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