Thousands of Hondurans protest U.S.-led war in Iraq
Thursday, February 5, 2004 ©2004 Associated Press
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(02-05) 18:28 PST TEGUCIGALPA (AP) --
Thousands of radical activists clogged the streets of five major Honduran cities Thursday to protest the U.S.-led war in Iraq and decry American "imperialism."
Organized by the Popular Block, a consortium of more than 50 student groups and leftist organizations, the demonstrations snarled traffic in the capital of Tegucigalpa as well as San Pedro Sula and Tocoa in the north of the country.
Protesters simultaneously took to the streets in the western city of Copan and in Comayagua in central Honduras.
"Es are against the politics that Washington has pushed on Honduras and the world," said Carlos H. Reyes, the Popular Block's coordinator. "We will fight until we stop American expansionism."
Reyes was among those who led the demonstration in Tegucigalpa, where protesters marched more than 2 miles (4 kilometers) through the capital's congested streets. They eventually gathered in front of the presidential palace before blocking a major highway on their way out of town.
The protesters waved mammoth signs condemning U.S. President George Bush and Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, who they attacked as too- sympathetic to the Bush administration. One of the placards featured a large portrait of the Maduro with an American flag covering his mouth.
Labor leaders representing unions of primary teachers, doctors, nurses, farmers and day-laborers joined members of the Popular Block in protesting.
The government was so worried about protest-related violence that it urged thousands of civil servants to go home early, prompting many government offices to shutdown due to high absenteeism. There were no reports of arrests, however.
Honduras sent 370 troops to Iraq to participate in humanitarian and rebuilding efforts. Since July, the Popular Block has organized five major anti-U.S. demonstrations, two of which turned violent.
©2004 Associated Press