THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008
U.S. and Italian Solidarity Networks Protest Banner at Leon Celebration
** Press Release **Contact: Katherine Hoyt, Nicaragua Network nicanet@AFGJ.org (619) 423-2909 in the United States and the Italy-Nicaragua Association at itanica@iol.it in Italy.
(Washington and Milan, July 31, 2008) The Nicaragua Network in the United States and the Italy-Nicaragua Association in Italy today sent a public letter to the president of the Sandinista Renovation Movement (MRS), Enrique Saenz, protesting a banner that the two solidarity networks see as a call for the assassination of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
To read the public letter, click here.
The banner, which was hung above the stage where the MRS celebrated the anniversary of the Sandinista revolution on July 19 in the city of Leon, showed the late dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle who appeared to be holding up the arm of Daniel Ortega accompanied by the words “Ortega and Somoza: The Same Thing.” The banner appears spattered with “blood” and carries the artist signature of “Rigoberto Lopez Perez” who killed the first of the Somozas, Anastasio Somoza Garcia in 1956.
This is the banner that adorned the stage of the MRS rally in Leon.
According to the two national solidarity networks, “This apparent call for the assassination of a democratically elected president has no place in political discourse and exceeds the bounds of legitimate political speech and therefore must be condemned.” Their letter adds, “The Nicaragua Network and the Italy-Nicaragua Association remained neutral between the two parties of Sandinismo during the 2006 presidential election and have tried to maintain that neutrality during this first year and a half of the administration of President Daniel Ortega. We have expressed support for good policies we have seen and criticized bad ones while considering most political discussions the internal affairs of Nicaragua and for Nicaraguans to work out themselves."
Nevertheless, the groups say that they feel obligated to ask the MRS to rescind this banner with its apparent call for assassination.
Both groups confirm their commitment to continue in solidarity with the people of Nicaragua.
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