Thousands challenge

by: SOA Watch

Thousands participated in a peaceful and colourful event.
PHOTO: gregb , iburns@atl-imc.org

North America: -Between 15-17 November more than 10,000 people from far and wide, across the USA - and beyond, gathered at the gates of Fort Benning to speak truth to power, calling for the closure of the School of the Americas (renamed: the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation).

It was a spirited weekend filled with hope, joy, courage and solidarity. Thousands engaged in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience as they crossed en masse onto Fort Benning and transformed the main gate into a memorial wall for the countless victims of the SOA/WHISC.

96 people were arrested as they attempted to continue to process to the SOA, by either going over, around or through the fence. They engaged in this act of nonviolent civil disobedience despite the likelihood of facing substantial prison time. Twenty-six people are currently serving three-month and six-month prison sentences for peacefully crossing onto the base during last November’s convergence.

This weekend featured musicians and speakers from North and Latin America, including The Indigo Girls. Today was the largest gathering yet to close the SOA/WHISC; attributed to growing criticism of the war on terrorism, coupled with concern over turmoil in Latin America this past year involving SOA grads (eg the failed coup in Venezuela, the deteriorating human rights situation in Colombia).

“Bush said we must uproot every known terrorist training camp,” said Abi Miller (23, Harrisonburg, VA), one of the 26 presently in prison, “We’re shining a light on one that’s operating with impunity in our backyard.”

The annual gathering marks the anniversary of the 1989 assassination of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador by SOA grads. In 1996 the Pentagon was forced to release training manuals used at the school that advocated the use of torture, extortion and execution. In December 2000 Congress authorised WHISC to replace SOA. The renaming was widely viewed as an attempt to diffuse criticism and disassociate the school from its reputation. SOA Watch maintains that the underlying purpose of the school, to control the economic and political systems of Latin America by training and influencing Latin American militaries, remains the same.

“The SOA is part of a corporate-hijacked foreign policy that’s making us a lot of enemies,” said Fr. Roy Bourgeois, founder of SOA Watch. “If we want lasting peace and security we need a foreign policy that reflects our values of justice, democracy and dignity.”

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On 19 November two people were still incarcerated in Muscogee County Jail in Columbus, GA after Sunday's vigil action. However, the movement was able to secure loans and raised funds to pay for the bonds of everyone who got arrested (close to $45,000).
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More information about the event, photographs and comments can be found at
http://www.atlanta.indymedia.org

Details about defendants court appearances and future events at WHISC can be found at the SOA Watch website (link below).

Contact
SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington DC 20017, USA

Source: SOA Watch