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Contingent at May 20 NATO protest to demand: “Drop the charges against Carlos Montes”

By Committee to Stop FBI Repression

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Join Carlos Montes in solidarity! Join the CSFR Contingent at the NATO Protest in Chicago

Carlos Montes is going on trial on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. We are days away now and Carlos Montes urgently needs your solidarity. Please join our contingent at the NATO protest in Chicago. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression in coordination with the protest leaders will march towards the front in a prominent position. We are hoping Carlos Montes will lead our contingent, but he may be unavailable due to the trial. Either way we will have a loud and visible presence opposing war abroad and political repression at home.

Carlos Montes has dedicated his life to opposing war and racism. Carlos Montes has led anti-war protests in Los Angeles from the days of the Chicano Moratorium against the Vietnam War, up to today, forming Latinos Against War to oppose U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Carlos Montes is a hero.

Along with 23 other anti-war and international solidarity activists, Carlos Montes home was raided by the FBI, his papers stolen, belongings ransacked, and now he is going on trial for his decades of activism. Carlos Montes is a well-known Chicano leader and long-time anti-war, labor and immigrant rights activist in Los Angeles. This attack on Carlos Montes is an attack on our movements for peace, justice, and equality. This is an attack on all that is good and progressive.

In addition to marching in the contingent, we are also asking you to call District Attorney Steve Cooley in Los Angeles and demand he drop the charges against Carlos Montes now. Call Steve Cooley at 213-974-3512, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time, Monday thru Friday. Say, “Drop the charges against Carlos Montes now!”

For the contingent—meet us at the Northeast corner of Columbus Drive and Jackson Boulevard, directly behind the Petrillo Bandshell, in Grant Park—near the Jackson Blvd street curb, under the banner “OPPOSING WAR IS NOT A CRIME!” You will see our big banner both before and during the rally at 12 Noon, so you can find us when it is time to march! We plan to have a sizeable CSFR contingent. Our friends from National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF) plan to march with us, as well as the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and a vibrant contingent of Palestinians and their supporters with their massive flag—truly a sight to see!

We will see you there around 12 Noon. SOLIDARITY FOREVER!

#ChicagoIL #CarlosMontes #CommitteeToStopFBIRepression #ChicagoNATOSummit