By RADHIKA VISWANATHAN
It’s not everyday you see people wearing orange jumpsuits lining the walls of Grand Central Station’s main terminal. It’s even more rare to hear them singing in chorus.
On Thursday afternoon, protesters from human’s rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Witness Against Torture, World Can’t Wait donned faux prison apparel in opposition to President Trump’s executive order to keep the controversial prison open.
“A lot of people were brought [to Guantánamo Bay] who were innocent of any wrongdoing or hostility towards the United States,” said Jeremy Varon, a member of Witness Against Torture and one of the organizers of the protest. “The government claims the right to indefinitely detain people without charge or trial, which we think is illegal and unconstitutional.”
Trump referred to his executive order during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday night, in which he said Defense Secretary James Mattis would “re-examine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in Guantánamo Bay.”
Several human’s rights organizations have condemned this decision, and most notably, the Center for Constitutional Rights has issued a lawsuit against the policy. The arguments against keeping the prison open are two-fold: that there is no administrative process by which prisoners can be released or given their due process, and that the decision is based in unconstitutional prejudice and racism.
“Trump’s policy is rooted in racism and Islamophobia, much like the Muslim Ban,” Varon said. “This is a cheap and cynical way to look like a tough guy while running roughshod over the rule of law.”
The primary purpose of the protest was to bring awareness of the human’s rights abuses happening at the prison. Currently, 41 men are imprisoned, 26 of whom have not been charged nor had a trial. In addition, five of the prisoners have already been cleared for release by the US government.
“In the case of Guantánamo, most people don’t even know what’s happening there,” said Stephanie Rugoff part of the organization World Can’t Wait. “Most people in this country really do not like Trump, do not like his policies. I think if we can continue to get huge numbers out, like the women’s march, we could create policy change. That’s my optimism.”
As the protesters marched around the station, they were mostly ignored and derided, eliciting several “Boos” and “F- you’s!” from commuters who had to maneuver around the crowd. One onlooker approached a protester, called her a vulgar name and said, “I’m proud to be a white man.”
Another bystander rolled her eyes, saying, “Yeah, just let all the terrorists out.”
Varon said that Gitmo was not necessary for national security, as many believe. “Credible terror suspects can be effectively held in federal prisons and tried by normal processes,” he said. “The majority of men who have been held there have been guilty of nothing. Feel ashamed that your country tortured innocent people.”
As the protesters walked through the various terminals, their voices rang in unified song: “We’re gonna build a nation that don’t torture no one. But it’s gonna take courage for that change to come.”
Photo by Radhika Viswanathan
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