On Wednesday 3 August Edinburgh FRFI Group organised a picket outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh to express our opposition to US plans to invade Nicaragua. The picket was attended by over 70 people, most of whom represented political organisations in Edinburgh. In addition to FRFI supporters, present were the Edinburgh ISC, Latin American Solidarity Campaign, Young Communist League and Rosyth Women’s Peace Camp. There were also Chileans and El Salvadoreans. Representatives from each of these organisations spoke about why they were there and why they opposed British and US imperialism. The loud and enthusiastic chanting lasted for an hour and a half: chants of ‘Nicaragua! Vietnam! You Won’t Win, Uncle Sam!’, ‘Reagan, Shultz, CIA! How Many Kids Have You Killed Today!’, ‘Hands Off Nicaragua! Hands Off Cuba! Free El Salvador!’ and ‘Hands Off Nicaragua! Stop the Blockade Now!’
The picket was well organised and disciplined and we gave the police no excuses to harass us. There were many people entering the Consulate and our message came across loud and clear. The picket was a great success so another was arranged for the following Wednesday. New people came along and it followed the same format as the first. From the second picket came a proposal to carry on the weekly pickets until 3 September when the Latin American Solidarity Campaign is having a march through Edinburgh. This was unanimously agreed upon with the agreement that a phone system should be arranged so that if Reagan intensifies the blockade or invades Nicaragua we will all be ready to mobilise another picket or take further action right away. We intend to carry on our opposition to Reagan’s plans until the US withdraw their fleets and leave Nicaragua in the hands of the people.
Lorna Morgan
FRFI 32 September 1983
