SOAW – Growing Stronger Together
The vigils outside the US Embassies in London and Dublin on 16 November was the first time that the annual protest against the School of the Americas in Fort Benning in Georgia USA had simultaneoous international events. 10,000 people protested in Georgia. Close to 100 people arrested, most of whom
had a trial date set for 27 January. They all had to pay bond fees to be released until their trial. We should focus on the upcoming trial. Letters to SOAW and to the activists when they are in prison after that would be good. More info on SOA Watch www.soaw.org Sarah Bania-Dobyns
Bristol Colombia Solidarity Campaign held a highly successful film night at the Cube Cinema Bristol on 27 November. The documentary ‘SINTRAEMCALI – the Tower of Victory’ and the BBC documentary ‘Is another World Possible?’ were well received. Over 50 people attended the evening and had the opportunity to listen to Dean Mills, Southern Regional Officer of the FBU who talked of the international solidarity work the FBU is involved in, and also gave an update on their current dispute. Mario Novelli, spoke on the SINTRAEMCALI occupation, and the struggle for human rights both in Colombia and the UK, and the importance of solidarity work.
Mario Novelli
The Bring Them Home campaign on behalf of Niall Connolly, James Monaghan and Martin McCauley has strong support in Ireland as testified by the 200 people at a social in Dublin on 24 November and an even bigger event in the north. For more information contact Bring Them Home, Dominick Court, 40-41 Lwr Dominick St, Dublin 1, Ireland. Tel: (00353) 868311311or E-mail caitrionaruane@eircom.net
Sussex University Colombia Solidarity group mobilised 85 students to a meeting on 25 November with speakers Marta Hinestroza, Jeremy Lennard and Andy Higginbottom.
SINTRAEMCALI solidarity with FBU A solidarity message from Colombian public service union SINTRAEMCALI was read out to great applause at the FBU demonstration on 7 December.
Marta Hinestroza spoke alongside Mexicanworkers at the No Sweat! conference on 23 November.
Marta also spoke to the Ilisu Dam Campaign Refugees Project public seminar HOW UK FOREIGN INVESTMENT CREATES ASYLUM SEEKERS, held on 8 December at the Kurdish Community Centre in London. About 100 people, including members of the Tamil, Ugandan and Kurdish communities participated in the event which was, as David Morgan writes "an innovative attempt to recast the UK public agenda on asylum and immigration policy in order to focus on questions of the political economy of asylum, why people leave their homelands and the responsibilities of host countries reluctant to accept the newcomers despite the demonstrable benefits they bring in terms of labour, skills and enrichment of culture". For the full report , and for further information to take this initiative forward, please contact the IDC Refugee Project through either: Rochelle; 07876 771 576, rochelle.harris@ukonline.co.uk or Estella; 020 7586 5892, estella24@tiscali.co.uk See website: www.ilisu.org.uk
We organised International Human Rights Day vigils on 10 December in London (outside BP headquarters), Liverpool and Cardiff . Activists from the South Wales branch braved the sub-zero temperatures to mark human rights day in Queen St., Cardiff’s principal shopping thoroughfare. A coffin witht he names of the 148 trade unionists murdered to that date last year was carried through the pedestrian street, with other activists running a stall and distributing flyers warning of the incipient fascism that is being engendered in Colombia.
Gareth Gordon
