March protest against oppression in Brazil

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32459, 20 November 1970, Page 7

March protest against oppression in Brazil

A public demonstration in Christchurch to protest against the recent arrests and persecution of Christian youth leaders in Brazil is planned for Sunday afternoon.

A march from Latimei Square, through the city, to Latimer Square is planned, and speakers are being arranged by the organisers, the Roman Catholic Young Christian Worker movement. The chaplain to the movement in Christchurch, the Rev. P. Crawford, said there was good support from trade unionists, the university and other youth organisations. The aim of the demonstration he said was to demonstrate support for the people imprisoned who worked foi justice and the dignity and development of all people in Brazil.

The demonstration would also show “our condemnation of repression and denial Of human rights by the Brazilian authorities which include: arrest and imprisonment without cause or explanation; denial of representation and communication; the use of torture to extract confessions.” Father Crawford said that two of the young people recently imprisoned were Miss Marcia Marques and Mt Theodore Haag, whom he had met at the Young Christian Workers’ international conference in Beirut. There had been world-wide protests by groups in many countries after the wave of imprisonments and tenures by the military dictatorship. Two church leaders in Christchurch have issued statements attacking the conditions in Brazil.

The Rt Rev. T. Liddy, the vicar-general in Christchurch in the absence of the Bishop (the Most Rev. B. P. Ashby) said the denial of human rights, whether by wrongful arrest, detention of the inno-

cent, the-refusal of trial according to law, or the obtaining of confessions by torture, were crimes against humanity in any context. “How much more reprehensible,” he asked, “is it when a professedly Christian nation makes use of such means of repression.” The Rev. R. M. O’Grady, associate general secretary of the National Council of Churches, said the information in the churches was that freedom of speech was being seriously threatened in Brazil.

“Christians throughout the world are becoming concerned at the reported violation of human rights in Brazil. German churches recently recorded ’shock and dismay’ at the reports of torture and other acts of violence, and in July this year the Assembly of the World Lutheran Church was hastily shifted from Brazil to Europe because of the prevailing political climate in Brazil, Mr O’Grady said.