By MENCHANI TILENDO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — On the 49th anniversary commemoration of Martial Law in the Philippines, Filipino migrants, organizations, and other solidarity groups are set to hold protest actions in different parts of the world dubbed as “Global Day of Action to End Duterte Regime.”
Several organizations in other countries have been preparing for their simultaneous, coordinated protests in front of Philippine embassies and consulates to demand the prosecution of Duterte’s crimes against humanity, and call for an end to U.S. military aid to the Philippines, among others.
In North Korea, the Korean-Philippine Human Rights Network staged their #OcuppyEmbassy program in front of the Philippine Embassy. Other countries in the Asia Pacific region such as Australia, Hong Kong, and Macau will also hold their simultaneous country-wide online protests.
In different parts of Europe, overseas counterparts of BAYAN, Migrante International, Anakbayan, and GABRIELA will also conduct their online and on ground protests.
In Belgium, the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) country chapter will conduct their online and physical protests tomorrow, Sept. 21. In the United Kingdom, mass organizations have organized their requiem mass for Martial Law victims while in Italy, Migrante Bologna and Umangat Migrante will hold an indoor protest.
Earlier, Sept. 19, Filipino migrants and solidarity groups in London joined an online rally organized by Migrante International. On the same day in France, youth groups Anakbayan and Nagkakaisang Pilipino sa Pransya held their protest action in front of the Eiffel Tower.
In different parts of North America, ILPS, BAYAN, GABRIELA, Migrante, and Malaya Movement chapters are also set to conduct coordinated physical protests.
In Washington, GABRIELA and Malaya Movement held their physical protest last September 19, and will hold an evening vigil on Sept. 21. In Chicago, in New York, and different parts of California, protesters will troop the Philippine Consulates to hold their programs and vigils.
In different parts of Canada, meanwhile, ILPS chapters, member organizations, and allied groups will hold their simultaneous and coordinated physical protests.
In Latin America, the ILPS chapters in Mexico, Argentina, and Guatemala will hold their coordinated online solidarity protests.
In West Asia, ILPS and Migrante International will hold their online protests in Riyadh and UAE.
In a statement, ILPS said that the Filipino people are facing a much-worse dictatorship today than the 1972 Martial Law.
“The Filipino people’s ever-growing discontent with the Duterte government’s corrupt and failed pandemic response, crimes against humanity, and kowtowing to China and the US has now gained more and more strong international solidarity from different parts of the world,” the group said. (RVO)