About 2800 joins rally: ‘Let’s not tolerate war legislation’

 “It’s just like the pre-war days,” said TERUOKA Itsuko, a guest speaker at the rally held in Tokyo on May 12 as she contemplated on the days leading up to the World War II. Teruoka was born in early Showa. “The atmosphere of present-day Japan resembles that of the pre-war Japan.”

 Despite the rain, nearly 2,800 people took part in the rally, “Let’s not tolerate war legislation,” in Tokyo’s Hibiya Park.

 “If the Self-Defense Forces should be sent overseas and even one person were killed, the society will undergo a complete change, making it very difficult for people to speak against war. It is because such a negative utterance is considered rude to the war dead. I fear that such a mindset will make people rather feel obliged to express their thanks [to the government and the soldiers] for fighting to protect us,” she continued.

 Teruoka then made an appeal to the people, “It’s time that each of us commit ourselves and rise up to put an end to such a wrong move in the society.”

 Members of the Democratic Party of Japan, the Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, the People’s Life Party and Okinawa Social Mass Party also attended the rally and made powerful speeches amidst mounting sense of crisis. In the face of the government’s approval of the war legislation on May 14, the rally kicked off a series of protests to follow at the Diet. (By M)
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 「許すな！戦争法案 5.12集会」に2800人～暉峻淑子さん「戦前と似てきた」

 「いまは戦前の空気と似ている」。昭和一桁生まれの暉峻淑子（てるおかいつこ）さんは、か みしめるように演壇から語った。雨模様にもかかわらず「許すな！戦争法案 5.12日比谷集会」には2800人 が集まった。暉峻さんは続ける。「もし自衛隊が海外に出て一人でも死者が出たら、社会全体の空気がい っぺんに変わり、戦争反対を言えなくなる。戦争反対を言うことは死んだ人に失礼だ、むしろ私たちを守 ってくれてありがとう、と言わされる雰囲気がつくられる。それが恐い」「いま一人ひとりが心の底から 決意を固め、間違った社会の動きを止めるために立ち上がるときだ」と訴えた。民主・共産・社民・生 活・沖縄社大の政党代表も駆けつけたが、いずれも危機感に満ちた力強いものだった。14日の「戦争法 案」閣議決定を目前にした5.12集会は、これから本格化する「許すな！戦争法案」大運動のスタートにな った。（M)
動画（暉峻スピーチ）