------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Oct. 17, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
PUERTO RICO: VIEQUES STRUGGLE REVIVES DESPITE POST-9/11 REPRESSION By Berta Joubert [Excerpts from a talk at the Sept. 21-22 Workers World Party Conference.] "Vieques sí, Marina no"--Vieques yes, Navy no--has for decades been the cry of the people of not only Vieques but all Puerto Rico. There cannot be a Vieques existing side by side with the U.S. military. After U.S. bombs killed civilian guard David Sanes in April 1999, the anti-Navy struggle grew tremendously. You could almost see a Vieques that belonged to its people, empty of military equipment. The struggle and resolve of the people was gaining worldwide support. They were pushing the Pentagon to its knees. After the tragic events of last Sept. 11, it was like a rug being pulled from under your feet. The support from famous personalities vanished. The donations that maintained offices and supplies necessary for such a difficult struggle shrank. Leaders in Vieques had to endure painful and impossible requests, such as "This is not the time for this struggle," "It should be stopped for now," and "You should join the war against terrorism." But the cancer, diabetes and heart illnesses that weaken the health of the people of Vieques continued. The lack of future for the young remained. So the people of Vieques and their leaders continued their war against the only terrorist they knew: the U.S. Navy. With different tactics, less support, less media coverage and against all odds, they have continued their struggle. The U.S. government opportunistically seized upon the tragedy of 9/11 to pound liberation and resistance movements all over the world, including Vieques and Puerto Rico. Now prison sentences for civil disobedience are stiffer and prevent many activists from participating in this tactic, which has been quite popular and useful against the Navy's presence. The Puerto Rican police have shed their perceived "neutral" stand. Now they aggressively arrest activists, following the order of their master, the Pentagon. The military forces have also stepped up their aggression, trying to completely destroy the resistance. They set random fires, shoot at the encampments located in the civilian area in front of the naval base, and terrorize demonstrators, including children, with tear gas. Vieques is also part of a larger struggle--for the right to self-determination and against imperialist domination. The people's strike, the march for nationhood, the refusal of English only, and particularly the struggle for Vieques have begun a process of concentrating the power of the masses. It is still new and needs consistency, but the reality of a colony will make this process mature. Contradictions are intensifying in Puerto Rico. The United States is trying to conceal its actions and divert the movement with "anti-terrorist" propaganda. But the economy is in shambles. Six years ago Congress eliminated the federal tax breaks that lured and sustained manufacturers on the island, which has left a trail of plant closings and thousands unemployed. According to the 2000 census, about 48 percent of the people live below the federal poverty line. The per capita income is a mere $8,185--half the income in Mississippi. Unemployment is 13 percent. Illiteracy is 10 percent. The imposition of Labor Law 45 has dealt a serious blow to the organizing efforts of independent unions. Federal assistance programs have imposed new regulations that limit spending. Of the meager assistance for families, 75 percent must be used for food, utility bills and other necessary basic services; other needs must be met with the remaining 25 percent. Any changes will result in the federal government ending the program. The situation is so desperate that Gov. Sila Calderon announced a $1 billion investment program targeting 700 communities with one-fourth of the island's population. In Vieques, the situation is worse, with almost 50-percent unemployment. The people there have nothing to lose in resisting the United States. On the contrary, they have become a beacon for struggles in the rest of Puerto Rico. The leaders of the anti-Navy struggle have begun training for a mass entrance into the restricted territory of the base next May. If the Navy refuses to leave, as it was mandated to do in a plebiscite, people are preparing for an operation called "Entrar Todos a la Vez" (Everyone Enter at Once) to reclaim their land once and for all. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. 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