Where: the Chinese Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near Japantown)
Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.
See message below from the organizers, Rebecca Solnit and Marisa Handler, for more details.
Please forward this message widely!
Maia Duerr
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Begin forwarded message:
Dear Friends,
Please come join us in a peaceful protest in solidarity with the
people of Burma.
This week, tens of thousands of the Buddhist monks and nuns of Burma
stood up with other citizens against the military dictatorship that
has throttled their country for decades. Their actions have been
peaceful, brave, bold, beautiful and deeply inspiring for the rest of
us, and they could be the beginning of the liberation of a sad
country. Or they could lead to massacres, prisons, repressions, and
more. Global support matters at this crucial moment. Already the
country's two major cities are under curfew, gatherings of more than
five are forbidden, armed soldiers are on the streets, and the
situation is tense. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was
greeted by thousands of monks in an early demonstration, her first
public appearance in years, but is rumored to have been taken to a
grim prison.
The major supporter of Burma's ruling military junta is China and
China is in a delicate position as it tries to polish its global image
in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. This is a key opportunity to
pressure China, particularly as the United Nations prepares to meet in
New York. So we invite you to join us Friday at noon at the Chinese
Consulate, 1450 Laguna Street at Geary in San Francisco (near
Japantown). Try to wear red (in solidarity with the maroon-robed
monks), make signs, prepare to do both sitting and walking meditation.
This will be a principled nonviolent protest, with the aim of
emphasizing where the power of Burma's resistance lies--in the moral
authority of those who have devoted their lives to peace, and in the
courage of its people. We are not looking for confrontations with the
police or arrests and if asked to stop sitting will walk. We will
demonstrate for an hour and are prepared to return, as the situation
develops.
Rebecca Solnit and Marisa Handler