News and Views from the People's Struggle
St. Paul, MN – On December 29, 60 Palestine solidarity activists rallied at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Free Palestine bannering. Participants chanting, “Hey Netanyahu what do you say, how many kids did you kill today” and “Resistance is justified, when Palestine is occupied!” filled the intersection along with the unending honks of motorists.
Saint Paul, MN – The Free Palestine Coalition held a rally and disrupted Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s Christmas Eve Party on December 24. Over 1000 protesters rallied along the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge, then marched to the governor’s residence to demand that Walz and the Minnesota State Board of Investment divest from the ongoing siege of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine.
St. Paul, MN – On December 22, 50 Palestine solidarity activists rallied at the weekly WAMM Solidarity with Palestine bannering. The bannering is a longstanding event which began during the first Intifada. Chants of “Hey Netanyahu what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?” and “Resistance is justified, when Palestine is occupied!” filled the intersection along with the unending honks of motorists. The bannering will continue until Palestine is free.
St. Paul, MN – On December 15, dozens of Palestine solidarity activists rallied and chanted at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) bannering to call for an end to the bombing of Gaza, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and for a free Palestine. The positive response from motorists was nonstop.
St. Paul, MN – On December 1, 100 Palestine solidarity activists responded to the continuation of Israel’s vicious and deadly bombing of Gaza. They rallied during the evening rush hour at the WAMM (Women Against Military Madness) weekly bannering at a busy Saint Paul intersection.
Motorists responded with honks and fist pumps as activists chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes” and “Hey Netanyahu what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?”
St. Paul, MN – On the evening of November 28, 500 protesters gathered in below freezing temperatures on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol. The protest, organized by the Free Palestine Coalition, demanded that the State Board of Investment (SBI) divest over $1 billion currently invested in Israeli bonds, banks, weapons manufacturers and other entities that profit from Israeli apartheid.
In total, the SBI manages and invests over $128 billion of Minnesota taxpayer money. Board members include Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, State Auditor Julie Blaha and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Held on the eve of the SBI meeting on November 29, which is also the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the protest was a continuation of a multi-year campaign spearheaded by groups, including the MN Anti-War Committee, to demand the SBI divest public pension funds from the system of apartheid and ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine.
Despite the cold, a large crowd formed on the capitol steps to attend the rally. It was evidence of the passion and dedication the Palestinian cause has brought about during the decades of occupation.
Mariam El-Khatib, a member of American Muslims for Palestine, kicked off the rally, “America, it’s a fact. Israel would not be able to do what it’s doing without the U.S. We are funding the ethnic cleansing of the people of Palestine. We are funding the killing of children. We are funding the killing of civilians. We are funding the bombing of hospitals. We are funding Israel’s war crimes and atrocities. So whether you like it or not, all of us are implicated – because we live in this country and pay tax dollars. So whether you like it or not we have to speak up!”
Skyler Dorr, a rank-and-file member of AFSCME 3800 at the University of Minnesota and an anti-Zionist Jew, stated, “I am a pissed off public employee, and I don’t want my retirement fund invested in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine! Shame on the State Board of Investment for implicating all of us in genocide, shame!”
As the last speaker on the program, Brian Chval from the MN Anti-War Committee rallied the crowd, “As the tax paying constituents of the state of Minnesota, I think we should have a say in how our money is invested. So I ask you, $283 million for weapons manufacturers that sell to Israel. Invest or divest? Nearly $50 million for Siemens, who provides electrical grid services to Israel and its settlements on stolen Palestinian land. Invest or divest? Almost $25 million in direct investments in Israel in the form of bonds, who has occupied and oppressed Palestinians for over 75 years. Invest or divest?”
Each time, the crowd erupted, “Divest!”
Other speakers included Julia Pearlstein-Levy from Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Palestinian activist Dr. Christine Harb, and Natasha Dockter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59.
Protesters were encouraged to come back to the capitol the next day to attend the State Board of Investment meeting.
St. Paul, MN – On Wednesday, November 29, Palestine solidarity activists spoke at the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI)’s quarterly meeting, demanding divestment of state-managed pension funds and other public monies from Israeli weapons manufacturers, banks and bonds, and other entities complicit in Israel’s apartheid system in Palestine.
St. Paul, MN – During the early morning hours of November 20, 50 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the site of Lockheed Martin’s new microelectronics subsidiary, ForwardEdge ASIC, in Saint Paul. They unfurled long banners, one reading, “MN, divest from Lockheed,” and blocked the driveway entrances to the facility for almost eight hours.
Police arrived shortly after the activists occupied the space and made their presence throughout the day, but no arrests were made. Due to the protesters’ presence, no employees of ForwardEdge ASIC were able to enter the facility and go to work that morning. The parking lot remained empty save for a lone security guard’s vehicle.
Saint Paul, MN – On November 19, the MN Anti-War Committee held a rally on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River that was attended by over 3000 Minnesotans. After an hour of holding signs and chanting on both sides of the bridge, the protest marched to Minnesota Governor Walz’ Eastcliff Mansion in Saint Paul to interrupt his Sunday football viewing and demand that he divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel.
St Paul, MN – 100 people rallied at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) bannering at rush hour at the intersection of Snelling and Summit Avenues, November 17. People gathered to show their outrage of against the Israeli bombings on children, hospitals, homes and schools.