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

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

Salt Lake City, UT – On Thursday, June 25, at Sherwood Park in the Glendale Neighborhood of Salt Lake City, a demonstration and press conference was held in support of a local organizer and father, Julio Irungaray Sr., who was abducted by ICE less than 48 hours before the event.

The crowd chanted “Show me what community looks like! This is what community looks like!” and “Chinga la Migra!”

Over 100 people gathered in solidarity with the impacted family. Members of the Comunidades Unidas, and the SLC Bail Fund spoke alongside the family members of Julio Sr. His two children, Chantal and Julio Jr., gave chilling testimonies of the impact ICE forced on their family.

The family recounted Julio Sr.’s kidnapping and how they were unable to offer his much-needed medication to ICE. By the end of his “arrest,” the father’s blood sugar was recorded at over 300 mg/dl. Julio Sr.’s family also told of how their father was already moved to Wyoming and, at the time of the protest, was still being denied some of his medication.

Speakers denounced the cruel depravity forced upon a hardworking member of the Salt Lake community, who worked two jobs, including feeding patrons of the much-loved Santo Tacos in Salt Lake City. Speakers reported that he was aiding his loved ones, including helping his daughter pursue her nursing degree.

Those with the means are encouraged to donate to the Irungaray family’s legal and survival fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-julio-support-his-family

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #ImmigrantRights #ICE

Salt Lake City, UT – On Saturday, June 20, at an event organized by the Utah Anti War Committee, dozens of community members gathered at an overpass to demand hands off Cuba.

This protest was called after recent escalations in the decades-long effort by the U.S. to destabilize the nation of Cuba through economic strangulation and covert means. The Trump administration recently indicted beloved Cuban leader Raul Castro and has made threats of more direct military confrontation. Other organizations quickly signed on to the protest, including the National Network on Cuba, Armed Queers SLC, The 71% Coalition, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Protesters held a large banner sporting the Cuban flag, reading “Hands off Cuba!” and received overwhelmingly positive reactions to their message from the vehicles passing by.

“The overall general trend in regard to U.S. imperial power is one of decline,” said Adam Koritz of the FRSO of the aggression on Cuba and the ongoing U.S. war on Iran. “However, we know a wounded beast is dangerous and prone to lashing out in its death throes.”

Mustafa Khader of the 71% Coalition condemned attempts to restore a U.S. backed dictatorship in Cuba saying, “You don’t care about the Cubans; you care about your pockets!”

Protesters chanted, “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air! U.S. out of everywhere!”

An activist with Armed Queers stated, “By being an unknowing accessory to an empire, we are forcefully kept from becoming fully human. This will continue to happen until we stand up, destroy the shackles of capitalism, and prove that we can build a system that does not rely on the subjugation of people based on race, gender, sexuality, or nation, the destruction of the environment, or the impoverishment of workers.”

Nova Morra of the Utah Anti-War Committee then called the crowd to join their July 4 protest at a local Raytheon Applied Signal Technology facility in West Valley City as part of their campaign to shut down the facility and protest Raytheon’s involvement in war crimes carried out by the U.S.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #International #UAWC #AWC #Cuba

West Valley City, UT- On June 13, members of the Utah Anti-War Committee held a hybrid teach-in at the West Valley City library for local communities. The material? Raytheon.

Members of the UAWC informed members of the community about Raytheon, how they have profited off of human suffering, and how they continue to receive full financial support of the U.S. government. They also brought to light a local subsidiary of Raytheon, Applied Signal Technology, a mere ten-minute drive from the event itself.

UAWC member Adam Koritz said, “A Raytheon Tomahawk missile was used to target a girls’ school in Minab, killing 156 people, including 120 children, during the initial U.S.-Israeli onslaught.” It was a chilling reminder that even your neighbor can knowingly or unwittingly participate in the slaughter of innocent children.

Adrian Romero, a member of the UAWC, slammed Raytheon, saying, “The central structure of Raytheon’s business model is that taxpayer money goes into weapons production, which gets deployed in active wars, perpetuating a cycle of corporate profit and mass violence.”

In his presentation, Paris Lamb pointed out the fraud Raytheon perpetrates with public funds, saying, “Raytheon takes billions of dollars from the public, through legal and illegal fraudulent methods for their own personal profit and at the expense of both oppressed people abroad and the American public.”

Lastly, Sebastian Miscenich said, “We’re launching the Raytheon Out campaign at a time when Utahns are speaking out against military facilities in our state. UAWC is going to take to the streets and to the community to shut down this criminal, war profiteering facility and replace it with something that Salt Lakers need.”

Not wasting the effort of the gathering, members of the UAWC then proceeded to plan a protest on July 4 against the facility and further actions to deal with the blight within the community, Applied Signal Technology.

#WestValleyCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Raytheon

Salt Lake City, UT — On the afternoon of May 31, the Utah Anti-War Committee, along with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization held a workshop titled “Anti-War Organizing in the Face of Repression” at the University of Utah Union building. The workshop drew community members, students and organizers committed to defending the movement against escalating political repression. The event also raised funds for Rick Toledo, a student activist and educator who was fired from his teaching position at Cal Poly Humboldt University in retaliation for his participation in a pro-Palestine protest.

Before the workshop, the UAWC had released a statement on Toledo’s case, that stated, “We have watched with outrage and disgust as Cal Poly Humboldt University has escalated its campaign of repression against a graduate student whose only 'crime' was standing up for the individuals and families Palestine whose lives are being not only destroyed, but eradicated.”

Adrian Romero, a local organizer with the Utah Anti-War Committee, delivered a workshop presentation that covered knowing your rights when facing law enforcement and grand jury subpoenas, organizational security practices, and building campaigns to defend targeted organizers.

Romero stated, “Grand jury proceedings are designed to isolate and intimidate people. You still have rights. Go public, mobilize the community in any way that you can and show [the enemy] that you won't be silenced.”

After their presentation, Rick Toledo joined via Zoom to speak directly on his case and the circumstances of his firing. ”We know that when the state wants something, they'll do whatever they can get away with. They like to make an example out of student organizers and protesters to try and scare other people. That's one of the things really at the heart of my case – but you can't let them break you, because that's what they want.”

The event raised approximately $375 through admission donations as well as book, zine and apparel donations contributed by UAWC and FRSO, with pledges still coming in. All proceeds go directly to Toledo's legal defense fees and expenses.

The targeting of Rick Toledo is part of a broader wave of repression facing the movement for Palestinian liberation and the fight against U.S. imperialism. University administrations discipline and expel student organizers and fire faculty who speak out.

As the imperialist war in Gaza continues and the domestic crackdown on dissent escalates, the duty of every socialist and anti-war activist is to build the defenses necessary to protect our ranks and advance the struggle. The ruling class expects us to be silenced; our response must be louder, more organized, and more united than ever before.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #UAWC #Palestine #InJusticeSystem #PoliticalRepression

Salt Lake City, UT – On Sunday, May 17, over 50 members of ATU 382 formed a picket line for a decent contract in downtown Salt Lake City. Working under an expired contract for six months, transit workers and community supporters demonstrated in front of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) International Bus Roadeo, demanding Utah Transit Authority (UTA) address worker safety, outsourcing, and pressing economic demands.

Tammy Davison, a garage worker, criticized UTA executive Jay Fox for ignoring worker needs in the lead-up to this year’s Winter Olympics, saying “The upper management’s going to Milan on UTA’s dime while we’re still waiting on a contract for a fair wage.”

Workers chanted ,“Maintenance, locomotive, light rail and bus! We're one, UTA, so don't mess with us!” and sang “Six months no CBA! Six months no CBA! That’s the UTA way!” to the tune of La donna è mobile. Bus drivers operating the shuttle route to the Roadeo honked their horns in approval, as the chanting and song carried into the venue.

“It’s been six months and we’re still trying to negotiate,” said Norm Blessett, another transit worker. Blessett said ATU members chose the Bus Roadeo because of its high profile as an international competition. “This was the best place to let UTA know we’re not happy,” said Blessett.

The Bus Roadeo bills itself as “bringing the industry together” in a “hands-on competition that puts the skills of bus operators and maintenance professionals to the test.”

The transit workers also called out the UTA for underhanded, anti-union tactics during bargaining.

“During negotiations, the UTA decided to fire two of the negotiators on the union side,” said Doug Underwood, vice president of ATU 382. “It’s trying to divide the union; there’s just no fair bargaining.”

UTA workers chanted, “When our leadership is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “Stronger together!”

Workers from other trade unions answered the transit workers’ call for support, with Teamsters, CWA, AFSCME, and IATSE among those represented.

Cynthia Shaw, a campus worker and member of CWA 7765, said, “We’re stronger together. When all union members and all workers in Utah stand together, we are stronger together.”

“I rely on UTA to get to calls downtown, going to the Maverick Center,” said Michael Kroll, a rigger and member of IATSE 99. “These workers need better compensation.”

Workers held down the picket line at a high level of energy for hours, from the morning until the afternoon. ATU members vowed to continue their fight for a strong contract and to overcome the UTA’s greed.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #Labor #Transit #ATU

Provo, UT – On May 13, FRSO Orem district members, along with other local working-class activists, showed up to the Utah County Administration Building in order to protest against the signing of a new 287(g) agreement with ICE.

The agreement allows members of local law enforcement to act as federal immigration law enforcement. The unpopular and controversial legislation was passed 3-0 by the county commissioners.

Jack McNiven stated, “Despite the overwhelmingly demonstrated immorality of ICE and DHS, despite the overwhelming public disapproval of the community, Utah County has decided to further cooperate with the white supremacist secret police. The commissioners and everyone involved in this should be utterly ashamed.” After McNiven had made their stand, law enforcement surrounded and threatened them.

The response of the local community was strong, yet it was not enough to defeat this attack. Friends, neighbors and families in the community will be directly affected by the decision.

The FRSO Orem district was able to mobilize against reactionary politicians with less than a day’s notice. Dozens of activists showed up to defend immigrant rights. We will keep pushing forward towards victory.

#ProvoUT #UT #ImmigrantRights #287g

Salt Lake City, UT- On May 16, 50 people gathered across from the North Guadalupe Trax station in Salt Lake City to commemorate Nakba Day in solidarity with the Palestinian people, along with other cities in the National Anti-War Action Network.

The protest brought many different groups together, including the 71% Coalition, Armed Queers SLC, the Utah Anti-War Committee, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Carson Bybee, a member of the UAWC condemned the Stratos Project, a planned military data center, and the Raytheon facility in Salt Lake County, saying, “We refuse to let our communities become yet another fist for imperialist genocide.”

Mustafa Khader, a veteran Palestinian activist and member of the 71% Coalition said, “The answer for humanity is to stop these activities while they are happening,” and “The insistence of the Palestinians in keeping their cause alive is the most powerful statement to humanity.”

Throughout the protest, the crowd chanted, “We don’t want two states, we want 1948!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” Cars of the many commuters traveling to the popular Kilby Bloc Party music festival honked in support of the protest.

Adrian Romero, a member of the UAWC told the crowd, “Utah Anti-War Committee stands in absolute solidarity with fellow anti-war activist, Rick Toledo, who was targeted for doing exactly what we are doing right now: taking a stand against U.S.-backed terrorism.”

Sebastian Miscenich, a member of the FRSO, said, “We are not afraid to support the Palestinian fight against genocide, their fight against racism. Zionists have no right to oppress Palestinians. The Palestinians have every right to rebel. FRSO is an organization that stands unapologetically with every action the Palestinians take as they fight for national liberation.”

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Nakba #UAWC #AWAN

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the FRSO Salt Lake City District.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization has been reestablished in Utah, emerging stronger with two vibrant new districts.

The rebirth of our district in Salt Lake City was catalyzed by a renewed engagement in the anti-imperialist struggle. The spark came after we participated in the Utah Anti-War Committee's letter-writing campaign in support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is currently unlawfully being held as a hostage in U.S. prison. This act of solidarity reinvigorated our revolutionary organization in Utah and coincided with the commencement of Freedom Road organizing in Orem, 40 miles south of Salt Lake.

Today, our districts now strive to be beacons of progress and revolutionary drive in Utah, having summed up the many successes of the past and made concrete plans to address challenges. New cadres recruited from the mass movements are fighting to win a deeper fusion with Utah’s working and oppressed people.

Our renewed district in Salt Lake City collaborates with a variety of progressive forces, including Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, the Utah Workers Center, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, and Utahns for Peace and Justice in the Holy Land. In Orem, our new comrades support powerful partnerships with Students for a Democratic Society at Utah Valley University, alongside the Whistle Committee and the Civil Disobedience Club, bringing Freedom Road to the heart of Utah County for the first time.

Since January 2026, our district membership has quadrupled in size, a surge that speaks to the hunger for genuine revolutionary struggle in Utah. Our recent activities have focused on the anti-war movement, providing support to the UAWC’s actions against U.S. aggression in Iran, Cuba, Lebanon, Venezuela, and Palestine. Our district celebrated International Women's Day with a massive rally at the state Capitol alongside MMIR Utah and UAWC, which we followed by a well-attended May Day panel that drew dozens of Utahns eager for change and for an end to ICE terror in their community.

Our district welcomes all revolutionaries in the Salt Lake area looking for a community of organizers where they can serve the people's movements, rebuild the communist party and study Marxism-Leninism. A new generation of cadres has taken up the call to land blows on the monopoly capitalist class.

The message from Utah is clear: opposing forces failed to break us. Instead, these experiences only served to forge a harder, more disciplined, and more dedicated organization. In Utah, FRSO is quickly evolving into a force to be reckoned with, dedicated to the long-term goals of the labor movement, student activism, immigrant rights, LGBTQ liberation, and gender justice, all while building the anti-war movement and laying the groundwork for a socialist society.

The fight carries on.

#SaltLakeCityUT #OremUT #UT #PeoplesStruggles #AntiWarMovement #FRSO

Salt Lake City, UT- On May 5, over 100 city workers and supporters demanded a strong contract in front of the Salt Lake City and County Building as union negotiations continue. Organized under AFSCME 1004, Salt Lake’s city workers demanded no cuts to worker compensation and condemned the city’s proposal for its attacks on union rights.

Also at issue are benefits, longevity, weekend shift differentials and holiday pay.

In a rally outside the city council chambers, city workers and their supporters chanted, “Who makes the city run? We do!” Workers from other unions answered the call for support from AFSCME 1004, including CWA 7765, which represents both the University of Utah’s campus and healthcare workers and the SunTrapp, a local bar.

Wearing green AFSCME shirts and holding signs reading “Strong contract now” and “We make the city happen,” municipal workers and their many supporters in the wider Salt Lake labor movement and community filled the City and County Building as Mayor Erin Mendenhall attempted to justify an austerity budget and regressive tax increases.

After Mendenhall’s presentation, union organizers led the crowd in a procession through the city council’s chambers, the line of green AFSCME shirts demonstrating the deep solidarity among municipal workers, their resolve in the contract negotiations, and the strong support they enjoy from the community and trade unionists.

After the procession, the crowd rallied once more on the steps of the City and County Building, the city workers having demonstrated their will to stand up for their dignity in the workplace, and community members having affirmed their solidarity with the workers who keep Salt Lake City running.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #Labor #AFSCME

Salt Lake City – This May Day, hundreds gathered at Salt Lake City’s Washington Square Park, May 1, to celebrate the hard fought achievements of the workers and immigrant movements and to call the people to keep organizing and fighting for a more just world.

Socialists, progressives, unionists and immigrant rights activists spoke about the unique struggles facing Utahns. Issues included the struggle to keep ICE off our streets to Utah’s status as a Right to Work state, to the recently approved military data center in Box Elder County, an installation that will significantly affect not only the local residents but those under the thumb of U.S. imperialism.

Mustafa Khader from the 71 Percent Coalition, a local organization fighting for the end of U.S. complicity in the genocide of Palestinians, remarked, “Our enemy is fascism, capitalism and imperialism,” and “We will always be there to remind the people that we are the ones who are the change.” There were calls to join local organizations and come together as communities to fight back against the oppression we are facing within Utah, across the nation, and globally.

A contingent from the FRSO held a banner reading “Defend immigrant and workers rights” and passed out signs and waters to others in the crowd.

After the rally the FRSO held a May Day panel at the Utah Workers Center to speak on the state of the labor, immigrant rights, Anti War, and socialist movements today.

Carson Bybee, speaking for the FRSO stated, “May Day calls us to intensify the fight. Organize your workplaces, build revolutionary parties, and prepare for the battles ahead.” The speech highlighted the rich history of the struggle for workers’ rights and socialism across the world, the dysfunctional nature of representative democracy in the U.S., and the global environmental crisis brought about by the capitalist mode of production we exist under.

Adrian Romero, of the Utah Anit War Committee (UAWC) spoke on the horrific realities that immigrants have faced and continue to face in this country.

Karla Galvez,, another member of the UAWC spoke about the origins of May Day and the Haymarket Affair stating that “Truly it was a capitalist’s worst nightmare, people coming together to realize the power in unity.” The speech continued with the recent success in repealing HB 267, a collective bargaining ban cited as one of the most restrictive labor laws in the country, that was brought down as a result of the “dedicated efforts of organizers, activists, and community members.”

A UPS worker and Teamster, spoke on their experience working within a union. They explained the important distinction between a business union and a working-class union, a business union being a type of union that is alienated from the real conditions of workers on the shop floor.

Sebastian Miscenich, an activist and leader in both Freedom Raad Socialist Organization and the UAWC, made a speech recognizing all the important anti-war work carried out by the UAWC since its reestablishment earlier this year.

The feeling among those participating in these May Day events is clear, something is deeply wrong about how society is structured and the only ones capable of carrying out real change are the people themselves.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #Labor #ImmigrantRights #MayDay

Salt Lake City, UT – During the early evening of Wednesday, April 15, dozens of demonstrators gathered at the Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City, to protest their tax dollars being used to attack Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and Cuba.

After chants of “Not another missile, not another rocket, all these wars are just for profit!” Paris Lamb of the Utah Antiwar Committee told the crowd, “As a student I have seen the efforts of this firsthand as I struggle to afford tuition housing and food. A fraction of the military budget could provide universal tuition and healthcare to every student.”

Carson Bybee of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Your tax dollars have killed over 72,000 Palestinians. Your tax dollars killed more than 110 schoolgirls in Iran. Your tax dollars killed over 300 people in minutes, right after the ceasefire kicked in. Let that sink in.” The crowd then went into a revised 60s chant of “Donald Trump, what do you say? how many kids did you kill today?”

A member of Armed Queers said, “Over 100 years later, many of the issues brought up by the world's first socialist revolution haven’t been solved. That is, ‘Peace, Land, and Bread.’”

The responses of pedestrians and motorists passing by were overwhelmingly positive, as honks drowned out the few negative responses that were attempted. Answering a call from the Anti-war Action Network, the rally was sponsored by Utah Anti-War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and Armed Queers.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #TaxDay #AntiWarActionNetwork

Salt Lake City, UT – On Wednesday evening, April 8, an emergency protest was held at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in Salt Lake City, showing opposition to the genocidal rhetoric from the White House the previous day.

Banners reading “End all U.S. aid to Israel!” and “Hands off Iran!” joined the Palestinian and Iranian flags in front of the federal building, as the crowd chanted for over an hour. The protest received much support from passing pedestrians and motorists. Protesters persisted despite attempts at intimidation by the police.

“Do we really want this done in our name?” asked Sebastian Miscenich, from the Utah Anti-War Committee, in a speech. “We must hold the government accountable for these war crimes.” Protesters chanted “No boots on the ground, no bombs in the air, U.S. out of everywhere!” and “Money for jobs, not for war!

Carson Bybee, with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization told the crowd, “Imperialists do not sign ceasefires in good faith. They violate them in letter and in spirit whenever material interests demand it.”

“Stand firm in the streets,” Bybee declared in closing. “Link arms with the global anti-imperialist front. Build the revolutionary organization capable of challenging the war machine at its root. Victory belongs to the people who refuse to kneel.”

The action was called by the Utah Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Salt Lake City District.

All Utahns opposed to wars are encouraged to rally on Tax Day, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. in front of the federal building to demand “Tax dollars for housing, healthcare and jobs, not for war!”

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Salt Lake City, UT- On Saturday, March 28, tens of thousands of people gathered at Utah’s Capitol building for a No Kings protest. The protest comes in the wake of news that ICE is building a detention center in Utah, one of the largest in a series of centers which the Department of Homeland Security intends to build around the country.

Chants such as “El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” were commonly heard.

Opposition to ICE wasn’t the only message communicated at the capitol building. Amid plummeting support for intervention in other countries, Iran was a hot topic as well.

Robert Birch, one of the organizers for Utah’s No King’s rally in SLC, questioned the necessity of war in his speech on the steps of the capitol, asking why billions were being spent on “unnecessary war” instead of the less fortunate.

The Utah Anti-War Committee marched with a banner at its front reading “Hands off Iran!” in bold capital letters and leading chants focusing on Western intervention in Venezuela, Iran and Palestine.

Though much of the anger among Saturday’s protesters is currently directed at the Trump administration, when Trump is gone, the conditions which fuel this rising anger will remain.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #ImmigrantRights #PeoplesStruggles #NoKings #Trump #AntiWarMovement

Salt Lake City – At least 50 people gathered at the Utah State Capitol on Saturday afternoon, March 7, for an International Women’s Day rally organized by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The event was cosponsored by the Utah Anti-War Committee, Armed Queers of Salt Lake City and MMIR Utah.

The protest’s demands included “Free Venezuela’s First Lady Cilia Flores; justice for the schoolgirls killed in a U.S. strike in Iran; stop attacks on transgender health care for minors, and oppose anti-immigrant legislation such as HB 88. Participant chants included “Spencer Cox has got to go!” and “Abortion is worth fighting for!”

Speakers at the rally included a member of Armed Queers of Salt Lake City, Tammy Dee Platero of MMIR Utah and Sebastian Miscenich of Freedom Road Socialist Organization

“MMIR is not just a movement — it’s a mother up at 3 a.m. waiting for her daughter to come home. It’s a partner waiting for a phone call, or an auntie searching for her niece,” intoned Dee Platero of MMIR Utah, putting a human face to the epidemic of missing and murdered Native Americans in the U.S.

A member of Armed Queers of Salt Lake City said, “By being complicit and capitulating to their status quo we allow them to think that they have the power over generations of fierce trans and queer organizers that will not stop until we are free!”

““The bombing in Iran at Minab killed more than 100 girls at an elementary school. This exposes the lies of war apologists about how the rights of Iranian women and LGBTQ people make their criminal aggression against Iran justified,” Sebastian Miscenichof Freedom Road Socialist Organization said in his speech. “It is in the interest of the vast majority of women and queer people both in Iran and here in the U.S. that our common oppressors lose this war!”

Organizers encouraged the crowd to remain active in the movement, attend organizing meetings, and help plan upcoming events.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Salt Lake City, UT – On February 28, 20 community members protested in front of the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake City to demand an end to U.S. war on Iran. The emergency action was organized by the Utah Anti-War Committee the day after an unprovoked joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran.

Holding large banners reading “Hands off Iran!” and “End all U.S. aid to Israel!” the demonstration put Salt Lake City on the map as one of the over 20 cities in the National Anti-War Action Network that held emergency protests against the strikes. Despite rainy conditions, the protesters gathered on short notice to demand divestment from war profiteering and a refocus on the needs of everyday people.

“As a social worker, I have seen how cuts to welfare benefit programs have directly impacted Utah families,” said Adrian Romero of the UAWC. “Meanwhile, that money is allocated to destroy lives in the Middle East. The president doesn’t want peace. He wants global domination”

Sebastian Miscenich of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “One year after Trump campaigned on ‘No new wars,’ the drive to war has actually intensified, from the strikes on innocent fishers in the Caribbean, to the attack on Venezuela, to this new war on Iran.”

Miscenich continued by pointing out the inevitability of war under imperialism, saying, “We can expect more wars as long as the government and economy serve the rich, no matter if it’s a Democrat or a Republican in power.”

Protesters chanted “Hands off Iran now! Turn those Navy ships around!” and “Money for housing, not for war!” to the frequent cheers of late-night Salt Lake pedestrians and passing drivers.

The action was organized by Utah Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Iran

Salt Lake City, UT – On Sunday, February 22, over a dozen pro-Palestine protesters lined the busy 1300 East overpass in downtown Salt Lake City to bring local attention back to Palestine. With signs and a banner visible to Interstate 80 and surface street commuters, the protest called for an end to all U.S. support of Israel and investment in the needs of the people of Utah.

The demonstration was organized in response the Anti-War Action Network’s national call for a Week of Action for Palestine. Protesters chanted “Listen to the people, listen to the poor! We say no to U.S. wars!” and “Governor Cox, you can’t hide, you’re supporting genocide!” to countless honks and other signs of support from Sunday afternoon commuters.

Sebastian Miscenich of Utah Anti-War Committee stated, “The United States sends over $20 billion of our money to fund genocide, bombing and apartheid in Israel. This is money taken from your pockets at a time when we face high rents, low wages, and a growing police state here at the U.S.”

Protesters also criticized the complicity of the Utah state government in war profiteering and its participation in 47G, a public-private weapons industry consortium, chanting “Fund the people, fund our needs! Down with 47G!”

The demonstrators displayed their banner reading “End all U.S. aid to Israel!” and signs reading “Honk if you support Palestine!” for over an hour.

The action was organized by the Utah Anti-War Committee and Freedom Road Socialist Organization. Organizers urge all those who support people’s needs over war and greed to follow the UAWC on Instagram @utahantiwar to stay in the loop, and to join them on Sunday, March 1 at 1 p.m. at the Beans and Brews on 2100 South for a campaign planning meeting.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #UAWC

Salt Lake City, UT — On Valentine's Day, February 14, about a dozen people gathered at the Riverside Library on the west side of Salt Lake for an educational panel hosted by the Utah Anti-War Committee. The event focused on the anti-war movement and the struggle for immigrant rights.

The discussion centered U.S. intervention abroad and immigration. Speakers criticized the Utah organization 47G, a public-private defense industry consortium, concluding that investment in war profiteering binds communities materially and politically to imperial violence overseas.

Adam Karotz, a longtime local activist and member of the Utah Anti-War Committee, traced the roots of the modern anti-war movement through opposition to the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

“The bulk of U.S. troops stayed in Iraq until 2011. Millions of Iraqis have died as a direct result of the U.S. invasion and occupation. Generations will continue to suffer the health effects of depleted Uranium use, just as generations of Vietnamese people have suffered from the use of napalm,” said Karotz.

The panel connected environmental hazards, economic despair, opioid crisis, rising homelessness, labor trafficking and militarized policing in the U.S. to the same powerful groups that drive foreign intervention. Participants characterized the criminalization of addiction and poverty as a continuation of domestic war by other means.

Collin Grannis of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemned the kidnapping of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, stating, “The United States does not have the right to pluck sovereign leaders out of their countries, even if they disagree with their policies.” Grannis called out the U.S. attack as a blatant violation of international law and national sovereignty, characteristic of the longstanding history of U.S. intervention in Latin America.

Adrian Romero, a local community organizer and Utah Anti War Committee member, shifted the focus to immigrant rights, stating, “Today, immigration and border policies have become super-militarized and increasingly, dangerously, hostile towards anyone that stands in their way.”

Speakers drew parallels between immigrant detention, the incarceration of homeless and mentally ill people, and labor trafficking and social control under the Trump regime. They urged attendees to see anti-war work not as a single-issue cause, but as part of a broader movement against imperialism, racism and state violence.

Earlier this year, The Utah Anti-War Committee organized a letter-writing campaign in support of President Maduro.

The Utah Anti-War Committee organized the event and will continue to fight against imperialism and war in Salt Lake valley. They invite community members to join their meetings and organizing efforts.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #AntiWarMovement #Venezuela #UAWC

Salt Lake City, UT — On Saturday, February 7, over 100 campus and hospital workers at the University of Utah rallied to launch their “U for Who?” campaign. Workers are fighting to win parking stipends for all employees, safer staffing ratios for teachers and healthcare workers with compensation, respect for the university’s own meet-and-confer policy, and a sanctuary campus from immigration enforcement.

Utah Healthcare Workers United (UHWU) and United Campus Workers of Utah (UCWU) are units of Communication Workers of America Local 7765.

Workers turned out to make their power felt after weeks of shop floor conversations, phone banking, and canvassing the academic and healthcare sides of campus. The rally is a display of the growing organization of Utah workers in a state with “right-to-work” anti-union laws. Last year an attempt to ban public sector unions, HB 267, was defeated by labor and community activism.

“I have worked as a nurse at the University of Utah Hospital since 2014. I have personally watched the conditions at the hospital deteriorate over time,” said Jessica Stauffer, a nurse and president of CWA 7765. “You have value as a worker, and we are here to help support that. That’s why I got involved in our union.”

Ian Ferguson, an IT staff worker in the College of Law, said, “Our power comes from all of you acting together. Thanks to mass organizing by unions across Utah, HB 261 was sent to a referendum and repealed before it could even go to a vote.”

Echoing that the union is a vehicle for power in the workplace, Chapman Waters, a faculty instructor for the College of Humanities, stated, “One reason why our union exists is to give us mechanisms to exercise our collective power.”

To win their demands, university workers are now gathering petition signatures from workers and the broader community who support a safer and more dignified workplace for campus and healthcare workers at the University of Utah.

“You are here as part of a historic movement of ordinary working people,” said Ian Decker, a nutrition care specialist at the university hospital and Treasurer of CWA 7765. “This organization, after only two years, is the second largest public service union in the state.”

The rally was organized by Communication Workers of America, local 7765. University employees in Utah are urged to join their union if they have not yet done so, and all community members are invited to sign the workers’ campaign petition here.

#SaltLakeCityUT #UT #Labor #CWA