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Justice Not War in the Philippines Campaign Joins 100,000 in NY to Protest US Occupation
by NISPOP
Friday, Mar. 26, 2004 at 2:34 PM
212-561-1567
Justice Not War in the Philippines Campaign Joins
100,000 in New York to Protest US Occupation;
Contact: Network in Solidarity with the People of the
Philippines (NISPOP), 212-561-1567; or GABRIELA
Network NY/NJ, 212-592-3507
us_troops_out_banner.jpg, image/jpeg, 448x336
New York- The Justice Not War in the Philippines
Campaign joined ranks with about 100,000 marchers in
the streets of New York last Saturday to express their
opposition to US war and occupation. Chanting
"Occupation is a crime from Iraq, the Philippines to
Palestine!" Filipinos and solidarity friends numbering
over fifty carried colorful banners, flags and
placards. The march extended down 45 of New York
City's blocks on the one year anniversary of the
second US invasion of Iraq.
Leah Obias, a member of the Network in Solidarity with
the People of the Philippines (NISPOP), spoke on stage
on behalf of the Justice Not War in the Philippines
Campaign and expressed the solidarity of Filipinos
with Iraqis and all who face US occupation. "The US
War OF Terror has been used to justify the derailment
of peace negotiations with revolutionary groups, and
to justify a $356 million aid package while Bush
overlooked the 47,000 human rights violations reported
since 2001." Obias' voice rang out at least one mile
down Madison Avenue through large speakers placed
every few blocks.
"The ongoing resistance of the Iraqi people may have
slowed down the US military's plans to beef up its
intervention in the Philippines," said Amanda Vender
of NISPOP. "But lately the US governments
fingerprints are still all over Philippine politics
with George Bush's request for another $164 million in
military aid to the Philippines for 2005, and the US'
listing of progressive Filipino Jose Maria Sison as a
'terrorist.' This is a huge obstacle to the progress
of the peace talks between the revolutionary group,
the National Democratic Front, and the Philippine
government, as Sison is a consultant to the NDF."
The Justice Not War contingent carried banners and
placards reading: "Hands Off the Philippines!" US
Troops out of the Philippines!" and "Makibaka, Huwag
Matakot!" Filipino domestic workers from the DAMAYAN
Migrant Workers Association carried caricatures of
Presidents Bush and Arroyo reading: "G.W. Bush # 1
Terrorist" and "G.M. Arroyo # 1 Puppet" respectively.
In the months leading up to the march, the New York
City Police Department did what it could to deter
people from attending the march by telling would-be
demonstrators that they would be penned behind metal
barricades. Several members of the Justice Not War in
the Philippines contingent had difficulty reaching the
meeting place at 25th Street and Madison Avenue as
police detained them behind barricades.
"The attempts to prevent people from coming out on
Saturday didn't work," said Carolyn Antonio, member of
GABRIELA Network NY/NJ and member of the coordinating
committee of the Women's Anti-Imperialist League
(WAIL). "The NYPD is practicing its tactics to figure
out how to crush the massive protests at the
Republican National Convention this coming September.
But we will not give up our right to demonstrate and
to voice our opinion against the US drive for
empire."#
www.nispop.org
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