Philippines: Declaration of solidarity with labor activists Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago
1 August 2024: Solidarity message of German Filipino Friends: Dear friends at KMU, KMU/NCR, Crispin Beltran School of Labor and Defend Jobs Philippines! We heard through the press releases about your protest action on July 10, 2024 for the dismissal of charges against Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago, as well as other activists for violating anti-terrorism laws. We know Ed Cubelo personally, through visits, and highly value his commitment to workers' rights and union organizing. In particular, he promoted the exchange of organizing experiences in the workers' struggle against the international car companies.
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The accusations against Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago serve to eliminate union activists and leaders. In this way, the legal possibilities of the anti-terrorism law are being used against the right to organize for one's working and living conditions. We strongly support the demand of the human rights group NCR of Karapatan to reject the application of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 against labor activists Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago.
We are against this repression of militant workers in the Philippines just as we are against the repression, threats and attacks against left-wing political and trade union activists in Germany that we have heard about in recent weeks, especially from the state of Thuringia in Germany.
We wish your solidarity work every success!
for the board of the Deutsch-Philippinische Freunde e.V.
Dagmar Eberhard and Julia Schatten
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