30 thousand surround the Diet: “End the Diet session now! Abe, resign now!”

In the evening of June 24th, 30 thousand people surrounded the Diet to protest the ongoing discussion of proposed war legislation. The flow of masses to the Diet building could not be stopped. The sidewalks were packed with participants and intersections were blocked in many points. The regular Diet session was scheduled to close on the 24th, but the Abe administration extended the term by 95 days. Opposition to the legislative changes surged on June 4^th, when experts on the constitution told the Lower House session on constitutional affairs that the security bills are unconstitutional. People are now confident that the bills can be scrapped. Labornet TV broadcast live from the sidewalk of the Diet Library. Some 10 people gave short speeches. Among them was writer SAWACHI Hisae, who urged people to gather at the next big action on July 18^th. The struggle to stop transformation of Japan into “a nation that can wage a war” is at a crucial stage. (M)

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「いますぐ閉会！いますぐ退陣！」の大ール～国会を取り巻いた怒りの3万人

 
国会に押し寄せる人の流れが止まらない。6月24日夜の「戦争法案反対！国会包囲行動」にはかつてない人々が集まり、3万人に達した。歩道は身動きがとれないほどで、交差点が随所で通行止めにされた。本来であればこの日は通常国会閉会の日。「いますぐ閉会！いますぐ退陣！」の大コールが議事堂を包んだ。6月4日の憲法審査会の参考人質疑から明らかに流れが変わった。人々は怒りとともに「必ずつぶせる」という自信にあふれているようだった。レイバーネットでは 「レイバーネットTV」を国会図書館脇で放送したが、3分スピーチには10人近くの人がアピールした。澤地久枝さんもやってきて「7月18日にみんなで声を上げよう」と訴えた。「戦争する国」を許さないたたかいは、いよいよ正念場を迎える。（M） 
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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）