Over 100 progressive organisations in the United States have come together to organise a national day of solidarity with Colombia next month. The main aim of the protest is to call for an end to US military aid to the Colombian security forces.
21.08.2002 (By Alfredo Castro and Maria Engqvist, ANNCOL) The National Mobilization on Colombia, a coalition of hundreds of human rights, environmental, community, peace, student and religious organisations in the US, has called for a National Day of Action on September 27th. The purpose of the day is to educate the US public and media about US military aid to Colombia, the US fumigation campaign and the US training of Colombian soldiers at the notorious School of the Americas, recently renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation.
Earlier this month solidarity groups and concerned US citizens gathered in a number of US cities including Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, and San Diego to protest against the inauguration of the new extremist president of Colombia, Álvaro Uribe. In San Francisco, a rally was organised at Powell and Market by the Committee for a New Colombia. In a statement received by ANNCOL this group said that they suspect that Uribe’s close ties to Washington will mean an escalation in US involvement in Colombia’s civil war.
Uribe “plans to double the size of the security forces to 100,000 soldiers in the Army and 50,000 in the National Police, and increase military spending to a billion dollars a year - out of a 27 billion dollar budget. He also plans to create a million civilian network to combat the guerrillas. To pay for his plans for expanded war, Uribe Velez needs funds, which he intends to get from new taxes, more IMF/World Bank loans and increased US aid,” the Committee for a New Colombia said and continued:
“The United States has already given 2 billion dollars in mostly military aid
to Colombia. This aid has only served to expand the civil war and destroy possibilities for a political solution to the war. For instance before US aid increased dramatically, 10 people were being killed a day. Now, 38 people are killed every day. Uribe met with [US president] Bush in June to discuss increasing this aid, and further endangering the people of Colombia.”
The organisers of the upcoming National Day of Action on September 27th say that “by our collective efforts, we will challenge decision makers to transform US policy and corporate practices toward Colombia”. The coalition blames US policy for fuelling the violence in Colombia, devastating the environment and displacing tens of thousands of civilians in the name of the ‘war on drugs’ when in reality their policies are more closely linked to US oil and other transnational interests.
For more information on the protest see www.colombiamobilization.org or contact David Quick (dquick@witnessforpeace.org) or Steve Bennett (bennett@witnessforpeace.org) at Witness for Peace on 202 588 1471.
The San Fransisco Committee for a New Colombia can be contacted at 415 821 6545 or at: cnc_sf@yahoo.com.
Current endorsers of the Colombia Mobilization in September include:
Action for Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central America (ACERCA)
Amazon Conservation Team
Amazon Watch
American Friends Service Committee
Arise for Social Justice
Boston Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (Boston CISPES)
Carolina Interfaith Taskforce on Central America (CITCA)
CASA de Maryland
Center For A Livable World
Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America
Church of the Brethren, Washington Office
CISCAP Committee in Solidarity with Central American People
Collier County Anti-War Coalition
Colombia Action/CT
Colombia Human Rights Committee
Colombia Media Project
Colombia Support Network
Colombia Vive
Committee for Indigenous Solidarity
Committee on US/Latin American Relations (CUSLAR)
Common Sense Drug Policy
Concord, Massachusetts Friday Peace Vigil
Conversion for Reclaiming Earth in the Americas
Disarm Education Fund
Drug Policy Project & The Peace and Security Program, Institute for Policy Studies
Eco-Now
Ecumenical Program on Central America and the Caribbean (EPICA)
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Fifth Congressional District Citizens Concerned About Central America
Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice
Global Exchange
Global Ministries/Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
UCC
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
Global Response
Greenfuse
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
Howard County Friends of Latin America
Illinois Peace Action
Information Services Latin America
International Labor Rights Fund
International Rivers Network
InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF)
Justice Alumni Network
Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean
League of United Latin American Citizens
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Massachusetts Green Party
Massachusetts Peace Action
Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Washington Office
Miami University Students for Peace & Justice
Movement for Peace in Colombia
NativeWeb
New Hampshire Peace Action
Nicaragua Network
November Coalition
Pax Christi
Peace Action
PEACE by Piece Project
Pesticide Action Network North America
Presbyterian Church USA-Washington Office
Project Underground
Public Life and Social Policy Office United Church of Christ
Queers for Racial and Economic Justice
Rainforest Action Network
Resource Center of the Americas
Rights Action
School of the Americas Watch
School of the Americas Watch/NE
Sisters of the Holy Names
CA Province Justice and Peace Committee
Solidaridad Colombia
Students for International Peace and Justice
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP)
U.S. Office on Colombia
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE)
University of Michigan New World Agriculture and Ecology Group
Veterans for More Effective Drug Strategies
Veterans for Peace
Vietnam Veterans Against the War - Clarence Fitch Chapter (NY/NJ)
War Resisters League
Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ
Witness for Peace Southwest
Witness for Peace
Witness for Peace Great Lakes
Witness for Peace Mid-Atlantic
Witness for Peace New England
Witness for Peace Rocky Mountain
Witness for Peace Upper Midwest
Women Speak for a Sane World/Duluth
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Baltimore Branch
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Mary Wood Branch
Young Democratic Socialists
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists