The Sept. 1 protest, organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, is expected to draw thousands of Minnesotans and others from the upper Midwest and from across the U.S. The protest is being organized under the calls of: “U.S. out of Iraq now! Money for human needs, not for war. Say no to the Republican agenda. Demand peace, justice and equality!”

A statement issued by organizers says in part, “The stage is now set for the Sept. 1 protest. The issuance of the permit is a major step to guarantee that everyone who wants to come out to say no to the continued war and occupation of Iraq, everyone who wants funds used for housing, health care and human needs instead of an endless war, everyone who wants to speak out for peace and justice, has a place to be on Sept. 1. While the Republican politicians gather, the majority of the population who are against the war will have a place to gather to send a clear anti-war message.”

While organizers point to many deficiencies in the permit, Jess Sundin, of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War noted, “This permit is really the result of a two-year long struggle with the city of Saint Paul to make sure that there is a place at or near the Republican Convention for all those who have suffered from and who oppose the policies of the Bush administration to gather and speak out.”

The Sept. 1 protest will start at 11:00 a.m. with a rally in front of the Minnesota State Capitol building. The march will go past the Excel Center, site of the convention, and return to the Capitol mall.

An ever-growing coalition of peace, student, women’s, union and other organizations have endorsed the Sept. 1 protest and are committed to turning out the largest numbers possible.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #News #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #CoalitionToMarchOnTheRNCAndStopTheWar #marchPermit #warAndOccupationOfIraq

St. Paul, MN – Organizers of the massive anti-war march scheduled for Sept. 1, the opening day of the Republican National Convention, slammed the Saint Paul city council for turning down the permit appeal, May 21. By a six to one vote, the Council voted to uphold the unworkable permit that was issued for the protest on May 15.

“The permit issued by the city May 15 does not allow for the massive anti-war march that we are organizing for Sept. 1. People are coming from all over the country to protest the war on Iraq. Tens of thousands are expected to march on the Xcel Center. The permit issued by the city does not allow for that in practice,” said Meredith Aby of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.

In testimony before the city council, Aby talked about the problems with the permit. She noted that the start and end times will not allow for many of the demonstrators to make it from the starting point at the Minnesota state capitol building to the Xcel Center. She also noted that the limited turnaround area at the Xcel Center and the expectation that demonstrators would march back on the same route that they came were unworkable.

Bruce Nestor of the National Lawyers Guild told the council that the permit did not meet the constitutional requirements for allowing free speech. Statements criticizing the city’s permit – from Leslie Cagen, of United for Peace with Justice and Sara Flounders, of the Troops Out Now Coalition – were distributed to council members.

In a press conference before the city council meeting began, Deb Konechne of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War stated that politicians who were interfering with the planned anti-war march were in fact complicit with the war in Iraq.

Organizers of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War will continue the fight for permits that allow for a visible, mass protest as RNC opens Sept. 1.

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #News #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #marchPermit #BruceNestorOfTheNationalLawyersGuild #freeSpeech #complicitWithTheWarInIraq

The conference organized by the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War brought together more than 60 organizations. This included the major centers of the anti-war movement, including United for Peace and Justice, International ANSWER and the Troops Out Now Coalition. Also present was Carlos Montes of Latinos Against the War and an important leader in the immigrant rights movement.

Speaking in front of a large banner that read “Stop the War” Phyllis Walker, the dynamic president of AFSCME Local 3800, the campus clerical workers union, welcomed conference participants and set the context for cooperation stating “If on September, 2008 you are tempted to put the interests of your organization before the interests of our coalition – stop and think, it is only through collective action that we can prevail. Remember our goals: Demand peace, justice and equality; U.S. out of Iraq now; money for human needs, not war. I want and need to see all of you in Saint Paul in September, 2008.”

Jessica Sundin then spoke for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, laying out the politics of the planned protest and summarizing the work of Twin Cities activists.

To applause, Sundin stated, “The Republican chiefs of war will gather here to celebrate the years of brutality already carried out in Iraq, to cheer for more of the same and to congratulate their new candidate they hope will be elected to lead this war for the next four years. The international media will carry their story, broadcast their lies...We cannot – we will not – let this message go unanswered. To build a massive demonstration, to fill the streets with tens of thousands of opponents of war, this is our task.”

Sundin also talked about the fight to get permits for the Sept. 1 protest stating, “We have been engaged in a 17-month battle for permits to march on the Xcel Center during the RNC. The week after Republicans announced their plans to gather here, we had talked to one another, met with an attorney, then prepared and filed our first applications for the rally and march. Since then, we met with city officials, we have protested outside the police station that processes permits, we have held press conferences at City Hall and the Xcel Center, and we have marched on the Xcel Center along the very route we will take in September.”

Sundin also explained the Coalition’s attitude toward the permits, “We know that protesters have struggled to get permits at every convention in recent years. We are committed to carrying out this important demonstration no matter what. We have said many times, and we mean it: We will march on the RNC, with or without permits. But that said, we know that permits will make it more possible for more people to march with us. We will keep fighting in the court of public opinion – and if it will help us, in a court of law – to win a permit for all of us to take to the streets outside the Xcel Center.”

Building unity

Among conference-goers, there was a lot of excitement generated by the participation of the main national anti war coalitions: United for Peace and Justice, International ANSWER and the Troops Out Now Coalition. The groups spoke in the first plenary of the conference, along with Carlos Montes, a veteran leader of the Chicano movement and Angel Buechner of the Minnesota-based Welfare Rights Committee.

There were smiles across the room when Leslie Cagan, the national coordinator for United for Peace and Justice said of the conference, “This was a really good move to pull all of us together...” There is broad sentiment in the anti-war movement and among progressive for more unity and coordination.

Sara Flounders, of the Troops Out Now Coalition and the co director of the International Action Center, noted that the progressive movement in the Twin Cities has often been a force for unity, even on a national level. Flounders also spoke about the need to combat the war at home and abroad. The Sept. 1 demonstration will provide the opportunity to bring forward the demands of every movement that stands for peace, justice, and equality.

John Beacham of the ANSWER Coalition told the conference, “The ANSWER Coalition is glad to be with you and we thank the organizers of today’s event for their great work in pulling this coalition together.”

Carlos Montes, of the Los Angeles-based Latinos Against the War and an important leader in the immigrant rights movement also addressed the conference. Montes also spoke about the war at home and aboard and stressed the need to defeat the attacks on the undocumented.

During the conference, leaders of the student movement, including many chapters of Student for a Democratic Society made plans for a feeder marches that will join the main Sept. 1 protest. Leaders in the low-income community and labor movement made similar plans.

Principles that bring people together

In the weeks leading up to the Organizing Conference extensive discussions took place among the forces that are planning actions at the Republican National Convention, including the anarchist-oriented RNC Welcoming Committee and member groups of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War.

Summarizing the principles and their practical significance Jess Sundin stated, “The four principles of unity that we have agreed to use as a guide in working with people who are planning other activities are: We will respect one another’s plans. Various actions will be separated by time or space. We will keep disagreements internal, not engaging in public denunciations of one another. And we will oppose any repressive actions by police. These principles will guide us, and give us assurance that others will respect our plans for a mass permitted march.”

Sara Flounders of the Troops Out Now Coalition praised the four principles as a model that could be employed by others.

Coalition goes national

The conference established a National Coordinating Committee of the Coalition. The proposal adopted by the conference stated, “We understand that the Sept. 1 protest is a massive undertaking. Groups from around the country can make a real contribution to pulling together the program at the rally, logistics, security and marshalling, and fundraising. A process of democratic consultation coupled with a practical approach to things will allow us to make a powerful, collective statement on Sept. 1.”

John Beacham of the ANSWER backed the proposal in the plenary where it was adopted. United for Peace and Justice, International ANSWER and the Troops Out Now Coalition have agreed to participate in the work of the National Coordinating Committee.

Marching towards September 1

Conference participant Stef Yorek, the Political Secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, had nothing but good things to say about the event and said that the unity and genuine enthusiasm for the Sept. 1 march were signs of good things to come.

“On Sept. 1, we can send a serious message to the rulers of this country that we have had enough of the war on Iraq and enough of their war on people right here in this country. The eyes of the world will be on the streets of Saint Paul. What they will see is a sea of struggle.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #PoorPeoplesMovements #StudentMovement #Labor #News #OppressedNationalities #WelfareRightsCommittee #Iraq #Palestine #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #StPaulPrinciples #CoalitionToMarchOnTheRNCAndStopTheWar #marchPermit

Fight Back News Service urges all of our readers to respond to this action alert from the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War. Please forward it as widely as possible.

On September 1, 2008, tens of thousands plan to take to the streets of St. Paul, Minnesota, to say no to the war and occupation in Iraq. The Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, made up of more than 100 organizations from across the country, has been seeking permits for this demonstration since days after the Republicans announced they would hold their national convention in Minnesota. While we have a permit to assemble and rally at the State Capitol, the City of St. Paul continues to withhold a permit for a march on the Xcel Center, where the Convention will be held.

For months, City officials promised that the permit process would move forward at the beginning of March. On March 3rd, the Coalition finally received a formal response to our application: a “provisional” permit to begin a march at the State Capitol on September 1st, with no route, no times, and with a suggestion whatever route we are eventually granted will not be for our exclusive use for the duration of our protest. The document we received was a mostly-blank form, and was accompanied by a set of guidelines that unreasonably restrict the rights of any protesters planning actions during the 2008 Republican National Convention.

Today, attorneys from the NLG and the ACLU will file a complaint in federal court, on behalf of the Coalition. It is our hope that legal action will help us win the permit we need – one that takes a massive, anti-war march to the doors of the Republican Convention at the Xcel Center. Political pressure is no less important than legal pressure. St. Paul City officials have worked hard to create the impression that they want to work with and even welcome protesters. If they truly wanted to roll out a welcome mat, they already would have.

We are planning for a march against the war on Iraq, and we shouldn't have to wait for a court ruling to force the City to issue a permit that takes us to the Xcel Center on September 1st. We need our supporters and fellow protesters to contact St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. Urge him to deliver a final permit to the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, taking us from the State Capitol to the Xcel Center on September 1, 2008. Mayor Coleman can be reached at mayor@ci.stpaul.mn.us or 651-266-8510.

Please send a copy of your message to us at info@marchonrnc.org.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #ImmigrantRights #PoorPeoplesMovements #StudentMovement #Labor #OppressedNationalities #Iraq #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #Statement #StPaulMayorChrisColeman #marchPermit #RNCAntiwarMarch

Minneapolis, MN – Standing in front of the Federal Building here, March 24, leaders of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War and their lawyers announced they are seeking a preliminary injunction requiring the City of Saint Paul to grant the permits for their September 1 anti-war march. The attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint in federal district court later that day.

Marie Braun of the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War stated “Filing a complaint in Federal Court was not our first choice of action; however, we feel the city of St. Paul has left us little choice. For months, city officials promised that the permit process would continue to move forward – it has not. Instead, on March 1, the Coalition received an almost blank Conditional Alternative Permit in which the city neither granted nor denied our permit.”

Jess Sundin, also of the Coalition stated “City officials are not keeping their promises or upholding City ordinances, and that is what brings us here today. The only thing standing between the Republicans, and a massive anti-war protest on September 1st, is the ill will of the city of St. Paul, namely Mayor Chris Coleman and Assistant Police Chief Matt Bostrom.”

Sundin also announced “Following this press conference, we are issuing an Action Alert, asking that supporters from around the country call Mayor Coleman’s office and demand that he do the right thing now: issue a march permit that will take 50,000 anti-war protesters to Xcel Center on September 1st.”

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #News #Iraq #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #CoalitionToMarchOnTheRNCAndStopTheWar #StPaulMayorChrisColeman #marchPermit #NationalLawyersGuild

St. Paul, MN – Standing in front of city hall, organizers of the massive anti-war march planned for the opening day of the Republican National Convention, and their attorneys responded to the permit issued by Saint Paul city authorities, March 3.

Coalition spokesperson Meredith Aby stated that while the permit issued was a step forward, it was insufficient. The permit only affirms that the Coalition will have the state capitol grounds – and it fails to define the route that the demonstration will use to march on the Xcel Center. Tens of thousands of people from around the country are expected to converge on Saint Paul Sept. 1 and march to the site of the convention.

Aby also said that there has been a series of disturbing reports over the past week indicating that the city intends to respond to the demonstrations at the RNC by curtailing the right to protest. This includes reports that all demonstrations will be confined to a single route and placed together. This is unacceptable.

A statement from the Coalition noted, “In the past city officials were talking about ‘the entire city of Saint Paul being a free speech zone.’ Now they are talking about glorified protest pens. We also reject the framework that Saint Paul police have created to infiltrate and spy on groups that plan protests at the RNC. And we are opposed to the attempts by police officials to forbid any protests at the Xcel Center Sept. 2-4.”

#StPaulMN #AntiwarMovement #RepublicanNationalConvention2008 #CoalitionToMarchOnTheRNCAndStopTheWar #marchPermit #freeSpeechZone