Michael D. Prysner (born June 15, 1983) is an American

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

. He is a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

veteran who served in Iraq as a Specialist. His duties in Iraq included ground surveillance, home raids and the interrogation of prisoners. According to Prysner, these experiences led him to take an anti-war stance.

Activism

He is the co-founder of March Forward, an organization of active-duty members of the U.S. military and veterans of the

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

wars that encourages current active-duty service personnel to resist deployment. In March 2008, Prysner was a member of a panel discussing the topic '' Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan'' in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

. He spoke about his time in Iraq as a soldier and his personal views about the two wars. This address became known as the "Our Real Enemies" speech. Prysner is a member of

Party for Socialism and Liberation The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) is a communist party in the United States, established in 2004. Its members are active in a wide range of movements including the labor, anti-war, immigrants' rights, women's rights, and anti-police ...

and

A.N.S.W.E.R. Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), also known as International A.N.S.W.E.R. and the ANSWER Coalition, is a United States–based protest umbrella group consisting of many antiwar and civil rights organizations. Formed in the wake of th ...

Hassina Leelarathna "Los Angeles Lankans protest UN interference", Daily News – Sri Lanka, 3 May 2011
In 2008, he ran a write-in campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives for

Florida's 22nd congressional district Florida's 22nd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Southeast Florida. It encompasses the coastline of Broward County to southern Palm Beach County. The district includes Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs and pa ...

. In November 2011, Prysner was arrested in

Occupy Los Angeles Occupy Los Angeles (also referred to as Occupy L.A.) is one of the many occupy movements in the United States, following the original Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protest. Participants of Occupy L.A. first met at Pershing Square on September 23, 2011 ...

. He was released after posting bail. On September 19, 2021, Prysner interrupted a

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

speech in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

, California. He demanded an apology for "lying about weapons of mass destruction" and causing the deaths of "a million Iraqis." He also yelled "You sent me to Iraq" and "My friends are dead because you lied." Prysner is a producer and co-writer for the program ''The Empire Files'', with his wife

Abby Martin Abigail Suzanne Martin (born September 6, 1984) is an American journalist, TV presenter, and activist. She helped found the citizen journalism website ''Media Roots'' and serves on the board of directors for the Media Freedom Foundation whic ...

. He performed the rap "Skit 6" on the album ''

Soundtrack to the Struggle ''Soundtrack to the Struggle'' (stylised as ''Soundtrack to the Struggle...'') is the second studio album by British rapper Lowkey. It was released on 16 October 2011 independently on the Lowkey-founded label Mesopotamia Music. It is the foll ...

''. He currently hosts the Eyes Left podcast with former US Army Cadet and

Afghanistan War War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...

veteran Spenser Rapone.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prysner, Michael American people of Middle Eastern descent 1983 births Living people United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Politicians from Tampa, Florida Party for Socialism and Liberation politicians 21st-century American politicians American left-wing activists Florida Atlantic University alumni Military personnel from Florida American anti-war activists Activists from Florida Jewish American activists

Activism

See also

References

External links