“Never Forget the Imprisonment of Our Founder” ～ Soka Gakkai Members Stage Silent Protest In Front of Organization’s Headquarters

 

On June 18th, seventy current and former members of Soka Gakkai, the largest lay Buddhist organization in Japan,　staged a silent protest in front of its headquarters in response to the group’s recent crackdown on political dissent. The silent protests were started last December by three members dismissed by Soka Gakkai for speaking out against the suppression of dissent within the organization. Now in its eighth round, the protests have continued to grow in number. At the rally, participants stood silently, holding placards with messages to Soka Gakkai and Koumeitou—the political party closely aligned to the organization—some of which read: “Fight to repeal security bills and the anti-conspiracy bill,” “Stop dismissing members who raise their voices for the sake of the organization” and “Never forget the imprisonment of our founder” (referring to the government’s arrest of Soka Gakkai founder MAKIGUCHI Tsunesaburo as a “thought criminal.”) Some people who appeared to be members of Soka Gakkai watched from a nearby park. “Soka Gakkai is losing its spirit of autonomous thinking and individual action,” lamented one of the participants in the silent protest. Another protester, a graduate of Sokka University, said, “As a college student, I was taught, ‘’the youth must keep a careful watch on politics.’”(YUMOTO Masanori)

「初代の獄死を忘れるな」～創価学会本部 前で学会有志がサイレントアピール

６月１８日、創価学会本部（東京都新宿区信濃町） 前で創価学会員有志と不当に解雇された元創価学会職員によるサ イレントアピールが行われた。この取り組みは、創価学会内での 言論弾圧を告発し解雇された３名の元創価学会本部職員が一昨年の１２月に始めた。その後支援する創価学会員は増え今回８回 目、７０名が参加した。参加者は、創価学会本部、公明党への思 いをつづったプラカードをかかげ静かに立ち続けた。プラカード の文言は、「安保法制と共謀罪法の撤回のために闘え」「初代の 獄死を忘れるな」「学会のために声を上げる会員を処分するな」 など。本部前の公園には、サイレントアピールを見つめる学会員と おぼしき姿もあった。サイレントアピールに参加した創価学会員 は、「今創価学会には一人一人が自分で考え、行動する精神が失われている」と語った。また創価大学卒の学会員は、「学生時代 に『青年は心して政治を監視せよ』と学んだ」と話した。（湯本 雅典）