The Bush administration is still threatening Iran, and a wider war in the Middle East. The U.S. government has made much of Iran’s nuclear energy program. Iran says it is developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and now U.S. intelligence agencies agree with that characterization. But this makes little difference to Bush and Cheney. They are still talking about turning up the heat on Iran and looking to impose more sanctions – which are in and of themselves a form of war, and as we saw with Yugoslavia and Iraq, a buildup to open military action.
The Bush administration is bringing the Korean peninsula to the brink of war. U.S. threats against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK, or North Korea) and Washington’s withdrawal from the 1994 nuclear accords have led to a dramatic escalation of tensions. A growing tide of demonstrations against the presence of U.S. troops has rocked South Korea.
Sun Hyung Lee traveled to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (north Korea) as part of a peace delegation of eight Korean Americans from Oakland, Los Angeles and New York in June of 2004. At a time when the Bush administration is carrying out war preparations against north Korea, the interview provides some important insights into developments on the Korean peninsula.
What began as a student strike to protest the war in Iraq quickly escalated on Feb. 15, as over a thousand students at the University of California-Santa Barbara took to the streets and completely shut down California Highway 217 for over two hours. After a standoff with law enforcement and the arrest of two protesters, the crowd marched back to campus and demonstrated in front of the chancellor’s office to confront university officials about the school’s involvement with the war effort.
Jess Sundin is a leading member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. She traveled to Iraq in 1998 and has played a important role in the Twin Cities anti-war movement since then. We interviewed her after the State of the Union address, where President Bush attempted to bolster support for his plans to expand the war in Iraq.
Bloomington, MN – Youth Against War and Racism (YAWR) activists were disciplined here Jan. 10 for educating their fellow students at Thomas Jefferson High School. They distributed literature and did guerilla theater to advertise for the Jan. 11 international day of protest to shut down the U.S. prison for ‘terror suspects’ at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The student activists decided to mobilize for the Minneapolis demonstration and to table at their high school the day before the protest to increase awareness about the torture, abuse and lack of due process for detainees at Guantanamo.
St Paul, MN – New Year’s Eve, an evening typically shared and celebrated with our loved ones was overshadowed this year as the death toll of U.S. soldiers serving in the Iraq war reached 3000. About 300 protesters gathered in Minneapolis at the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis and St. Paul on the evening of Jan.1. It was one of 300 other organized events across the country.
Los Angeles, CA – Philippine President Estrada was repeatedly hit with demonstrations during his visit to U.S. cities this summer. Protesters charged that he is a tool of U.S. corporations and Washington D.C., and he has betrayed the interests of the Philippino people.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 40 anti-war protesters gathered here July 23 to express their opposition to President Obama’s surge of 21,000 troops in Afghanistan. Protesters held banners, chanted and handed out flyers to encourage other Minnesotans to speak out against the war and occupation in Afghanistan.
Minneapolis, MN - An emergency response protest here, June 29, condemned the military coup that happened on June 28 in Honduras. The protest also expressed solidarity with the Honduran people's resistance to the right-wing military coup and demanded that the U.S. government cut off aid to Honduras. This was one of many emergency protests that happened in the U.S. and throughout the world.
A struggle has broken out over the results of Iran’s presidential elections, held Friday June 12, which resulted in the apparent landslide victory of incumbent President Ahmadinejad. On Friday night, before the results had been announced, the main opposition candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, declared himself the winner. The following day, Iran's election commission announced that Ahmadinejad had won with 62% of the vote. Mousavi responded with allegations of vote-rigging. This set into motion a chain of events that has resulted in hundreds of thousands coming out to the streets in protest. Some of the protests turned into riots, with protesters attacking police, government offices and banks and burning cars. 19 people are reported to have died in clashes with the government.
The tens of thousands of RNC protesters who hit the streets of Saint Paul Sept. 1 – 4 did something that was truly great. The demonstrations sent a powerful message that was heard around the world: The people of the United States reject the war on Iraq and the Republican agenda. We insist on peace, justice and equality. This message was heard by the rich and powerful, who responded with repression. And it was heard by hundreds of millions of people. Reports of the protests were carried by thousands of media outlets ranging from network TV in the U.S. to Al Jazeera to the New China News Agency. The Sept. 1 rally against the war was carried live on C-SPAN.
“The blood of Gaza is on your hands!” was the chant that rang out in front of the Auditorium Theater here, Feb. 8. The 60 protesters called for boycotting the performance of the Israeli Batsheba Dance Company. The dance troop is touring the U.S. as goodwill ambassadors for the Zionist state. The invasion of Gaza, in which over 1300 Palestinians were killed, including over 300 children, has put the eyes of the world on Israel. Picketers also challenged the concert-goers, saying, “Don’t dance on Gaza’s graves!” The organizers, including the International Solidarity Movement and the Palestine Solidarity Group, vowed to continue and expand the “Boycott/Divest/Sanction” campaign.
Rochester, NY – Los estudiantes de la Universidad de Rochester declararon una victoria y dieron por terminada la ocupación luego de que la administración de la universidad aprobara varias de sus demandas. En el 6 de febrero, más de 75 estudiantes ocuparon el auditorio del edificio Goergen biomédica e ingeniería, como muestra de solidaridad con el pueblo palestino en Gaza. Los Estudiantes por una Sociedad Democrática (SDS) en la Universidad de Rochester organizaron la toma para aumentar la presión en la administración para que accediera a sus demandas.
We condemn Israel's murderous bombings and attacks in Gaza. Each and every Palestinian killed or wounded by Israel is an outrage to the peoples of the world. The Israeli state is punishing Palestinians and their leaders for demanding democracy and power in their own country. Israel is a colonial settler state ruled by war criminals. Israel exists on stolen land and borrowed time.
2009 started off poorly for U.S. and NATO forces occupying Afghanistan. Shortly after the U.S. military invaded and occupied Afghanistan in October 2001, Fight Back! reported, “No one wants their country occupied by foreign powers. So, the people of Afghanistan will mount a resistance. Its scope and power remain to be seen, but it will certainly be a factor.” (Afghanistan Occupied, New Targets Ahead, Winter 2002, Fight Back!)
Minneapolis, MN – On January 14, a jury found a group of seven anti-war protesters not guilty of trespassing at a Minneapolis National Guard recruiting office last March. The charges stemmed from an incident that was part of a series of demonstrations organized to mark the 5th anniversary of the U.S. war in Iraq. On March 27, 2008, hundreds rallied and marched against the war on the University of Minnesota campus. That afternoon, a group of protesters organized by the Anti-War Committee attempted to enter the National Guard recruiting center located on the second floor of 825 Washington Avenue SE. After finding the doors locked and police waiting, they remained in the hallway and continued their demonstration. Police informed them that “the building owner doesn't want you here,” but they refused to leave. Sixteen people were arrested for trespassing.
Chicago, IL – Fifteen opponents of the Israeli siege on Gaza entered the Federal Building here, Jan. 16, and executed a sit-in at the offices of Senator Dick Durbin. Durbin had co-sponsored a resolution that gave the green light to Israel to continue the attack on Palestinians.
St. Paul, MN – At a press conference here, Feb. 6, Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee announced that the City of Saint Paul is spending $5000 to resolve a lawsuit that was filed by attorneys representing Mick Kelly. Kelly, an organizer for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, was arrested outside the Xcel Center June 5, 2008 while passing out leaflets at the Obama rally. He was promoting the Sept. 1 anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. Police placed him under arrest, then he was searched, put in a squad car and taken to the old police headquarters where he was cited for soliciting and peddling.
The Colombia Action Network is organizing events in six cities to honor and remember those killed by the U.S.-backed war in Colombia. March 1 is significant because one year ago the U.S. government directed an attack inside Ecuador that killed Raul Reyes and 25 others. Raul Reyes was a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). Angela Denio who will be speaking in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said, “We will remember the brave Colombian rebels, Ecuadorian supporters and Mexican students who died at the hands of the U.S.-sponsored attack in Ecuador, especially FARC leader Raul Reyes who gave his life for the freedom of the Colombian people.”
