Minneapolis, MN — Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Minneapolis on June 6 to speak at a banquet for the Center of the American Experiment, a right-wing think tank based in the suburb of Golden Valley. Around 100 people initially gathered to protest the visit and by the end of the night 300 protesters were outside the Depot. Five people were arrested for reportedly spray painting the street.
Unicorn Riot heard from a Palestinian organizer during the protest outside the private event and documented event attendees flipping off protesters.
Activists opposed the private event because of Bennett’s past actions in the Israeli government and continued statements against Palestine. Bennett, who served as prime minister for a year during 2021-2022, was born in Haifa, Israel in 1972 to American-Jewish parents who had moved to Israel a month after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel captured the West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, and the Allon Plan was initiated to displace Palestinians from their homelands and build colonial Israeli settlements.
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After becoming a multimillionaire for selling a software company, Bennett transitioned to politics in 2006. For two years Bennett was chair of the Yesha Council, which oversees Zionist settlement projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. During this time, he became infamous for leading Zionist Wikipedia editing courses and saying “we want to be the guys who influence what is written there, how it’s written, and ensure that it’s… Zionist in nature.”
Protestors at the Depot criticized Bennett’s response to a 2013 prisoner deal. Acting as Israel’s Minister of Economy, Bennett stated, “If you capture terrorists, you simply have to kill them.” After National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror told him that this is illegal, Bennett replied, “I already killed lots of Arabs in my life, and there is absolutely no problem with that.”
A decade ago, Bennett was called out by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS) who asked the U.S. and European Union “to impose visa restrictions and to freeze [his] foreign assets.” Launched by Palestinians in 2005, BDS seeks to put pressure on companies and governments around the world that support and profit from Israel’s violation of Palestinians’ rights.
Bennett published an Op-Ed in the New York Times, stating the BDS movement is a “new enemy” of Israel and called activists “enemy soldiers.” During his time as Prime Minister from 2021 to 2022, Bennett increased funding to “fight against BDS” which he called “Jew hatred.”
Sana Wazwaz, the president of the Minnesota chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, was among the organizers of the rally. She expressed how Bennett’s reign is analogous for the ongoing war on Gaza, “His reign as a leader in Israel represents the ruthless tyranny and prosecution of the Palestinian people.”
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Wazwaz said that the goal of the rally was to send a message to the City of Minneapolis, American Experiment, and Bennett, telling Unicorn Riot that “he is not welcome here, and he is not welcome in our city.”
The protest comes amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza that has killed at least 37,337 Palestinians, injured over 85,200 since the surprise attack on Israel by militants that left over 1,100 dead and 8,700 injured.
Israeli Rescue Operation Massacres Hundreds of Palestinians, Top Military and Political Leaders Resign
Sabry Wazwaz, usually seen leading rhythmic chants with a drum, informed people and the on-duty police officers guarding the entrance to the Depot of how the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) trains police the U.S. on restraint techniques “similar to the one against George Floyd’s [neck].”
For decades, Israeli-U.S. police partnerships have grown. A 2018 report entitled Deadly Exchange (pdf) examined the exchange in practices of surveillance, suppression of public protests with force and justifying racial profiling.
Recently retired Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart is among the thousands of law enforcement officers who’ve reportedly been flown into Israel from states like Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, and Washington. Stuart was the vice-president of the National Sheriffs’ Association (currently the executive director of the Minnesota chapter) and currently on the executive committee for the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) sponsored Stuart’s trip in 2019.
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Sabry Wazwaz protesting outside the Naftali Bennett event.
American Experiment called their dinner gala “a huge success,” that was attended by “more than 600 Minnesotans” and that the “smattering of protesters outside did not diminish the excitement and fun of the event.”
Attendees were seen flipping off the pro-Palestine protesters. In particular, a man with the nametag “Mark Ritter” came out several times to antagonize the crowd. The attendee shouted curse words, as well as “God bless Israel” repeatedly before entering the banquet.
Niko Georgiades and Dan Feidt contributed to this report for Unicorn Riot.
For more from Palestine and pro-Palestine protests click on image below.
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The lineup has been announced for the 2026 edition of Snow & Flurry, set for October 10th and 11th at Underground Music Cafe in Minneapolis, MN. Judge, Merauder, and Arkangel will headline the two-day event also featuring 25+ more acts in total.
Weekend passes are available now, with single-day tickets and daily lineups to be announced later.
Passes are available here.
Line up in order of flyer:
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Judge Merauder Arkangel The Killer Nehemiah Another Enemy Awaiting Eschiel Basic Needs Blistered Spirit Blood Stained Concrete Cudgel Direct Order Dose Enemy Of Man Enervate Ethic Eyes Of Sorrow Fleshless Body Lead Spirit Madman Meantime Neolithic Passion Self Interest Shits Creek Sin Sufrir Skewed What Counts Withdrawal Wrath Of Sanity Velocity
After spending months helping immigrant families weather the economic fallout of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Twin Cities, Smitten Kitten is asking the community for help sustaining itself.
The adult retail store in Minneapolis’ Lyn-Lake neighborhood issued a public plea for community financial support.
The strain comes after months of directing staff and volunteer time, resources and fundraising efforts toward mutual aid work that supported immigrants during Operation Metro Surge.
The store became one of the most visible community aid hubs after the federal operation began. Following the killing of Renee Good, Smitten Kitten began collecting groceries, diapers, toilet paper and other essentials.
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“Nothing is going to change unless we’re going to do something,” said Anne Lehman, Smitten Kitten social media manager and mutual aid advisor.
The store also helped direct efforts toward rent relief for immigrants facing heightened uncertainty and economic hardship.
“People had been hiding out since October. They’re going to need things like diapers, toilet paper and water.” Lehman said. “We ended up opening our store as a donation drop-off stop.”
Community support quickly exceeded expectations.
“It felt like every fifteen minutes someone was pulling up in an SUV that just came from Costco,” Lehman said. “As soon as we got it, it would be gone because of how great the need was.”
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Lehman said that the attention also created safety concerns for staff and visitors.
“We had to move where our stuff was because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had caught on to what we were doing and tried to intimidate us,” said Lehman.
In response, the store decided to move its operations elsewhere and began to focus on raising money for necessities. According to Lehman, the establishment raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various needs.
The operation, in part, ended by mid-February, and federal presence in Minnesota diminished. As things began to wind down, so did cash flow at Smitten Kitten.
“There were a lot of weeks where we were cutting it close on payroll,” said Lehman.
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In a social media post, Lehman asked the community to come help support the store by asking for donations, asking people to shop at their store or online.
“We are asking for help, but also all of these things that we’re pouring all of our energy into is not going away,” said Lehman. “If we want to continue doing mutual aid, we have to have a solid foundation of our business as well.”
MINNEAPOLIS — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has acquired 3701 Wayzata Boulevard, a 308,681-square-foot office property in the Urban West End neighborhood of Minneapolis, for $34 million. Situated on 25.8 acres overlooking Brownie and Cedar lakes, the nine-story asset is 99 percent leased and serves as the headquarters location for several companies such as Tactile Medical, SRF Consulting Group, Regis Corp. and MOBE.
Originally developed as a corporate headquarters campus for Prudential and later occupied by Target Corp., the property underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning in 2019. Amenities today include a fitness center, conference facilities, a golf simulator, onsite café, outdoor gathering spaces, a rooftop patio, bike storage and direct access to regional trail systems.
