Thousands in Puerto Rico say ‘Free Oscar López’

Militant/Ron Richards

Thousands marched in San Juan, Puerto Rico, above, May 29 to demand the release of Puerto Rican independence fighter Oscar López Rivera. The action marked the 35th anniversary of his imprisonment in the U.S.

López “has become a symbol of resistance and decolonization,” said Eduardo Villanueva Muñoz, spokesperson for the Human Rights Committee of Puerto Rico, one of the organizers. López was framed up on charges of “seditious conspiracy” for his activities in support of independence for Puerto Rico, a U.S. colony.

“We don’t want this board, we want to be free,” was one of the chants during the march, a reference to a plan by Washington to impose an appointed board to take control of the country’s financial decisions.

In New York, the group 35 Women for Oscar held a spirited action the same day. A national action will take place there June 20 outside the United Nations during its annual hearings on the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Protests will also be held at U.S. embassies in at least 35 countries that day to demand freedom for López.

— MARK THOMPSON