Protesters Seek to Close Army School

A thousand protesters marched outside the Ft. Benning military base in Columbus, Ga., to demand the closing of the U.S. Army School of the Americas, where opponents claim Latin American soldiers learn torture. The protest has been an annual event since 1990, held each year to mark the Nov. 16, 1989, massacre of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador. The School of the Americas trained 19 of the 26 Salvadoran officials implicated in the massacre by a United Nations investigation. The school trains more than 900 U.S. and Latin American soldiers each year. Last year the protest group entered the base, and there were 542 arrests. This year, event organizers expect more than 5,000 protesters today. Actor Martin Sheen has promised to lead them through Ft. Benning’s main gate.