Social Movement Presents Demands to Obama

Protest in front of the Salvador del Mundo monument

The MPR-12 Movement along with a number of other groups in the social movement held a march this morning to present their demands to President Obama during his visit to El Salvador.  Those demands include:

-Close the U.S. military bases in Central America

-Close the ILEA (U.S. run police training academy in El Salvador)

-Revoke CAFTA

-Respect the rights of immigrants

-Freedom for the 5 Cuban political prisoners in the United States

-Not allow the reintegration of the Coup Government in Honduras into the OAS

-Stop the military agression in Libya

Some photos and quotes from the march:

We are here as the MPR-12 Movement to denouce the Free Trade Agreement, and also so that people know how militarized this whole region is. Obama said that he would demilitarize the region and instead he has increased military presence here, we are here so that people know that.

-Carmen from the Dimas Rodriguez Community in El Paisnal

Repeal CAFTA

For us it is a contradiction that the leftist government here is being so servile to the U.S. government when we still have many great challenges like the Free Trade Agreement that allows North American mining companies to come in and exploit El Salvador. We think that the Free Trade Agreement should be revoked because it has made the situation for farmers in the country much worse.

-Guiselle, from the UST (United Workers Union)

Respect for immigrant rights!!!

One of the reasons that we are here is to ask Obama to respect the rights of immigrants living in the United States. We think that the Salvadorans living in the United States for many years have the right to be there so that they can continue to support their family members. We have the right to be here to peacefully protest since El Salvador is a democracy that allows for these type of gatherings.

-Protester

Stop Bombing Libya!

We think that it is a disgrace that while Obama is visiting Central America, Libya is currently being bombed....These photos that we have here with us are of our martyrs in Honduras. Many of them were disappeared and killed during the coup in Honduras. They were our friends and companians and that is why we remember them.

-Honduran protester

Hondurans killed in the conflict following the 2009 coup