May Day protesters flying communist flags took to the streets of Minneapolis demanding the DFL trifecta pass even more progressive legislation.
“Whose streets? Our streets. Whose land? Native land,” the protesters chanted while flying socialist and communist flags.
The May Day March for Immigrant and Workers’ Rights was organized by many local activist organizations, including the Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America, the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Minnesota and Iowa chapters of the Service Employees International Union, and the Communist Party USA.
Social media posts advertising the event asked participants in the outdoor protest to wear masks.
Minneapolis Protesters have Lake Street shut down – traffic blocked both ways as they continue to march for May Day pic.twitter.com/nKqQkSRWv7
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) May 1, 2023
Video taken by independent journalist Rebecca Brannon shows individuals in yellow vests blocking traffic so that the marchers could occupy the streets.
More intersections being shut down by protesters to make way for ‘May Day’ March down Lake.
Motorists get frustrated and turn around. pic.twitter.com/2vqEGg3Rss
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) May 1, 2023
The protesters celebrated the recent passage of the “trans refuge” bill and pro-abortion legislation. They also called on legislators to pass the “North Star Act,” which would make Minnesota a sanctuary state for illegal aliens.
The bill, authored by Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, would prohibit “state and local officials from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts.” Fateh was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. The bill has several Democratic cosponsors but hasn’t made it out of the committee process.
One speaker, standing on the back of a flatbed truck blocking the street, said indigenous people have been fighting “colonial systems, the colonizers, for over 500 years since they first stepped foot on Turtle Island.”
May Day protesters proclaim they are out here fighting “colonizers” – to stand up against “oppressors and capitalism” like they did with the Roof Depot site in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/coru0ht8iL
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) May 1, 2023
She said the protesters were there “to stand up and say enough is enough to oppressors, to capitalism, to colonial systems and governments.”
Signs held by the estimated several hundred protesters said things like, “Fund abortion, not fake clinics,” and, “Trans rights are human rights.”
‘No more Deportations.’
Speakers also advocated for help in passing more progressive legislation such as the ‘The NorthStar Act’ which would make Minnesota a Sanctuary state for undocumented individuals. pic.twitter.com/poPAdOLI54
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) May 2, 2023
The marchers walked from the Minneapolis Adult Education Building to the Roof Depot, blocking roads and vehicles while they protested.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
