Protest of Military Program at Georgia Base Ends in Arrests
COLUMBUS, Ga. — More than 90 people, including at least six nuns, were arrested for marching onto Ft. Benning grounds Sunday during an annual protest of a U.S. military program that trains Latin American soldiers.
“I feel anger at the deliberate teaching of violence,” Caryl Hartjes, a nun from Fond du Lac, Wis., said as she entered the compound, where she was arrested.
About 6,500 protesters gathered for the 13th annual demonstration by the School of the Americas Watch, which continues to protest the Nov. 19, 1989, killings of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador. Protesters said they demonstrate because people responsible for the killings were trained at the School of the Americas, a Ft. Benning-based program that was replaced last year by a new institute. Protesters say the change was only cosmetic.
The protesters passed through the base’s gates. Inside, a line of military police guided them up a hill where they were arrested. Illegally entering base property is a federal offense that can lead to a six-month prison term.
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