Thursday, July 14, 2016

Okinawans protest US military base

Sit-in protest in front of Camp Schwab marks its second year

Sit-in protest in front of Camp Schwab marks its second year
After a sit-in protest in front of the gate of Camp Schwab marked two years, citizens staging the sit-in renewed their determination for the struggle in front of the gate of Camp Schwab, Henoko, Nago, on July 6.

July 6, 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo
On July 6, a sit-in protest in front of the gate of Camp Schwab marked two years since the start of action to block construction of a new U.S. base in Henoko, Nago. The governments of the United States and Japan plan to build an airfield there to replace U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Futenma. Citizens staging the sit-in delivered speeches and renewed their determination to continue their struggle for the third year. Akutagawa Prize winning novelist Shun Medoruma who has previously protested from a kayak on the water surrounding the base, referred to the construction being halted, saying, “Every one of those protesting rose to their feet and with their courage challenged the governments of the United States and Japan and forced them to stop the construction. I would like to confirm this fact with confidence. Let’s make them not ‘halt’ the construction but ‘give it up.'”
(English translation by T&CT)


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