
On Wednesday November 5, campaigners calling for the closure of the “war on terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay — and an end to its more recent use to hold migrants seized in Donald Trump’s disturbing “war on migrants” — gathered at significant locations across the US and globally for the 34th successive monthly coordinated Close Guantánamo vigils.
The “First Wednesday” vigils took place in Washington, D.C., London, New York, Brussels, Portland, Detroit and Los Angeles — with San Francisco following on November 6, and Cobleskill, NY on November 8 — and former prisoner Mansoor Adayfi also sending a photo from an exhibition of Guantánamo prisoners’ art in Giessen, in Germany.
As ever, the vigils involved committed campaigners from various Amnesty International groups, Close Guantánamo, the UK Guantánamo Network, Veterans for Peace, Witness Against Torture, the World Can’t Wait, the Peacemakers of Schoharie County, and various activist groups in New York City, with support from numerous other organizations, and I’m immensely grateful to our small but dedicated family of global activists for their dedication to shining a light on an enduring injustice that, shamefully, has largely been swallowed up in amnesia and inertia.

Last Wednesday, October 1, the world’s most dedicated campaigners for the closure of the “war on terror” prison at Guantánamo Bay gathered, at significant locations across the US and globally, for the 33rd successive monthly coordinated Close Guantánamo vigils — in Washington, D.C., London, New York, San Francisco, Brussels, Mexico City, Portland, Detroit, Los Angeles and Belgrade — with campaigners in Irvine, CA holding an indoor vigil, and with the redoubtable progressive outpost of Cobleskill, NY following on Saturday October 4.
The monthly “First Wednesday” vigils involve campaigners from various Amnesty International groups, Close Guantánamo, the UK Guantánamo Network, Witness Against Torture, the World Can’t Wait, the Peacemakers of Schoharie County, and various activist groups in New York City, with support from numerous other organizations.
As ever, I’m immensely proud of our little global family of activists, all of whom recognize the significance of the enduring injustice of Guantánamo, and its baleful influence on brutal and unjust detention policies from Israel to El Salvador and, more recently, the US mainland, via the expansion of fundamentally lawless detention facilities run by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as part of the malignant “war on migrants” that Donald Trump launched when he took office in January.
Investigative journalist, author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker. Recognized as an authority on Guantánamo and the “war on terror.” Co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker, singer/songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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