File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-02-14.064, message 48


Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1997 18:34:19 -0500 (EST)
From: louisgodena-AT-ids.net (Louis R Godena)
Subject: M-I: Good Picket Against Fujimori in London (Fwd from moderator)


To marxism-international:
The following post from Helena Torres bounced to the moderators (non member
submission).  LRG 


                  
From: Helena Torres <htorres-AT-mailhost.pi.net>
Sender: global-AT-gjxwxsqy.pi.net
Subject: Good picket against Fujimori in London
To: marxism-general-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu,
        marxism-international-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
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 GOOD PICKET AGAINST FUJIMORI IN LONDON

 Alberto Fujimori, the President of Peru, was in London between 
Sunday 9 and Tuesday 11. He come to Britain to attract foreign
investments and to receive support for his hard policy towards the
MRTA guerrilla forces still holding 72 VIP hostages at the Japanese
Embassy in Lima. 
 He decided to make only one public appearance. He choose to do it at
the London School of Economics. However, the LSE's authorities didn't
want to give information about it until some minutes before. Nearly
all the people who attended the the LSE's Old Theatre were diplomatic
and businessmen. Most LSE students were not allowed to enter in the
place in which they normally hold their Union General Meetings.  
 Despite the semi-secret character of the meeting and only a few hours
 of preparation a very successful picket was organised. Between 70 to
100 people come to it. Most of them were LSE students and Latin
American exiles such as members of the Colombian Refugee Association
(CORAS), Poder Obrero supporters and friends, as well as many Peruvian
activists. However supporters of the Peruvian armed groups didn't
come. It is quite remarkable that the PCP-Sendero Luminoso supporters
didn't do any single protest against Fujimori and neither did they
come to the LSE picket. The most active British groups were the WIL
and LCMRCI supported by the Spartacists, SWSS and the LSE Labour Club,
who sent sizeable delegations while members of Socialist Outlook, RIL,
SLP, RCG and WP also attended the picket. There were some clashes with
the police and they tried to arrest one comrade for possession of a
drumstick.
 The main demands were against the terrible conditions of the 5,000
political prisoners (who could be imprisoned until the end of their
lives in "living tombs" without access to the Radio, TV or literature
and with only one half an hour visit per month) and for their
unconditional release;  for the cancellation of the foreign debt and
the re-nationalisation of the privatised companies; etc.
 Nearly no oppositionists managed to enter the Fujimori conference. In
 his speech the Peruvian President showed how a demagogue can be so
cynical. He said that the "terrorists" and not the army killed 25,000
Peruvians. Every single human right organisations would say that the
overwhelmingly majority of political assassinations in Peru were
committed by the army and the para-military. He said that he was one
of the best democrats and feminists of the world despite the fact that
Peru had the world's record in political disappears, that he dissolved
the congress and his constant macho expressions which included the
expulsion of every homosexual from the Peruvian diplomatic service.
The conference was so anti-democratic that nobody was allowed to speak
and make questions. One student constantly denounced the amnesty of
the Colina para-military group and the strong links between the
narco-traffic and the government.     
 The very good thing is that Fujimori didn't leave London without a
protest reception. The BBC and the Peruvian and Japanese TV filmed the
picket. A very solid and combative action was organised in less than
48 hours. We congratulate the Latin American exiles, the LSE students
and Poder Obrero friends for that good initiative.     
 By Helena Torres



 COLOMBIAN GENERAL STRIKE'S PICKET
 On Tuesday 11 in Colombia more than 800,000 state workers started an
indefinite general strike. According to "The Guardian" (11-2-97) "this
would make it the largest protest since 1977."
 In support of that strike and continuing the campaign denouncing BP's
 financial support for para-military killing of left and union activists, 
the 
Colombian Refugee Association (CORAS) organised a very successful picket.
Between 30 to 40 people were shouting for two hours at lunchtime in
front of the Colombian embassy on Tuesday February 11th. The most
significant demand was one that tried to link the fact that the
Ecuatorian general strike on 5-6 February brought down the  President
"Loco" Abdala Bucaram and that the Colombian general strike which was
just starting that day should bring down President Ernesto Samper. 
 The picket was extremely combative and noisy. The police were very
provocative. They tried to prevent any slogans in Spanish and they
tried several times to prevent the raising of a 12 feet long banner in
support of the general strike. 		 


 By Helena Torres 





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