Solidarity with the Philippine people

Chicago, Nov. 14 — Dozens of people rallied in front of Trump Tower here to protest the imperialist, racist Donald Trump’s stop in Manila last week. The demonstrators expressed solidarity with the struggle of the Philippine people for freedom and self-determination, demanded an end to the brutal repression being imposed on them by the Duterte regime, and called for an end to U.S. military support for that regime.

Speakers explained that Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs” already has claimed the lives of 14,000 Filipinos, while his supposed “war on terror” has uprooted and dislocated 400,000 Muslim Filipinos from their homes. They also noted that Trump seeks an expanded U.S. military presence in the Philippines to promote U.S. military power against China. They emphasized that Trump hopes to enlist the Philippine government as a proxy in a planned U.S. war against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The action was organized by Anakbayan Chicago. Supporting speakers represented the Chicago Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Gay Liberation Network, Workers World Party, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Fellowship for Filipino Migrants, and other organizations.