Minneapolis, MN – A coalition of Twin Cities peace and anti-war organizations held an anti-war protest October 9 to mark 20 years since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. The protest, held at Mayday Plaza in Minneapolis, also called for an end all forms of U.S. aggression.

Kim DeFranco, representing Women Against Military Madness and the Climate Justice Committee, welcomed the 50-plus people and explained the focus for the action, “Now is the time to end the U.S. obsession for endless wars. We demand to end all wars and all types of warfare. Bring all the troops home from everywhere, end all sanctions and stop all blockades and fund human needs now!” All the speakers addressed one of the central demands of an end to warfare, intervention and sanctions, and for human needs to be prioritized.

Misty Rowan, an activist with the Anti-War Committee, explained the significance of the role of sanctions as an act of war, “Sanctions are an act of war, and they need to be treated as such. They are cruel, and they are intended to cause harm, but unlike a drone strike, the damage done is so much more insidious than outright violence, and for that reason, so much less likely to make the nightly news. Sanctions are used to strangle countries economically and to put pressure on governments, but it is the ordinary people who ultimately pay the price. It is well documented that sanctions can cause more death and more suffering than an actual hot war, but they are sold to us as being less cruel, and more cost-effective.”

U.S. weapons and aid are another form of U.S. warfare. Mnar Adley, an outspoken Palestinian-American and editor of Mint Press News, spoke about the situation in occupied Palestine. “Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd, standing up to Israeli apartheid and the ethnic cleansing of their neighborhoods, are the real heroes of 2021,” she said. “Where are the Muna and Mohammed El-Kurds here in America, standing up in Congress, in the House, in the Senate – where are they? They do not exist. That's why we have to hold our elected officials accountable and rely on the strength and courage of ourselves.”

Ruben Joanem of the Haiti Justice Committee held U.S. imperialism responsible for the Haitian refugee crisis, saying of the July assassination of President Jovenal Moïse that “nothing happens there without the consent of the U.S. embassy.” Joanem continued, “We need to ask our representatives to put a moratorium on deportation of refugees from Haiti because the nation has collapsed as we know it. There is no infrastructure, there is no leadership, there is no administration in Port-au-Prince or elsewhere in Haiti. The images that you've seen of officers chasing children and women refugees is no different from the image of the officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd. All we are asking for: we want to breathe. The right to breathe is the right to live.”

Several speakers also made the connection between the wars abroad and the war on oppressed nationalities at home. Kelly Thomas, a member of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, addressed the crowd to make this connection, “The people who are in the streets fighting for our lives, for our rights to freedom of speech, for literally clean drinking water, we are being attacked and targeted by police. We're being assaulted and arrested. Some of us were literally in court yesterday.”

Thomas continued, “Right now, the people with the most power are mostly people who have never experienced being traumatized by police. They don't know what being pepper sprayed or tear gassed feels like. They haven't seen the damage that rubber bullets do. They don't know the feeling of being jumpy at unexpected sounds, or watching traumatized community and loved ones spreading trauma because they don't have the safety they need to heal. They haven't had to try and sleep just feet away from police in order to hold ground. They are not interested in understanding the problem, they are not capable of understanding the problem, and they're not capable of caring about people with Black and brown skin.” Thomas encouraged participants to support their campaign for CPAC, a Civilian Police Accountability Council, in Minneapolis.

The Saturday protest was initiated by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and was endorsed by the Anti-War Committee, Climate Justice Committee, Every Church a Peace Church, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Haiti Justice Committee of Minnesota, Mayday Books, Minnesota Cuba Committee, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Minnesota War Tax Resistance, Party for Socialism and Liberation, St. Joan of Arc/WAMM Peacemakers, St. Paul Eastside Neighbors for Peace, Socialist Action, Socialist Revolution, Students for a Democratic Society (UMN), Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace, Welfare Rights Committee, and Women Against Military Madness.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalition

Milwaukee, WI – A group of anti-war students and community members gathered in downtown Milwaukee in the early afternoon of September 11 to protest continued U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Speakers acknowledged the significance of the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but pointed to history and actions taken since the evacuation of the U.S. embassy as a sign of things to come.

“It’s a good thing that the U.S. has removed its forces, but we know that they’re not going to allow the unimpeded expression of Afghan self-determination,” said Ryan Hamann, speaking on behalf of Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Wisconsin.

“We see this in the drone strikes ordered by Biden which resulted in the deaths of ten civilians, seven of whom were children. We should expect to see sanctions against ‘the government’ in the near future,” Hamann continued. “Sanctions kill people, too, and the U.S. government knows this. It’s all a part of their plan to continue the war on Afghanistan.”

Attendees chanted, “Hands off Afghanistan!” and “No justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East!” as cars drove by honking their approval for the anti-war demonstration. Downtown Milwaukee was alive with foot traffic due to SummerFest, a major annual music festival. A few people stopped to join or ask questions.

After the event, people were asked to purchase a book detailing the lives of women in Afghanistan. The proceeds raised would be donated to the Afghan refugee resettlement efforts in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, an area that falls roughly halfway between Madison and the Minnesota state line. The event was organized by the FRSO – Wisconsin and the Milwaukee branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation together with a handful of Iranian graduate students.

FRSO – Wisconsin is hosting a study on imperialism and national liberation, with the current events in Afghanistan serving as a backdrop for discussions. This study is open to all who want to learn more about these topics. It’s set to take place via Zoom on September 19 at 5 p.m. Central Time. The link for the Zoom call can be found on the FRSO – Wisconsin Facebook page.

#MilwaukeeWI #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #September11

New Orleans, LA – On August 21, around 30 community members gathered in opposition to the U.S. government’s role in fueling crises around the world. They met at the historic Congo Square in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans.

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization of New Orleans and the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance called the march. Participants rejected U.S. attempts to destabilize Cuba. They also condemned the United States’ role in creating miserable ongoing conditions in Haiti and Afghanistan.

Solidarity with the people of Cuba and Haiti, who share a geographical region and a long historical link with the people of New Orleans, was a major theme of the rally. Co-organizer Toni Jones said to the crowd: “For over 200 years Haiti has been a beacon, for showing the world that it’s possible for Black people in America to create a free republic.”

Local historian Leon A. Waters spoke about the direct link between the Haitian revolution and the 1811 Slave Revolt in Saint Charles Parish. The Revolt carried the slogans “On to New Orleans” and “Freedom or Death” only seven years after Haiti achieved independence.

The crowd marched through downtown New Orleans, taking over major roads to reach the Hale Boggs Federal Building, where they rallied.

Meg Maloney of the Hospitality Workers Alliance said, “We have to be willing and ready to speak to our coworkers, to our community members, about this because it directly affects us. They are taking our money and they are using it to terrorize people around the world.”

Speakers highlighted that the U.S. government terrorized the people of Afghanistan through years of drone warfare. It is also terrorizing the people of Cuba with the blockade and economic embargo.

The protest rejected the lie that U.S. wars are fought to spread freedom and democracy. “The U.S. has lost the war in Afghanistan, and that’s a great thing,” said Serena Borne of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, “because these wars and interventions crush the self-determination and democracy of these nations.”

#NewOrleansLA #AntiwarMovement #Cuba #Afghanistan #Haiti #PeoplesStruggles

St. Paul, MN – On August 18, representatives from Twin Cities anti-war groups and the local Afghan community gathered at the Lake Street-Marshall Avenue bridge to hold a press conference on the unfolding situation in Afghanistan. The event was part of a weekly peace vigil organized by Women Against Military Madness.

Days earlier, the U.S.-backed Afghan government and Afghan National Army collapsed in the face of a nationwide offensive by resistance forces led by the Taliban, after the withdrawal of most U.S. troops from the country. The Taliban’s quick success effectively brought an end to nearly 20 years of U.S. occupation and returned the group to power for the first time since 2001.

This led to a chaotic situation at Kabul’s international airport, where remnants of U.S. occupation forces violently attacked crowds of Afghan civilians who hoped to flee the country, killing at least five.

Naweed Ahmadzai, a first-generation Afghan American born to parents who were educators during the first Taliban regime, spoke at the Saint Paul press conference. “No one has taken responsibility for the situation Afghanistan is now in, not even the president of the United States. And this was all while there were Afghans literally hanging from the wings of a U.S. plane as it took off, as we all saw. Now this is not on anyone but us. We must hold Joe Biden accountable, Trump accountable, Obama accountable and the ones before accountable,” he said.

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee criticized the U.S. government’s retaliatory seizure of Afghanistan’s foreign holdings, saying, “None of this will help Afghanistan. If anything the U.S. owes Afghanistan reparations for what it’s done. But at the heart of it all is sovereignty and self-determination, two things the U.S. needs to learn how to respect and value before it will ever be able to engage with the world as anything other than a bully and a predator.”

Amina Baha, an Afghan American living in Minneapolis, also spoke and encouraged people to demand support for Afghan refugees, concluding, “Please pray for Afghanistan, show up for Afghanistan, save Afghanistan.”

The press conference announced that on Saturday, August 28 at 4 p.m., the local Afghan community will hold a demonstration at Loring Park in Minneapolis to demand protection for Afghan refugees and for the U.S. to be held accountable for its destructive occupation.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #AfghanistanWar #TwinCitiesAntiWarCommittee

The images are searing. Helicopters ferrying diplomatic personnel from the U.S. Embassy while plumes of black smoke billow from the building. Taliban fighters with heavy artillery parade through the thoroughfares of provincial capitals. The International Airport, still under U.S. control, is in chaos as collaborators try storm planes to flee the country. In the space of a few weeks the puppet government collapsed, and its figureheads have vanished. The decades of occupation have come to an end. Those that fought to end it now sit at the former president’s desk.

The U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan was never the right thing to do. The events of September 11, 2001 served as a pretext for the war on Afghanistan, a war that was cruel and unjust. Before the troops arrived, U.S. planes unleashed bombs on the country’s cities, destroying hospitals clearly marked with red crosses on the roofs. The invasion came with the brutality of a medieval crusade – marked by torture and summary executions. The U.S. and its accomplices always treated the Afghan people as the enemy. That is why we are seeing what we are seeing. The vast majority of the Afghan people welcome the expulsion of the foreign occupiers.

The occupation was never about helping people. It was about the domination of a strategic region of the world that is rich with resources. Nothing complicated about it. Empires doing what they always do – help themselves to land, labor and natural resources of others.

At the end of the day, and the end of the occupation, the Taliban are in fact a national liberation movement. A movement with real defects, largely lacking an agenda of social liberation that is product of a long historical process, which includes U.S. intervention to defeat the left in Afghanistan. That said, the people of Afghanistan have the right to determine their own destiny free of imperial arrogance.

The main way for assessing any movement for national liberation is by asking and answering the question, “does it weaken imperialism?” Undoubtably monopoly capitalism, or imperialism, was just handed a setback in Afghanistan. The rich and powerful who rule the U.S. rob people aboard and they rob us here at home. What is bad for them, is good for the rest of us. Their setbacks bring us closer to freedom.

President Biden heading out of Afghanistan is not a mistake – it is the recognition of reality. The U.S., along with the other Western powers, were defeated long ago, and we are witnessing the end of that process.

There is something fundamental going on here – U.S. imperialism is in a period of decline, and that decline is accelerating. In Latin America, Cuba and Venezuela are standing strong, and others are joining in. The Palestinian resistance is picking up steam, along with the other resistance movements across the Mideast. The revolutionary struggle in the Philippines is growing. Socialist China grows more powerful. The world is changing.

The outstanding Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong remarked, “Now U.S. imperialism is quite powerful, but in reality, it isn't. It is very weak politically because it is divorced from the masses of the people and is disliked by everybody and by the American people too. In appearance it is very powerful but in reality, it is nothing to be afraid of, it is a paper tiger.”

That is where we are at today. People everywhere, including here at home, are tired of the obnoxious elite that rules the U.S. The paper tiger, monopoly capitalism, can and will be defeated. It will take time, but time is on our side.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #Obama #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #taliban #Bush #Trump #US #Biden #Asia

Although the war in Afghanistan was originally portrayed as a response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. and to take military action against al-Qaeda, the priorities of the U.S. occupation shows that the goal was to install a pro-U.S. government that would support the U.S.’s economic and military ambitions in the region. Afghanistan has been an important nexus for trade for centuries, an intersection between Iran, China, India and countries to the west. Multinational corporations also want access to the estimated $1 trillion of mineral wealth that exists in the country.

In the early years after the invasion, the majority of the funds that poured into the country went to buy military equipment and create infrastructure for the U.S. occupation forces. The goal was never to help the people of Afghanistan, it was to subjugate them and make Afghanistan a launching pad for further U.S. military adventurism in the region.

This lack of popular support for the occupation shows up even when the CIA-affiliated Asia Foundation think tank publishes opinion polls. In one recent poll, 80% of Afghans said they feel fear when encountering the international occupation forces. Biden recognized this missing popular support when over 200 collaborators were evacuated from Afghanistan and Biden said, “Welcome home.” Since the evacuees have spent at least part of the last two decades assisting the foreign occupation forces, they aren’t welcome in their own country anymore.

Militarily, the U.S.-backed puppet government holds a dwindling number of provinces and population centers. The Taliban claims to control 85% of the territory of Afghanistan, and there is a constant stream of reports of the U.S.-backed Afghan National Army laying down arms instead of fighting. This year, the amount of territory that the Taliban controls is estimated to have doubled, as the U.S. occupation government has no popular support and its troops recognize that they are heading to defeat.

The past experience of U.S. meddling and interference in the world show that its influence doesn’t lead to more rights for the average people; but for a small wealthy elite it helps funnel resources to multinational corporations. The only just solution is the removal of the U.S. occupation.

While the U.S. has poured $2 trillion into the war effort, the Afghan people haven’t seen any benefit from this; they’ve only seen their country destroyed and ravaged by bombs, paramilitary groups and mountains of military equipment. China is offering an alternative path for the Afghan people. While the U.S. plans to withdraw, China is developing infrastructure projects as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy encompassing over 70 countries to grow global trade. The terms and agreements of the Belt and Road Initiative stand in stark contrast to the neoliberal demands of the World Bank and IMF and represent a serious challenge to U.S. and European dominance globally.

We can look at past U.S. military invasions and see what the U.S. does when it is defeated. It moves towards economic and political maneuvers to isolate and hurt the people that defeated them. The economic and political development of Afghanistan can only begin with the full withdrawal of all U.S. troops and private military contractors.

#UnitedStates #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #Asia

Minneapolis, MN – On March 26, a coalition of Twin Cities area peace and anti-war groups marked 18 years of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq with a protest calling for an end to “endless U.S. wars.” The crowed lined up in front of the office of Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

MN Peace Action Coalition called for the protest and announced, “The effects of U.S. militarism around the world are felt at home with militarization of police and brutalization of communities at home. The wars abroad are felt on the streets at home, as funds for housing, jobs, health care and other human needs go to the Pentagon war machine.” The statement concludes by saying, “18 years after the invasion of Iraq, thousands of people have died in U.S. wars, these wars have become an endless exercise in futility, these wars must end, from Iraq, to Afghanistan to Syria.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead, an organizer with the MN Anti-War Committee, started the program, “It’s important we are out today to pressure the Democratic Party from the White House to the Senate for their continuation of U.S. war. While we are here to protest Biden’s policy, we are in front of Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office. When she was running for president, she, like Biden, promised to continue U.S. imperialism – although they label it as ‘leadership’ – so it’s no surprise that she has been silent as our senator while Biden has ordered airstrikes on Syria and announced he’ll keep U.S. forces in Afghanistan.”

Aby-Keirstead continued, “Trump said that he’d pull U.S. troops out on May 1, and I’ll admit that was one of the only things he said he’d do that I supported. Biden however has reneged on the U.S. promise to withdraw troops. The U.S. has been at war with Afghanistan since October 2001. The U.S. has been occupying Afghanistan for more than 19 years and through four presidential administrations. We need to send a loud message that this war needs to end.”

During the pandemic more Americans have started to question how the U.S. spends its resources. The war in Afghanistan has cost the U.S. taxpayers $978 billion since 2001. “This horrendous cost has been successfully hidden from the U.S. public and is the elephant – these days the donkey – in the room. This must change,” said Sarah Martin, who spoke for Women Against Military Madness.

The protest was initiated by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by the Anti-War Committee, Climate Justice Committee, Women Against Military Madness and Veterans for Peace.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles

Minneapolis, MN – Over 30 people joined a Minneapolis protest on October 5 to mark 17 years of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

The protest, organized under the call of Stop the U.S. War in Afghanistan, was held in front of the offices of Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

The event was initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition.

Jennie Eisert, a member of the Anti-War Committee, spoke at the rally, saying in part, “Afghanistan, along with Iraq, and the other wars that the U.S. government has endlessly inflicted on the world has shaped an entire generation. A child, born on this date in 2001, is now old enough to fight in Afghanistan and has grown up in an environment without privacy rights, in a time that has ‘normalized’ Islamophobia, hate and endless U.S. wars and occupation.”

Eisert went on to say, “What have been the costs of this endless war and occupation in Afghanistan? The U.S. government and other ‘official’ Western sources admit to at least 32,000 Afghan civilians being killed and another 30,000 being wounded directly related to the U.S. invasion. Another source, The Cost of War Project, more credibly claims that the U.S. invasion is responsible for at least ten times that number of deaths, 360,000 people killed in Afghanistan because of the U.S. invasion.”

Organizers announced plans for a Minneapolis protest to be held Sunday, October 21 in solidarity with the Women's March on the Pentagon.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Afghanistan #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #MinnesotaPeaceActionCoalitionMPAC

New York, NY – Several dozen protesters gathered in Herald Square on October 7 to mark the invasion of Afghanistan and protest the other wars the U.S. waging abroad. The war on Afghanistan has lasted 17 years.

Spirited protesters rallied and listened to speeches about the damage caused by U.S. imperialism throughout the globe. A large group from the Yemeni American Organization attended. Their speakers highlighted the plight of Yemen, which is currently being attacked by the United States, Saudi Arabia and others.

In between chants of “Out of Afghanistan! Out of Iraq! Out of Syria, don’t come back!” and “U.S. imperialist! Number one terrorist!” organizers handed out flyers that detailed the casualties since 2001 and that the U.S. expended $5.6 trillion on war in 17 years.

Jessica Schwartz, an organizer from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression NY, gave a powerful speech about political repression when organizing against war. In her speech she said, “The United States doesn’t fight terror. In fact, the United States perpetuates and funds terror all around the world!”

Bernadette Ellorin, representing the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, spoke about fighting back against imperialism and how it’s vital to stay organized.

The protesters then marched to the Army Recruiting Station in Times Square. The event ended with a few more speeches as onlookers learned about the U.S. brutal war machine.

#NewYorkNY #NewYorkCityNY #International #AntiwarMovement #InJusticeSystem #Afghanistan #Asia #PeoplesStruggles #AfghanistanWar #CommitteeToStopFBIRepressionNYC