men on the balcony. After chanting, “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, loser chuds go away!” for several minutes, a vast majority of the people on the balcony returned inside the hotel. Despite earlier being driven off the balcony due to the activists recognizing him, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr returned outside, smiling and waving at the protesters as they continued to call out his complicity in the Trump administration’s warmongering and targeting of immigrants at home. Not long after this, the rally concluded with only Carr and a few others remaining on the balcony.

Beyond just the scope of the protest, the Reindustrialize Summit showed itself to be a hub of imperialist networking and a platform for the Trump administration’s destructive agenda. For example, while at the Summit, General Motors announced a partnership with Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer well known for producing the Hellfire missiles Israel has dropped on Gaza throughout the genocide.

At the same time, despite the struggles of the day, from Detroit police department’s repression to Brian Greeley’s bigotry, Detroit made a clear stance against the summit. The fight against these companies and the Trump administration continues. As the protesters yelled to Brendan Carr as the rally ended: “See you next year!”

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Divestment

Tacoma, WA – 15 Portland for Palestine organizers traveled up to the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington on Saturday, June 13. Portland for Palestine (P4P) was there to promote their ongoing campaign to help free a local Palestinian immigrant Tareq Zakarneh, a man who has been in ICE detention for over two years.

These organizers joined the Tacoma-based immigrant rights group La Resistencia for one of its regularly-held “Solidarity Days.” Overall, there were about 50 people in attendance.

Zakarneh has mostly been held at the NWDC, though recently DHS and ICE have been trying to break his resolve and remove him from the U.S. The U.S. does not recognize Palestinian statehood, so he is in danger of being deported to Israel. Any Palestinian deportee in the hands of the Israeli authorities is in grave danger as Israel pushes to complete their project of ethnic cleansing in the region.

P4P wanted to make sure that DHS’s underhanded, illegal tactics don’t go unnoticed with regards to Zakarneh, and tragically, so many other immigrants. Since his removal from NWDC on June 2, ICE has made Zakarneh impossible to track and taken away his rights to communication with the outside world.

On June 5, P4P mobilized and conducted an emergency call-in campaign to Judge David Estudillo’s office to demand he allow Tareq the rights of due process. And it worked! A last-second order issued by the Washington judge got Zakarneh pulled off his final deportation flight while he was waiting to board early in the morning on June 9.

The group further mobilized to show solidarity with detainees still unjustly locked away in NWDC. They also sought to send a message to the facility’s operators, the infamous GEO Group.

Kacey Desantis, organizer for P4P, commented on the conditions in NWDC and others. From her speech delivered that day, “Tareq has often told us of the atrocious quality of the food and water and about how ICE would not give Tareq nor his fellow Muslim detainees the appropriate time and space to practice their religion. On hot days, there is often no air conditioning. He was denied access to legal materials and legal representation on multiple occasions. When Tareq was detained in a facility in Eloy, Arizona, he was denied his right to meet with lawyers at least six times.”

Zakarneh often found himself a target of extraordinary abuse and deprivation by ICE and the operators of these facilities. Why? In their own words, they deem him a “nuisance” for daring to engage in jailhouse lawyering. Not only is he extremely active in fighting in his own defense, but he has been critical in helping, with self-filed motions, to ultimately get several of his fellow detainees released. The more he helped others, the more ICE would attempt to isolate him.

At the event, organizer Cole Dunahugh said, “We demand that Tareq be brought back to the NWDC so he can be allowed to argue his case in person in front of a judge, that he be granted asylum, and that he be released from ICE detention.”

It is critical that we stand up to protect immigrants of all nationalities. But Palestinians require special attention as ICE deports them exclusively to Tel Aviv, where they face possible long-term internment, torture and even extra-judicial execution.

Desantis closed out her speech, “The ICE facilities in this country and the Israeli prisons that Tareq faces are connected. The violence of the American immigration system and the apartheid system that is killing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are connected. They are connected by an imperial system that inflicts and promotes violence abroad, learns the best ways to do it and brings it home to the U.S.”

#TacomaWA #WA #ImmigrantRights #Palestine #P4P

Minneapolis, MN – On June 5, the Minnesota Anti-War Committee (AWC) and allied organizations held a rally outside the Minneapolis Convention center to disrupt the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s (DFL) 2026 Humphrey-Mondale fundraising dinner. The dinner is the Minnesota Democratic Party’s annual fundraising event and a strategic rallying point for local Democrats ahead of key elections.

Braving the intense summer heat for a program of chanting and speeches, community members made their voices heard as they demanded an end to state funding of Israel’s genocide in Palestine, an end to the war on Iran and Lebanon, and a return to quarterly in-person State Board of Investment (SBI) meetings.

Cassidy Aickin, member of the AWC and co-emcee for the day, opened the event by saying, “In that building the DFL is hosting their annual Humphrey-Mondale dinner; their biggest fundraising event of the year. The people who have the most institutional power in our state, alongside their benefactors, are coming together to celebrate – another ‘great year’ of shutting out their constituents, ignoring people’s cries for divestment, and directly paying for the bombs that have martyred hundreds of thousands of Palestinian, Lebanese and Iranian people. Shame!”

Aickin continued, “The State Board of Investment, composed of Tim Walz, Keith Ellison, Julie Blaha and Steve Simon, chooses to invest hundreds of millions of Minnesota state employee pension dollars into weapons manufacturers, Israeli companies, and war profiteers like Palantir.”

The SBI had been scheduled to hold its second quarterly meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, June 3, but quietly removed the details from its schedule less than a month before. This effective cancellation continued the SBI’s over year-long trend of restricting community participation in what should be public meetings. But these cancellations have not deterred community involvement and have instead given way for powerful coalitions.

Representing the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Mira Altobell-Resendez reminded the crowd that, “The Minnesota Democratic Party spent all of winter ignoring the calls for protections for immigrants during Metro Surge. Tim Walz can sign an executive order at any time to ban 287(g) agreements that deputize county law enforcement into local ICE agents. The candidates for this year’s gubernatorial election like Amy Klobuchar could commit to creating ICE free zones as soon as they step into office.”

Alissa Washington, founder and executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council of MN, gave an impassioned speech connecting the wrongful conviction of her fiancé, Cornelius Jackson, and the over-policing of communities here and abroad. Washington said, “We’re here tonight because while the DFL dines with donors, we’re out here struggling to survive. While politicians gather behind closed doors, families are torn apart by wrongful convictions and over-sentencing! While they celebrate fundraisers, our loved ones are deported, imprisoned, displaced, and forgotten.”

Washington continued, “The DFL loves to tell us they are the party of working people. Then prove it! Stop shutting the public out of SBI meetings. Stop making decisions that impact our communities without our communities present.”

“What they’re really doing is defining what it means to run as a Democrat: position yourself as the only alternative to the Republican Party when you support genocide, racist tough-on-crime policies, corporate profiteers, expansion of the police state, all at the expense of the same constituents you claim to represent,” said Maddy Schwartz, member of the MN AWC. “The SBI has ignored constant calls from public employees to address this disgusting complicity in human rights violations. This sends a clear message that if you stand against genocide, your voice doesn’t matter.”

Only two days after the SBI was scheduled to meet, workers and allies in the anti-war movement made their voices heard, questioning why DFL politicians have time for their donors but not the taxpayers who pay their salaries. One volunteer working at the dinner stepped out from his role inside the Convention Center and picked up a “Divest MN from Apartheid Israel” sign for a portion of the action, before returning to his duties inside. When asked why he chose to join the voices demanding divestment he said, “It is the right thing to do.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #DFL #Palestine #Divestment #BDS