Sunday, November 21, 2010

Portugal arrests 45 antimilitarists protesting nonviolently against NATO

Some 60 antimilitarists from around Europe staged today a traffick blockade  at the center of Lisbon (at the crossing of Avenida Henrique Infante with Avenida de Padua), deploying a large banner which read:

NATO: GAME OVER

... obviously meaning that the Cold War is over since 20 years ago and NATO is now only a pointless residue without meaning. Some of them threw blood paint over them in an attempt to denounce the victims caused by NATO's present imperialist adventures, specially in Afghanistan. 



Some 45 activists were arrested in this action, both among the demonstrators and among the support group. They are being attended by lawyers of the Portuguese organization PAGAN.

The action was organized by antimilitarist groups from all around Europe: Contra a Guerra Age (Act against the War, Portugal), Alternativa Antimilitarista-Movimiento de Objeción de Consciencia (Antimilitarist Alternative-Conscientious Objection Movement, Spain), Non au M-51 (France), Bombspotting (Belgium), German League of War Resistants (Germany) and OFOG (Sweden).

While I cannot confirm this extreme, I believe that they are all member organizations of War Resisters' International, an antimilitarist organization founded in 1921, whose members must adopt this simple manifesto:

War is a crime against humanity. I am therefore determined not to support any kind of war and to strive for the removal of all causes of war.

A video of the action can be seen at La Verdad TV.

Sources[es]: Alternativa Antimilitarista-MOC, La Haine

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please, be reasonably respectful when making comments. I do not tolerate in particular sexism, racism nor homophobia. The author reserves the right to delete any abusive comment.

Comment moderation before publishing is... ON