Bayan calls for release of Labor Day activists as it raises alarm over police brutality in dealing with political protests

Bayan calls for release of Labor Day activists as it raises alarm over police brutality in dealing with political protests

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan called for the immediate release of the 6 youth activists who were arrested by the police during the Labor Day protest in Manila. Bayan said that the arrest plus the use of water cannons and the brutal attempt to disperse the protest reflected a disturbing trend about the increasing intolerance of the police and their violent response to organized dissent.

Even after the lifting of the pandemic lockdowns, police have regularly interfered with the people’s right to assemble and express sentiments against unjust government policies. Since last year, police have used the Marcosian BP 880 to file harassment charges against activists and artists. They have also consistently rejected applications for protest assemblies in Manila, even if they allow non-political activities in streets and other public spaces.

Photo credits: Philstar, Jose Santos

We assert that organizing and participating in a protest rally is not a crime since the people have the right to demand accountability from those in power. The 6 arrested activists were part of a bigger crowd condemning the military meddling of the US government and its imposition of its imperialist agenda in the region. There’s nothing criminal in asserting our sovereignty and resisting the entry and installation of military weapons and facilities in the country.

We remind the Manila LGU to stop enabling the police in curtailing the people’s civil liberties. It should not allow the police to turn the country’s political capital into a garrison where the right to express is severely restricted. We warn the police that those who were involved in attacking peaceful protesters and those who arrested the 6 activists could be held liable for their disproportionate, excessive, and unlawful response.

Bayan said that the repressive policy of the state against those who are speaking out against foreign military intervention is in stark contrast to the subservient attitude of the Marcos Jr government which has shamefully allowed the US government to build military facilities and use the country’s territory as part of its military network.

As of Friday morning, the 6 youth activists have yet to be released.