The event gathered at the Martin Luther King Center and was followed a march to the State Capitol building for a closing rally.

Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME Local 3800, told the crowd, “Every step of the way, the war in the Middle East has been accompanied by a war on the working people of this country.”

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “This year marks the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq. While there is talk of withdrawal, the U.S. government is committed to keeping most of the troops in Iraq this year and 50,000 troops there for years to come after the ‘final’ troop pull-out in December 2010. The withdrawal plan being discussed by Washington does not end the war and occupation; it seeks to continue the U.S. presence in Iraq until a stable client regime is established. The occupation of Iraq must come to an end, the people of Iraq and the people of the U.S. want U.S. troops out.”

The statement also noted, “The war in Afghanistan is not the ‘good’ war. It is another horrendous war and occupation that must be ended. The U.S. government has announced plans to send 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and is contemplating more troop deployments in the future. There are also increasing levels of U.S. military action in Pakistan, which will create greater instability and more threats to U.S. national security.”

Marie Braun of the Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq, said, “While we are being told that violence in Iraq is down, the situation for ordinary people in Iraq has not changed. After six years of war and occupation, the Iraqi people are still without electricity, clean water or basic medical care. Sewage stands in the streets. Reconstruction efforts are minimal. There is little security, and, according to a recent study by Oxfam, Iraqi women were worse off in 2008 than they were in 2006 and 2007 and they expect the situation to further deteriorate in 2009. The occupation of Iraq must come to an end so that the Iraqi people can determine their own future and begin rebuilding their country and their lives.”

The Saint Paul protest was organized by the Iraq Peace Action Coalition and supported by many organizations, including Iraq Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, Twin Cities Peace Campaign-Focus on Iraq, Anti-War Committee, AFSCME Local 3800, Women Against Military Madness, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Youth Against War & Racism, Minnesota Coalition for a People's Bail Out, AFL-CIO Retiree Council and others.

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Said Katrina Plotz of the Anti-War Committee, “Those responsible for attacking our protest against the war on Iraq need to be held accountable. Nearly 400 people were arrested. Riot police repeatedly met our demonstration with tear gas and concussion grenades. We have every right to speak out against the war. We demand all charges against anti-war protesters are dropped. Those who stood in the way of our right to protest will now answer for their actions.”

Mick Kelly was carrying the lead banner in the march to the Xcel Center. Police blocked the march route at 12th and Cedar. He was shot after police tore the banner off its poles.

Kelly, who was among the organizers of the massive anti-war march on the first day of the RNC Sept. 1, has another lawsuit pending against the city of Saint Paul stemming from an incident where he was arrested on June 5 for passing out leaflets promoting that anti-war protest outside the Obama rally.

The lawsuit is being pursued by attorneys Ted Dooley, Gena Berglund and Peter Nickitas, all members of the National Lawyers Guild.

Speaking at the press conference, Meredith Aby stated, “We in the Anti-War Committee encourage other protesters who were assaulted, detained and arrested to follow Mick Kelly’s lead and sue the city of Saint Paul. We ask the city to have public hearings so that suing the city will not be the only avenue available for people to get the attention of the mayor’s office. We encourage everyone who attended the Anti-War Committee’s No Peace for the War Makers demonstration to speak out against their treatment. Even in the face of this oppression at home, the anti-war movement must continue to speak out against the U.S. occupation and war in Iraq. It is imperative that we not be silent. We refuse to be intimidated. The Iraqi people need us to continue to protest the unjust and immoral occupation of their country. We ask our supporters to join us in the streets and to join us in our demand that all charges be dropped.”

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #News #Iraq #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #lawsuit #noPeaceForTheWarmakers #policeViolence #antiwarMarch