Lying down in protest against forcible construction of US base at Henoko

On October 29, 2015, the Japanese Government restarted the construction of a new US military base at Henoko, Nago City in Okinawa as it had declared. However, what it actually did was to clean up demolished military barracks, and the remains in the premise are yet to be investigated and it is impossible to start the main construction work. The government and Japan’s major corporate media say that the main work has started, so as to discourage the people’s protest. Protestors against the construction of the US base are very energetic. On this day, large construction vehicles arrived there earlier than usual before 7 am. Approximately 50 protestors fiercely confronted 150 riot policemen and 22 US military policemen. Three protestors lied down in front of the vehicles, risking their lives. The riot police were surprisingly violent. They applied strong force to my chest as if they tried to break my ribs. The confrontation continued until after 9 am, and six protestors were arrested simply because their hands slightly touched the riot police when they were violently pushed by the police. This arrest is totally unjustified. Five of them were released soon after our protest, but the remaining one is still detained at the local police station. In the afternoon, YAMASHIRO Hiroji, the leader of our protest action, joined us. (SATO Shigemi)

大型車両の前に捨て身で寝ころぶ！～辺野古の工事強行を許さない

10月29日、日本政府は宣言通り辺野古新基地建設に伴う工事を再開した。しかしその実態は兵舎解体の後片付けで、遺跡調査も手付かずで本体工事に入れる状態ではない。政府・マスコミは「本体 工事着工」と宣伝し 県民の反対意志を萎えさせようとしている。辺野古ゲート前の座り込み闘争は元気いっぱい。いつもより早く朝６時５０分頃から工事車両がやってきた。機動隊１５０ 人、軍警２２名、座り込み約５０名が激しい攻防。大型車両の前に捨て身で寝ころぶ人３名。「あぶない！ひかれる」。機動隊の暴力凄い。あばらが折れんばかりの強い力で拳で胸押す。私は今でも胸が痛い。くそ！攻防は９時過ぎまで続いた。この攻防で６名が持って行かれる。機動隊の暴力で倒れかかり手が触れただけで逮捕。許せない。５人が我々の返せの抗議行動の結果、釈放。しかし１名は名護警察署に拘留状態。午後、山城博治さんが現れる。大きな歓声がわく。（佐藤茂美）