Today in Labor History March 23, 1980: Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador gave a speech appealing to the men of the Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing Salvadoran civilians. The next day, they assassinated him, too, while he was celebrating Mass. No one was ever convicted for the crime, the United Nations Truth Commission for El Salvador concluded that Major Roberto D'Aubuisson had ordered the assassination. At the time, D’Aubuisson was a death squad leader. He later founded the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) political party. D’Aubuisson, a neo-fascist and an alumnus of the notorious School of the Americas (aka School of the Assassins) in Fort Benning, Georgia, went on to serve as president of the Legislative Assembly, and to run for president, ultimately losing to another brutal right-winger, Jose Napoleon Duarte.

Though he was hailed by supporters of Liberation Theology, Romero’s biographer wrote that he was never interested in that movement, and that he faithfully adhered to Catholic teachings on liberation and a preferential option for the poor. And throughout his life he continued to draw inspiration from Opus Dei. However, after the assassination of his friend and fellow priest Rutilio Grande, also in 1977, he became critical of the military. In 1997, Pope John Paul II gave Romero the title of Servant of God, and the church opened a cause for his beatification. Pope Francis canonized him in 2018.

During Romero’s funeral ceremony, smoke bombs exploded on the streets, while unknown assailants, probably government security forces, shot at the mourners from surrounding buildings, including the National Palace. Officially, 31 civilians were killed. However, journalists claimed that it was up to 50 deaths.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #imperialism #DeathSquads #elsalvador #assassination #ArchBishopRomero #romero #schooloftheamericas

So if potus is sending ice agents to airports, how long until they shoot someone to death in a concourse.

Deprivation of civil rights in the Duty Free, state sponsored human trafficking before baggage claim, summary executions between the McDonald’s and the Cinnabon.

https://apnews.com/article/airport-screening-lines-ice-trump-shutdown-dhs-9c36ce9cc31647b59867fd2b62f9379d

#DeathSquads #USpol #ice #airports

Today in Labor History March 12, 1967: Suharto took power from Sukarno in Indonesia. He ruled Indonesia as an authoritarian, kleptocratic dictator for 31 years, and is widely considered one of the most brutal and corrupt dictators of the 20th century. During that time, he amassed a fortune worth $38 billion. Suharto rose to power under Sukarno during the 1965-1966 genocide. During that ostensibly anti-Communist purge, Suharto’s troops murdered 1-3 million communists, labor activists, peasants and ethnic minorities. During that genocide, he received support military and economic from both the U.S. and the U.K. In 1974, the Suharto regime, with approval of U.S. president Gerald Ford, invaded East Timor, killing over 200,000 Timorese. Another 75,000-200,000 died from starvation and disease. The current Indonesian government is considering awarding him the posthumous honor of National Hero.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #genocide #indonesia #easttimor #massacre #deathsquads #suharto #sukarno #dictator #communist #union #torture #imperialism #coldwar #starvation

Today in Labor History February 4, 1981: Death squads killed 68 campesinos in the massacre of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The massacre was one of many massacres making up the Guatemalan genocide. 200,000 Guatemalans died in the genocide. 93% of them were killed by government forces and death squads. 83% of the victims were Maya.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #guatemala #genocide #indigenous #maya #DeathSquads #imperialism #massacre #campesinos

The seven #Democrats who voted to fund the #DHS #DeathSquads:. 
#HenryCuellar (Texas), #JaredGolden (Maine), #MarieGluesenkampPerez (Wash.), #LauraGillen (N.Y.), #DonDavis (N.C.), #Tom Suozzi (N.Y.) and #VicenteGonzalez (Texas).
It would seem they're serving the interests of their ladder-kicking #Latino #constituents. #PRIMARY the ass out of these mother fuckers

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5702347-house-democrats-homeland-security-funding/

The SAS -- BBC #DeathSquads

A former senior UK Special Forces officer has told a public inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan that the SAS had a "golden pass allowing them to get away with murder".

((personal note; I'm sure that I've had incidences where I've been targeted for harassment by UK funded paramilitary organisations in England operating in the civilian sphere. They usually had names that ended "Fire & Safety" and similar, and they like to wear hi-vis jackets. I also complained about such to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal and they politely told me to fuck off. I particularly have an obsessed weekend GCHQ digital stalker who operates on the weekend, Friday afternoon to Monday morning. Hiya!!! 😜))

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07g40x1v53o

So viele kluge Gedanken!

"Death Squads Execute Second Dissident
Or what the US press would say if this was happening on the streets of a "shithole" country overseas"

#CaroleCadwalladr #alexpretti #USA #deathsquads #ICE #trumpdementia

https://open.substack.com/pub/broligarchy/p/death-squads-execute-second-dissident