NavigationMarch on the RNC to Stop the War
Organizations from around the country have endorsed the call for this important demonstration. We say:
Click here to read more on why we are marching, and who will join us. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War 1313 5th St SE #112C Minneapolis, MN 55414 612.379.3584 |
RNC protest organizers reject City’s route, will march to demand planned routeFor Immediate Release: June 30, 2008 On Tuesday, July 1, the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War will rally at the State Capitol at 11 a.m. and march down Kellogg Blvd around the Xcel Center. This will be the fourth and final march in a series of recurring demonstrations to pressure the city of St. Paul to grant a permit for an anti-war march on September 1, the first day of the Republican National Convention (RNC). The July 1 march is part of a strategy first enacted in January, when the Coalition applied for a recurring permit to rally at the State Capitol and march around the Xcel Center on the first of every other month, culminating with the September 1st protest at the RNC. City officials granted permits for the January, March, May, and July demonstrations, but refuse to grant a permit for the planned route on September 1. In May, St. Paul Police issued a permit for September 1 that would send demonstrators down Cedar St. and force them to leave the area in front of the Xcel Center by 2 pm. “The permit issued by the city is politically and logistically unacceptable,” says Coalition member Katrina Plotz. “The First Amendment guarantees the right to demonstrate within sight and sound of convention delegates. Police have no right to clear us from the streets by 2 pm when the RNC won’t have started yet. It’s also logistically impossible for tens of thousands to march down a narrow street, turn around in a small area, and return to the Capitol along the same street. Even St. Paul Police Federation president Dave Titus called the city’s route ‘a recipe for disaster.’” “The St. Paul police department, the city council, and the mayor have consistently tried to stall, deny, and reroute our efforts to ensure that demonstrators can voice their opposition to the war in Iraq,” explains Coalition member Kim DeFranco. “On July 1, we’ll march along the route we originally applied for. Afterwards, we’ll deliver a petition to St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, urging him to issue a permit for our planned route. So far, Coleman’s silence can only indicate his support for the war in Iraq and the Republican agenda.” A hearing in federal court regarding the September 1 march route is scheduled for July 9. Coalition members and St. Paul officials will enter into mediation on July 7 to discuss the dispute. - 30 -
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Upcoming events- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - We recognize that protests at the RNC will take many forms. With that in mind, we have worked for common ground with other forces to ensure that our various projects work in concert, with a commitment to ensure no one's plans are disrupted or undermined by fellow protesters. Our coalition agrees to the following principles for the September 1, 2008, March on the RNC. (1) our solidarity will be based on respect for diversity of tactics and the plans of other groups. (2) the actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation of time or space. (3) any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events. (4) we oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance, infiltration, disruption and violence. We agree not to assist law enforcement actions against activists and others. User login |
