Several groups in Costa Rica will be joining forces with those in the United States and other countries in holding protests this weekend to mark the four-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, according to Isabel Macdonald, coordinator of the Friends’ PeaceCenter.
Macdonald’s group, along with the League of Women for Peace and Liberty and the Costa Rican Human Rights Commission, are organizing a protest tomorrow.
The protest is planned for tomorrow from 3-6 p.m. in downtown San José’s Parque Morazán, and will feature speakers, a vigil, art activities for children and musical performances by singers Esteban Monge and Mario Céspedes. Additionally, representatives from different religions will be invited to express their opinions on the war.
The message protestors hope to send is threefold: U.S. troops should leave Iraq, the United States should not plan any future invasions of Iran and the use of weapons containing depleted uranium should cease immediately. This substance is being used against civilian populations in Iraq, leaving radioactive waste that can cause cancer and birth defects, according to a statement from protest organizers.
“More than 60,000 civilians have died in Iraq, more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers have died and the psychological and financial costs have been devastating,” the statement said. “In honor of those thousands of deaths and in mourning for the devastation of Iraq, we call for peace and the immediate withdrawal of military units from Iraqi soil.”
The organizers invite anyone interested in joining to wear white and bring a candle. For more information, call 222-1400 or 233-6168.
