(original article in Spanish follows the English translation)<\/p>\n
Six Puerto Ricans demand with civil disobedience in the House of Representatives freedom for Puerto Rico <\/strong><\/p>\n By Jos\u00e9 A. Delgado\/ jdelgado@elnuevodia.com<\/p>\n May 6, 2009<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.elnuevodia.com\/arrestanaindependentistasqueirrumpieronencongresodeestadosunidos-565647.html<\/p>\n WASHINGTON – Singing “Oubao Moin” (note: in indigenous Caribbean language means “Land of Blood” — popular Puerto Rican poem and song that ends with “glory to the working and suffering hands who will build our free country”) and demanding that the federal government define what it wants to do with Puerto Rico, a group of six Puerto Ricans today carried out an act of civil disobedience in the United States House of Representatives.<\/p>\n The demonstrators, including artists and workers, asked president Barack Obama and the federal Congress- this time with a message of peace- to once and for all grant independence to Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n Artists Luis Enrique Romero, Mar\u00eda “Chabela” Rodr\u00edguez and Jos\u00e9 Rivera (Tony Mapey\u00e9), as well as mechanical designer Luis Su\u00e1rez, nurse Eugenia P\u00e9rez-Martijo and retired worker Ram\u00f3n D\u00edaz carried out the protest bearing Puerto Rican flags and signs that read “111 years of colonialism is a shame.” Singer and actor Carlos Esteban Fonseca accompanied the protestors, but maintained a distance from the protest.<\/p>\n Authorities of the House of Representatives took them from their seats before they could read a statement they had prepared for the occasion. Capitol security detained the group of demonstrators, who were later arrested.<\/p>\n “We, seven Puerto Ricans, have come here to protest against the colonialism to which Puerto Rico is subjected. We come in good will, in peace. We want to be a free nation,” said Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n In statements to El Nuevo D\u00eda, the demonstrators said that the selected date had no symbolism.<\/p>\n They recognized that their peaceful demonstration contrasts with the shooting attack carried out by five Nationalists on March 1, 1954, from the same spectator area of the U.S. House of Representatives where they protested. But they stated that the message against the colonial situation was the same.<\/p>\n “We are not politicians; we are just common people,” said Romero, who has acted in theater, television and film for the last three decades in Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n For his colleague Fonseca, member of the group Caribe Gitano, the demand for decolonization and the independence of Puerto Rico must be made in Washington. “Our legislators cannot even guarantee us space on our own television channels, because it is territory occupied by the federal government,” he said.<\/p>\n “They are the ones who must resolve the status,” Su\u00e1rez added.<\/p>\n The protestors indicated that they have been organizing their demonstration for the past several months, and that it was only a coincidence that it took place a few days from the time the resident commissioner in Washington, Pedro Pierluisi, will present his proposed legislation to promote a federal consultation about the political future of Puerto Rico. It was in Pierluisi’s office that the demonstrators obtained their tickets to enter into the House.<\/p>\n “Freedom does not submit to electoral processes. Slaves do not conduct referenda to be enslaved,” commented retired worker D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n The civil disobedients sent letters to president Obama, speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and vice president of the United States Joseph Biden, in his role as President of the Senate. “Puerto Rico has been a colony for 111 years: a humiliating colonial condition in the 21st century. The time has arrived for this crime against our people to be resolved,” they stated in the letters.<\/p>\n Seis boricuas reclaman con desobediencia civil en el hemiciclo de la C\u00e1mara baja la libertad de Puerto Rico. Escucha a uno de los manifestantes.<\/strong><\/p>\n Por Jos\u00e9 A. Delgado\/ jdelgado@elnuevodia.com WASHINGTON – Cantando “Oubao Moin” y reclamando al Gobierno federal que defina qu\u00e9 quiere hacer con Puerto Rico, un grupo de seis puertorrique\u00f1os efectu\u00f3 hoy un acto de desobediencia civil en el hemiciclo de la C\u00e1mara de Representantes de Estados Unidos.<\/p>\n Los manifestantes, incluidos artistas y trabajadores, le pidieron al presidente Barack Obama y al Congreso federal – esta vez con un mensaje de paz -, que le otorguen ya la independencia a Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n Los artistas Luis Enrique Romero, Mar\u00eda “Chabela” Rodr\u00edguez y Jos\u00e9 Rivera (Tony Mapey\u00e9), as\u00ed como el dise\u00f1ador mec\u00e1nico Luis Su\u00e1rez, la enfermera Eugenia P\u00e9rez-Martijo y el obrero jubilado Ram\u00f3n D\u00edaz llevaron a cabo la protesta portando banderas de Puerto Rico y cartelones que le\u00edan “111 a\u00f1os de coloniaje es una verg\u00fcenza”. El cantante y actor Carlos Esteban Fonseca acompa\u00f1\u00f3 a los manifestantes, pero se mantuvo alejado de la protesta.<\/p>\n Las autoridades de la C\u00e1mara de Representantes los sacaron de las gradas antes que pudieran leer una declaraci\u00f3n que hab\u00edan preparado con ocasi\u00f3n del evento. La seguridad del Capitolio detuvo al grupo de manifestantes y posteriormente \u00e9stos fueron arrestados.<\/p>\n “Nosotros, siete puertorrique\u00f1os, hemos llegado hasta aqu\u00ed para protestar por el coloniaje a que est\u00e1 sometido Puerto Rico. Venimos en buena voluntad, en paz. Queremos ser una naci\u00f3n libre”, indic\u00f3 Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n En declaraciones a El Nuevo D\u00eda, los manifestantes dijeron que la fecha seleccionada no tuvo ning\u00fan simbolismo.<\/p>\n Reconocieron que su manifestaci\u00f3n pac\u00edfica contrasta con el ataque a tiros que cinco nacionalistas realizaron el 1 de marzo de 1954 desde las mismas gradas de la C\u00e1mara de Representantes federal que ellos mismos ocuparon. Pero, indicaron que el mensaje en contra de la situaci\u00f3n colonial era el mismo.<\/p>\n “No somos pol\u00edticos, somos gente, com\u00fan y corriente”, se\u00f1al\u00f3 Romero, quien ha hecho teatro, televisi\u00f3n y cine durante las \u00faltimas tres d\u00e9cadas en Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n Para su colega Fonseca, miembro del grupo Caribe Gitano, el reclamo a favor de la descolonizaci\u00f3n e independencia de Puerto Rico tiene que hacerse en Washington. “Nuestros legisladores ni siquiera nos pueden garantizar espacio en nuestros canales de televisi\u00f3n, pues es un campo ocupado por el Gobierno federal”, dijo.<\/p>\n “Quienes tienen que resolver el status son ellos”, agreg\u00f3, por su parte, Su\u00e1rez.<\/p>\n Los desobedientes se\u00f1alaron que su manifestaci\u00f3n fue organizada desde hace varios meses y que era s\u00f3lo una coincidencia que ocurriera a pocos d\u00edas de que el comisionado residente en Washington, Pedro Pierluisi, presente su proyecto de ley que promover\u00e1 una consulta federal sobre el futuro pol\u00edtico de Puerto Rico. Fue en la oficina de Pierluisi que los manifestantes obtuvieron sus boletos para entrar al hemiciclo cameral.<\/p>\n “La libertad no se somete a procesos electorales. Los esclavos no hacen referendos para ser esclavizados”, coment\u00f3, por su parte, el obrero jubilado D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n Los desobedientes civiles le enviaron cartas al presidente Obama, a la presidenta de la C\u00e1mara de Representantes, Nancy Pelosi, y al vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, Joseph Biden, en su car\u00e1cter de Presidente del Senado. “Puerto Rico ha sido una colonia por 111 a\u00f1os: una condici\u00f3n colonial humillante en el siglo 21. Ya es tiempo de que este crimen en contra de nuestra gente, sea resuelto”, indicaron en las cartas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (original article in Spanish follows the English translation) Independentistas who disrupted U.S. Congress are arrested Six Puerto Ricans demand with civil disobedience in the House of Representatives freedom for Puerto Rico By Jos\u00e9 A. Delgado\/ jdelgado@elnuevodia.com May 6, 2009 http:\/\/www.elnuevodia.com\/arrestanaindependentistasqueirrumpieronencongresodeestadosunidos-565647.html WASHINGTON – Singing “Oubao Moin” (note: in indigenous Caribbean language means “Land of Blood” — … <\/p>\nArrestan a independentistas que irrumpieron en Congreso de Estados Unidos<\/h2>\n
\n6 mayo 2009
\nhttp:\/\/www.elnuevodia.com\/arrestanaindependentistasqueirrumpieronencongresodeestadosunidos-565647.html<\/p>\n