On October 19, Jill Stein, the Green Party’s presidential candidate, joined local activists in St. Paul, Minnesota, during their weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Solidarity Palestine banner display. Stein showed her support for the Palestine solidarity movement while en route to a Green Party fundraiser.
For more than a year, community activists have gathered every Friday at the busy intersection of Summit and Snelling Avenues to advocate for an end to U.S. support for Israel amidst the Gaza conflict and to promote the cause of a free Palestine.
The intersection resonated with chants such as “They call it a war, that’s a lie, it’s systematic genocide,” while protesters displayed Palestinian flags and signs demanding divestment and an end to U.S. backing of what they describe as genocide. Motorists passing by responded with enthusiastic honks in support.
During the rally, Naomi Donadieu from the Palestine Solidarity Committee remarked on statements made by Tim Walz, Minnesota’s governor and former vice presidential candidate, who claimed that “the expansion of Israel is an absolute, fundamental necessity for the U.S.” Donadieu challenged that assertion, questioning its relevance for everyday workers in the U.S. who struggle to make ends meet, and highlighted that such necessity benefits corporate interests rather than the general public.
Meredith Aby, an educator and member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, concluded the event by emphasizing the urgent need to raise awareness of genocide in the U.S. Aby stated, “The media won’t do it. We have to do it. Genocide is not a single-issue voting issue. The money I need to teach my kids is being spent on the other side of the globe killing kids.”
Organizers from WAMM committed to continuing their efforts every Friday, asserting that the fight for Palestine is intertwined with their own.