Protests Greet New Bombing of Vieques
Chanting “No to the Navy!” thousands of Puerto Ricans rallied in the capital Sunday to protest new U.S. military exercises on the outlying island of Vieques.
Jets from the carrier Harry S. Truman began dropping dummy bombs Thursday, and ships will shell the island later this month.
About 5,000 protesters marched peacefully in 90-degree heat outside Ft. Buchanan, an Army base in suburban San Juan. Organizers urged activists to redouble their yearlong effort to force out the Navy. Activists say the exercises endanger the 9,400 residents of the island, 7 miles east of Puerto Rico.
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