Vieques and Puerto Rican independence
From a talk
by Berta Joubert-Ceci at
the Dec. 2-3 Workers World Party
conference.
It has been more than a year and a half since U.S.
planes, practicing bombing before going to Yugoslavia, killed
civilian guard David Sanes in Vieques, initiating a mass
movement to oust the U.S. Navy from the island.
What is the status of this struggle now? Besides our
solidarity efforts in this anti-imperialist fight, how should
we view it? What are the forces involved? What is its
significance to the overall struggle for independence?
After stopping the Pentagon for a year, last May 4
hundreds of activists were evicted from 15 encampments built
in the rescued "restricted" bombing range. Federal marshals
and FBI agents, armed to the teeth, arrested the protesters
and destroyed all the structures produced by their collective
work.
A handful of activists remained hidden for days. The Navy
knowingly restarted bombing anyway.
Since then there have been several battleship group
practices. However, in every instance, the military had to
cut short the exercises because people would start going back
inside the range--in spite of the reinforced razor and barbed
wire, in spite of the military vigilance, in spite of the
heavy presence of Puerto Rican riot police along the fence
that divides the base from the civilian area.
For the time being the movement's strategy is to disrupt
and stop the military practices this way. The next battleship
group is scheduled for February.
This struggle has united the Puerto Rican people like
never before. Labor, students, prisoners, women's groups,
poor grassroots community groups, social and civic
associations, professional organizations, every religious
formation, and of course political parties and organizations
are all behind ousting the Navy from Vieques. In Puerto Rico
they call it "el consenso"--the consensus.
The main organization leading the struggle, the Committee
for the Rescue and Development of Vieques, has as its program
the four D's: Demilitarization, Devolution of the land,
Decontamination and Development of the island for the benefit
of the people of Vieques.
The Committee has recruited scientists and experts in
every field to research information on these four issues and
already has a program of action in place.
The intense pace of the bourgeois electoral process has
affected the struggle. Sila Calderón of the
colonialist Popular Democratic Party won the gubernatorial
race. She will be the first woman governor of Puerto
Rico.
In her political platform Calderón was for ousting
the Navy from Vieques. She also promised that when she takes
office on Jan. 2 she will remove the riot police from their
location in front of the base gate. Although they have no
faith in the police, the people of Vieques do not want Puerto
Rican police to be between them and the U.S. Navy, pitting
Puerto Ricans against each other.
Now that the elections are over, the movement is
reorganizing and regrouping. Vieques' leaders are making a
concerted effort to reach the international community. They
have participated in activities in Korea, Okinawa, Hawaii,
England, Spain, the Netherlands, and other places, trying to
rally the movement against U.S. military bases.
There has been a change of political consciousness. There
is a sense of nationhood separate from the U.S. In the
struggle for Vieques this sentiment has exploded. The people
ask: How dare the U.S. bomb us, imprison us or apply the
death penalty to us against the decree of our own
Constitution? This has been the most important development so
far in the struggle for independence.
Fuera la Marina! U.S. imperialism out of Puerto Rico!
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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