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Detroit
protests
ARENA
BY DIMA ZALATIMO
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
About 200 University students and Detroit area res-
idents gathered in front of the McNamara Federal
Building in Detroit yesterday afternoon as part of a na-
tionwide effort to protest the inauguration of the new
El Salvadoran president, Alfredo Cristiani.
Cristiani is a member of the ARENA (Republican
National Alliance) Party, "the far right wing party of
death squads," said Jackie Rubio, a member of the
Central American Solidarity Committee.
"Because the $1.5 million the U.S. sends to El
Salvador every day is used to kill and repress the peo-
ple, we are here to tell Detroiters they can make a dif-
ference by pressuring members of Congress into stop-
ping aid to El Salvador and engaging in negotiations
between the warring parties," said Rubio.
Protestors marched up and down the sidewalk in
front of the Federal Building and shouted "End the
death squads, end the war. U.S. out of El Salvador," as
Detroit police officers watched. They also drew the at-
tention of government employees as they left the
building at five p.m.
Federal employee Bill Gilliam of Detroit said the
protestors were "entitled to express their opinions," as
he looked on. See Detroit, page 2
John Zittner of Michigan Interfaith Committee on Central American Human Rights (MICAH) lies
across from 200 protestors to symbolize victims of right wing death squads in El Salvador.
_1
Aftj
Cristiani takes office amidst terror and violence
BY KATHRYN SAVOIE
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
SAN SALVADOR, May 31 -
On the eve of the inauguration of
ARENA (Republican National
Alliance) Party member Alfredo
*Cristiani as the new President of El
Salvador, a transportation stoppage
called by the Farabundo Marti
National Liberation Front (FMLN)
caused an eerie silence to descend on
the capital.
Though the military presence was
heavy in the capital and some private
vehicles continued to circulate, there
was a noticeable absence of buses
and heavy transport vehicles.
Reports from the countryside
indicate that almost no traffic is
moving.
San Salvador has been tense since
FMLN guerillas attacked the San
Carlos garrison of the 1st infantry
battalion last Thursday - one of
four simultaneous attacks on
military posts in San Salvador.
The military responded by sur-
rounding the offices and capturing
the leaders of several popular
organizations last Friday morning.
Among those captured were leaders
of the Telecommunications Workers
Association, the Treasury Workers
Association, the Christian
Committee of Displaced Persons,
and the Salvadoran Federation of
Cooperatives.
All of these organizations are
members of the National Unity of
Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), a
coalition of 350,000 workers. The
UNTS office was also the scene of a
tense confrontation Friday morning
as armed members of the treasury
police blocked traffic and surrounded
the office. Heavily armed, their faces
covered with bandanas, they held the
office under siege for four hours.
Meanwhile, occupants of the office
denounced the military's death squad
activities, using a megaphone from
the office's second floor window.
At one point, members of the
Red Cross arrived on the scene to
treat someone in need of medical
assistance, but were denied access to
the UNTS office, as were members
Arts>
S 7 Blues Hiffs uneorlr
of the press corps. "They accused me of being with
At a press conference Friday after- the FMLN. In this country anyone
noon, telecommunications worker who speaks out is accused of being a
Miguel Flores denounced the guerilla. They link us with the
military repression. guerillas to justify repression against
"The FMLN attacks the the popular movement."
military," he said "and the military Military repression has escalated
retaliates by attacking popular since Cristiani's election on March
organizations. This is a union office, 19, heightening concerns about
not a military installation." ARENA's connections with death
Another telecommunications squad murders. The ARENA party
worker, Jose Basio Chevez, was cap- was founded in 1981 and continues
tured as he arrived at work Friday to be led by Roberto d'Aubuisson,
morning at the UNTS office and re- who has been repeatedly linked to
leased Monday. While held captive, the 1980 assassination of
he was subjected to numerous forms Archbishop Romero and is widely
of physical and psychological reported to be at the center of the
torture, including the denial of basic death squad network in El Salvador.
necessities and repeated beatings. See FMLN: Page 8
9 R ==e=a sesNCAs,