Minnesota has become ground-zero in the fight against Trump’s racist attack on immigrant communities in the United States. On Friday, January 23, a state-wide protest is planned that will bring together trade unions, community organizations, faith groups, and small businesses under the banner of “No work, no school, no shopping,” and will include a mass peaceful protest in Minneapolis in the early afternoon. The protest is part of a growing movement in response to the widespread violence committed by ICE agents in recent weeks, including the murder on January 7 of Renee Nicole Good—a poet, mother, and community activist who was acting as a legal observer when ICE agents descended on her Minneapolis neighbourhood.
The January 23 protest is significant for two reasons, and could represent a turning point in the fight against ICE and Trump’s entire agenda.
First, Minnesota trade unions are playing a prominent role in the mobilization, building on years of effective labour organizing with community and immigrant groups, especially in Minneapolis. While the January 23 protest is not officially a strike, and unions are not yet taking formal strike votes, it is moving in that direction. A significant number of trade union locals and federations have officially endorsed and are actively building the protest, including the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, which represents over 80,000 union members (a full list of endorsers is available here). The more that labour plays a role, especially on a state-wide basis, and the more that ordinary workers have the opportunity to be part of an effective mass action, the greater the pressure will build to move towards more workplace-based actions, including strikes.
Second, what happens on January 23 in Minnesota could give a lead to workers all across the United States who are also facing widespread ICE violence and trying to figure out the best ways to resist it, along with the rest of Trump’s agenda. US workers are key to building that fightback: they produce all the profit and wealth of the US economy, and any interruption caused by even a brief and temporary withdrawal of their labour could open up greater possibilities of resistance on a bigger scale.
Watching this fightback from afar, workers in Canada and other countries are feeling inspired by the unifying tactics of their Minnesotan counterparts. But it’s not enough for us to be online witnesses to this fight. There is a role we can play this week in helping build the confidence of Minnesota workers and immigrant communities as they stare down ICE and Trump, and in helping raise the profile of this fight among our own co-workers and fellow union members.
One critically important action we could take is to make our solidarity visible to Minnesota workers and others: we want them to know that workers around the world are watching what’s happening, that we support them, and that we have their backs. Whatever actions we take to show our solidarity could inspire workers in other parts of Canada, the US, and elsewhere to show their solidarity, too.
Whenever workers show solidarity to one another, and not just feel it in their hearts, they build the confidence of workers to keep fighting and inspire others to join the fight. To that end, the Spring Labour Caucus is putting together a two-minute solidarity video of workers from across the country, in as many different sectors and workplaces as possible, which we will post online, tagging Minnesota trade unions, community organizations, and other activists, in an effort to add momentum to their January 23 protest.
If you would like to be included in the video, please send a photo or a short video (5 to 10 seconds) that shows you and your co-workers expressing solidarity with Minnesota workers. You could be holding up a homemade sign or placard and/or recording a short message or leading a chant with other workers.
Here are some possible slogans to include on your sign. Be sure to mention what union or sector you’re in (e.g., “Toronto teachers support Minnesota workers” or “Vancouver health care workers say: ICE out of MN!”):
- Abolish ICE: Defend migrant workers
- ICE out of MN: Solidarity from __________
- We support Minnesota workers!
Or, you can download and print sample signs here.
Please send your photos and videos to info@springmag.ca as soon as possible. We expect the final video to be ready by Wednesday, January 21 and posted online sometime that day. Watch for the video on all Spring socials or search these hashtags: #AbolishICE #MPLS
For more information about the January 23 protest, please visit the organizing website, ICE Out of Minnesota.
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