Protests over Political Killings Hound GMA in Brussels
BY
BULATLAT
Posted 5:10
p.m., Sept. 13, 2006
Belgian,
Dutch, and Filipino protesters, numbering about 100, gathered at the
Schuman plaza fronting the European Commission building, September 12, to
denounce Philippine Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as “the
masterminds” behind the spate of killings and forcible disappearances of
unarmed activists and their supporters now numbering 752 and 181
respectively.
The
protesters carried a big banner, in full view of many motorists and
pedestrians, which read “Stop the Political Killings”. They also paraded
placards that read: “GMA, Norberto Gonzalez, War Criminals”, “R.I.P. (Rot
in Prison)” demanding that they be tried before the war crimes tribunal in
the Hague, and “GMA, AFP, PNP -- masterminds of political killings”. They
occupied the small plaza and laid out wooden crosses and photos of some of
the more than 752 persons murdered by military death squads allegedly
directed by GMA herself and the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal
Security.
Inga
Verhaer and Eloi Glorieux, members of the Belgian and Flemish Parliaments,
respectively, were among the protesters. They spoke to the crowd about the
need to defend human rights and democracy in the Philippines and to stamp
out repressive regimes.
Marie
Hilao, general secretary of Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of
People’s Rights), a human rights alliance in the Philippines, also joined
the protest and spoke before the crowd to expose the responsibility of the
Macapagal-Arroyo government over that the spate of political killings in
the Philippines. Hilao is scheduled later to fly to Geneva to file a
formal complaint in behalf of the victims of political killings and their
families with the UN Human Rights Council.
The
crowd composed mainly by Belgian trade union and solidarity activists were
later joined by Dutch and Filipino activists and some Filipinos working in
Brussels.
It is
expected that Macapagal-Arroyo would be reminded by European Commission
president Jose Manuel Barroso that the political killings in the
Philippines “were a matter of concern” to the EU during their meeting.
Earlier during her visit to Finland, Finnish President Tarja Halonen
expressed her country’s concern over the political killings in the
Philippines.
While
Gloria Arroyo was capping her day in Brussels with a 6 p.m. Mass with the
Filipino community at the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudule along
Parvis Sainte-Gudule in downtown Brussels, 14 Belgian, Dutch and Filipino
activists tried to mount a silent protest by standing in front of the
church with wooden crosses and photos of victims of political killings in
the Philippines.
Alarmed
at the sight of the protesters, Filipino security personnel called the
local Belgian police.
The
Belgian police confiscated some of the photos displayed by the protesters
and asked for their European identity cards, and told the activists they
were violating the law by not asking for a permit.
When the
protesters argued that they were not violating any law because they were
merely burning candles for the murdered victims of Gloria Arroyo and
praying for justice, the police threatened to haul them off to the local
police precinct saying that praying is allowed only inside the church. A
police officer almost lost his cool when an activist asked him if they
were specifically requested by GMA’s security personnel to prevent
protesters from coming close to her.
The activists dispersed
peacefully afterwards.
British
and Filipino solidarity activists are also expected to hound GMA with
protests when she visits London this week.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Belgian, Latin American, Dutch and Filipino
activists also held a protest action in front of the American embassy in
Brussels to condemn the continuing persecution and detention of the
so-called “Cuban Five”. Collectively called the Cuban Five,
Gerardo Hernández, Antonio
Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzáles, and René Gonzáles were
arrested and convicted in Miami, Florida on 26 different counts ranging
from using false identification to espionage and conspiracy to commit
murder.
A
representative of Committee DEFEND also spoke on how the U.S. government
and its puppet regimes demonize patriots and revolutionaries. Committee
DEFEND also denounced the practice of proscription or terrorist listing by
the U.S. and the EU. It said that this terror listing encouraged GMA, the
AFP and the PNP to murder political activists. Bulatlat
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