Vancouverites Stand Up for Peru

A group that calls itself The Solidarity Coalition For a United Latin America held a rally in from of the Peruvian Embassy today at noon.



According to the group:

On June 5th police officers killed more than 30 and injured many more indigenous protesters in Nagua, Corral Quemado area in Peru. The Peruvian government had recently signed a number of free trade agreements, including with the U.S . and Canada, which opened up the lands of Indigenous Nations in Peru to foreign exploitation. Indigenous people responded with massive peaceful protests which lasted for 56 days before the massacre.

The gathering prompted me to look more into the matter and found out that they are not alone in helping the Peruvian indigenous people. Today Amazon Watch issued a press release along with Washington Office on Latin America, Sierra Club, Oxfam America, Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace USA, Global Witness, Friends of the Earth, Forest Peoples Programme, Environmental Investigation Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, Earthworks, Defenders of Wildlife, Center for International Environmental Law, Bank Information Center, and Amazon Watch defending the rights of the indigenous people.

I wanted to do my part to show my support for those Vancouverites at the Embassy and decided to write a letter to Mr. President Alan García



and also joined a Facebook group that promotes Solidarity with Peru.
I want to thank the The Solidarity Coalition For a United Latin America in Vancouver for making me aware of this incident and all the volunteers who are making others aware of the situation.