Madison, WI – On September 16, the anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn set up on Madison’s Library Mall, harassing students as they passed by. By 2:30 p.m., a group of students gathered in opposition. Bradley Keenan of Madison Students for a Democratic Society led chants with the student body to drown them out. A band had also joined, drowning out the group’s speakers.

Frustrated at student opposition, the group's speeches devolved into baseless arguments with students, claiming that evolution and abortion are “what Hitler believed in.” Students did not back down, instead they voiced that anti-science claims have no place on campus. As students continued to protest, members of the anti-abortion group became increasingly agitated until they attacked a student, ripping his shirt off. At that point, members of the crowd stepped in and separated the agitator.

Twenty-four hours later, the Missionaries to the Preborn arrived in Milwaukee on the UW-Milwaukee campus. Near 1 p.m., the agitators started to assemble around Spaights Plaza with signs of bloody, fake fetuses and began to try and agitate the student population passing by, which grew a crowd. Members of the Student for a Democratic Society at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee responded to the scene, and began to drown out the agitators, led by SDS member Alejandro Acosta, by chanting, “Our bodies, our lives, our right to decide.”

Other members of SDS Milwaukee, Hannah Grotto and Lauren Sroka, discussed with students who passed by about the frustrations of dealing with a group that was clearly harassing students as they walked through campus. Grotto stated, “I am extremely disappointed with the university allowing an anti-abortion group onto campus utilizing such graphic imagery. She added, “More needs to be done to protect students from these outside groups, especially if they were violent at other schools in the UW System, we need to hold these agitators accountable.”

This impromptu rally was the first for UWM-SDS to have this fall semester as it continues to create a safe and progressive space on campus for all students.

As Trump’s policies against the education system continually turn college campuses into a battleground for student rights, it is also a call to action for all students on UWM’s campus to call for its administration to end its complicity with Trump’s anti-education, anti-student and anti-reproductive rights policies.

#MadisonWI #WI #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #ReproductiveRights #Abortion

Milwaukee, WI – On Sunday, September 20, members of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee gathered at the Mitchell Street Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library to watch a webinar featuring activists who took part in the Jaju Solidarity Brigade to South Korea, put on by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN).

The webinar comes at a crucial time, as the United States continues to ramp up its aggression in the Asia Pacific, aimed at limiting the influence of China. The U.S. has at least 80 military bases in South Korea and has been partnering in military-joint exercise since the Korean War.

The Jaju Solidarity Brigade was made up of 21 anti-war and anti-imperialist organizations. The Jaju Solidarity Brigade formed after the 2025 People’s Summit for Korea hosted in New York City, where community members, artists and students from around the country gathered to discuss the Korean liberation movement and building international solidarity for a unified Korea.

Sonya Chung, a member of Nodutdol, an anti-imperialist organization fighting to end the division of Korea said, “It’s helpful to understand the Korean war as an attempt to unite the Korean people again, and the U.S. and R.O.K. governments put down the resistance brutally.” She reflected on visiting the Daejeon Massacre Site, the world’s largest grave where an estimated 7,000 political prisoners were executed by R.O.K. soldiers while the U.S. military stood by and watched.

Meredith Aby, a member of the steering committee of AWAN who took part in the Solidarity Brigade stated, “South Korea functions in the Asia-Pacific similarly to the role that Israel plays in the Middle East, in terms of being proxy governments, but also giving the U.S. a place to park all of its weapons.”

The webinar watch party was hosted by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC), a local grassroots anti-war organization affiliated with the national network AWAN.

MAC member Sam Charnon reflected on the webinar, saying “Being an anti-imperialist organization means educating ourselves on the history of Korea and opposing the United States aggression in the Asia Pacific today. We are honored to be a member organization of AWAN that was represented in the Solidarity Brigade.”

Although much of the focus in the U.S. anti-war movement has been on other countries such as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and Palestine, the U.S. continues to escalate their “pivot to Asia” strategy and continues to be aggressive against China.

Attendees of the webinar watch party left feeling a strong solidarity with Koreans fighting for reunification and against the U.S. war machine.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #International #Korea #AWAN #MAC #Nodutdol

Milwaukee, WI – On September 17, a small yet spirited group of community members gathered for a banner drop to mark 200 days of war on Iran.

Organized by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC), this banner drop was in response to the National Week of Action by the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN), with more than 15 protests coordinated across the country. The AWAN demands include an end to the war on Iran, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and an investment in human needs, not war.

The Milwaukee action was strategically held on the Locust Street overpass during peak rush hour with the banner reading, “U.S. & Israel: Hands off Iran!” Despite the gloomy weather, it did not stop the banner drop attendees from proudly raising the banner for all to see, and the message was well received. As cars, trucks, and motorcycles drove underneath the overpass, they offered honks of support.

In addition to the banner drop, MAC members were ready to chat with passersby to learn more about what issues they see in their neighborhoods and where they'd rather see their federal tax dollars be invested in instead of the war on Iran. These conversations tie into MAC's ongoing campaign to shut down the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council, which aims to increase Wisconsin's capacity for war manufacturing via Department of Defense contract awards.

Sam Charnon, of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, stated, “In the past 200 days, the U.S. has targeted civilian areas with multiple airstrikes, including a girls' primary school, a sports complex, and a residential area. The result is more than 178 civilian deaths, including women and children. We demand that our tax dollars do not contribute to the ongoing war, but rather invest in social services here in Milwaukee.”

Charnon added, “Here in Milwaukee, we're also feeling the effects of the war, with affordability being a huge issue. Gas prices have now soared to nearly $4.50 per gallon, along with grocery and rent increases, while we're also experiencing stagnating wages and service cuts to public transportation. We demand that our tax dollars are invested in social services, education and healthcare, not for occupation and war.”

This energetic banner drop sends a clear message to the Trump administration: the people of Milwaukee will continue to fight until the U.S. is out of Iran, Lebanon, Gaza and the entire Middle East.

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Lebanon #Palestine #AWAN

Madison, WI – Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison gathered in Library Mall, September 16, for the first protest for a sanctuary campus of the semester. Madison Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) led the protest, joined by the Black Power Coalition (BPC), United Faculty & Academic Staff, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The event began with a call for students to fight back against ICE and Trump's reactionary policies. Like many cities across the U.S., Madison has seen an uptick in ICE activity. On the day of the rally, federal agents were reported in South Madison, further cementing the need for sanctuary policies.

Lizbeth De Jesus of Madison SDS talked about Trump’s attempts to end the “Duration of Status” rule for student visas. This xenophobic change would put international students, who make up 14% of Madison’s student body, at dire risk.

De Jesus told the crowd, “We need real policies put in place that defend students, staff, and faculty. We need our university to actually stand up and fight back against the backward Trump regime.”

De Jesus concluded, “When we dare to struggle, we dare to win! And we won’t stop fighting until we get what we deserve: a safer campus for every student.”

Evan Epps of the Black Power Coalition stated, “The same systems that over-police Black bodies are the same systems driving immigration raids, separations and terror in our communities.” Evan then turned his speech towards the university itself, “You cannot claim to build an inclusive campus, while allowing state officers to terrorize students on their way to class. Silence from University leadership is not neutrality, it is complicity.”

The rally was the first of many protests this semester as SDS continues its fight for a sanctuary campus.

Now, more than ever, the importance of uniting against Trump is on clear display. Now is not the time for neutrality. SDS and the UW community call on our university administration to take a firm stance against Trump!

#MadisonWI #WI #StudentMovement #SDS

Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, August 24, Reproductive Justice Action- Milwaukee (RJAM) hosted a banner drop and rally outside of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa to demand restoration of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The event organizers created a 25-foot banner of the trans flag sporting the slogan “Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin: Restore care now. Trans kids deserve to live.” 

The banner drop and rally got the attention of the Children's security team, but the protesters didn’t back down. RJAM member Grae Felion shared, “We are here today because every young person deserves safety, dignity and the freedom to be who they are.” 

In January, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin stopped offering gender-affirming care that was in the form of puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. “Children’s leadership decided to comply in advance to an unlawful threat made by the Trump administration. Instead of protecting trans youth, they abandoned them,�