Protesters Demonstrate At Consulate: Stop the Crackdown on Labor in El Salvador!

EMBARGO UNTIL 9am Thursday, May 13th

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Media Advisory


Event: Activists to demonstrate in front of the Salvadoran consulates in
New York City and San Francisco ­ Demand the immediate release of jailed
Salvadoran union leaders and the end of police repression against workers in
El Salvador



Date: Thursday May 13, 12 PM (EST)

Place: El Salvador Consulates:
46 Park Ave. New York, NY
870 Market Street San Francisco, CA


Activists will disrupt business at Salvadoran consulates, as local chapters
of the Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)
organize rallies in New York, and San Francisco. The actions in the US
coincide with a larger union march in El Salvador. Ricardo Monge the head of
the STISSS, Salvadoran healthcare workers union and Javier Ayala, the
union¹s Secretary of Organization have been in jail since April 28th when
they were arrested while holding a press conference during the occupation of
the main cathedral in San Salvador. The protest was held to denounce the
illegal firings of union members, to demand an end to the privatization of
the healthcare system, and for the immediate removal of the Salvadoran
troops from Iraq.

³They are accusing them of being terrorists,² explains CISPES activist
Daniella Ponet, ³when all they are doing is fighting for their rights.
Workers in El Salvador should have the right to organize without risking
arrest and being charged with terrorism!²

US activists representing solidarity and anti-globalization groups have
decided to demonstrate in front of the consulates to show their solidarity
for the Salvadorans who are being faced with increased levels of political
violence and repression by their government. The ruling ARENA party recently
won a fourth term in office and has taken it as an opportunity to declare
war on the unions that supported the FMLN left opposition party during the
elections. Thirty-six other people were also arrested on April 28th as the
cops shot rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd and injured at least 23
people. A judge last week dismissed most of the charges against the two
leaders and said that their arrest was what led to the riots on the streets.
The Attorney General¹s office is still refusing to release them and is in
the process of appealing their cases.

³There is no question that what is going on here is political,² explains
Ponet. "They are trying to make these guys into an example.² The STISSS is
one of the most militant unions in El Salvador. They have been outspoken in
their support of the FMLN and against the proposed US-Central American Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA). ³The ARENA government responds to dissent with
intense police repression and this must stop," said Ponet.
Salvadoran-American Gilberto Soto, a representative of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, added, "we are outraged by what is going on in El
Salvador and are proud to stand in solidarity with our union brothers and
sisters in the struggle for justice!²

Interviews with protestors at the consulates are available by calling the
above numbers. Your coverage is welcome.