14 cited for trespassing during protest outside governor's mansion in St. Paul
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Police say several people were cited after climbing over the fence at the Minnesota governor's residence during a protest Wednesday evening.
Around 100 people are said to have shown up to the University of Minnesota's Eastcliff Mansion to protest investments in programs that help the Israeli government amid the war with Hamas.
The Minnesota State Patrol says 14 people — 12 women and two men — were issued citations for trespassing onto private property during the rally.
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The protest comes ahead of the State Board of Investment's quarterly meeting on Thursday. The board manages public retirement accounts.
The group that organized the event, the Anti-War Committee, claims that in 2023, the SBI invested more than $3 billion in Israeli weapons manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and other industries "that benefit from or are used in the violent occupation of Palestine."
They hope Gov. Tim Walz, who chairs the SBI, along with Attorney General Keith Ellison, will use their power to divest in those holdings.
"Any investment in companies doing business in Israel binds Israeli and American society and strengthens and expands the genocidal, colonial project that is Israel," Brian Chval said. "Call me an optimist, but I don't think that pensioners would want that money if they knew where it came from."
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No use-of-force or injuries were reported during the incident.