Solidarity with Honduran people’s resistance

Demonstrations and other activities took place in several cities around the U.S. in solidarity with the people of Honduras and against the electoral fraud in that country’s presidential election.

Hondurans living in the New York City area and some North American supporters gathered with signs, leaflets and sound equipment on the afternoon of Jan. 27 in Union Square to inform thousands of passersby that the Honduran people will not accept the electoral fraud of Nov. 26. The International Action Center supported the protest, which was organized by local Hondurans.

Atlanta was tuned in to the struggle of the Honduran people on Jan. 29 when the Labor Forum on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) hosted United Auto Workers Local 869 Executive Board member Martha Grevatt speaking on what workers should know about the fraudulent Honduran elections. Immigration paralegal Raymond Partolan was also on, discussing the crisis for Deferred Action Childhood Arrival youth in relation to immigration legislation. The Labor Forum features labor headlines, labor history and interviews with labor and community activists every Monday from 4 to 5 p.m. EST on WRFG 89.3FM. For additional information, go to wrfglaborforum.org.

Over 150 people turned out in Chicago for a Jan. 27 teach-in on the growing people’s struggle in Honduras. Victoria Cervantes of La Voz de los de Abajo provided background on the current situation, telling the crowd that a Honduran protester is killed each day merely for opposing the U.S.-backed dictator’s attempt to stay in power through massive electoral fraud. A panel of speakers from Black Lives Matter Chicago, the Chicago Teachers Union, National Nurses United and the US Palestinian Community Network linked the struggle in Honduras to the fight against racism, exploitation and oppression in the U.S. and throughout the world.  A march through the Loop followed the teach-in.

Hondurans and supporters gathered in San Francisco‘s Mission District on Jan. 27 to protest the illegal inauguration of Juan Orlando Hernández as president of Honduras. The rally was initiated by the Honduran Alliance USA/NorCal. Co-sponsors included the Answer Coalition; Central Americans for Empowerment; CISPES Bay Area; Clínica Martín-Baró; the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FLMN); Global Exchange; Haiti Action Committee; International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity; School of Americas Watch; Task Force on the Americas; and Workers World Party.

Oregonians gathered in Portland on Jan. 27 to protest the current illegal Honduran dictatorship “made in the U.S.” A lively group of demonstrators met downtown in support of the Honduran people, who are protesting the illegal election of JOH (Juan Orlando Hernández) and are calling for a general strike in Honduras. With placards denouncing JOH’s U.S.-backed regime, members of Workers World Party met up with folks from the Portland Central American Solidarity Committee and the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines. As speakers read aloud the conditions in Honduras, protesters echoed back the facts: the martial law imposed by Hernández, the murder of over 40 Hondurans in the protests, the torture and imprisonment of hundreds more and the powerful Honduran people’s movement that is rising up against the U.S.-backed repression.

Contributing to this report were John Catalinotto, Terri Kay, Dianne Mathiowetz, Lyn Neely and Jeff Sorel.

Photos: Jeff Sorel in Chicago, Lyn Neely in Portland, Ore., Sara Flounders in New York City, and Terri Kay in San Francisco.