MANILA,Philippines. In a joint statement, militant groups Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Sanlakas condemned today the violent dispersal of a peaceful protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila. The protesters planned to spend their night in a vigil in front of the US Embassy in reaction to US President George W. Bush's 48-hour ultimatum before war erupts.
Pro-peace Rally at US Embassy Violently Dispersed
by Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) - Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) - Sanlakas
MANILA,Philippines. In a joint statement, militant groups Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) and Sanlakas condemned today the violent dispersal of a peaceful protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Manila. The protesters planned to spend their night in a vigil in front of the US Embassy in reaction to US President George W. Bush's 48-hour ultimatum before war erupts. Their plan, however, did not occur after the picket was brutally harassed by the police and pro-US group Discovery Crusade. BMP Secretary-General Leody de Guzman and labor leader Baldo Balbadores was among those who were hurt in the dispersal.
The statement read, "We condemn these goons in and out of uniform for their infringement of our legitimate exercise of the Constitutional right to peacefully assemble to air grievances".
It said, "We have strong reason to conclude that these hooligans are in the
pockets of the militarist hawks of the US Embassy. The violent dispersal of this
mass action - along with yesterday's repression of the rally in Mendiola - shows
that the Arroyo administration has adopted an undeclared policy of "no anti-war
rallies".
The militants are calling on the Senate and the House of Representatives to conduct a "congressional inquiry of this tacit policy" They are currently consulting their legal counsels in order to file criminal charges against the police and the Discovery Crusade.
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