St. Paul, MN – On June 21 during rush hour, 75 people rallied and chanted at the weekly WAMM (Women Against Military Madness) bannering at the busy intersection of Snelling and Summit Avenues in Saint Paul. This week’s event was co-sponsored by the Free Palestine Coalition.

The demonstrators held signs, “MN divest from apartheid Israel,” “Stop bombing Gaza” and “End U.S. aid to Israel.” Car drivers honked approval and passengers gave thumbs up constantly.

Emcee Robyn Harbison led the crowd in chants, “Hey Biden what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” The chants rotated, naming President Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.  

After the chanting were speakers representing several local Palestine solidarity groups including the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Ceasefire Choir, and Normandale Students for Justice in Palestine.

As the death toll of Gazan martyrs at the hands of the Zionist murderers approaches 37,000, the speeches reflected the deep horror at the ongoing U.S.-sponsored genocide. There is plenty of anger because of the U.S. support, without which the Israeli war would not be possible. Speakers expressed awe, respect and love for the people of Palestine who continue to resist and continue to struggle until Palestine is free. 

Ellie McCloud, a new member of WAMM, pointed out to the crowd, “If the genocide were to stop this very second, if we had one funeral every day for everyone murdered, it would take over 100 years.”

Meredith Aby-Keirstead spoke representing the AWC, “This is the month we are supposed to be celebrating Pride and our resistance since Stonewall. But I’m not proud that stories of people like myself and other queer people are being used to justify U.S. support of this genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. This is called pinkwashing. We have the responsibility next weekend in the Take Back Pride march where tens of thousands of people will be watching to say, ‘None of us are free, until Palestine is free!’”

Abdullah Abdulwahab spoke for AMP, “I want to tell you the story of Badr, a 29-year-old who was this week released from a prison after enduring unspeakable and sadistic torture. He returned to Khan Younis only to find his home bombed. He had nowhere to go. But despite his everything he has endured he will not give up. Not until Palestine is free. And neither will the father holding his dead child, nor the people from Rafah who are trapped and being bombed on a daily basis. Not until Palestine is free in the near future!

Abdulwahab concluded with the chant, “By the millions, by the billions, we are all Palestinians!”

Protesters were encouraged to come out to the MN Peace Action Coalition’s protest on Tuesday at a Honeywell facility in Northeast area of Minneapolis to hold Honeywell accountable for the weapons it produces that are used in this U.S.-supported genocide of the people of Gaza.

#StPaulMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #WAMM #AMP #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – On June 6, hundreds of protesters unwelcomed former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who came to downtown Minneapolis to speak for the Center for the American Experiment, a conservative think tank based in the suburb of Golden Valley.

The Center has supported a number of Republican-led political initiatives and regularly features right-wing speakers at its events. Ticket prices for the event ranged from $300 for individual seats to $30,000 “diamond sponsor” tickets that included special VIP access to Bennett.

Bennet is known as a war criminal who in 2013 said, “I’ve killed a lot of Arabs in my life and there’s no problem with that.” Bennett was the prime minister during 2021-22 and represented the New Right political party, which opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and demands Israeli sovereignty over all of Palestine. He describes himself as more right-wing than even Netanyahu. After Israel’s assault on Gaza began in October, Bennett mocked concerns for Palestinian lives, saying in an interview, “Are you seriously asking me about Palestinian civilians?” and “I am not going to feed electricity or water to my enemies.”

The police stood alongside Zionist ticket holders, who heckled the crowd with racist and Islamophobic slurs, flipping off community members, including young children, while cops took no action.

Over the course of three hours, hundreds of Minneapolis police officers, including SWAT and riot teams, joined the racists in antagonizing the demonstrators.

One protester was violently arrested by riot police armed with rifles as he was peacefully walking away. Four others, including three Muslim Twin Cities residents – two of them minors – were arrested later, violently picked off the street by a large, black SWAT BearCat vehicle.

Wyatt Miller from the Anti-War Committee said, “The supposedly progressive city of Minneapolis helped facilitate the visit of an Israeli leader who helped lay groundwork for the current genocide, invited by a right-wing think tank to speak at a major downtown venue. We call on elected officials to denounce this hateful event and the fact that MPD was allowed to set up an apartheid-like militarized area on its behalf.”

The juveniles were released later that night, but the other arrestees were held until the evening of June 7.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition

Duluth, MN – On June 1, between 300 and 400 people from across the state protested the Minnesota DFL State Convention at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (the DECC).

It was a show of broad geographic support for ending the U.S. support for Israel’s genocidal military campaign in Gaza, and against the stances of DFL (the name of the Democratic Party in Minnesota) politicians like U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Governor Tim Walz, who have shown strong support for Israel.

From the Twin Cities, the Free Palestine Coalition organized two busloads. The protest also included people from northern Minnesota’s Ely and the Iron Range, as well as Northfield, the home of Carleton and Saint Olaf Colleges, and other parts of the state.

The day began with a rally at Duluth City Hall. Over the course of a few hours, people trickled in for speeches and performances, joined by participants in the Palestine encampment next to the Saint Louis County Courthouse and the Federal Building. By the time the march began, from the Duluth City Hall to the DECC, it was a sea of Palestinian flags and signs and posters for divestment from Israel.

On arrival at the DECC there was a display of rubble, signifying what was left in the wake of Israel’s constant bombardment in Gaza. People placed body bags on top of the rubble and read the names of Palestinian child martyrs since October 7, 2023.

Inside the convention, where Klobuchar promised to work towards the federal codification of abortion rights and amending tax law, Palestine supporters in the hall urged her to acknowledge the role the United States and Minnesota have played in aiding Israel.

The few Free Palestine Coalition organizers who were able to get into the convention as delegates expressed contempt for the DFL’s overall avoidance of Palestinian genocide. From the rally outside, Free Palestine Coalition member Brooke Bartholomew said, “The idea of a rally at a DFL convention is because the Democrats at the state level are incredibly complicit. They are not unaware of the ongoing genocide. There are people who were previously with the DFL, and this was a way to show them that people are dissatisfied and disappointed. They have the power to repeal anti-BDS [boycott, divest, sanction] laws and divest from U.S. participation in weapons manufacturers.”

One of the delegates attending from Minneapolis, Kevin Aldwalk, after having attended multiple DFL conventions said, “I never in a million times would have expected this level of awareness and support to the Palestinian cause. The Uncommitted caucus managed to push through some significant resolutions and amendments. This couldn’t have happened without the support of multiple coalitions. From our progressive brothers and sisters, the anti-Zionist Jews, the amazing people at the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, to the wonderful people of Jewish Voice for Peace and many others. Centrists and old guards within the DFL didn’t know what hit them.”

Immediately outside of the doors of the convention center, next to a banner, reading “Divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel! No tax $$$ for genocide,” Meredith Aby, a public school teacher, told of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee targeting the State Board of Investment to pull public employees’ pensions and investments from companies that do business in apartheid Israel.

Aby stated, “Every state employee’s pension is forced into investments in Israel. I’m a public school teacher and I don’t know any other teacher that wants to invest in more weaponry.”

A Jewish Voice for Peace member who was also involved in the recent encampment at the University of Minnesota stated, “Nothing Israel does makes us safer. Muslims are not my enemies and 90% of Zionists are Christian. What Israel is doing makes things worse for Jews and causes a generalization of assumed Jewish participation.”

Aby encouraged participants to continue to pressure the DFL and to join the Minnesota Anti-War Committee in traveling to Chicago to protest “Genocide Joe” in person at the Democratic National Convention.

#DuluthMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNAWC #MNFreePalestineCoalition #DFL #JVP #Feature

Columbia Heights, MN – On May 21, over 100 members of the Palestinian community and supporters held a spirited bannering and rally to draw attention to the dire situation in Gaza. The action was organized by the Free Palestine Coalition in response to the ongoing bombing of Rafah and slaughter of over 100 people in Gaza in their tents in a supposed “safe zone.” The event took place at a busy commercial intersection during rush hour.

On the pedestrian bridge spanning the busy highway, Palestinian flags blew in the strong wind. The banners read, “No U.S. aid to Israel,” “End to the occupation,” “Ceasefire now” and “Divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel.” They were clearly visible to passing motorists who responded with non-stop honks and fist pumps.

Demonstrators filled the median in the busy highway as well as lining both sides of the streets below the bridge. Protesters chanted for two hours expressing their anguish and outrage.

Many who were present will take buses to the DFL state convention in Duluth on June 1. They will take part in a demonstration organized by Duluth Palestine solidarity activists outside the convention center as U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar will be nominated for a third term. Klobuchar has remained silent on the U.S. supported Israeli genocide and protesters will hold her accountable for her complicity, demanding she call for an immediate end to the bombing.

#ColumbiaHeightsMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNFreePalestineCoalition #Klobuchar

Minneapolis, MN – An estimated 300 Twin Cities residents came out in a downpour of rain to participate in the Free Palestine Coalition’s emergency rally to show solidarity with Rafah, May 27. The protest took place outside of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office near downtown Minneapolis.

Protesters wore keffiyehs and pro-Palestine apparel, held signs favorable to Palestinian liberation, and bellowed chants like “From the olive to the sand, Palestine is our demand,” demonstrating their commitment and continued support of Palestinian liberation.

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) utilized the dark of night to engage in military tactics that continued genocidal efforts on the Palestinian people, dropping over 60 bombs within 48 hours and killing at least 45 civilians who sought any semblance of solace Rafah had to offer.

The Rafah massacre took place on the weekend of the anniversary of the death of George Floyd, and on this Memorial Day, the MN Free Palestine Coalition’s emergency response rally illuminated Israel’s unceasing genocide.

Loretta VanPelt, from Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, placed the Black liberation with the liberation of Palestinians, touching on the offensive chokehold tactics that were used in the killing of George Floyd as equivalent to those used in the massacre of Palestinians. “The cops here, in Minneapolis and across the country are trained by the IOF. We need to continue to fight together for a free Palestine. I’m glad I’m in the same company and on the same side with people who want liberation,” said VanPelt.

Trent Fast of the Anti-War Committee proposed that instead of taking part in the traditional American Memorial Day holiday, “we take part in a different type of remembrance. We should be honoring the millions of innocent civilians who have been beaten, tortured, raped and murdered at the hand of the American military and its willing proxies over the course of this nation’s history.”

Fast went on to say, “The Zionist entity of Israel, with the unrelenting support of Genocide Joe and all of his crooked-mouthed cronies in Washington, have unleashed some of the most devastating attacks to date on the exhausted, malnourished, desperate and dying Palestinians who have fled to Rafah, who are grasping at the sliver of hope that they may somehow escape the nightmare they’ve been enduring for the past seven months in their native land.”

Representatives of Qatar and Egypt have indicated that the recent air strikes and onslaught may be additional deterrents to peace deals that Israel has continued to obstruct. France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell have also expressed their disdain – condemning the attacks on Rafah while practicing vigilant avoidance of denouncing the ongoing genocide and displacement of Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the attacks “a tragic mistake,” after Israel’s dismissal of the International Court of Justice order to halt its offensive assault on Rafah. Not in alignment with the verbal sentiments of the prime minister, the IOF took to social media to conceal their adverse attacks, claiming they “carried out an intelligence-based precise strike that targeted senior Hamas terrorists in Tal al-Sultan.”

The world has become aware of the fabrications coming out of Israeli leadership and military operations, seeing the amplified messages coming out of Rafah with reports of the dozens killed and infernos at the refugee camps.

Where international news outlets continue to offer skewed opinions and differing narratives, American Muslims for Palestine’s Maysoon Wazwaz reminded us to pivot attention to the people of Gaza, in the struggle for a free Palestine, stating, “We center them first, we center their work always. When I talk about Palestine, I bring up every person who is on the ground first, before I bring up me. This is about them, first and foremost, and we unite with them for their struggle.”

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNFreePalestineCoalition #AntiWarCommittee #TCC4J #AMP

Minneapolis, MN – On May 15, over 1000 people marched in the Free Palestine Coalition’s march for the 76th anniversary of Al Nakba, “the catastrophe” in Arabic. Protesters started at U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office demanding an end to U.S. aid to apartheid Israel and calling on her to stop her support for the ongoing second Nakba, the U.S.-backed Israeli genocide currently occurring in Gaza.

Palestinians observe Nakba Day on May 15 to mark the anniversary of the dispossession of Palestinians of 78% of their land. In 1948, Zionist terrorist groups besieged and killed 15,000 Palestinians and displaced 400,000 people. By the first half of 1949, at least 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children were displaced and became refugees who have never been allowed to return to their stolen homes. This year, with the death toll in Gaza rising to over 35,000 people, has international human rights groups labeling Israel’s siege of Gaza as a genocide. Activist groups are calling this another Nakba.

Anthony Taylor-Gouge, a member of the MN Anti-War Committee and the Free Palestine Coalition, spoke to the crowd before the march, “So many times we look to the past, and we say to ourselves, ‘what would I have done then.’ There is no need to ask ourselves what we would have done, there is only a need to show it in the present. The Nakba never ended. And everywhere around us, we are accompanied by those ensuring it continues. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar continues to help fund the state of Israel to the tune of billions of dollars. The Democratic governor of Minnesota sits as the chair of the State Board of Investment that oversees over a billion dollars invested in companies profiting off of the ongoing Nakba. Our once supposed-progressive U.S. Congressman and now Attorney General Keith Ellison sits on that same Board of Investment and tells us divestment from genocide is illogical!”

Taylor-Gouge concluded, “The Nakba and those that continue to support it are all around us. It is not ‘What would we have done? It is, what are we doing now?’ The ways to act are broad, but it requires that we build power against what we have power to control and change. So I ask that you look around tonight, when you go to the store, when you’re talking to a friend. What are we doing now? Get organized, build power, we in the belly of the beast have a role to play in the Nakba, and it is up to us to organize against it.”

The march started at Senator Klobuchar's office and then took the bridge over Interstate 35W, holding it during rush hour traffic. Then the march went through the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood which is the heart of the Somali community in Minneapolis. Hundreds of people joined the march from the Somali neighborhood as it went past apartment buildings. The entire playground and all the basketball courts at the Brian Coyle Community Center were emptied as the children joined the march chanting “Free Palestine!”

The protest was part of a national week of actions called by the newly formed Anti-War Action Network (AWAN). The emcees encouraged protesters to protest Trump on Friday, when he comes to Saint Paul to fundraise for his reelection campaign for president.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #AWAN #MNAWC #Nakba #MNFreePalestineCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – On May 9, 200 community members rallied with students and staff at the University of Minnesota outside of the McNamara Alumni Center. The rally was called by the Free Palestine Coalition to draw attention to Israel’s genocidal attacks on Rafah and to put pressure on the University of Minnesota’s board of regents who were meeting the next day to hear from the Divest UMN Coalition’s demands at their public meeting.

Juli Zenker, worker at the U and a member of AFSCME 3800, who attended the rally, stated, “The situation in Rafah is critical not only because of the sheer number of people there, but because, politically, Biden claimed that this was a red line. We need to keep the pressure going for the United States government to end its direct complicity with the ongoing genocide, and we need the University of Minnesota board of regents, which often posits its desire to engage in reparative measures for harms of the past and failures of the present, to set a standard for the rest of the world.”

Tracy Molm, an organizer with the MN Climate Justice Committee, was also moved to come to show solidarity with the students and explained, “Students are at the front lines of opposing the genocide in Gaza. Just like students have always been at the front of struggles for justice in the United States – like against the Vietnam War, apartheid in South Africa and segregation in the South.”

The protest was held during the busy time of graduation season at the U of MN. Graduates and their families walked by throughout the protest. During the protest members of Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Justice in Palestine decorated their graduation hats for their upcoming ceremonies on Sunday, May 12.

Andrew Josefchak was the emcee for the protest and encouraged participants to join an organization in the Free Palestine Coalition so that they can challenge U.S. support for Israel. He also told the crowd to show up for Al Nakba on May 15 when the Free Palestine Coalition will lead a march in downtown Minneapolis after a rally at Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office at 1200 Washington Avenue S starting at 5:30 p.m.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #StudentMovement #SDS #MNFreePalestineCoalition

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, April 15, the Free Palestine Coalition led a protest of around 100 people outside of Education Minnesota’s Representative Convention. Education Minnesota (EDMN) is a large state-level educators union that announced only the day before that they would be delaying their entire program to host the opening event of First Lady Dr .Jill Biden’s “Educators for Biden-Harris” national tour.

Protesters outside the convention drew attention to the issues of recent attacks on academic freedom, with speakers like Dr Sima Shaksari from Educators for Justice in Palestine – UMN, Michael Runyon from Students for Palestine Normandale, and delegates Amelia Marquez and Meredith Aby. Marquez and Aby were refused entry to the first lady’s speech, presumably because of their political activism in support of Palestine.

Amelia Marquez, a rank-and-file member of MFT Local 59, told the crowd, “As an indigenous person you are there to represent me. All tomorrow when you try to do your land acknowledgement, I want you to remember that instead of standing with your indigenous educator you decided to send her out here in the cold after a long day of teaching our next generation.” The crowd responded with “shame!” Marquez continued, “All day I asked my classes what I should tell Jill Biden tonight and all of my students said tell her ‘Free Palestine!’”

The presidents of the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association, and EDMN campaigned for President Biden and introduced the first lady, who was then immediately interrupted by coalition members chanting “Money for schools, not for war!” After they were escorted out, many other conference delegates walked out in disgust as the first lady began to campaign for her husband.

The next day, EDMN Representative Convention delegates in the Palestine solidarity movement worked hard to introduce two resolutions: a ceasefire resolution and a resolution to divest educator pensions from apartheid Israel. The debate on the floor was contentious, but the convention passed a watered-down ceasefire resolution echoing the resolutions passed by AFT, NEA,and AFL-CIO. The divestment resolution was ultimately referred to committee after a vibrant debate. Throughout the day delegates from all over Minnesota discussed the topic of their public educator pensions being invested in weapons companies and the genocide in Gaza.

The Free Palestine Coalition continues organizing for Minnesota to divest from apartheid Israel as well as calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza, an end to U.S. aid to apartheid Israel, no U.S. war with Iran, and a free Palestine.

#MinneapolisMN #TwinCitiesMN #MN #AntiWarMovement #International #MiddleEast #Palestine #MNFreePalestineCoalition #MFT #JillBiden #Democrats #Feature