Columbus, GA, U.S.A.Over 10,000 Peacefully Converge at Ft. Benning
to Expose Double Standard in War on Terrorism and Close School of the Americas.
PRESENTE - VENCEREMOS!
Over 10,000 people converged today at the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia to close what they call a terrorist training camp on U.S. soil – the School of the Americas, renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHISC), a combat training school for Latin American soldiers. Graduates of the school continue to be implicated in egregious acts designed to terrorize and coerce civilian populations throughout Latin America.
Over 10,000 people converged today at the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia to close what they call a terrorist training camp on U.S. soil – the School of the Americas, renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHISC), a combat training school for Latin American soldiers. Graduates of the school continue to be implicated in egregious acts designed to terrorize and coerce civilian populations throughout Latin America.
As of 4:30PM, ninety-six people had negotiated a ten-foot barbed-wire fence to enter Ft. Benning, site of the school. They engaged in this act of nonviolent civil disobedience despite the likelihood of facing substantial prison time.
Twenty-six people are currently serving three-month and six-month prison sentences for peacefully crossing onto the base during last November’s convergence.
Twenty-six people are currently serving three-month and six-month prison sentences for peacefully crossing onto the base during last November’s convergence.