Saint Paul, MN – On August 14, members and supporters of the MN Free Palestine Coalition packed every available seat at the quarterly Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) meeting to demand divestment of state-managed pension funds and other public monies from Israeli weapons manufacturers, banks and bonds, and other entities, complicit in Israel’s apartheid system that contribute to the genocide in Palestine.

The MN Anti-War Committee (AWC) has identified a total of nearly $4.3 billion in public Israeli entities and multinational corporations, some of which explicitly contribute to the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians, all of which profit from it, including Elbit Systems, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and General Dynamics.

The SBI meeting was chaired by State Auditor Julie Blaha because Governor Tim Walz, who usually chairs the meetings, was campaigning for the Harris/Walz Democratic presidential ticket.

The meeting had a significantly higher number of state patrol troopers than previous meetings and every attendee was given a purple ticket which informed them that disrupting the meeting would lead to gross misdemeanor charges. Multiple protesters were searched by cops and had their signs taken away. Despite these attempts to intimidate pro-Palestinian protesters, four banners and many pictures of murdered Palestinian children were snuck into the meeting and the protesters chanted loudly throughout the whole meeting.

16 union members and community activists testified at the SBI meeting asking for the state of Minnesota to divest from genocide. Stacey Gurian-Sherman, an anti-Zionist Jew and a former public employee who organizes with the Climate Justice Committee, was the first speaker. Her powerful speech kicked off the public comment section of the meeting, “This is painful to me because it is being perpetrated in my name as a Jew – and in violation of Geneva Convention protocols created as a direct result of Nazi atrocities during WWII that murdered 6 millionJews, and 5 million more Romanies, persons with disabilities and in the queer community. What Israel is today should be painful to all of us for being perpetrated in our names as Americans.”

Omari Hoover, a member of both the MN Anti-War Committee, the Free Palestine Coalition and executive board member of AFSCME Local 2822, gave the SBI the 3425 petition signatures the AWC collected this summer and their updated white paper on the board’s investments.

Hoover stated in his testimony, “Earlier this year, when the Palestinian death toll was just under 30,000, we passed a resolution for divestment in Israel. Since then, the death count has risen to almost 40,000 with an anticipated 186,000 for those unaccounted for. In April, I watched Governor Walz give an impassioned speech at the AFSCME Council 5 Day on the Hill about how he plans to stand in solidarity with laborers and would continue to put efforts into thriving unions. Since then, along with everyone on the Minnesota State Board of Investments, you have shown that the solidarity is only with organizations that build an economy in favor of infinite financial growth. You meet quarterly with no indication that there'll be any progress in Minnesota’s divestment of the ongoing atrocities that is the current genocide, happening daily in occupied Palestine, of which many labor organizations have put forth divestment and ceasefire resolutions for.”

Neil Radford, a member of MFT 52 and Minnesota Workers United, also has his pension invested by the SBI. He testified, “Divestment is not a request, it is a demand, and it does not stop with Palestinian liberation. The SBI needs to divest from Israeli apartheid and divert itself and this state from a future where increased militarism is our only answer.”

Michael Runyon, an organizer with Students For Palestine-Normandale and the MN Peace Action Coalition testified, “When you decide to invest in companies like General Dynamics you are choosing to fund the only company in the United States that produces that shell casings for the MK bomb series that was used by Israel to bomb a school in a so-called safe zone killing over 100 innocent men women and children who had gathered for morning prayer. You helped pay for the bombs that tore those people to shreds, so much so, that not one complete body could be recovered.” Runyon is also a part of organizing a protest on September 14 in Bloomington, Minnesota at General Dynamics.

Many protesters said goodbye to each other acknowledging that they will ride the Anti-War Committee’s buses to Chicago on Sunday to March on the DNC on August 19.

#SaintPaulMN #FreePalestine #Antiwarcommittee #Walz #MinnesotaWorkersUnited

St. Paul, MN – On Friday, May 17, a crowd gathered outside the annual GOP Lincoln Reagan Dinner to protest the attendance of former U.S. President Donald Trump, sending the messages to defend reproductive rights, no to a Muslim ban, and of legalization for all.

Trump is known for his reactionary politics that impact working-class people. During his presidential tenure, the Trump administration enacted 472 administrative changes to dismantle and reconstruct the U.S. immigration system, increasing barriers to legal immigration and diminishing humanitarian protections. A prominent campaign point during his 2016 presidential nomination was to build a border wall along the U.S./Mexico border, while perpetuating racist rhetoric about immigrants as “drug dealers, criminals and rapists”.

Manuel Pascual, a member of Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), spoke to the crowd about Trump’s dehumanization of immigrant communities, stating, “He promotes hate and violence against immigrants every chance he gets. We saw what happened during his first presidential term. We witnessed racists come out of hiding to brutalize immigrant communities all over the United States.”

MIRAC has been fighting for legalization for all, an end to immigration raids and deportations, an end to all anti-immigrant laws, and full equality in all areas of life. MIRAC is currently working on passing the North Star Act, a Minnesota bill that would prevent local police from enforcing immigration laws.

Trump’s reactionary immigration policies have also extended towards Muslim communities, further feeding into Islamophobia. In 2017 Trump issued a Muslim travel ban, which blocked refugees and travelers with passports from seven Muslim-majority countries. The executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), Jaylani Hussein, spoke about the impacts Trump has had on the Muslim community within Minnesota.

Speakers throughout the protest highlighted the interconnected fights between the different struggles.

Alé Guzman Huaman, an organizer with Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC), stated, “I was a junior in high school, and after his election I remember the sense of deep, deep dread, fear and hopelessness. What is going to happen to my family? What is going to happen to my bodily autonomy?”

The Trump administration and the Republican party have campaigned around restricting abortion access for decades. During his presidential term, Trump put forward three Supreme Court justices with conservative political leanings, the last being Amy Coney Barret, who was instrumental in the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

MNAAC was formed in direct response to this Supreme Court case. Since then, MNAAC has been campaigning around crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which are fake abortion clinics funded by right-wing Christian evangelical organizations.

Jeff Giering, another organizer with MNAAC, told the crowd, “I believe the rights to life, to personal liberty, and to reproductive choice are under attack by Republicans nationwide. They are under attack by Donald Trump.''

Giering continued on to pinpoint the connections between the Republican and Democratic parties, noting capitalism as breeding grounds for creating opportunistic politicians who only value human life as long as it’s profitable.

Manuel Pascual stated, “Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric has pushed the Biden administration to further punish and endanger migrants seeking refuge in the United States. Let’s be clear- Biden is not our friend!”

Organizers faced some opposition from pro-Trump counter-protesters standing across the street. The counter-protesters yelled chants such as “Trump 2024” and simply repeating “U.S.A”, though their chants were thoroughly drowned out by the crowd starting chants such as “Sexist, racist, anti-gay! Donald Trump, go away!”

This collaborative action was coordinated by members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

These groups are continuing the fight against Trump and his agenda as they’ll be joining the March on the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15.

You can follow their work on social media:

• MNAAC: Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook at @MN_AAC.
• MIRAC: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @MIRACMN
• CAIR: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @CAIRMN

#SaintPaulMN #MIRAC #MNAAC #CAIR #Trump #MNGOP #LincolnReaganDinner

Saint Paul, MN – On Monday, February 12, the opening day of the state legislative session, members of the North STAR Alliance and others gathered to support the North STAR Act at the Upper Mall of the Minnesota State Capitol. About 100 people attended holding blue signs with the new Minnesota state flag that read: “Stand with Immigrants, support the North STAR Act” while listening to speakers from the North STAR Alliance.

The North STAR Act is a bill being introduced into the Minnesota legislature that, if passed, would

prohibit state and local law enforcement from using state resources for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement. Key components of the bill include separation from federal immigration enforcement, protecting Minnesotans’ data, banning state government officials from immigration enforcement, and building trust and inclusion. Similar legislation has already passed in several other states.

The support rally was initiated by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) and the North STAR Alliance. The chief authors of the North STAR Act, Representative Sandra Feist (D-New Brighton) and Senator Omar Fateh (D-Minneapolis), as well as representatives from the North STAR Alliance, spoke to the importance of this transformative legislation, and to the urgent need for Minnesota to take steps to protect our immigrant communities. Aside from the chief authors, speakers included members from The MN Freedom Fund, COPAL MN, Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM), Minnesota 8, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee.

Miguel Hernandez, a member of MIRAC, said: “This is just the beginning, we need to keep going, we need to keep pushing this bill all over the state, what is coming here this coming election year will bring a lot of fear, but we’re here to say no. We’re here to support the North STAR Act and here to say enough.”

After the program of speakers, chants and music came to a close, the group walked up the capitol steps and into the building for a spirited march around the capitol rotunda. “Say it loud, say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!” was heard echoing through the capitol chambers. Some members of the group continued the march, ascending the stairs to chant and hold signs outside of the chambers where the House and Senate were meeting.

Immigrant rights supporters in Minnesota should stay tuned for further actions to support the North STAR Act as the legislative session continues.

#SaintPaulMN #MIRAC #NorthStarAct #immigrantrights #sanctuary

St. Paul, MN – On January 19, despite frigid 6-degree temperatures, 60 activists rallied at a busy intersection at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Free Palestine event.

This week it focused on the U.S. bombing attacks on Yemen. Motorists responded positively to the signs which said, “U.S. hands off Yemen” and the chants, “Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around” and “Yemen, Yemen stand your ground turn another ship around.”

After chanting for a half hour, protesters listened to speakers representing several Twin Cities anti-war organizations.

Sorcha Lona, a member of the MN Anti War Committee, spoke of the heroic resistance of Yemen to the genocidal Zionist bombing of Gaza, “The Yemeni Armed Forces, the military of one of the most economically oppressed nations in the world, has brought global trade to its knees. They see the ships sailing in their backyards carrying weapons and supplies to the butchers occupying Palestine and have said ‘no more.’ They’ve stopped these ships and made it clear they will not end their blockade of Israeli ports until the genocide and occupation has been defeated.”

In response to Yemen’s Ansarallah being put to the terrorist list, Lona said, “The people of Yemen standing for the lives and rights of their Palestinian siblings are not terrorists; the United States are the real terrorists, the Zionist Israelis are the real terrorists. The people of Yemen are being killed for standing on the right side of history despite the consequences. There is no possible justification for a second front of aggression, and we must demand U.S. hands off Yemen.”

Molly Wilbur-Cohen, a member of WAMM, spoke as well, “How absurd that Biden hopes that Ansarallah will be nice and stop its activities in the Red Sea. Yesterday Biden was asked by reporters if the U.S. strikes on Yemen are doing anything. He said no, not yet, but we’ll continue until the Houthis stop their attacks on cargo ships. Then, unbelievably, Biden said the U.S. is acting in self-defense and doesn’t want a regional war. Number one, the U.S. is not under attack. Number two, the U.S. would rather bomb the people in Yemen than stop Israel’s genocide.”

The program concluded with a powerful and moving speech by Emily Chu, a member of the U of MN chapter of Students for a Democratic Society . She said, “My mom was raised in Long An, a province in rural southwest Vietnam. The Vietnam war, or the American war as it’s called in Vietnam, was marked by indiscriminate carpet bombing campaigns and deliberate targeting of civilians, primarily affecting the Vietnamese countryside. SDS was also started during the war.”

Chu added, “A popular tactic during the war was to bomb hospitals and afterwards claim that they were housing Viet Cong. The parallels between what happened then in Vietnam and what is happening now in Gaza are impossible to unsee. Just as Agent Orange once denuded the Vietnamese jungles and disabled generations of civilians, white phosphorus now scorches the children of Gaza with impunity.”

Next week, the Minneapolis city council will debate a resolution calling for a ceasefire for Gaza. Demonstrators vowed to do all they can to make sure a strong veto-proof resolution is passed.

#SaintPaulMN #WAMM #Yemen #Palestine

St. Paul, MN – 100 solidarity activists rallied at the October 27 weekly Friday WAMM (Women Against Military Madness) bannering to stand with the people of Palestine. They joined millions around the world who continue to march against this slaughter on a daily basis.

Demonstrators were outraged by Israel’s continued brutal and genocidal bombing of Gaza, Israel’s impending ground invasion of Gaza, the shutting down of electricity and the internet, and the refusal of any meaningful humanitarian aid resulting in 7000 martyred Gazans, with the numbers increasing steeply minute by minute.

Demonstrators were particularity enraged by the rabid support and funding of this war by officials ranging President Biden to Representative Betty McCullom, to Governor Tim Walz to the Edina high school and middle school principals.

Once again motorists showed their agreement to the messages of “Let Gaza live” and “End U.S. aid to Israel” by honking nonstop.

The program included speakers from WAMM, the Anti-War Committee, and Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota. A powerful and moving moment occurred when a college student from Gaza read a poem describing what his heroic people are going through once again.

Drake Myers from the Anti-War Committee stated, “I work with elementary school children, and in the past weeks I have seen, even without wanting to seek the footage out, videos of shell-shocked children, shaking with wide distant eyes. My coworker has too, and we were commiserating about how awful it is to be here, while our tax money and our government is backing the murder of kids that look just like the kids we work so hard with every day.”

Myers continued, “As public employees, our retirement pensions are invested by Walz and Ellison and the State Board of Investments in this exact violence and we don’t really get any say in that. But we’re fighting back and we’ll have a rally and be at the next State Board of Investments meeting in November at the capitol, so this will be a showdown. Now or never is the time to divest from apartheid Israel.” Myers was arrested at Representative Betty McCollom’s office on October 25.

Emily Chu from SDS, who joined the walkout of 300 students at the U of M on Wednesday along with hundreds of campuses across the country, also spoke at the rally, stating, “At this walkout, we voiced our demands to the government to cease all military aid to Israel, call for a ceasefire, and denounce the ongoing occupation of Palestine. We also called on the University of Minnesota to cut all ties with the Israeli government and military. As a CSE [College of Science and Engineering] student, I find the welcoming of recruiters for arms and military contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, who develop and supply the bombs and weapons being deployed onto innocent civilians, onto our campus to be deplorable.”

The next major demonstration in the Twin Cities will be November 1 when President Biden comes to town. Thousands are expected. WAMM’s bannering will continue every Friday until Palestine is free.

#SaintPaulMN #WAMM #Palestine