Vieques Protest Draws Local College Students

A Puerto Rican flag hung from John Harvard's feet Friday evening as a circle of more than 30 students from area universities gathered in Harvard Yard to protest U.S. policy on the island of Vieques.

Speaking in both Spanish and English, the students lit candles in memory of David Sanes, who was accidentally killed seven months ago during U.S. Navy test bombings on the island, which sits off the Puerto Rican coast.

The event honored Sanes, but had a larger political message--students spoke of the need to expel U.S. forces from Vieques, which has long served as a site for Navy war games and weapons tests.

According to Hans S. Perl-Matanzo '01, director of Peace in Vieques Now, 22 other universities worldwide have also joined the movement to get the U.S. military out of Vieques

Many of those schools also held events on Friday, he said. The gathering at Harvard was intended to enlighten the Boston area as to the plight of Vieques.

"We want them to understand our struggle," he said. "The U.S. press is not covering the issue like it should, even though [President] Clinton is talking about it."

Perl-Matanzo said he hopes efforts like the student movement would pressure Clinton into withdrawing naval forces from the region.

At the vigil, Antonio J. Torres, an advisor to the "Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques," said a continued U.S. military presence in Vieques would have a negative effect on the island's economy.

"We have an idea about how to develop the land and cultivate the environment," Torres said. "But the Navy damages any chance for economic development."

Perl-Matanzo said he plans to go to Puerto Rico later this month to engage in civil disobedience at a military base if President Clinton fails to change U.S. policy.

At Perl-Matanzo's urging, 53 Harvard professors have signed a petition calling for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Vieques.

"We're going to prove to the United States president that we're not going to allow any more bombing," Perl-Matanzo said.