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Latin American Forum

by Bill Hackwell (hckwll [at] cs.com)
San Francisco Forum on the Resistance to Imperialism in Latin America brings out over 100 people.
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January 10,2004 – An overflow crowd of people attended a meeting in the Women’s Building to hear about recent developments in the struggle against imperialism in Latin America. The forum, sponsored by the International Action Center comes at a time that the level of threats emanating out of Washington against the entire region is on the increase. It is clear that the emergence of progressive governments in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina coupled with the solidarity of Revolutionary Cuba is worrisome to the Bush Administration. Anti Imperialist movements are emerging in many countries of Latin America as the opposition to the FTAA and neo liberalism in general grows.
Nati Carrera, a youth organizer with the ANSWER Coalition, talked about the struggle of the indigenous people in Chiapas Mexico. Carrera a regular contributor to KPFA radio program La Onda Bajita explained how it was the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in the highlands of Chiapas that launched the struggle against the North America Free Trade Agreement ten years ago on January 1, 1994. The Zapatista movement remains today in the forefront of the struggle of the indigenous people to determine the future of their land against the multi national corporations.
Jackie Santos, a long time activist in the struggle for Puerto Rican Independence, who was born on the island of Vieques, gave an historical analysis of the resistance of the Puerto Rican people against U.S. Imperialism since 1898. "Even though the Navy has been forced out of Vieques, that they had used for bombing practice for decades, Puerto Rico can never be a sovereign country until there is not one U.S. soldier left on its soil.” Santos said.
Pierre Labossiere, from the Haiti Support Committee, who had just returned from his homeland, gave an account of the developments there on the 200th anniversary of Haiti’s independence. Labossiere explained how the popular movements are growing in Haiti and so is the consciousness of the people concerning the role of the U.S. to destabilize the Aristide government. He said that there are gross inaccuracies in the reportage in the corporate media here who have downplayed the size of the demonstrations in support of Aristide.
Alicia Jrapko, a member of the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, spoke about the solidarity that Cuba has shown to the world. “Roger Noriega the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs has accused Cuba of playing a destabilizing role in Latin America. It is the U.S. that has been the destabilizing element in the region by backing governments that have allowed U.S. corporations to exploit their human and natural resources.”
LeiLani Dowell a student organizer for the ANSWER Coalition and the Peace and Freedom Party candidate for the 8th congressional district in San Francisco in the November election, spoke on the situation in Venezuela. Dowell who traveled to Venezuela last year talked about the mass support of President Hugo Chavez and the struggle to use the country’s great oil wealth towards health and education instead of profits for the wealthy.
Nathalie Alsop, from the International Action Center and a frequent speaker on Colombia gave a report on the trade union movement there and the recent agreement of guerrilla forces there to work together in the struggle against the dominant role that the U.S. plays in Colombia.
The meeting was chaired by Patricia Chase, a Peruvian, who works with the International Action Center in this country.



§photos by Bill Hackwell
by Bill Hackwell (hckwll [at] cs.com)
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top photo: Pierre Labossiere, Haiti Support Committee
bottom photo: Alicia Jrapko, National Committee to Free the Cuban 5
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