Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 people rallied August 21 to protest the U.S. missile attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan. In the Sudan, the U.S. targeted a factory that produces much of the country's medicines. Protest organizers said that the war moves were designed to assert U.S. control over the Third World. Organizations participating in the protest included Iraq Peace Action Coalition, Progressive Student Organization, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Women Against Military Madness, and the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.
Washington, DC – People across the country took to the streets to protest on the sixth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Demonstrators called for an end to the ongoing wars and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. It was the first national day of protest against the war and occupations since Obama was elected president.
St. Paul, MN – A coalition of Twin Cities area organizations marked the sixth anniversary of U.S. military combat operations in Iraq with a march and rally of about 500 people, March 21, calling for an immediate end to the U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Since September 11, Israel has used the pretext of Bush's war against “terrorism” to illegally re-occupy Palestinian villages and cities in the areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. In the midst of this new Israeli siege, dozens of Palestinians were killed, and thousands injured and arrested. The U.S. and Israel have begun to pressure Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority, to crack down on the Intifada (or uprising) and quell the legal resistance to Israel's military occupation.
Minneapolis, MN – About 2000 people filled the streets here, March 15 for an anti-war march to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. war in Iraq with a call for an end to the occupation.
Minneapolis, MN – Public disapproval is growing fast against US-backed UN sanctions against Iraq. October 1-14, peace and justice groups nationwide protested the sanctions. Student organizations in the Twin Cities and Chicago areas educated hundreds about the devastation in Iraq.“We wanted to start the school year by getting the word out and putting on pressure to stop the genocidal sanctions!” said Jackson Potter, student activist at the University of Illinois – Chicago. Grassroots pressure won a letter from Congresspeople urging President Clinton to end economic sanctions against Iraq.
Speaking at a news conference on May 5, Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “The main effort in our strategic focus from a military perspective must now shift to Afghanistan.”
Another massacre by occupation forces in Afghanistan unfolded on Dec. 12 in the central province of Wardak. U.S. military forces on a foot patrol opened fire on an approaching bus, killing four civilians and wounding at least ten others, according to Halim Fidai, the governor of Wardak Province. The killings are the latest in a string of massacres that have led to increased Afghan anger at the occupation.
Minneapolis, MN – Over 200 people joined a anti-war protest here Oct. 11. The protest was organized under the slogans of “Bring the troops home now,” “Out of Iraq, out of Afghanistan, no war on Iran,” and “Funds for housing and human needs – not war!”
