Stop Persecuting Immigrants/Oct 12 March,NYC Report id DAA01280; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 03:18:39 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit ------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the October 23, 1997 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- MANY NATIONALITIES, ONE DEMAND: STOP PERSECUTING IMMIGRANTS By Carlos Rovira New York In a multinational show of unity, more than 5,000 people marched to the United Nations Oct. 12 to demand immigrant rights. The gathering of women, men and children assembled at Columbus Circle on the outskirts of New York's Central Park. Protesters then marched to the United Nations, proudly displaying flags from all over the world. The demonstration was sponsored by Coordinadora '96--a coalition of groups fighting to end the racist persecution and oppression of immigrants. The ruling rich hail Oct. 12 as "Columbus Day"--a day when the imperialists fondly commemorate the arrival of colonialism on the shores of the Americas. But this militant protest claimed Oct. 12 as a day of anti-imperialist struggle. The photos of Ernesto "Che" Guevara demonstrators carried on Oct. 12 made the anti-imperialist message quite clear. Many groups representing oppressed nationalities, anti- racist groups and political organizations, including Workers World Party, participated. Latinos, Africans, Afro-Caribbeans and Asians defiantly shouted their slogans in different languages. There were note worthy contingents of Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants. A security team from the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation led the march. The first group to march was a contingent of Indigenous peoples from throughout the Western Hemisphere. Once the march arrived at the rally site at the UN, speakers pointed to the range of laws that perpetuate racist oppression and persecution of immigrants. Organizer Miguel Maldonado said the marchers wanted justice--and an end to legislation that is aimed at maintaining a sub-human image of immigrants. One Indigenous speaker told the crowd that the arguments of anti-immigrant advocates are hypocritical. People who have been here for thousands of years are treated as so- called illegal aliens by this government. Loud cheers and applause greeted Puerto Rico's national hero Lolita Lebron as she came to the stage to express solidarity with all oppressed nationalities. Alfonso Benitez spoke as a representative of the Oct. 1 national work stoppage in Puerto Rico. Juan Gutierrez of the Los Angeles-based group One Stop Immigration Centers said that you can measure the decay of this system by the extent to which it persecutes innocent people whose only crime is seeking a better livelihood. And Teresa Gutierrez of Workers World Party told those gathered that the plight of immigrants in the United States is the consequence of imperialism. No one enjoys leaving one's homeland, she said. But as long as imperialism plunders and causes misery in countries abroad people will be forced to migrate. The only option is to unite in a struggle against the common enemy. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted if source is cited. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: ww@workers.org. For subscription info send message to: info@workers.org. Web: http://workers.org) ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytrc-10.17.97-03:18:48-26053