Official social media account of the Minnesota Spy Club. #Antifascist #Tradecraft #Fieldcraft #SERE #History
They/Them
April 16, 1945: On this date, the storied German prisoner of war (POW) camp at Colditz Castle was liberated. Established to hold Allied soldiers and airmen who had proven their mettle in escaping from other German camps - the Nazis thought it would be an inescapable POW facility. (Plot twist, it wasn’t.)
April 15, 1968: On this date, the album Underground by Thelonius Monk was released. Album cover art depicted Monk as a member of the French Resistance in WW2. Won a Grammy for best album cover. Still best album cover ever.
#Jazz #Resistance #WW2 #Grammy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Fp4znXvOg
Official statement of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, which boasts a membership of 72,000 staff at 125 universities across Canada:
CAUT strongly recommends that academic staff travel to the US only if essential and necessary.
https://www.caut.ca/latest/2025/04/caut-advises-academics-against-non-essential-travel-us
Norway Allocates $945M to Equip and Train Ukrainian Brigade
Under Norwegian leadership, the initiative will also involve the cooperation of Nordic and Baltic countries working closely with Ukrainian authorities.
https://thedefensepost.com/2025/04/15/norway-equip-train-ukrainian-brigade/
There is an urgent protest tomorrow (Wednesday April 16th) at the El Salvadoran Consulate in St Paul 3:00- 6:00 pm, sponsored by Indivisible Twin Cities, Womens March MN, & MN 50501.
Trump is refusing to obey the Supreme Court. El Salvador is harboring death camps of Americans deported without due process.
Let’s be clear — this is fascism.
The Hands-Off Coalition of Indivisible Twin Cities, Minnesota 50501 and Women's March MN, will be standing on the sidewalk outside the El Salvadoran Consulate in St. Paul to support those who have been arrested without due process, sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador. We are standing up for all who have been targeted because of speaking out and protesting. We are protesting the Trump regime’s illegal actions and cruel defiance of court orders and the rule of law. This event will happen in St. Paul on Wednesday, 4/16, from 3-6pm. The El Savadoran Consulate is at 60 Plato Blvd, St. Paul, 55107. We hope to see you all there. The Trump regime has sent hundreds of legal residents to CECOT, a massive Salvadoran prison. Here are some quick facts: El Salvador’s dictator has said those in the prison “will never leave”. NONE of the people the U.S. sent to the Salvadoran prison received a trial - and 90% have no criminal record. The prison is notorious for human rights abuses. People in this massive facility are forced into rooms with 100 other prisoners for 23 1/2 hours a day, on metal bunks with no mattresses. Some do not even get a bunk. Trump is using state terror and has created a concentration camp in El Salvador with the help of the El Salvadoran government. These are meant to be death camps for the innocent people that have been moved there illegally by Trump. The U.S. government has already paid $6 million to El Salvador for the use of its prison. We will stand for all of those who are being jailed without due process, including immigrants, student protesters, and anyone who speaks out against the Trump regime and is being targeted for their speech and right to protest. Please join us.
80 years ago today:
April 15: Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated by the British 11th Armored Division on this date in 1945. The first two Allied soldiers to reach the camp were a British SAS officer, Lt. John Randall, & his jeep driver, who were on a reconnaissance mission & discovered the camp by chance. Some 60,000 ill and half starved prisoners were initially liberated though 13,994 of those subsequently died.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen-Belsen_concentration_camp
The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns Beijing's export restrictions on seven rare earth elements will likely disrupt supply. “The US is particularly vulnerable for these supply chains.” Rare earths are crucial for a range of advanced defense technologies.
April 15, 1912: On this date Oiva Ronald Halonen was born in Chisholm, MN. Veteran of the Spanish Civil War. He arrived in Spain Oct 24 , 1937 aboard the Vollendam. He served in the Lincoln Brigade in a machine gun company, initially fighting during Retreats. He returned to the US on Dec 15, 1938 aboard the Paris. During WW2 he worked as a civilian ship yard worker in Seattle. He died Mar 20, 1981 in Seattle.
April 15, 1892: On this date, Corrie ten Boom was born in Haarlem, the Netherlands. She her father, her sister, & other family members helped Jews escape Nazi persecution during WW2. Though a police station was 1/2 block from their home they sheltered Jews in their residence. They were caught & she was sent to Ravensbrück. She survived the war. It is estimated that ~800 Jews were saved by the family’s efforts.
