Leading voices in Britain Call for Honduran President to be Returned to Power

Below a statement signed by a broad range of figures across British society condemning the illegal coup in Honduras and calling for President Zelaya to be returned to power.

Leading voices in Britain Call for Honduran President to be Returned to Power

Prominent figures from across British society, including parliamentarians, film-maker John Pilger, World Future Council Chair Bianca Jagger, musicians Brian Eno and Jon McClure, playwright David Hare, leading academics, 13 national trade union general secretaries (including of Unite the Union, UNISON and the GMB) and a range of others have signed a statement condemning the coup in Honduras.

In the statement they say, "This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people," and "call upon every government in the world to demand the restoration of the democratically elected President of Honduras."

Venezuela Solidarity Campaign Chair and Unite the Union Assistant General Secretary Jennie Bremner said, "Voices from across Britain have added their name to this call against this illegal coup d'etat. The course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people must be restored."

VSC Secretary Francisco Dominguez added, "The extraordinary support for this initiative shows that a wide range of voices in British society - like so many internationally - will not rest until Honduras' constitutional President is returned to power."

The statement and a number of its signatories appeared in The Guardian newspaper (30 June). The letter and its signatories are below.


STATEMENT AGAINST MILITARY COUP IN HONDURAS

We totally condemn the military coup and kidnapping of the democratically elected President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.

On Sunday 28 June, President Manuel Zelaya Rosales was kidnapped, removed from his home by force, rendered incommunicado for several hours and expelled from his country. Soldiers also seized Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas and the Ambassadors of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

The military and coup conspirators are trying to suppress popular demonstrations and news by blanket military presence, curfews and intimidation of reporters. President Zelaya was working to free his country from decades hunger and poverty.

This military coup is an illegal attempt to use armed force to overturn the course of democracy and social progress chosen by the Honduran people at the polls.

We call upon every government in the world to demand the restoration of the democratically elected President of Honduras and to pledge not to recognise the illegal government put in power by a military coup.

Signed

• Colin Burgon MP
• Ken Livingstone
• Diane Abbott MP
• Dave Anderson MP
• Roger Berry MP
• Martin Caton MP
• Colin Challen MP
• Michael Clapham MP
• Michael Connarty MP
• Frank Cook MP
• Jeremy Corbyn MP
• Jon Cruddas MP
• Ian Davidson MP
• Janet Dean MP
• Paul Flynn MP
• Hywel Francis MP
• George Galloway MP
• Dai Havard MP
• Kelvin Hopkins MP
• Eric Illsley MP
• Lynne Jones MP
• Rob Marris MP
• John McDonnell MP
• Eddie O'Hara MP
• Stephen Pound MP
• Adam Price MP
• Terry Rooney MP
• Baroness Gibson, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Latin America
• Jean Lambert MEP
• Jamie Hepburn MSP
• Bianca Jagger, World Future Council Chair
• David Hare, playwright
• Brian Eno
• John Pilger
• Jon McClure, Reverend and the Makers
• Ken Loach, Film maker
• Tony Benn
• Hugh O'Shaughnessy, Writer
• Paul Laverty, Writer
• Francisco Dominguez, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign Secretary
• Tony Woodley, Unite the Union Joint General Secretary
• Derek Simpson, Unite the Union Joint General Secretary
• Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary
• Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary
• Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary
• Billy Hayes, CWU General Secretary
• Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary
• Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary
• Brian Caton, POA General Secretary
• Gerry Doherty, TSSA General Secretary
• Gerry Morrissey, BECTU General Secretary
• Keith Norman, ASLEF General Secretary
• Jonathan Ledger NAPO General Secretary
• Megan Dobney, SERTUC, Regional secretary
• Bill Greenshields NUT Past President
• Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy, NUS Black Students’ Officer
• Cllr Salma Yaqoob
• Ellie Reeves, Labour Party National Executive Committee and Co-convenor Britain in the
World Policy Forum
• Stephanie Peacock, Youth representative, Labour Party National Executive Committee
• Peter Willsman, Labour Party National Executive Committee
• Neal Lawson, Compass Director
• Diana Raby, Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Liverpool
•Steve Ludlam, University of Sheffield Senior Lectuer, Department of Politics
• Hazel Marsh, University of East Anglia
• Kaveh Moussavi, University of Oxford's Centre for Socio-Legal Studies Head of the Public Interest Law Programme
• Stephen Wilkinson, London Metropolitan University Assistant Director, International Institute for the Study of Cuba