On Jan. 11, 400 activists and supporters of the Puerto Rican independence struggle demonstrated in front of the Brooklyn Federal Court to demand an immediate end to government repression and intimidation.
Three Puerto Rican independence activists in New York City—Christopher Torres, Tania Frontera and Julio Antonio Pabon Jr.—were subpoenaed under mysterious circumstances by a Federal Grand Jury.
Puerto Rican activists in New York and Puerto Rico maintain that the subpoenas are just the latest chapter of a long history of repression waged against their independence struggle. The United States invaded Puerto Rico in 1898, and the island has been held as a colony ever since.
The U.S. government has stepped up its systematic campaign to intimidate the independence movement and instill fear among its U.S. allies since the FBI murder of 72-year-old independence leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios. Rios, commander-in-chief of the armed clandestine group known as the Macheteros, was killed on Sept. 23, 2005—the anniversary of the Puerto Rican anti-colonial rebellion known as the “Grito de Lares.” Recently, the FBI Director in Puerto Rico stated the agency would be intensifying its investigation to identify the new leadership of the Macheteros.
At the rally, a spirited picket line chanted “CIA, FBI: U.S. justice is a lie,” and called out the FBI for its murderous activities against the independence movement.
Among the many speakers at the rally were elected officials, international solidarity activists and Carlito Rovira who spoke on behalf of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Rovira explained that, “The greatest act of solidarity we can render the Puerto Rican struggle is to build for revolution inside the United States.” Christopher Torres, one of the three targeted Puerto Rican activists, also spoke briefly to thank all those who have rallied to their support.
The Brooklyn protest coincided with similar acts and rallies in San Juan and Vieques in Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Fitchburg, Mass. among several cities in the United States.
Historically, the U.S. government has tested its new methods of repression against anti-colonial movements, particularly in Puerto Rico, before implementing similar measures inside the United States. It is an obligation for progressives in this country to stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters fighting for the independence of Puerto Rico.
