Opposition to War and Occupation (OWO) is a Twin Cities based education and solidarity group that formed in the fall of 2008 to work on building a culture of direct action in resistance to US-sponsored war and occupation, here and abroad. As US residents, we acknowledge our particular responsibility to oppose US-sponsored wars and occupations, including those of Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Indigenous American Nations. Our work consists of promoting an anti-imperialist politics of direct action through educational and informational events, media campaigns, and by offering public solidarity.
We understand that our current economic and political systems operate through a logic of profit, denying self-determination to the many for the benefit of the few. We know that the arm of the state (the police, the military, and the so-called justice system) serves only to protect special interest by imposing fear and suffering. In this context, we can in no way equate legality with justice, or obedience with peace. We know that only a non-reformist or radical movement—one that goes the roots of this system to call for a transformation of the basic values that structure our present way of life—can bring about self-determination for all people. We believe that broad-based opposition movements working to directly disrupt or undermine the operation of business as usual can overturn the status quo.
We are a public education and solidarity group. We do not materially or tactically support actions taken by groups or individuals. Our membership is closed. We encourage those who want to get involved in resisting war and occupation to organize autonomously in order to take direct action.
