>Forward from mart. >Please distribute widely. >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: Recipient list suppressed <Recipient list suppressed> >Date: May 10, 2000 1:58 PM >Subject: [pttp] U.S. Navy tries to retake Vieques > > >> >> >>--- Forwarded Message from Carmelo Ruiz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --- >> >>U.S. AUTHORITIES REMOVE PROTESTERS >> >>Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero >> >>(Puerto Rico, May 8 2000) The removal of protesters >>from a United States Navy firing range in the >>island-town of Vieques last Thursday has sent this >>Caribbean U.S. colony into a state of turmoil. >> >>On April 19 of last year, a local resident working as >>a civilian security guard in the firing range was >>killed by stray bombs, sparking a massive and >>unprecedented protest movement. Days later, >>demonstrators started camping in Navy lands, serving >>as a human shield to prevent the bombing from >>resuming. The campers included members of religious, >>student, labour, leftist, peace, and pro-independence >>organisations. >> >>The Navy occupied 26,000 of Vieques's 33,000 acres in >>1941 and since then has used these lands not only for >>bombing practices but also for naval maneouvres, >>amphibian landings, munitions storage and toxic waste >>disposal. >> >>The protesters were removed by a massive deployment of >> U.S. government marshalls and local police. Around >>1,000 U.S. Marines are currently patroling the >>island's land and water in order to prevent protesters >>from returning to Navy lands. >> >>The demonstrators turned themselves in peacefully, and >>no violent incidents were reported. None of them were >>charged with any crime, but were handcuffed and sent >>on a Navy barge to a military base in the main island >>of Puerto Rico and then released. >> >>The arrestees included religious leaders, both >>Catholic and Protestant, members of the New York city >>council, members of the Puerto Rico legislature, and >>two members of the U.S. Congress, the Puerto Rico-born >>Nydia Velazquez and Luis Guti�rrez. >> >>"Today is a day of profound pain and much sadness for >>the people of Puerto Rico", said Roberto Nieves, >>Catholic Archbishop of San Juan, one of those >>arrested. "Nevertheless we start a new chapter, a new >>stage in our struggle to obtain peace and justice for >>Vieques." >> >>"The people of Vieques are not alone", declared >>Congresswoman Velazquez, who represents a district in >>New York city. "They (the protesters) are utilising >>their constitutional right to demand the Navy's >>departureO We are here to tell, through civil >>disobedience, that these people are determined to stop >>the abuse of those who want to impose their will upon >>the people of Puerto Rico." >> >>"Clinton lost a great opportunity to demostrate to the >>people of the United States the principles that the >>nation is founded upon", said Democrat Congressman >>Guti�rrez, who represents a district in the city of >>Chicago. >> >>"Shame on the Navy! They should be ashamed because we, >>without cannons, have won", said Vieques Catholic >>priest Nelson G�mez. >> >>Both Puerto Rico and U.S. authorities expressed their >>satisfaction at the protesters' removal. >> >>"The President is pleased that this operation has been >>carried out in a peaceful manner", stated U.S. >>President Clinton press secretary John Lockart. >> >>"Life goes on", declared governor Pedro Rossell�, >>apparently trying to diminish the importance of the >>protest. He added that "The only ones who are in >>favour of the people of Vieques is the government and >>the silent majority of Puerto Ricans." >> >>Within hours of the arrests, Secretary of the Navy >>Richard Danzig announced that military training >>maneouvres will resume within six weeks. "These >>(military) groups must train. Vieques is a unique >>place and has irrepleaceable training value." >> >>But the protesters have vowed to return to the firing >>range. U.S. Justice Secretary Janet Reno warned them >>that if they do so they will be tried and jailed. >> >>Vieques was not the only place where arrests took >>place. On Thursday also, Puerto Rico-born U.S. >>Congressman Jos� Serrano was detained in Washington DC >>for picketing in front of the White House. "It does >>not please me in any way at all, as a member of the >>party in power, to have to protest against my >>government, but the situation in Vieques is an >>injustice", said Serrano, member of the Democratic >>party and representative of a district in the city of >>New York. >> >>Huge protests took place all over Puerto Rico on >>Thursday, and in American cities with large Puerto >>Rican populations, like New York, Philadelphia, >>Orlando, Baltimore, Hartford and San Francisco. >> >>The students of the University of Puerto Rico shut >>down several campuses in solidarity with Vieques. >>Classes will resume today. UTIER, the union of >>electricity workers, did a four-hour work stoppage on >>Friday, and warned it would call for a general strike >>if bombing resumes in Vieques. >> >>On Friday a heated protest with occasional violent >>clashes took place in San Juan during the >>re-inauguration of a restored U.S. government building >>that will house the U.S. Federal Court. Attendees to >>the inauguration included local top political figures >>as well as U.S. Supreme Court justices Stephen Breyer >>y David Souter. >> >>The protesters, which numbered over 1,000, included >>labour and political leaders, Vieques residents, >>leftist groups like the Socialist Front and >>Congressman Guti�rrez. >> >>"It's a supreme act of cynicism and lack of >>sensibility to have such a shameful activity after the >>dictatorial action of evicting protesters from >>Vieques", Said H�ctor Pesquera, president of the >>Congreso Nacional Hostosiano, a pro-independence >>organisation. >> >>"The federal government feels uncomfortable with the >>power of the people of Puerto Rico. That is why they >>sent an army of ships, helicopters and soldiers to >>evict protesters", said Vieques resident Ismael >>Guadalupe to his fellow protesters. >> >>The protesters and their supporters have furthered >>outraged by governor Rossell�'s decision to deploy the >>Puerto Rico National Guard to guard key aqueduct and >>electrical installations. >> >>"The governor is repeating the same cynical attitude >>that he always shows whenever there is a difficult >>situation. It's a completely unneccesary >>mobilization", said Federico Torres-Montalvo, >>president of the Puerto Rico Workers's Central. >> >>"There is no reason for this mobilization except for >>the governor's intention to follow's Clinton's >>directives, and all he's done is put Puerto Ricans >>against Puerto Ricans. Ours is a civic and peaceful >>movement", protested Puerto Rico Senator Manuel >>Rodr�guez-Orellana, of the pro-independence Parotid >>Independentista Puertorrique�o. >> >>Both sides in this controversy agree that Thursday's >>arrests are far from being the end of this battle. >>"We understand this is a great victory, and we know >>we'll be back", said Vieques resident Robert Rabin, >>one of the anti-Navy campaign's leaders. >> >> >>Ruiz-Marrero is a Puerto Rican journalist and a >>Research Associate at the Institute for Social Ecology >> > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Bids starting at $7 for thousands of products - uBid.com >http://click.egroups.com/1/3027/0/_/30563/_/957985477/ >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Cuba SI - Imperialism NO! >Information and discussion about Cuba. >Socialism or death! Patria o muerte! 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