PUERTO RICO
Vieques struggle revives despite post-9/11 repression
By Berta Joubert
Excerpts from a talk at the Sept. 21-22 Workers World
Party Conference.
"Vieques sí, Marina no"--Vieques yes, Navy no--has
for decades been the cry of the people of not only Vieques but
all Puerto Rico. There cannot be a Vieques existing side by
side with the U.S. military.
After U.S. bombs killed civilian guard David Sanes in April
1999, the anti-Navy struggle grew tremendously. You could
almost see a Vieques that belonged to its people, empty of
military equipment. The struggle and resolve of the people was
gaining worldwide support. They were pushing the Pentagon to
its knees.
After the tragic events of last Sept. 11, it was like a rug
being pulled from under your feet. The support from famous
personalities vanished. The donations that maintained offices
and supplies necessary for such a difficult struggle
shrank.
Leaders in Vieques had to endure painful and impossible
requests, such as "This is not the time for this struggle," "It
should be stopped for now," and "You should join the war
against terrorism."
But the cancer, diabetes and heart illnesses that weaken the
health of the people of Vieques continued. The lack of future
for the young remained. So the people of Vieques and their
leaders continued their war against the only terrorist they
knew: the U.S. Navy.
With different tactics, less support, less media coverage
and against all odds, they have continued their struggle.
The U.S. government opportunistically seized upon the
tragedy of 9/11 to pound liberation and resistance movements
all over the world, including Vieques and Puerto Rico. Now
prison sentences for civil disobedience are stiffer and prevent
many activists from participating in this tactic, which has
been quite popular and useful against the Navy's presence.
The Puerto Rican police have shed their perceived "neutral"
stand. Now they aggressively arrest activists, following the
order of their master, the Pentagon.
The military forces have also stepped up their aggression,
trying to completely destroy the resistance. They set random
fires, shoot at the encampments located in the civilian area in
front of the naval base, and terrorize demonstrators, including
children, with tear gas.
Vieques is also part of a larger struggle--for the right to
self-determination and against imperialist domination. The
people's strike, the march for nationhood, the refusal of
English only, and particularly the struggle for Vieques have
begun a process of concentrating the power of the masses. It is
still new and needs consistency, but the reality of a colony
will make this process mature.
Contradictions are intensifying in Puerto Rico. The United
States is trying to conceal its actions and divert the movement
with "anti-terrorist" propaganda. But the economy is in
shambles. Six years ago Congress eliminated the federal tax
breaks that lured and sustained manufacturers on the island,
which has left a trail of plant closings and thousands
unemployed.
According to the 2000 census, about 48 percent of the people
live below the federal poverty line. The per capita income is a
mere $8,185--half the income in Mississippi. Unemployment is 13
percent. Illiteracy is 10 percent.
The imposition of Labor Law 45 has dealt a serious blow to
the organizing efforts of independent unions.
Federal assistance programs have imposed new regulations
that limit spending. Of the meager assistance for families, 75
percent must be used for food, utility bills and other
necessary basic services; other needs must be met with the
remaining 25 percent. Any changes will result in the federal
government ending the program.
The situation is so desperate that Gov. Sila Calderon
announced a $1 billion investment program targeting 700
communities with one-fourth of the island's population.
In Vieques, the situation is worse, with almost 50-percent
unemployment. The people there have nothing to lose in
resisting the United States. On the contrary, they have become
a beacon for struggles in the rest of Puerto Rico.
The leaders of the anti-Navy struggle have begun training
for a mass entrance into the restricted territory of the base
next May. If the Navy refuses to leave, as it was mandated to
do in a plebiscite, people are preparing for an operation
called "Entrar Todos a la Vez" (Everyone Enter at Once) to
reclaim their land once and for all.
Reprinted from the Oct. 17, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyrighted
under a Creative
Commons License.
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