August 12 MAWO Public Forum Report

On Wednesday, August 12 a public forum was held in Vancouver, Canada to discuss the increased US interventions in Latin America. The forum, organized by Mobilization Against War & Occupation (MAWO), was in response to the June 28 US sponsored coup d’etat in Honduras, as well as the massive US military build-up in Colombia.

The over 35 people that attended the forum were welcomed by the MC of the forum, Nita Palmer, the secretary of MAWO. Nita introduced 30 minutes of film clips about US interventions in Latin America to begin the evening. The films covered the coup in Honduras and the response of the Honduran people against this undemocratic action. Other films addressed the huge concerns that many Latin Americans have regarding the US military build up in Colombia, especially considering the history of US proxy armies and military coup d’etats in the region.

The films were followed by the speaker of the evening, Thomas Davies, a member of the Fire This Time newspaper editorial board and the author of the recent article “Honduras: US Counter Revolution Strikes Back in Latin America”. Thomas noted that Latin America, a region dominated by US economic and military might for over a century, has had several countries break away from US control over the last decade. “This coup was a big signal to the region that the US is not giving up on its historical domination,” Thomas pointed out.

The talk by Thomas provoked a discussion that led to a strong debate about how the anti-war movement in Canada needs to respond to the escalating interventions in Latin America by the US and its allies. A conclusion was reached that educational forums like these are important to have, but the need to outreach to more people is a necessity for the antiwar movement. The event ended with many of the forum participants staying around to continue the discussion around Honduras, Colombia, and the need for consistent action.