Thousands of activists and dozens of peace groups converged this weekend in Georgia to call for the closure of the School of Americas (SOA or WHINSEC), a controversial training facility for Latin American soldiers, and the nearby Stewart Immigrant Detention Center.
Hundreds protested outside SOA’s gates in Fort Benning, calling it the “School of Assassins,” while others marched through the town of Lumpkin to hold a vigil outside of Stewart’s facilities. A handful of protesters were arrested and later released after they crossed onto the grounds of the detention center, where organizers say approximately 1,800 migrants are being held in inhumane conditions as officials prepare to deport them en masse.
The weekend of action also included testimonies from victims of torture, who held up images of civilians murdered by death squads trained at SOA. Others spoke out about their experiences as families of disappeared persons.
Annual actions organized by the grassroots movement SOA Watch are being held throughout the weekend to speak out against militarization and demand accountability and reform of the U.S.’s foreign policies toward Latin America.
“Despite a shocking human rights abuse record, the School of the Americas continues to operate with US taxpayer money. Closing the SOA would send a strong human rights message to Latin America and the world,” said SOA Watch founder Father Roy Bourgeois.
Ahead of the actions on Friday, SOA Watch national organizer Hendrik Voss told local media, “We have to take an honest look at the violence the United States is exporting all over the world. If we don’t do that, nothing is going to change.”
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