JOIN AND BE PART OF A 14 DAYS TOUR WITH 3 KEY REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FRONTLINES RESISTANCE AGAINST ICE IN MINNESOTA!
Objectives
- Understand the situation from a diversity of actors directly involved into the protection of the communities in Minnesota.
- Expose and roll back European investments into the ICE main contractors (Palantir, AT&T, Geo Group, Corecivic, CACI international) and the largest US fossil fuel expansion firms (Exxon, Enbridge).
- Help to build bridges on a longer term between european individuals, groups and organizations with the Minnesotan resistance to ICE and to the fossil energy dominance project.
- Contribute to a unified response to the offensive of the far right in Europe and abroad.
Context
Three activists from Minnesota are coming to Switzerland, France and the Netherlands from April 14th to 29th.
They are supported by a resolution from the Minneapolis City Council calling on European investors with stakes in ICE contractors to divest.
ICE’s violence in the United States has caused outrage and a large people powered pushback. The massive, nonviolent resistance movement is inspiring. The international rise of the far right is a major cause for concern. The resistance of the residents of Minneapolis and Saint Paul shows that organized resistance works.
We are also affected here in Europe. On the one hand, because the far right is powerful here, mobilizing around issues similar to Trump’s: notably against immigration, for the dismantling of public services, and for anti-climate policies. This influence is evident in the European Parliament’s recent decision to tighten the EU’s migration policy by establishing “return hubs”: centers located outside Europe’s borders to detain and expel migrants. These hubs echo Trump’s hardline approach to immigration, outsourcing responsibility and human rights violations to third countries while further militarizing borders. On the other hand, because European investors, such as UBS, the Swiss National Bank, or Amundi, are involved in financing some of the key ICE contractors (GeoGroup, CoreCivic, Palantir, AT&T, CACI International) [BreakFree].
European investors also finance expansionist oil companies such as ExxonMobil or Enbridge, which are carrying out Trump’s strategy for global energy dominance and supports its internal political agenda (financing heavily his campaign, the republicans during the elections and the president inaugural fund). These investments deepen inequality, fuel climate destruction, and perpetuate systems of oppression that disproportionately harm marginalized communities in Europe and beyond.
Following their own exclusion policies against human rights violation, european investors must move out. Some are doing it. Under pressure from outraged public opinion and following previous divestments, the Dutch pension fund ABP has recently divested over 800 million euros from Palantir. In 2024, the sweden investment giant Storebrand went out of the same company based on its participation in the massive human rights violation of the palestinian people. Two years before, the norvegian pension fund KLP has divested from the private detention center firm GEO Group due to its arbitrary detention practices and violation of international law in the USA.
We invite human rights organizations, climate action groups, social justice advocates, anti-fascists, immigrant rights defenders, international solidarity organisations, unions, political movements, and all concerned individuals to join the tour’s activities (see below the full agenda).
Why these countries? Why Now?
Photo credits: Lorie Shaull
Switzerland’s financial hubs (Zurich and Geneva), are not just global centers of wealth management; they act as key enablers of authoritarian repression. Institutions like UBS and the Swiss National Bank (whose annual general meetings are scheduled for April 15th and 24th, 2026) channel billions into companies like Palantir, GEO Group, and AT&T, which power ICE’s mass surveillance, detention, and deportation machine. These investments are not neutral: they directly fund racial profiling, militarized policing, and the erosion of democratic rights in the U.S., tactics that, once normalized, inevitably spread globally.
Palantir’s aggressive pursuit of Swiss contracts and its legal threats against investigative journalism (such as its lawsuit against Republik for exposing its activities) reveal a company determined to silence criticism and expand its reach. As Republik documented, Palantir has tenaciously courted Swiss authorities, seeking to embed its surveillance tools in European governance. Meanwhile, Swiss financial flows to fossil fuel giants, which lobby for anti-protest laws and fund authoritarian regimes, further tie Switzerland, and Europe, to a global system of repression and ecological destruction (SOMO).
The bonds between resistance movements in the U.S. and Europe must be strengthened because authoritarianism and repression do not respect borders. When Swiss banks finance ICE’s operations, they are not only complicit in the suffering of migrants and activists in the U.S.; they are also laying the groundwork for similar systems of control in Europe. The same surveillance technologies tested on migrants and protesters in Minnesota and Gaza are already being marketed to European police and border agencies. The same anti-protest laws lobbied for by fossil fuel giants in the U.S. are inspiring crackdowns on climate and social justice movements across Europe.
If we allow financial elites in Switzerland and beyond to profit from repression abroad, we risk importing those same tactics home. By resisting together, we can cut off the flow of capital to authoritarian projects, defend democratic spaces, and ensure that the fight for justice in the U.S. strengthens, rather than undermines, our struggles in Europe.
Organized events
14th of April - Public Event Carambolage BASEL
Discussion with the delegation – Le Carambolage 7pm Basel
15th of April - AGM UBS - BASEL
9 am. St. Jakobshalle, St. Jakobs-Strasse, 390 – Basel. Place and activities to be announced.
AGM starts at 10:30 am.
15th of April - Public Event - POST SQUATT!! ZÜRICH
CHANGED LOCATION!!
Public event – Janette and Rafa will share their testimonies about recent ICE operation metro surge in Minneapolis and community organizing and resistance.
Die Republik and Greenpeace will share the SLAPP suits they have recently faced, related to Palantir and Energy Transfer, two major US companies.
POST SQUATT Wipkingerplatz, 7
17th of April - Public meeting in FRIBOURG -COUTELLERIE
Public meeting Fribourg
La Coutellerie 20h15
Discussion avec des camarades en lutte contre ICE sur la situation aux USA
18th of April - Conference at Stop Pillage - LAUSANNE
15H00 – 16H30 STOP PILLAGE PÔLE SUD LAUSANNE
S’opposer au financement suisse de l’ICE et à l’expansionnisme fossile de Trump
RAFAEL GONZALES « TUFAWON », artiste hip hop et activiste autochtone, Minneapolis (USA) – JANETTE CORCELIUS, syndicaliste à la Fédération des Travailleurs de Minneapolis et militante de DSA –
DANIEL STERN, journaliste WOZ
20th of April - Workshop - GENEVA
LUNDI 20 AVRIL 2026 A 20H
Table-ronde
COMBATTRE LE RACISME: REVENDICATIONS ET PRATIQUES
SYNDICALES POUR UNE MEILLEURE DÉFENSE DES TRAVAILLEURSEUSES MIGRANTE.S, RACIALISÉ.E.S ET/OU SANS STATUT LÉGAL
L’actualité aux HUG rappelle une réalité persistante : le racisme, qu’il soit quotidien ou structurel, demeure bien présent. Dans un contexte international marqué par la montée de discours réactionnaires et racistes, la lutte antiraciste doit retrouver une place centrale, y compris dans le
monde du travail et au sein de l’action syndicale.
C’est dans cette perspective que les syndicats SIT et SSP, avec l’association BreakFree, organisent une table ronde à l’occasion de la venue en Suisse de Janette Zahia Corcelius, syndicaliste engagée aux États-Unis contre les politiques racistes et anti-migration de Trump ainsi que contre les violences de l’ICE.
Cette rencontre permettra de discuter des enjeux actuels de la lutte antiraciste dans le monde du travail, du soutien aux travailleuses et travailleurs sans statut légal, ainsi que du rôle des syndicats dans la construction de résistances concrètes face aux discriminations. avec Janette Zahia Corcelius syndicaliste et militante antiraciste à Minneapolis, Etats-Unis.
21st of April - Concert at l'Ecurie with Dr. Koul - GENEVA
22nd of April - Public Meeting - GENEVA
Meeting Salle du Faubourg
19h-22h – 6 terreaux du temple
BreakFree Suisse, SIT, SSP, Le Courrier, collectif AfroSwiss, Solidarités Tattes, Les Ecosocialistes
23rd of April - Concert at La Jonquille - GENEVA
Av. de Sainte-Clotilde 18BIS, 21h – 22h- Performance from Tufawon in showcase before the jam at La Jonquille
23rd of April - Public Conference Event - BERN
Raum Tell Kultur Zentrum
OSTERMUNDIGEN – 3072 BERNSTRASSE, 101 – 7pm
With Amnesty International, The Greens ostermundigen, Unsere Antwort
24th of April - AGM of SNB - BERN
join the demonstration in front of Kursaal Bern (Kornhausstrasse 3) at 9:00 am
Shared gathering
24th of April - AGAINST SWISS COMPLICITY GATHERING BUNDESPLATZ - BERN
Join the authorized gathering on Bundesplaz at 12, against Swiss complicity. With migrants solidarity network, BFA and Swiss complicity, we denounce Swiss complicity in:
- Letting financial flows to companies active in the genocide in Gaza and not condemn or suspend weapons exports to Israel or dual use technology
- Letting financial flows to fossil fuel expansion via its financial platz, while stated in Art. 9 of the law on innovation and climate, and not condeming SERV for its violation of its Glasgow pledge for example.
- Letting financial flows to companies active in ICE main contractors, that are repressing migrants, as well as their involvement in the European system FRONTEX in which Switzerland is involved as well.
The 24th of April is also the opening day of the Santa Marta conference organized by Columbia for a fossil fuel phaseout.
24th of April - CANAL 93 HIP-HOP SESSION EVENT BOBIGNY
CANAL 93 HIP-HOP BOBIGNY
19H30-20H
OPEN MIC
25th of April - PARIS CICP
2-6 pm -CICP
21, rue Voltaire
29th - Amsterdam
Slide to see our events!
Our guests
Rafael Gonzalez (Tufawon)
Tufawon (2 for 1) is a Dakota/Boricua rapper, singer songwriter, producer and teaching artist from Minneapolis. His name represents his mixed heritage, and his music is a raw, honest reflection of his life. A sound track that captures his personal struggles, dreams for the future, spirituality, and deep connection to the land and his people. Musically, he creates a broad spectrum of styles including Hip Hop, RnB, Dancehall, Reggaeton and Afrobeats. Through his songs, he shares his experiences with love and confronts the complex realities of the world. Across Turtle Island, he teaches youth music production, songwriting and recording through his music production program for youth .WAVWARRIOR.
Tufawon was commissioned by The American Composers Forum to create his recently released EP “Gradient” as a part of the “Recomposing America” project and The Duluth Art Institute’s exhibition “Fur Trade Nation and Ojibwe Adornment: Beads, Ribbon, fur, Cloth”. Visitors at the Museum will be able to experience the exhibition while listening to his new EP.
He’s spent years community organizing and touring the world. The most current fight against that ICE occupation in Minneapolis has kept Tufawon actively engaged in community as he helps with mutual aid efforts, protesting, community patrolling, and using his music platform as a vehicle to speak out against fascism. There is an urgency for artists to use their music to impact change in such politically dissonant times. He released his single NO ONE IS ILLEGAL, a protest anthem taking a strong stance against fascism, bigotry and ICE. It speaks to the current political landscape riddled with corruption. It’s a call to the people: Now is the time to rise up and take a stand! He continues touring and living out his dreams as an artist. He will be traveling to Europe in the spring of 2026 with a delegation of Minneapolis activists directly impacted by ICE. The tour is in collaboration with Break Free. He will be performing at concerts and along with the delegation, will be speaking out against financial institutions in Europe who are invested in ICE, urging them to divest.
He was awarded the Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship a few years ago, one of his biggest achievements. He participated in the inaugural First Nations SongHubs and recorded with Indigenous artists from around the globe at the Abbey Road Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He was featured on the Breakfast Club and Hot 97 Ebro In The Morning speaking on issues that impact Native communities. He completed his first headlining tour in Europe “Resilience” with Nataanii Means. He actively stood in solidarity with the Black community during the 2020 Uprising after George Floyd was murdered by the MPD, and helped protect the Native Corridor from being looted in South Minneapolis. From fighting DAPL at Standing Rock to organizing efforts to Stop Line 3 to speaking at the United Nations in Switzerland, he continues to carry out his message and impact the people in a powerful way.
Useful links:
(2) https://www.instagram.com/tufawon/
Janette Zahia Corcelius
Janette Zahia Corcelius is a union organizer and community organizer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is a member of the Office and Professionals Employees International Union, local 12 which has 2,000 members across several states where she serves as a steward and a delegate. She is also a member of the largest socialist organization in the United States – The Democratic Socialists of America – which is a multi-tendency, big tent socialist organization with 100,000 members. She is also a member The Tempest Collective which is a revolutionary socialist cadre organization and The Remember 1934 Collective which serves to commemorate the great Minneapolis Truckers’ Strike of 1934 and its relevance in today’s labor movement.
Sagirah Shahid
Sagirah Shahid is a Black Muslim poet and performance artist from Minneapolis, Mni Sóta Makóče. Her debut poetry collection, Spirit: An African American Muslim Lyric is forthcoming from Lightscatter press in spring of 2027. Sagirah’s participatory poetry creates community spaces that offer healing, affirmation, and resistance against oppressive ideologies. She is a recipient of awards and fellowships from the Loft Literary Center, Twin Cities Media Alliance, and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. In 2020, Sagirah was one of 23 artists selected by Muslim Advocates and the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design to be featured in the American Muslim Futures virtual exhibit. Sagirah is a member of the Mizna writing collective and has danced with the Body Watani dance project. In addition to her art, Sagirah is an organizer with Labor for Palestine, a member of the Green Party, and was on the ground during the George Floyd Uprising, the Pro-Palestine Solidarity movement, and during Minnesota’s ICE resistance movement.
Useful links:
(1) https://sagirahshahid.com/press-and-media/
(2) https://www.womenspress.com/from-malcolm-x-to-ice-echoes-from-earlier-generations-on-resistance/
A bit of context…
Interpellation from Swiss MPs:
Interpellation 1 – Christian Dandres
Interpellation 2 – Rudi Berli : “How does FINMA assess the reputational risk associated with these investment practices, as well as the geopolitical risk linked to the rise of authoritarianism and the weakening of the international order based on respect for human rights that Switzerland upholds? How does FINMA fulfill its supervisory duties to ensure transparency and disclosure regarding these investments? Does it plan to issue an ordinance to ensure that Swiss private investments comply with the international agreements that Switzerland has ratified, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), as well as international agreements concerning the rights of the child (1989), the rights of refugees (1951), the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families (1990), and the abolition of slavery and forced labor (1957)?”
Interpellation 3 – Delphine Klopfenstein
Interpellation 4 – Jean-Valentin de Saussure
Let's put pressure together!
ASK the federal government: FORM
ASK the FINMA (the regulator): FORM
ASK the SNB: FORM
ASK UBS customer service : info@ubs.com
Partners of the tour
Check out our press release to see the support from US unions:
- Twin cities DSA, National DSA
- City Council Minneapolis
- AFSCME Local 34
- CWA local 7250
- Indigenous Protectors Movement Many Shields
Social media
Media Coverage
