SCHAFIK HANDAL VISITS LOS ANGELES OCT

El Salvador

Schafik Handal Visits Los Angeles Oct. 10 - 14;
His Candidacy is the Culmination of 23 Years of Solidarity

By Don White, CISPES-LA

Some years have special meaning and a certain profundity and emotion attached to them. To me 1980 is certainly one of those special years, and it had an enormous impact on many lives, both in El Salvador and in the progressive community here in the U.S. It certainly changed my life and gave it a new direction and a new meaning.

In 1980 four nuns were murdered in El Salvador, Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated by the death squads, the entire leadership of the Frente Democratico Revolucionario (FDR) was rounded up and killed, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) was formed and CISPES [Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador] had it’s founding conventions on both coasts.

And in 1980 thousands of innocent civilians---students, campesinos, union organizers, church people and others----were being massacred by the right-wing government and death squads throughout the country. There was a full fledged war of terror against progressives who were seeking real change in the country. U.S. military aid to El Salvador, a country the size of Massachusetts, would be in the billions of dollars.

And in the U.S. thousands of people, young and old, from all walks of life, dedicated themselves to helping end U.S. intervention in Central America and to liberating the people of El Salvador.

For the next 23 years the strong bond between the U.S. solidarity movement and the people of El Salvador has been nurtured and sustained. North Americans provided solidarity through a 12-year war (1980-1992) and through the post-war period. Through victories and defeats, through the good times and the extremely sad times, through it
all the relationship has remained strong.

In a few days Schafik Jorge Handal, FMLN candidate for president of El Salvador, will arrive in Los Angeles for a series of events focusing on his campaign leading to the March, 2004 elections. In some ways it begins the culmination of the 23 years of solidarity. Polls show Handal can be elected president next year, moving the FMLN----which spent 12 years in the mountains of El Salvador--- into the country's presidential palace.

Born in 1930, Schafik Handal's life has, for over five decades, paralleled the revolutionary struggle for change in his country. He was one of the five-member general command of the FMLN throughout the war. He personifies the heroic, tenacious population of his country, constantly struggling for justice.

I hope our community gives Companero Schafik a warm and affectionate welcome here in Los Angeles. The people of El Salvador are moving toward an enormous victory. Let's once again mobilize to express the solidarity which has always meant so much to the people of El Salvador and which has so enriched the lives of people who share their struggle.

Meet Schafik! EVENTS:
~~~ Sunday, October 12, 2003 --- 5:00 p.m. --- Emmanuel Church
      3300 West Wilshire Blvd. [at Berendo] free event
~~~Monday, October 13, 2003 --- 7:00 p.m. --- La Placita @ Olvera Street
      535 North Main Street [downtown L.A.] (info: 626-683-9004)
~~~Friday, October 10, 2003 --- 7:00 p.m. --- Emmanuel Church
      3300 West Wilshire Blvd. [at Berendo] Help the FMLN celebrate its
      birthday with Schafik! Suggested donation: $15
More info: <fmlnla@gmx.net> or <cispeslosangeles@yahoo.com>
Contact CISPES for information on election monitor delegation.
            323-852-0721 "Vamos con todo por el Cambio!"