AFSCME Local 3800 endorses anti-war protest

AFSCME Local 3800 is among the organizations endorsing an anti-war protest to be held Saturday, March 18, to mark 14 years since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The Minnesota Peace Action Coalition, a coalition of Twin Cities-area organizations, will meet in Minneapolis under the call of “Stop Endless U.S. Wars!” Participants will gather at 1 p.m. on the plaza at 3rd Street and Cedar Ave South on the West Bank in Minneapolis. At 1:30 pm, there will be a march through the neighborhood that will return to the starting point at 3rd and Cedar.

“The endless series of wars and interventions being waged by the U.S. are not in the interests of working people,” said Cherrene Horazuk, president of AFSCME 3800, which represents clerical workers at the University of Minnesota. “These wars are costing billions of dollars and causing death and destruction across the Middle East and beyond. Working people need a peace economy, not endless war.”

In addition to marking the Iraq anniversary, activists will focus on the escalation of war planning by the Trump administration. Trump has plans, and has taken steps, to dramatically increase the level of U.S. military intervention in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Korea and elsewhere, organizers said.

A statement issued by the Minnesota Peace Action Coalition says, in part, “March 2017 will mark 14 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq. After years of endless war, Trump wants a massive increase in the Pentagon budget and is moving to escalate the multiple wars and interventions. We say enough!”

The protest will include speakers from a number of organizations, including Veterans for Peace and others. For more information, call 612-275-2720 or 612-827-5364 or visit the coalition’s Facebook page.

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