Just in case people in the rest of the world thought the people of Guam were quietly sitting back as President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rattle sabres and threaten the island with nuclear destruction, there are plans for a peace rally Monday.
Two Guam community groups are organizing a “People for Peace” rally at the Maga’låhi Kepuha (Chief Quipuha) loop in Hagåtña on Monday at 5 p.m. Independent Guåhan and the Prutehi Litekyan/Save Ritidian organization are inviting the local community to join them with peaceful signs and positive messages they’d like to share with the world.
This past week, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un exchanged aggressive threats of attack that included plans for a North Korean missile strike near Guam in mid-August. Historically, Guam has been forced into the middle of other nations’ conflicts, particularly as an unincorporated territory of the United States. As a result, many of Guam’s people know the painful and horrific effects of war as World II survivors and as veterans. Thus, the members of Independent Guåhan and Prutehi Litekyan, both organizations dedicated to the decolonization and demilitarization of Guam, feel it is imperative for the community to stand together in a call for peace.
“What’s happening in Guam is a global issue, because if our island is attacked, it could be the catalyst for a global catastrophe,” says Independent Guåhan spokesperson Kenneth Gofigan Kuper. “Peace on Guam means peace for the rest of the world.”
“Peace also begins in our homelands,” says Prutehi Litekyan/Save/Ritidian spokesperson Sabina Flores Perez.
“The trajectory of US hyper-militarization of Guam and the ‘Pacific’ Ocean has largely gone unnoticed and is greatly responsible for the destabilization of our region. The world’s attention must be focused on demilitarizing our lands that includes immediately halting the construction, which can take place in a matter of days, of a live-fire training range complex near Ritidian, a sacred place where we can connect to our ancestors and the location of the Guam Wildlife Refuge established on stolen native lands.”
For more information, please contact Kenneth Gofigan Kuper at (671)482-3761 or kennethkuper@gmail.com and Sabina Perez at (671)788-2015 or famoksaiyan.sabina@gmail.com.