File this one under “Colonialism is Still Colonialism.” A new social media page calling for Puerto Rico’s return to Spain has gotten media attention on the island, the U.S. and of course, Spain. And guess what? The organizers are serious about it.
A Facebook page is calling (in Spanish) for the “Reunification of Puerto Rico with Spain.” No, we’re serious. The page already has over 2,000 likes and it’s growing, thanks to the media attention.
This is what the group’s founder told Fox News Latino:
“The U.S. distorted our history. Nobody here knows we were Spanish citizens with full voting rights until the 1898 invasion. The United States denies us that right,” said Jose Nieves, the founder of the Puerto Rico Reunification With Spain group, to Fox News Latino.
“The Puerto Rican culture is disappearing,” added Nieves, 42, a history buff with a criminology degree from the Caribbean University.
He noted that Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain for more than four centuries and in 1897 even had a charter that gave it sovereignty as an overseas Spanish province.
So, let’s get this straight: Puerto Rico is a colony and it wants to go back to being a colony? Apparently. Nieves, according to the FNL piece, is not joking: “We want to become Spaniards again, to be autonomous community No. 18 of a country that we never wanted to abandon.”
Psst, Mr. Nieves, here’s a crazy thought: How about you start becoming Puerto Ricans instead?
Meanwhile, people on the Facebook page are REALLY excited (yeah, some guy is even suggesting the same thing happen to Cuba AND the Dominican Republic). What started out as a small number of Puerto Ricans has now included actual Spaniards, who by the way, are having their own issues with this whole monarchy thing and oh, yeah, economic problems as well. What better way to bring back the good old days by getting all colonial again?
¡Que viva la colonia!
Dear Partner,
After the approval of the 33rd United Nations’
resolution by consensus on June 23, 2014 asking the United States (US) to
immediately decolonize of Puerto Rico, we should work together to force the
United States government to comply with it.
The facts that the United States government has maintained
Puerto Rico as its colony for 116 years, has had Oscar López Rivera in prison for 33
years for fighting for Puerto Rico decolonization, and has ignored 33 UN
resolutions to decolonize Puerto Rico, confirm that the US government has no
intentions of ever decolonizing Puerto Rico.Therefore, we need to form a tsunami of people to force the US to comply
with the 33 resolutions.
We should peacefully protest at least 3 times a year until
we achieve our goal.The first one will
be a march up to the US Courthouse in Puerto Rico on the Abolition of
Slavery Day on March 22.The second
will be another march in Puerto Rico on a day before the UN’s Puerto Rico
decolonization hearing.The third one
will be a protest in New York City on the same day the UN holds its Puerto
Rico decolonization hearing.
These 3 protests are indispensable, because those who
have colonies don’t believe in justice for all.
Sincerely,
José M
López Sierra
Comité
Timón del Pueblo
United Partners for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico
http://www.todosunidosdescolonizarpr.blogspot.com/
In a true democracy citizens have the right to express their views. No one should be surprised since in 1898 all Puerto Ricans were by birth citizens of Spain and many with strong family ties to Spain still carry a great love for that country. Many Puerto Ricans especially those raised and educated in the USA were taught only of how horrible Spain was to it’s colonies not that it’s wrong to have colonies . Even in Puerto Rico the historical wrongs done by the US policies are under played and under reported. Today you speak of Puerto Rican independence and you get labeled a radical or even crazy lunatic. In any case anyone who really studies the subject knows that the status of the island is not up to the Puerto Ricans It is up to Congress and for as many times as the Statehood party has won, the status has stayed the same.
Dear Partner,
Since the United Nations determined in 1960 that colonialism
is a crime against humanity, there is no longer a need for plebiscites. The solution is to give Puerto Rico her
sovereignty.
But being the United States government does not want to, it
continues to advocate the use of plebiscites to find out what Puerto Ricans
want.Even if 100% of Puerto Ricans
would want to continue being a US colony, Puerto Rico would still be obligated
to accept her sovereignty to then decide what she wants to do.
The only thing these plebiscites are good for is to divide
Puerto Ricans.A Puerto Rican didn’t
invade us to make us a colony.When will
we understand that we need to unite?
This is why we must peacefully protest at least 3 times a
year until Puerto Rico is decolonized!
José M
López Sierra
http://www.todosunidosdescolonizarpr.blogspot.com/
Not true that there are 3 political status options for Puerto
Rico
The United States (US) government has made Puerto Ricans
believe that there are 3 political status options for Puerto Rico.That is a lie.The purpose for that is to have Puerto Ricans
fight amongst themselves.The plan has
been a huge success!Puerto Rico has
been a colony of the United States for 116 years, and judging by the 80% voter
turnout in the colonial elections, the majority of us has not realized that we
have been lied to.
In reality, there is only one option.The United Nations (UN) in 1960 determined
that colonialism is a crime against humanity.Therefore, the only thing that Puerto Rico can do is to become her own
nation.That means that the US must
give Puerto Rico the sovereignty that the US illegally took away from her by
virtue of the July 25, 1898 military invasion.
Thus far, the US government has ignored the 33 UN
resolutions asking it to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico.Instead, it has tried to hide these
petitions, and at the same time appear to believe in democracy by pushing for
plebiscites so that Puerto Ricans could decide between colonialism, being a US
state, or independence (decolonization as required by the UN).
The problem with the US pushed plebiscites are that they:
don’t comply with international law that prohibits
a nation to have a colony.
don’t comply with international law that
requires the empire to give the sovereignty it illegally took away to its
colony.
don’t comply with international law that
requires that to have free elections, that country must be free first.
have 2 options that are not permitted by
international law- continuing being a colony and becoming a state of the
country that has the colony.For the
option of becoming a state of the country that has the colony to be considered,
the colony must first become her own nation (decolonized).
This is why we have to peacefully protest 3 times a year
until the US government complies with the UN resolutions for Puerto Rico
decolonization.
José M
López Sierra
http://www.todosunidosdescolonizarpr.blogspot.com/
I have news for you all Puerto Rico was in fact Spain when the US invaded. it is silly to suggest that Puerto Rico would go back to being a colony. it would be an autonomous region of Spain just like all the others. and no all the other countries cannot to the same as they were actually independent countries. Puerto Rico has never been an independent country.it would be like someone invading New York.so yes you could be Puerto Rican just like Catalans. etc. it is stupid for anyone to think that you cannot be Puerto Rican or anything else for that matter not be Spanish.in my family we have always known we are Spanish.we are Spanish from Puerto Rico like Catalans are Spanish and Catalan.
[…] we have this source here claiming that some group called “reunificacion Puerto rico” has 2,000 Facebook members as you […]
to answer number 6… Catalans don’t think or believe that they are spanish. They believe that they are only Catalan and nothing else. I know because I live in Catalunya.