by Melanie Kellar, WAMM

1,500 Chinese Students Join Vigil

In May, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Peking University students demanded the resignation of China's police chief. Hundreds marched over two days to protest the rape and slaying of a student. About 1,500 students came to a vigil, which was the largest campus protest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The students demanded a memorial service, better campus security, and improved living conditions.

Australians Support Aborigines' Civil Rights

The May 29, 2000, issue of the Star Tribune stated that a crowd of more than 200,000 people marched to support social justice for Australia's black minority. It was the largest civil rights gathering in Australian history. The protest was the culmination of a weekend of nationwide ceremonies and rallies organized to acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal people and to press for equity for them.

Vets from Vieques Return Their Medals

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that about 30 U.S. Veterans from the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques turned in their medals on Memorial Day in protest of a U.S. Navy bombing range. The veterans laid their ribbons and discharge papers in a box at the Veterans Memorial in San Juan, stating, "It was in protest and for peace in Vieques." Organizers also plan to send the box to President Clinton with a letter demanding that the Navy stop exercises in Vieques.

Call to Ease Sanctions Against Cuba

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times recommended easing the sanctions against Cuba. The writer observed that momentum was building in Congress to ease Washington's longtime economic isolation of Cuba and to resume trade in food and medicine. For humanitarian reasons, food and medicine should never have been subject to trade sanctions. The editorial concluded by stating it was time for a new policy on Cuba. Easing the ban on food and medicine exported would be an important step.