2,500 human rights activists braved the rainstorms on Sunday, November 23 and converged at Fort Benning to call for an end to militarized state violence in the US and abroad. Featured presenters came from Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Venezuela, and the US.
The 18th annual Vigil to Close the SOA was one of the largest and most vibrant yet. While thousands commemorated the martyrs in a solemn funeral procession at the main gate, 10 SOA Watch activists entered the Fort Benning military base through a side entrance in an attempt to carry the protest to the site of the SOA/WHINSEC.
Columbus, GA - 22,000 people from across the Americas gathered this weekend outside the gates of Ft. Benning, Georgia to demand a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy and the closure of a military training school that is synonymous with torture and repression for millions around the world.
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