Dec. 18 — Thirty people braved the cold wind in front of the Japanese Consulate on New York City’s swanky Park Avenue today to protest the building of a new U.S. military base on Okinawa. People from Okinawa were joined by U.S. supporters, including members of the Granny Peace Brigade and Veterans for Peace members.
The 466-square-mile island of 1.4 million people already hosts “19,000 U.S. Marines as well as the largest U.S. Air Force base in the Asia-Pacific.” (Washington Post, Sept 28)
All these forces are aimed at the People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They are a tripwire for World War III.
Protesters were also concerned about the ecological damage caused by the base construction, which was scheduled to begin on Dec. 14.
A leaflet addressed to President Trump states, “Earlier this year the Okinawan people overwhelmingly elected Gov. Denny Tamaki on the premise of STOPPING the construction at Henoko/Oura Bay. The Bay is a CRUCIAL part of the Okinawan ecosystem. However the Japanese government & U.S. military have so far IGNORED the democratic will of Gov. Tamaki & the Okinawan people.”
People are urged to sign a petition to the White House demanding that construction be stopped until a referendum can be held. Go to https://bit.ly/2SF0eMT
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