Women rally for peace, call to scrap war bills

Nearly 15,000 women wearing something red surrounded the Diet building and formed a human chain on June 20 in protest against the “war bills” being discussed in the Diet. When I came out of the subway station, I saw the blue sky, the white triangular Parliament and thousands of women in red. What a beautiful sight! I was happy to see friends I have long worked with in various movements. Men were seen here and there, and they were also wearing something red. The opening speech by YOKOYU Sonoko was heard clearly through the loud speaker.

“War is a violation of human rights,” she opened her speech. She continued to say her father died in the war at 27. “There is never a good war,” she said at the end. WATANABE Mina from WAM (Women’s Active Museum) said we could not approve the right to collective self-defense or anything Abe administration has been doing and saying. She conveyed the words by former “comfort women” who said, “Never create victims like us again.” She raised a question to all the participants as to how we should mark June 20 in history. (By KASAHARA Mayumi)

1万5000人の赤く燃えた願い～「戦争法案 今すぐ廃案」議事堂に響く

 「女 たちの平和 国会ヒューマンチェーン」が行われた6月20日。地下鉄を出ると、真っ青な空。三角の白い議事堂、赤い服の女性たち。美しい。長年の活動仲間の顔が見え、 なんとなく嬉しい。スピーカーからは、正門前から横湯園子さんの開会の挨拶がクリアに流れてくる。なかなかの装備だ。チラホラと、男性参加者も見られ、彼 らも赤いものを身につけている。戦争は、人権侵害だと第一声。父親が戦争に行き、27歳で戦死したと話し始め、ご自身の経験から、「いい戦争はない」と締 めくくった。wamの渡辺美奈さんは、集団的自衛権は、認められない。安倍政権がこれまでやったり、言ったりしてきたことは、すべて受け入れられないと力 強く述べ、慰安婦だった方たちが「再び私たちのような被害者をつくってはいけない」と伝言した。そして、今日の6月20日をどのように歴史に刻みたいか、 と投げかけた。（笠原眞弓）