BAYAN Leads Hundreds Of Filipinos In Calling For End Of U.S. War & Occupation

These Filipino contingents added to the hundreds of thousands of protestors throughout the world voiced their opposition on the second anniversary of the Iraqi occupation. In the U.S., California reported the highest figures of attendance with 25,000 in San Francisco and 20,000 in Los Angeles. Seattle, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles each ascended multiple large dark blue BAYAN USA and BAYAN flags branded red with their respective logos.

Bright yellow International of League of Peoples Struggles (ILPS) flags were also flaring throughout the different regions in solidarity with 136 organizations throughout the world that are aligned under the anti-imperialist global alliance of which both BAYAN USA and BAYAN are members.

The significance of BAYAN USA and ILPS flags being held high in different parts of this country represented a unified and coordinated anti-imperialist presence of Filipinos in all the major cities throughout the nation emphatically opposed to the U.S. wars of aggression.

Kawal Ulanday, National Chairperson of BAYAN USA explained, "The Iraqi occupation is characteristic of an American policy that is the leading cause for impoverishing third world peoples from the Middle East to thePhilippines to here in our own communities. The Bush administration and other corporate controlled elitist Presidents of the past have commonly fabricated justifications for redirecting billions of America's tax dollars away from health care, education and other socio-economic spending for the purpose of funding an unjust war!"

BAYAN USA was founded January 15th and 16th, 2005 and is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As the only international
chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), BAYAN USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S. Members of BAYAN USA include: ANAKBAYAN (Seattle), Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (Oakland, Bay Area), Habi-Arts (Los Angeles), New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NY), League of Filipino Students (San Francisco), Pilipinos Organizing Workers for Empowerment and Respect (Los Angeles), and Critical Filipina and Filipino Studies Collective.

For an official BAYAN USA statement of the Iraqi occupation and images of the national presence on March 19th, go to http://www.maniwalaya.org. For more information on BAYAN USA email info [at] bayanusa.org or call 800.876.9794.

U.S. Troops Out of the Philippines, Iraq and Palestine!

End the Bush-Arroyo regime!

Restart NDFP/GRP Peace Talks! Stop rampant human rights violations!

Defend Professor Jose Maria Sison! Free all political prisoners!

Stop all imperialist wars of aggression!

Victory to the world people's anti-imperialist resistance!

http://qc.indymedia.org/news/2005/03/2910.php