The International Workers Day in Puerto Rico was filled with rain, massive protest and a lot of music in Adjuntas, a municipality located in the heartland of this caribbean island nation, thousands (30,000 according to a PR network) marched against a gas pipeline project.
The event was organized by a grassroot community organization called Casa Pueblo . This grassroot community organization from the central mountain region has taken a center stage in Puerto Rican politics lately. They are claiming that the proposed pipeline called Vía Verde poses a threat to the the people, the environment and economy of Puerto Rico, they are also in favor of renewable energy. The ruling party (pro US statehood party) favors the pipeline and the use of this fossil fuel. The pipeline would run from the southern region in Peñuelas to the northern region in Arecibo, and then all along the north coast to San Juan.
The Central de Trabajadores (Puerto Rican Workers Central) and the Asociación de Maestros (Puerto Rican Teachers Association) among other organizations joined together today with environmental groups and left wing political organizations and politicians which included the MINH (nationalist independence hostosiano movement), the center-left wing of the former ruling party PPD and it's mayors association, the PIP (the pro independence party) and the new political movement of Puerto Rico: the MUS (united pro sovereignty movement, see my diary about this new movement).
Puerto Rican descent U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Il) was a guest speaker in Adjuntas.
Antonio 'El Topo' sings what is considered the second national anthem of Puerto Rico ''Verde Luz'' (the official national anthem of Puerto Rico is 'La Borinqueña')
Puerto Rican descent U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Il) was a guest speaker