Columbus, GA – A large group of anti-war and international solidarity activists passed out hundreds of flyers at the annual School of the Americas (SOA) protest at Fort Benning, Georgia on Nov. 21. The flyer calls to support the peace process in Colombia, freedom for Simon Trinidad and to close the SOA, where Latin American death squads and dictators are trained. The Colombian military trains regularly at the SOA and has the worst human rights record in the hemisphere.

Trinidad, a member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, is held in the Florence, Colorado supermax prison as a political prisoner of the U.S. government. The FARC say Simon Trinidad is needed to complete the peace negotiations with the Colombian government in Havana, Cuba. Activists are organizing a Thanksgiving week call-in day to President Obama to “Free Simon Trinidad!”

On Nov. 21, Florida members of Students for a Democratic Society, the Tampa Committee to Stop FBI Repression and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization rallied with hundreds of others to close a for-profit detention center holding undocumented immigrants, including many women and children. On Nov. 22, a memorial procession for the tens of thousands of victims of the SOA marches to the gates of Fort Benning.

The call-in day is on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. Organizers are asking people to call President Obama at 1-202-456-1111 and say, “I want President Obama to support peace for Colombia, and to free Simon Trinidad. Simon Trinidad belongs at the peace negotiating table, not in solitary confinement at the Florence Colorado Supermax prison.”

#ColumbusGA #AntiwarMovement #StudentMovement #Colombia #SchoolOfTheAmericas #SimónTrinidad