News and Views from the People's Struggle
Nine trade unionists at Coca-Cola in Colombia are dead – murdered by paramilitaries with ties to Coca-Cola management. In response, the Colombia Action Network (CAN) is calling on student, community, religious and anti-war groups, as well as unions, to join protests against the Coca-Cola Company beginning July 22.
Tom Burke and Zeno Wood of the Colombia Action Network conducted the following interview with Colombian trade union leader Hector E. Castro. Castro is a leader of the Central Workers' Federation (CUT) and the Death Squad Coca-Cola Campaign in the U.S.
The Colombia Action Network, coordinating with the Comite por la Nueva Colombia and the International Action Center, called for emergency demonstrations against U.S. war in Colombia in late February. Protest slogans included, “Stop bombing Colombia's Zone for Dialogue!”; “Protest President Pastrana breaking off peace talks!” and “Stop Plan Colombia!” Protesters in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Portland, and on various college campuses rallied at Colombian consulates and at federal buildings to get their anti-war message heard.
Washington, D.C. – Jessica Sundin, of the Colombia Action Network, spoke at the Sept. 29 protest, “There are over 100 of us here from Minnesota, and we are the face of the anti-war movement. With us, we have Palestinians, Afghanis, Latinos and African Americans, and we are led by students. We've got to unite to fight against this war and end the racism here at home. The Colombia Action Network has been fighting for years to oppose the U.S. military aid to and involvement in a brutal regime in Colombia. It is one of the many crimes around the world for which the U.S. bears responsibility. Every year, thousands die in Colombia by U.S. paid-for weapons. In Palestine, hundreds of thousands are plowed down by U.S. paid-for tanks and machine guns. In Iraq every month 5,000 people die. This is the case around the world. While we grieve the loss of people in New York and D.C., we refuse to forget the deaths of our brothers and sisters around the world. From Colombia Action Network, we ask you to join us in saying, for Colombia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East, we demand justice, we demand peace!”
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Chicago, IL – Around one hundred people gathered in Chicago April 7 and 8, for a historic meeting of Colombia solidarity activists from across the U.S. The Colombia Action Network (C.A.N.) is the first national network to bring together a true diversity of people to oppose U.S. intervention in Colombia and to support the self-determination of Colombian people struggling for peace with social and economic justice.
Jessica Sundin, of the Colombia Action Network, led a small delegation of three North American activists to Bogatá in July 2000, to attend a conference responding to U.S. military aid. The delegation also traveled to the area in Southern Colombia controlled by the guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (FARC-EP). Fight Back! interviewed Jessica about what she saw there.
After months of delays and debates, on Thursday, June 22, the Senate voted 95-4 to send another $1.3 billion in military aid to Colombia. Activists around the country responded with an outcry of protest.
New York, NY – Over the month of February, the newly formed Colombian Action Network organized its first national speaking tour, featuring Amparo Torres, a human rights activist and labor leader from Colombia. Events took place in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York City.
The Colombia Action Network is organizing events in six cities to honor and remember those killed by the U.S.-backed war in Colombia. March 1 is significant because one year ago the U.S. government directed an attack inside Ecuador that killed Raul Reyes and 25 others. Raul Reyes was a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). Angela Denio who will be speaking in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said, “We will remember the brave Colombian rebels, Ecuadorian supporters and Mexican students who died at the hands of the U.S.-sponsored attack in Ecuador, especially FARC leader Raul Reyes who gave his life for the freedom of the Colombian people.”