Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition 10.10.2023: Statements on Haiti and Palestine; Ben Linder School Videos; Several Upcoming Events

Nicaragua Solidarity CoalitionCondemnation of the “Multinational Security Support mission” to Haiti The process to devise a new mission, using the pretext of gang violence and insecurity, has been led by the United States which once again utilizes the UN system for its own narrow objectives. The United Nations must pay restitution to the Haitian people for the harms of past interventions, including the 2010 cholera outbreak. We stand with the Haitian people in rejecting foreign intervention and with our sister organizations throughout the Americas in the Zone of Peace Campaign that justly demand an end to foreign interference in Haiti.

Statement of Nicaragua Government on Conflict in Palestine “Enough of Victims and Pain!”The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, and the People of Nicaragua, Always in Solidarity with the Palestinian Cause, Always Fraternal and Always Close; in condemning the barbarism unleashed yet again between two Brotherly Peoples and from our own experiences of imposed wars, calls the World to reflection and respectful action, based on the Values, Culture and forms of Family and Community Life, which have been ignored, altered and squandered by imperial voracity, by selfishness, folly, insensitivity, and contempt in not recognizing the Palestinian State, that is regard thy Neighbor, as thy equal.

FAIR (Camila Escalante): NPR Falsely Claims Its Reporter Is the Only One to Visit NicaraguaAyesha Rascoe, host of NPR’s Sunday Story, said the Sandinista government of Nicaragua “has basically banned foreign journalists.” Yet, in 2023 alone, numerous foreign journalists from press outlets from all parts of the world have reported from Nicaragua. Broadcast outlets based in the US, China, Russia, Iran and around Latin America have regularly filed reports in both English and Spanish. NPR called Nicaragua “a country steeped in fear,” falsely stating, “Fear runs so deep that even the president and vice president don’t trust their countrymen enough to hold a real public rally” etc.

Stephen Sefton: Haiti – neocolonial intervention, grass roots resistanceIn the same way that the United States invaded and occupied Nicaragua in the last century, Haiti also suffered from US military occupation from 1915 to 1934. And in the same way that they left behind the National Guard in Nicaragua, they left behind the Haitian Gendarmerie in Haiti. And also, in the same way that the United States ordered the murder of Benjamin Zeledón and Augusto C. Sandino, they murdered in the most cowardly way Charlemagne Péralte, the national hero of the resistance to the Yankee occupation of Haiti….Cuba has insisted in a statement issued after the recent decision of the United Nations Security Council on Haiti that “We defend the legitimate rights of its people to find a peaceful and sustainable way out of the enormous challenges they face, based on full respect for their sovereignty. The main pending task of the international community with Haiti is not to send a military contingent. That sister Caribbean nation, to which the international community owes an enormous moral debt, needs more financial resources for its development. It urgently requires more and better international assistance and cooperation, not only for its reconstruction, but also to advance the sustainable development of the country.”

Video: Ben Linder Solidarity School Week 1: Intro to course & ATC  Facilitator: Edgardo García, Founder & Secretary General of the ATC (Nicaragua)

Video: Ben Linder Solidarity School Week 2: The History of the Sandinista Popular Revolution & recent events in NicaraguaFacilitators: Dan Kovalik, author of Nicaragua: History of US Intervention & Resistance; Camila Escalante, Kawsachun News.

 Sign up below to see the upcoming presentations in the series.

Events

ONGOING: Please contact your Senators and members of Congress to tell them to vote NO on S.1881, which would impose more sanctions on Nicaragua! Contact Cindy Farquhar If you are interested and willing to join a lobbying group or to coordinate a group lobby meeting later in October, please send your email right away to Cindy Farquhar at farquhar.cindy7@gmail.com

September 23 – November 18: virtual course, Ben Linder Solidarity School,  9 week class (two hours a week) Topics include: Nicaragua and the Sandinista Revolution; History and current context of Latin America and US imperialism; ATC and peasant organizations / social movements; Food Sovereignty and Agroecology; Solidarity and Internationalism.

October 19-November 9: Virtual Course and Film Festival on Indigenous and Afro-descendant People’s Rights This four-part course will take place over zoom from October 19-November 9, and is free of charge. We will hear from Indigenous and Black activists in Nicaragua and the Americas, learn about Nicaragua’s two Autonomous Regions, and see beautiful films about the culture and landscape of these Regions. Watch for notices with details about how to register, or check the websites https://www.casabenjaminlinder.org/tours and https://afgj.org/ for details about how to join!

October 21-22: (Madrid) Encuentro Sandinista de Solidaridad con Nicaragua Organizations from different parts of the Spanish state in the Sandinista Meeting of Solidarity with Nicaragua.

Nicaragua Webinar October 22, 3 pm ET: “Church & State in Nicaragua: Probing the Relationship”This webinar will confront allegations that the Nicaraguan government is conducting “a cutthroat campaign to silence its opponents, targeting religious orders, Catholic institutions, and media in addition to ordinary people of faith….” (Newsweek, Oct. 3) The speakers will also provide troubling evidence about some church leaders’ anti-government activities. Join us for other viewpoints and in-depth discussion, with ample time for your questions during Q&A. Featured speakers: Becca Renk, community development worker in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, for over 20 years, who has written several articles on the church in Nicaragua; Dr. James J. Phillips, former Jesuit, author of books and articles on Honduras and Nicaragua, who lived in Nicaragua for several years and maintains ties there.

October 26: Lobby Day in Congress (both virtually and in-person) against Sanctions in the Americas. https://linktr.ee/americas_without_sanctions

https://www.americaspolicyforum.org/americaswithoutsanctions

January 27, 2024: Latin America conference in London 18th annual conference in solidarity

with Latin American progressive movements.

Upcoming Delegations to Nicaragua

Casa Ben Linder delegations: January 6-14, January 20-February 1, and February 10-19;

Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition: nicasolidarity.net Our monthly zoom meetings: second Monday of the month (November 13), 2:30 PM ET

Email NicaraguaSolidarityCoalition@gmail.com in advance to request Zoom access for the meeting, or to make other inquiries.

Organizations:  Apply for coalition membership here This is an important way to increase

the influence of our coalition work, as our membership list grows.

Listserve:nicanet@googlegroups.com join at groups.google.com/g/nicanet

Sign up to receive the weekly Nica Notes: https://afgj.org/signup

Facebook: Friends of Sandinista NicaraguaNicaragua Solidarity Coalition

Twitter: @SolidarityNica

Instagram: @NicaSolidarity